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UF to participate in nationally televised USA Rugby

May 13, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida Men’s Rugby club will participate in the first USA 7′s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational, a Rugby Sevens round-robin tournament featuring 16 historically significant collegiate rugby teams, on June 4-6. The location is the Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

Rugby Sevens features seven players per team playing on the same size pitch as a 15′s match and offers non-stop action where speed, high scoring and athleticism rule the day. The USA 7′s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational will be broadcast live on NBC on Saturday and Sunday June 5-6 from 4 to 6 p.m. ET, and on Universal Sports from 2 to 4 p.m. ET.

“We’ve brought together the best-of-the-best for the inaugural USA 7′s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational,” said Dan Lyle, tournament director for USA 7′s Rugby. “It’s a great opportunity to expose the sport to a mass audience in anticipation of inclusion in the Olympics.”

Rugby Sevens will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016. The USA 7′s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational offers fans a preview of the talent pool available for the U.S. Olympic team.

The USA 7′s Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational features 16 Division I collegiate traditional powers, including the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Army, Bowling Green, University of California at Berkeley, Dartmouth, University of Florida, Harvard, Indiana University, Navy, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, San Diego State, University of Tennessee and the University of Utah.

Broadcast Schedule:

  • NBC Sports live coverage from 4 to 6 p.m. ET on June 5, 6
  • Universal Sports live coverage from 2 to 4 p.m. ET on June 5, 6
  • NBC Mobile live simulcast from 4 to 6 p.m. ET on June 5, 6
  • Hulu.com full-event coverage available on-demand in HD quality video

The UF Men’s Rugby club is one of 40 sports clubs overseen by the Department of Recreational Sports.

About USA Sevens
USA Sevens owns and operates America’s premier rugby event, the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament. Held annually, the event is one of the eight international stops in the IRB Sevens World Series. With an attendance of over 50,000 during the two day event, it is the largest annual rugby event in North America and one of the fastest growing rugby events in the world.