Get ready to see a lot more rugby in the United States in the coming years.
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are right around the corner, and the U.S. was also selected to host the men’s rugby World Cup in 2031 and the women’s in 2033, the first time either event will be held in North or South America.
And for those in Southern California who’d rather not wait that long to see this fast-paced, non-stop contact sport in person, the Rugby Tens Championship will be held beginning Sunday at Great Park in Irvine.
The three-day event, which continues Wednesday and concludes Nov. 29, will have the appearance of an international competition with athletes from 33 countries taking the pitch inside the soccer stadium.
Four franchises consisting of men’s, women’s, boys and girls teams will aim to win their respective divisions, as well as $650,000 in prizes. Their combined scores will then determine who takes home the coveted Franchise Champion Trophy.
One franchise that won’t have to travel far is the San Clemente Rhinos, who have been fielding rugby teams, training elite international players and recruiting those closer to home since 2021.
That was the year Derek Nellmapiu, the South African founder of the San Clemente Rhinos, also established the Rugby Tens Championship. The event was held in South Africa the first two years before moving to the San Juan Capistrano Riding Park a year ago.
The Rhinos then struck a deal to move the tournament to Great Park, where players and spectators will have access to a more professional setup.
“To take us from the riding park in San Juan Capistrano to a stadium and a huge, beautiful facility is going to be next level,” said Todd Clever, general manager of the Rhinos
Clever, who was the first American to ever play Super Rugby, the sport’s premier international competition, expects rugby to continue surging in popularity, both locally and across the country.
“It’s growing,” he said. “Month-to-month, there’s more players coming.”
On the youth level, Clever said the Rhinos have been making a strong push to reach out to local schools and youth organizations to promote the sport and their organization.
“Whenever we do have camps for summer, or whenever we do have events, we want to bring them in under the fold and develop them,” Clever said. “Give them the next phase and get them into a pathway. If that’s going to be them playing in college, or playing professionally, or in the Olympics, we have access to coaches at every level to help them have success.”
The Rhinos develop players from around the world, but also work closely with USA Rugby, training and evaluating players who are on the fringe of making their national teams, known as the Eagles.
“We’ll make sure that when they come into our program, they come out better,” Clever said.
Clever said the Rhinos are closing the gap on the Eagles when it comes to talent.
“Before, the international player was quite a few steps ahead of your local talent,” Clever said. “But what we’ve done with our world-class coaches is really up the skill, training and nutrition for these athletes. So, whenever they come in and then get called up to the national team, they’re on par.”
Recruiting boys from the U.S. to play rugby is still a challenge with other options like football, but the sport continues to spike among girls and women.
The U.S. women won bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the first medal for the U.S. in rugby in 100 years.
The U.S. women are also currently ranked seventh in the world, compared to 16th for the men.
The Eagles current 48-man roster includes 23 American-born players, but the rest come from 13 different countries. On the women’s side, 31 of the 33 Eagles are American-born.
Clever is hoping the recent addition of girls flag football at the high school level will encourage more to try rugby, which is even more physically demanding.
“Those girls are athletic, they’ve got good vision, they’re fit, they’re awesome to watch and I can see it translating really well,” Clever said. “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of those girls that are playing flag football that are going to wish that they can tackle somebody from the opposition. So, hopefully, we can capture some of those aggressive girls.”
The Rhinos were an offshoot of the Rhinos Rugby Club, which was formed by Nellmapiu in 2014 as a way to introduce local youths to the sport.
Nellmapiu then took his love for rugby a step further in 2021, not only forming the San Clemente Rhinos, but the Rugby Tens Championship as well.
The Balkans Honey Badgers, Cape Town Wild Dogs and the Serengeti Elephants are the other franchises that compete in the Rugby Tens.
Nellmapiu is also owner of PoolRx Worldwide, an Irvine-based swimming pool product company that’s a major sponsor of the Rhinos.
Clever, who was born in Palm Springs, grew up in San Jose and played rugby at the international level for nearly 20 years, was hired by Nellmapiu as the Rhinos’ general manager a year ago and has helped build a relationship with the city of Irvine and Great Park personnel.
“I’m really passionate about the grassroots of the game,” he said. “Getting people started and letting them experience and play.”