Paddy parked in the back lot (right by The Hangout which is an old airplane hangar). The whole athletic complex is just north of Historical Naval Air Station South Field which was originally established in WW2 as a Navy blimp base. It was operational from 1942 to 1997 and has housed and serviced planes such as P-3 Orions and C-130 Hercules. But the history on this day was made between the lines ... although their was certainly an aerial aspect too (we'll get to that). Paddy was kind enough to stop at the store, so a few beverages in the parking lot were in order as the cars continued to pull up, park and this fired up fanbase walked the short walk (2 mins max) into the stadium. I personally like tailgating on the fringes, but the cars kept coming and parked even further behind us. Now I was keeping my eyes and ears open for SUPER FANS, and one thing I noticed was how decked out the fans were in NEFJ gear. This front office clearly knows what their doing (they were handing out gear packs to founding members near the ticket gate). They know how to connect the merch to the players, and having an overlap with Patriot colors is only a plus. And the flannel. Can we talk about the flannel? Easily the most popular item at the game Saturday (it was cold(ish) around 48F) it is built for any occasion. Once the game kicked off it was all a blur. So much action, mixed with so many good fans mixed with some Baxter Brewery IPAs ... it's always the best of times that seem to pass in an instant. Both teams got on the scoreboard early, but Waaka's boot was the difference on this fateful day. Utah still brought it, and will be a force to be reckoned with all year ..., but the day belonged to the beloved Jacks. Some of the best interviews were with complete strangers, and it was Rob from Dublin who was the real hero of the day ... sprinting out for a beer re-up in the 60th minutes. The majority of the stadium is built up and broken down at the end of the day, so there will always be challenges with logistics. I rarely waited in line for a beer or a porta-potty (I have impeccable timing, and usually am too impatient to watch kickers set up for 3 points and take their sweet time, so I usually look to sprint to the loo), and when I did, it was no longer than 2-3 minutes. The entire staff couldn't have been nicer, and the fans kicked it up a notch as the tries started coming in. The play of the day was Harrison Boyle releasing Dougie Fife right in front of where we were standing and enjoying the action on the north side of the field on a small hill elevated for just the right angle. If there was any downside to the day at all, it was the fact that I missed Boston rugby legend and good friend Dave "Buzzy" Rudzinsky. I lapped the whole field trying to find him (which if you know him and the volume he operates at, shouldn't have been hard), but alas I couldn't track him down. I don't think anyone in the greater Boston area cares more about rugby from the grassroots, to Mystic River RFC, to the Freejacks than Buzzy. The guy just bleeds rugby out of his ears. His energy is impeccable, and if you ever end up at a Freejacks game this year, he'll likely be in the crowd. All in all the day gets a 10/10. The only complaint (naturally from Paddy) was the the pizza was cold, but guess what Paddy ... where you come from they call cold pizza an "Italian Pastry". I think this team is headed for a spot in the Eastern conference playoffs, but it's early days. Let's see how coach Ryan Martin handles the team in the coming weeks. I think they're contenders, but I know that this fanbase knows how to #LightTheWay. Together We RIDE! PICKEM!

Rugby PickEm

Witnessing History in Weymouth (BOTG)

"Hey Rugby PickEm fellas. This is Casey Rock long time listener first-time caller one-time guest very interested to hear the next next podcast after week one is now in the books. I know that I spent my day feverishly switching between games on a phone when I'm watching at my in-laws seeing Snippets of all the games watching. None of them very closely, lesson learned. I will pace myself better this weekend and watch them play. But having seen week one got a few questions for you guys. First of all, I need to know more about boots-on-the-ground. Which cities are you planning on visiting because it was awesome to see some friends of the show crushing it Taylor Howden & Zach Pangelinan, you know your boys out in Atlanta really getting the job done . I'd be interested to know what sort of behind-the-scenes content we can expect from the boots on the ground segments from those friends in high places. Likewise. Also love to get to know your team's storylines. I'd love to suggest something along the lines of how to explain the dramatic storylines from from the new season to a casual fan. I watched with my father-in-law who was it was hard to explain all the excitement and drama to a casual fan. So maybe you guys can tackle that next time. We're also going to need maybe a weekly MLR Reddit segment because it took your advice would spend in a few minutes here and there on the site and looks like there's some real personalities. But yeah aside from those pressing questions that I could use your help answer you're getting sorted out really just had to say love the quality of the coverage - Vegas, I understand there's some trouble there but man got to be impressed with the the rugby Network and pretty pretty high standard of rugby for the first week. PICKEM!"

PickEm's Last PickEm (for now)

After a full year away, MLR is finally back. In preparation for Saturday's games, we busted out the TV screens, bought ingredients for (something resembling) chili in the crock pot, and invited the lads over as we dialed up "The Rugby Network" for what seemed a lot like an NFL Redzone Sunday, but better. Love how the MLR had multiple games running at a time. The staggered kick off times allowed for the non stop action to roll for 4+ hours. And could we have a better day of attack, and scoring? In the 5 games on Saturday, each team averaged just above 28 points. Who doesn't love scoring? RUNY 36 - SD Legion 29 The Butcher and his pack were clinical, scoring twice off the rolling maul. Game was played at a pop up stadium in what appeared to be one of the side fields of old Sam Boyd Stadium that used to host the Vegas 7's stop for many years. Give credit to sideline reporter Jillian Lopez (don't worry, she's blue check verified), who was asked to give sideline reports in a wind storm ... she said she could feel the on-field intensity of both teams, and even without a crowd, the game had some punch. San Diego had moments, and showed they can flip the field and score at will. They will be playing an uphill battle all season as they live away from home, in a sinful city with no sinning (I doubt players are hitting the strip w Covid protocols). Shout out to Matt McCarthy (the Rugby Media G.O.A.T.) who called the game (over the internet, I think). Doing play-by-play can't be easy through a live stream, but he certainly brought the energy like RUNY did to seal this win late. LA Giltinis 42 - NEFJ 27 Giltinis were clinical. Plain and simple. The tries AND cards kept coming all day in The Coliseum. John Poland received the first (experimental) red card when he accidentally kicked a Giltini in the face. Billy (William) Meakes was silky smooth all day, facilitating great lines from his aussie buddies. It was all smiles for the expansion team, and a track meet for their backline. Todd Clever stole the show, rocking the man bun and crushing the sideline reporting. Rugby ATL 21 - Toronto Arrows 14 Stifling defense on both sides. The dreaded duo of Chance Wenglewski and Connor Cook is menacing. They pilfered ball all day, and kept Toronto's attack in check. A late poach by Ross Deacon with his heels on the goal line was the difference. Arrows have a tough trip to Utah next week and need to bounce back. Utah Warriors 30 Austin Gilgronis 28 So the rugby world met "sports personality" Jim Knox (who looks like a Cuomo / Skip Bayless love child). Jim was sprinting around the stadium interviewing anyone and everyone. Guy just runs on another level, and I'm sure we won't see the last of this character. In the actual game, Utah played great. Lance Williams dotted in the corner on a great finish, Michael Baska snagged 7pts with a cheeky shoulder dip move to score under the posts, and twitch streamer SlimTucci was a thorn in the side of Austin in the 2nd half. Mack Mason had a chance to win it late, but the kick from 50+ meters came up short. Houston Sabercats 30 - Seattle Seawolves 24 Sabercats played some amazingly opportunistic rugby. Zack Pangelinan went the length of the field. Taylor Howden threw a frozen rope of a pass that connected with Matias Freyre who finished strong and got the rock over the line for a try. Props to Seattle for fighting, but it wasn't enough as the Cats defend the Cat Den and start the season hot. Old Glory 26 - NOLA Gold 26 Heartbreaking draw for both clubs (they probably both think they should have won), but this game may have been the chippiest all weekend. NOLA dominated territory and, but kept getting turned over near the try line. Some of the calls were 50/50 balls, but the home crown was giving it to the officials calling the game (the band playing 3 blind mice is all time). OG had some fantastic backline moves, and the Tusitala / Robertson pairing is filthy. What a weekend! PICKEM!

The Rugby Network Wins Week 1

Best Finish: 2019 Semi-final loss to Seattle (11-5 regular season). Ended the regular season on a 7-0 run. 2021 Home Stadium: Lupo Family Field ... (for now) capacity 5,000 Best Name: Mike "Dusty" Sheppard Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Large concentration of Canadian talent, mixed with South American flair ... what's not to like? Socials: #ArrowsUp Instagram: Blue Check Verified PICKEM!

Toronto Arrows #ArrowsUp

Rugby ATL Best Finish: N/A (cancelled inaugural season 2020) 2021 Home Stadium: Lupo Family Field (capacity 5,000) Best Name: Duncan van Schalkwyk Who Excites Rugby PickEm: This team has weapons, and they play fast paced rugby led by Scott Lawrence. Also, the Missile is unit. Socials: #PushThePace Instagram: No Blue Check

Rugby ATL #PushThePace

Old Glory DC Best Finish: 2020 (4-1 start) First in the east before cancelled season 2021 Home Stadium: Segra Field (capacity 5,000) Best Name: Mo Katz Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Keeping the "Spine" of their team. Except the halfbacks to gel right out of the gate. Coach Andrew Douglas will look to continue their winning ways. Socials: #OGDC Instagram: Blue Check Verified

Old Glory D.C. #OGDC

NOLA Goes ALL-IN on their gameday experience Best Finish: 2019 (9-7 regular season) Just missed the playoffs 2021 Home Stadium: The Gold Mine (capacity 5,000) Best Name: Ross Depperschmidt Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Multi-year contracts leads to stable growth. Expect NOLA's core group to gel early. They'll be playing for their rowdy crowd. Socials: #StayGold Instagram: Blue Check Verified

NOLA Gold #StayGold

New England Free Jacks Best Finish: 2020 (1-4) Beat RUNY in first ever match 2021 Home Stadium: Union Point Sports Complex (capacity 2,000) Best Name: Jack Ram Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Mags is a sparkplug. There are few front office personalities that shine as bright as Alex Magleby. He's built up the hype in New England for a successful professional rugby team. Socials: #TogetherWeRide #LightTheWay Instagram: No Blue Check PICKEM!

New England Freejacks #TogetherWeRide

Rugby United New York The team is now operating under new ownership (Bolton Equities). Best Finish: 2019, Semi-Final Loss to SD Legion (11-5 regular season) 2021 Home Stadium: MCU Park (capacity 7,500) Best Name: Hanco Germishuys Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Core group of players (Foden, Wallace-Sims, Fawsitt, Bennett) returning. If you can overcome NYC's challenges, you've got grit. If you're gritty, you can win games on the road. Expect RUNY to sit near the top of the table in the east. Socials: #BuiltForNewYork Instagram: Blue-Check Verified PICKEM!

RUNY #BuiltForNewYork

Houston Sabercats Best Finish: 2019, 6-10 2021 Home Stadium: Aveva Stadium (capacity 4,000) Best Name: Nika Khatiashvili Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Returning their core (Windsor, Pangelinan, Esdale, Howden), and can do some damage in the West if they pick up early W's. Socials: #GoCatsGo Instagram: Blue-Check Verified (Tommy NoPiks incorrectly reported on the podcast ... tsk tsk Tommy) PICKEM!

Houston Sabercats #GoCatsGo

Austin Gilgronis (photo cred: @normasali12) Best Finish: 2020, 1-1-3 record (ended on a high note, winning the Texas Cup) 2021 Home Stadium: Bold Stadium (capacity 5,000) Best Name: Zinzan Elan-Puttick Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Strong, experienced coaching staff. Depth and competition at each position (fielded multiple sides during pre-season scrimmages) should allow them the ability to win games down the stretch of the season. Socials: #WeAreAG and #NoPadsRequired Instagram: No Blue-Check PICKEM!

Austin Gilgronis #NoPadsRequired

Utah Warriors Best Finish: 2018, Semi-Final loss to Glendale (3-5 regular season record) 2021 Home Stadium: Zions Bank Stadium (capacity 5,000) Best Name: Jurie van Vuuren Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Utah's feeder teams have gotten games under their belt in 2020. Strong core group returning including Gus McClellan, Matt Jensen, Alex Tucci (famous Twitch streamer), Lance Williams, and also adding potent weapon Mike Te'o Socials: #ForTheNation Instagram: No Blue Check

Utah Warriors #ForTheNation

L.A. Giltinis Best Finish: N/A (expansion team) 2021 Home Stadium: L.A. Coliseum (capacity 77,000) Best Name: Langilangi Haupeakui Who Excites Rugby PickEm: First and foremost .... Nic Boyer's Hair. But secondly it's that this is a diverse team that just trained full time for 6 weeks in Maui together. What better team bonding than a preseason vacation? Socials: #Giltinis (step your game up social media interns...) Instagram: No Blue Check PICKEM!

L.A. Giltinis #Giltinis

San Diego Legion Best Finish: 5-0 start in 2020 (before season was cancelled) 2021 Home Stadium: ??? (TBD In Las Vegas ... crossing our fingers for the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium) Best Name: Keni Nasoqeqe Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Joe Pieterson can kick. Good kicking = points. Also is Cole Zarcone an early favorite for Rookie of the Year? Socials: #WeAreLegion Instagram: Blue-Check Verified (confirmed by Tommy No Piks) PICKEM!

San Diego Legion #WeAreLegion

Seattle Seawolves Best Finish: 2X? (Still raining champs) 2021 Home Stadium: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila WA Best Name: Djustice Sears-Duru Who Excites Rugby PickEm: Young talent. Aaron Matthews and Tommy Hunkin-Clark may be capped as early as round one when the Seawolves travel to Houston to take on the Sabercats. Socials: #TogetherWeHunt Instagram Blue Check: Check PICKEM!

Seattle Seawolves #TogetherWeHunt

Talkin' Rugby, Tellin' Stories, Rugby PickEm

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Rugby PickEm

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