Rugby Grows in Popularity in Roswell

Submitted by the Georgia High School Rugby Association

Georgia Middle School Rugby is alive and well.

For the last several years, Alpharetta Phoenix was the only club to offer rugby for sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students. They are now reaping the fruits of their labor.

Their high school program is now benefiting through this feeder program. Atlanta youth rugby took the unconventional route by not starting a high school program first and worked downwards to the younger players. Stewart Haddock from Atlanta Youth Rugby was inspired by the last world cup and his son asked him to start an elementary school age level rugby program.

Now these kids are going on to middle school and need more competition in the Atlanta area other than traveling throughout the Southeast for game time.

Lassiter High School’s Trojans recognized this need with leadership from Randy Joseph that it is too late to teach high school players catch and pass, so he started his own middle school program in East Cobb.

In the Roswell area, we have always struggled with numbers to field a competitive high school program. Long time Roswell resident Daniel Pretorius, a former South African rugby player, coached with the Walton and Roswell high school programs and was elected earlier this year as director of the Georgia High School Rugby Association.

With his relationship with the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, a middle school rugby program was established.

For more information about Rugby in your area, contact Daniel Pretorius at roswellyouthrugby@gmail.com