Louisiana State
Full nameLouisiana State University Rugby Football Club
UnionUSA Rugby
Nickname(s)Tigers
Founded1970; 54 years ago (1970)
LocationBaton Rouge
RegionLouisiana
League(s)Southeastern
Team kit
Official website
lsurugby.com

The Louisiana State University Rugby Football Club, often referred to as LSU Rugby, represents Louisiana State University in college rugby and rugby sevens. The team is part of the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference (SCRC) and they play their home matches at the UREC Field Complex on LSU's campus.[1][2]

History

The LSU Rugby team dates back to 1970,[2] founded by Rob Haswell, Jay McKenna and Hal Rose.[3] LSU won the 1976 college rugby unofficial national tournament.[4]

LSU Rugby became a member of the Texas Rugby Union in 1996. LSU Rugby competed at the 1998 Western Rugby Collegiate Championships, led by Head Coach Steve Triche.[5]

In 2005, Scott McLean was named head coach of the LSU Rugby team. In the 2008-09 season, the team won the SEC rugby title in the fall, and in the spring advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division I national rugby tournament.[2] During the 2009-2010 season, LSU went to its second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance,[6][1] but lost to Penn State 31–25. LSU players Adam Ducoing, Bobby Johns, and Cody Cadella were named to the Collegiate All-American teams at the conclusion of the 2009-10 season.[7]

LSU Rugby joined the College Premier Division (later named Division 1-A),[8] where they played in the Mid-South conference against teams such as Texas A&M and Oklahoma. LSU competed at the 2011 Collegiate Rugby Championship, a tournament held at PPL Park in Philadelphia and broadcast on NBC.[9] LSU finished in ninth place, winning the consolation bracket with victories over Boston College, North Carolina, and Notre Dame.[10][11]

LSU Rugby joined the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference in 2011. In 2012, Bob Causey was named head coach of the LSU Rugby team,[12] following the retirement of Scott McLean.[13] In 2012, LSU were the SCRC West Division champions and advanced to the SCRC playoffs,[14] before losing to Florida in the SCRC semifinals.[15] LSU flyhalf Allen Alongi led the SCRC Conference in points scored during the 2012 season.[16]

In 2013, LSU won the West Division of the SCRC Conference, finishing with a 5–1 conference record, before losing to South Carolina in the SCRC playoffs.[17]

LSU had a successful 2014 season, going undefeated in conference play to become the SCRC West Division champions, before losing to South Carolina in the SCRC finals.[18] LSU secured a berth in the 2014 national D1-AA playoffs, where they faced Central Florida in the Round of 16.[19] LSU Rugby was suspended in November 2014 due to a violation of the school's alcohol policy,[20] but the team was reinstated in January 2015.[21]

Head coaches

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct. Accomplishments
1970–1973 Rob Haswell 3
1979–1983 David 5
1984–2001 John Staub 8
2002–2006 Steven Triche 5
2007–2011 Scott McLean 5 Collegiate Rugby Championship, 9th place (2011)
2012–2021 Bob "Red" Causey 10 SCRC West Division champion (2012, 2013, 2014)
2022 Harry Higgins 1
Present Chris Riedel

Players and Alumni

Many current and former players have been selected to Regional and National Select Sides, and several LSU Tigers contributed to the victory of the Louisiana (LA) U-19 All-stars in national competition. In addition, former LSU players have been team members of the USA U-19 Eagles in international competitions and have participated in the Down Under Rugby training program in Australia.

U.S. national team

The following LSU players have been called up to play for the United States national rugby union team:

All Americans

LSU Rugby Hall of Fame

Championships

Year Championship
2012 SCRC — West Division
2013 SCRC — West Division
2014 SCRC — West Division

References

  1. ^ a b "Louisiana State College Rugby". USA Rugby. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  2. ^ a b c "Local flavor leads LSU Rugby to Sweet 16", Sports NOLA, Ken Trahan, April 16, 2009.
  3. ^ Louisiana State University, American Collegiate Rugby Championship Sevens, March 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "Interview of LSU’s Bob Causey", Texas Rugby Union, April 4, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  5. ^ "RUGBY PLAYERS GET DOWN AND DIRTY", Lawrence Journal-World, Chris Koger, April 5, 1998. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "ASU rugby team heads west for Sweet 16 in USA Rugby Tournament playoffs", Arkansas State University, April 13, 2010.
  7. ^ "2009-10 Deep South Season Report", Deep South Rugby, March 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "LSU Rugby embraces 40th anniversary", Sports NOLA, October 1, 2010.
  9. ^ Massive Day One at the 2011 Collegiate Rugby Championship
  10. ^ "2011 MEN'S CRC SCORES", Rugby Today, June 4, 2011.
  11. ^ "2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship: BC Eliminated Early, Dartmouth Wins Title", BC Interruption, Brian Favat, June 5, 2011.
  12. ^ "Intro to Rugby 1001: LSU club". The Daily Reveille. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  13. ^ "SCRC POLL HAS LSU, TENNESSEE AT TOP" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Rugby Today, February 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference final four set in Montgomery this weekend", AL.com, Natalie Wade, April 12, 2012.
  15. ^ 2012 SCRC Championship Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, April 15, 2012.
  16. ^ "2013 Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference Preview", This Is American Rugby, Ted Hardy, January 31, 2013.
  17. ^ "SCRC Digest", This Is American Rugby, March 29, 2013.
  18. ^ Louisiana State University, American Collegiate Rugby Championship Bowl Series. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "COLLEGE PLAYOFF BRACKETS ARE SET", Gift-Time Rugby Network, April 17, 2014.
  20. ^ "LSU rugby team suspended after violating alcohol policy, newspaper says", NOLA.com, Quincy Hodges, November 24, 2014.
  21. ^ "LSU Rugby Reinstated", Goff Rugby Report, Alex Goff, January 21, 2015.
  22. ^ "Apartheid, Bob “Big Red” Causey, & the Springbok’s 1981 Tour", Deep South Rugby, Tom Crosby, March 11, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  23. ^ Bob Causey Test Matches, ESPN. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  24. ^ Boyd Morrison Test Matches, ESPN. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  25. ^ "FALCON LEADS U20 LINEOUT DOMINANCE", Rugby Today, Alex Goff, September 6, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2015.

External links

Louisiana State University
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