I promised myself that until the Rugby World Cup was over, I would keep my mouth closed. But now it is over and the Eagles have concluded their campaign going 1-3, I think its time to open it again!

For quite a few years now, it has been the policy of USA Rugby’s administration to pursue an Eagles first policy. Their aim being to concentrate the majority of their efforts towards the national team in an attempt to  'make America fall in love with rugby'; making the Eagles the showcase through which we promote the sport. Millions of dollars in IRB funds and Cipp dues have been spent in this cause.

I think the national team is very important to the game of rugby in the United States and I cannot fault the effort of the players and coaches who represented our country in New Zealand. But I do think its time we started to ask whether USA Rugby are leading us in the right direction. We have not improved on the world stage despite the investment and have come nowhere close to fulfilling the true potential that is obviously there.

The first week of this new semester, the Virginia Tech rugby players, coaches and team spent $2,150 in team and individual Cipp dues for the right to play rugby under the administration of USA Rugby. When I sat down and thought about it, I was left scratching my head. What do we actually get for this substantial sum of money each year, and ultimately, why are we paying it to an organization that is failing to produce results.

i will leave it to the reader to ask if it is worth the benefits we get for being dues paying members. To be honest, there is nothing there that we cannot either get ourselves or don't need as a collegiate rugby team. The insurance is the biggest benefit but leagues and conferences could get this themselves. The biggest benefit we have felt from sponsors so far is from Adidas and Motel 6, and these were gained through the ACRL League Commissioner and not USA Rugby.

I do believe that we need a National Governing Body for our sport, and I would normally be the last person to speak out against our NGB. But the fact of the matter is that collegiate rugby is being sold short and it sure does feel like we are just funding a failing policy of Eagles first, and over inflated wages for a CEO and national coach.

The threat of the USCRA forced USAR to appoint a collegiate director. But it really looks like his hands are well and truly tied behind his back by the Board. The debacle surrounding the National Sevens tournament in December showed a distinct lack of enthusiasm from USAR towards the collegiate game.

To be honest, now that the USA national team is finished at the world cup, I hope that there are sweeping changes at USA Rugby. I hope that we can get a new Chairman of the Board. I hope we can get a new CEO for half the price of the last one. I hope we can get a national team coach from these shores, again at half the cost. I hope that the Board allows the Collegiate Director a little more autonomy that permits him to make decisions that affect the collegiate game without having to wait for the rubber stamp of a board whose focus always seems to be elsewhere.

I hope that once the new personalities are in place we make a complete U-turn in policy and make inter-scholastic rugby our No 1 priority. I hope USA Rugby finds a marketing agency that is commission based whose job it is to find the finance and sponsorship to fund our national team; then hopefully our National Sevens team can become full time as well. USA Rugby needs to hire the right person whose job it is to act as an employment agent for our best and brightest players. His job would be to find professional placements for Eagles players.

At Virginia Tech we are in the middle of an infrastructure improvement program. We have already paid for new posts to be installed and are now trying to raise funds for a new scoreboard and seating. I feel that the $2,150 Cipp dues we paid this year would have been better spent here in Blacksburg rather than being squandered on a failing national governing body.