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Listen, my knowledge of Rugby could fit into a thimble. I know that the US generally isn’t good at Rugby on the international scene and that countries like New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa are generally pretty good. I also know they often, or all the time?, dive into the endzone when they score. Now though, there’s going to be a Purdue flavor to US rugby.
Here’s an article about a rugby crossover program looking to increase the popularity of US rugby, internationally. They have recruited Purdue Alum, Gelen Robinson!https://t.co/SvYUUJcd12
— Purdue Men's Rugby (@PurdueMensRugby) February 4, 2021
Gelen Robinson will be joining a program that is intended to take some of the great athletes the United States has and get them into rugby. The thinking behind this is that the United States has some of the greatest athletes in the world but we often see them bunched together in basketball and football. We lack the skill in soccer and apparently rugby as well. It’s the same type of thinking that you hear when people say that if LeBron had decided to play soccer as a kid he’d be the world’s greatest soccer player and US soccer would be in a completely different position.
This program is taking not just Robinson but other college athletes from other sports. They really are trying to bring in athletes and then mold them into rugby players. Will it work? I have no clue but based on the article it seems like whatever US rugby has been trying hasn’t worked so trying something new seems logical. If US rugby turns the corner perhaps you’ll have Gelen Robinson to thank for the turnaround.