Mystic River Rugby Club

Mystic River Rugby
	Gull
Club information
Full name	Mystic River Rugby Club (MRRC)
Colours	Navy, Royal and White
Founded	1974
Website	www.mysticrugby.com
Current details
Ground(s)	Pine Banks Park, Malden/Melrose, MA;
Competition	NERFU Division 1

The Mystic River Rugby Club is a New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) club, founded in 1974, located in Malden, Massachusetts and Melrose, Massachusetts, who play Division 1 Rugby Union in the United States.

Their home field is located at Pine Banks Park. They are the current Division 1 New England Champions. Their primary sponsor is Miller Lite.

History

The club was founded in 1974 by 32 members of the Boston Rugby Club.

The club evolved throughout the 1970s with the influx of younger players and Tours to Wales and the former Soviet Union highlighted these years. The Mystics were the first American team to play rugby in the Soviet Union. In the early 1980s the club saw a major turnover, a somewhat generational change, when several new players were attracted from local colleges. Old Boys rugby began to take shape and several of the original Mystics began playing a schedule of "over 30's" rugby. In 1986 the Mystics returned to Malden/Melrose where they were originally incorporated in 1976.

Coaches from overseas were then recruited. With several of the clubs players regularly representing New England and the East Coast in representative side play, the Mystics were committed to championship level rugby. Foreign touring sides from England, Ireland, Wales and other countries also helped educate the boys.

After tours of their own to Wales, Russia, France, Argentina and Australia the club won in 1989 the first of seven straight New England championships. In 1992 the Mystics finished second in the USA, losing to the Old Blues from California in the National Club Finals. The 2007 Season saw the Mystics win their first New England title after twelve years, moving on to take the Northeast Division 1 Championship in 2008.

Mystic Eagles (USA National Side)

Pono Haitsuka (Flayhalf, 6 Caps) Made his Eagles Sevens debut at the 2013 Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens and scored his first try in the tournament’s Shield Semifinal.
Alec Montgomery (Fullback, 6 Caps) Represented the United States from 1986 to 1992.
Richard Tardits (Flanker, 19 Caps) A former U-21 French international rugby player, Tardits was a walk on for the University of Georgia football team where he held the record for most career sacks (29) until it was broken by David Pollack (Cincinnati Bengals) in 2004. He played in the 1999 Rugby World Cup for the United States after four seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. His debut as an Eagle was in 1993 against Australia.
Jake Sprague (Prop, 2 caps) Made Eagles debut vs Uruguay in a world cup qualifier

Notable International Players

Declan Brady - Ireland (Rugby League)
Steve Brain - England
Molibi Maphanyane - Botswana
Herman Mostert - South Africa
Edwin Shimenga - Kenya
Alfred Uluinayau - Fiji
Kyle Winter - Indonesia

Honors

New England Champions (1989–1995, 2009-2011)
Northeast Champions (1989, 1991, 2008, 2010-2011)
Eastern Champions (1991)
National Finalist (1992, 1998)

Tournament Championships

Bull Moose Champs (2003-2006, 2008-2009)
Middlesex 7's (2009)
Middlesex Tens (2009)
Springfield 7's (1999, 2006)
New England Tens (2006-2007, 2009-2010)
Montreal Irish Tournament Champs (1999-2000, 2003)
Austin Tourney Runner-Ups (2002, 2006)
New England Club Champions (1995, 1999)
Portland 7's (1999)
Harvard Business School 7's (1980, 1992, 1996)
Portland Tourney/Maine Invitational (1981, 1987, 1989, 1991-1993, 1995)
Beacon Hill 7's (1992)
Saranac Lake Over 35's Champs (1989)
Milwaukee Labor Day Tournament (1987)
Savannah St. Patrick's Day (1983)
Worcester Sevens (2009)

External links