Gross retirement ends American chapter

Luke Gross, America's most capped international, has retired from competitive rugby, closing the book on the first generation of American rugby professionals.

The 38-year-old, 6'9" second rower has withdrawn from the Doncaster Knights' preseason camp due to an unspecified injury, the Division 1 team announced.

Along with Dan Lyle, Tom Billups, and Dave Hodges, Gross represents the promise of mainstream domestic sports converted into a storied rugby career. Each of the four forwards earned more than 40 caps while winning MVP-style plaudits among their peers in Britain.

That distinctive quality should not be overlooked: not simply European professionals, but standouts. Thus it is more than coincidental that all were trained in domestic varsity sports, Gross competing in basketball for Indiana State and Marshall, and all fast-tracked into the US national team by then-coach Jack Clark before signing overseas.

Gross, at the time of the Cincinnati Wolfhounds, and Lyle were particularly disconcerting to 'senior' (now Super League) clubs, which thought their more established players were being overlooked. The big man's 1995 debut at a Long Beach, California, training assembly was not particularly inspiring; but no one now remembers those club veterans whom Gross and Lyle surpassed. Thus the difference between expecting to uncover 'developed' players through selections systems, and coaching.

Gross, who turned in nearly a dozen professional seasons, beginning with the Premiership's Harlequins and including stints in Italy, was described by Doncaster as 'one of the most influential players ... more than that Luke has been a great ambassador for the game and for Doncaster Knights in particular.'

'Luke was always going to be one of our best-ever Eagles. He just needed a chance and a team willing to be patient with his early development,' Clark said in an email.

'He was as strong and tough on the field as he was a gentlemen off. In many ways, as a mainstream American athlete, Luke represents our potential as a rugby nation. We have many Luke's, we just need to bring them to our sport. With this said, we hit the jackpot with Big Luke.'

In the North American 4 final, a Falcon comeback fell short and Canada West claimed its third consecutive title. Volney Rouse scored an unconverted try in the 77th minute, but the conversion failed, forcing the hand of the Rikus Pretorius-led side in the waning moments. The Hawks and Canada East drew at 17.

The US national team has assembled for this Saturday's match against French club side Clermont Auvergne in Charleston, South Carolina, but the squad remains unannounced. At least 3 All-Americans have brought in following the 1-2 New Zealand tour. The delay could owe to indecision after the NA4 final, or simple disorganization.

Comments

[doug lyons]

Regarding announcement of the Eagles squad for Saturdays match ..

"The delay could owe to indecision after the NA4 final, or simple disorganization."

Let's assume the best for the moment and that the squad has not been announced because selection issues are being sorted through.

Seems premature to start dewlling on the negative!

[lvrugger]

I think Scott Johnson is still busy weighing all the "fatties" from the Churchill Cup fiasco to see if they can even make 40 minutes...

[FrankRM]

Doug -
Why is Kurt being negative by suggesting if we can purchase airline tickets and begin to train the team, we can announce who's there.

Doug, is it negative to suggest that your rugby standards appear too low to be of help in this conversation?

Union press releases are either rushed and incorrect or late and incomplete. We either own up to this and demand better, or I guess, call every member than does, negative.

[doug lyons]

My standards are perfectly fine. I don't need to justify my rugby or athletic pedigree. I've been as critical, if not more so, than most people here regarding the Eagles when it was justified.

I just get tired of the negativity on this board when it could offer a lot more.

If you feel so put out then write to USA Rugby and ask. If you don't get a satisfactory answer then say so.

I don't assume incompetence just because on Monday morning there is no team listed. Would it be nice to see ... sure. Do decisions have to be made before the match on Saturday, absolutely. Is it possible that not all the players have been confirmed or even assembled. Of course. Given the performance of some of the younger players I am sure there are additions that were not expected.

[doug lyons]

Sent the following to US Rugby:

"Could you advise when the squad for the match on Saturday in South Carolina will be announced?

There is a lot of interest in who is training with the squad and the informaion would be appreciated.

Thanks."

Seems the logical approach.

[wood]

not to inter the argument but usa rugby's media work is in shambles. i would bet kurt is correct and this is mostly disorganization.

why not build some excitement into the event with a plan around naming who's in camp. they've had weeks, months, to prepare a plan for this quick turn around.

I afraid from a media point, this is sos. too bad because some good stuff has been going on.

[M.O.]

I have to agree with Doug. After reading Kurt's blog, I felt it was a reproach against the Scott Johnson-regime rather than a comment about the USA Rugby Media Relations. I think a more interesting dialogue by Kurt would be to look at USA Rugby's increasing poor direction of their Media Relations Department. Their inadequate press releases are inaccurate and lack appropriate timing. The dissemination of information from many events, i.e. the All Americans Tour of New Zealand was woeful at best. The Media Relations Department's inability to garner any national attention from print or tv media is a disgrace.

[Rugby Dad]

What a great career. Luke Gross will go down as one of the finest ever Eagles.

Thanks Luke!

[Eric Keys]

It is a shame that all of the comments have focused on a minor comment at the end of the piece. The meat of the piece raised a very interesting question/dilemma about the development of US rugby. In the not too distant past we had at least four (there may have been more, I don't remember) who were playing at a level consonant with the best, at least in the European competitions. These four, Billups, Gross, Lyle, and Hodges all played other intercollegiate sports before coming to rugby and learned late about the sport that they play in heaven. It reminds one of the Bear Bryant model of recruiting, get the athletes out and competent coaches can teach them how to play the sport. Mike Macdonald is at top of the game in the north but our other overseas players don't distinguish themselves. It may be time reflect on why this is.

[LM]

I agree with you Eric, your topic should be the heart of the discussion.

Its just so frustrating to be a fan and supporter of USA Rugby and get bad to no information. I just heard Dan Payne on the ARN pod cast say the Rikus Pretorius played so well he "boarded a plane for South Carolina", sunday! You would think if they are training someone can tell us who is representing the United States of American. I'm sure that Rikus has shared the great news with his people, how about the rest of us. The fact my dues are paying these peoples salaries is soooo not acceptable.

[FrankRM]

Hey Doug, not to start a war, because you have many important comments, but did Sara John and co answer your email? Its been a day.

Media is a plan and deliver, read and react business. We don't need to be the WSJ, but how we doing with the meat and potatoes part?

[FrankRM]

Hey Doug, not to start a war, because you have many important comments, but did Sara John and co answer your email? Its been a day.

Media is a plan and deliver, read and react business. We don't need to be the WSJ, but how we doing with the meat and potatoes part?

[Clark Man-crush]

How come every piece Kurt puts on this board that is positive has to mention Jack Clark had his hands in the process?

Kurt please just write a piece about Clark and his legacy so you can stop patronizing him with every piece of news you post. Make your man-crush public and definitive, then we can move on to rugby news without constant Clark mentions.

[second row club]

A giant of a man with a giant heart. Luke will hopefully rejoin US rugby in a coaching role. The best US lock of all time is a hard call, but its a short list and Luke is at the top.

[SoCal]

Luke is the man!

[Luke No 1?]

The best 2nd rows in the history of the Eagles is simple.

#1 Jack Clark
#2 Kevin Sword
#3 Bill Leverse
#4 Ed Burlingham
#5 Luke Gross

[Really?]

This story outlines a Heineken Cup style tournament that includes NZ, OZ, SA, Japan, PI and America. This could work better than a plan to fit an American team into the Super 14 competition.

http://www.rugbyrugby.com/news/by_country/south_africa/story_5808012900.php

[Flynn Hagerty]

No it wouldn't. A US team playing for five games and then leaving wouldn't be able to pay for itself. If Melville is right in claiming there's people willing to invest in American Super Rugby then that is the only way forward.

[Yes Sir!]

Is Flynn Hagerty and Elmer Fudd on ARN the same person? They both sure think they know it all.

With the timeframe of the schedule they have set this would be a good fit for the NA4 teams. The NA4 teams are playing each other for a total of 10 games to sparse crowds, not really the return I think the IRB thought they would get from the tourney. If the NA4 competition included the proposed multi-country Heineken Cup style competition, the interest in the NA4 teams would go up dramatically.

Also, SANZAR is presenting any new structure to News Corp, who will ultimately determine what the structure will be because it is their money that drives the competition and the current format is not working. Rupert has a long history of using rugby to open or expand markets. He did with rugby league in Australia, and he pushed union into professionalism on the eve of the 95 WC with his first SANZAR deal. I think he will see this as an opportunity to expand his rugby programing on J-Sky Sports in Japan, which is only available through satellite vendor Sky PerfectTV, and News Corp has an interest in both those companies. He may even see the opportunity to have a Sentanta like international sports subscription channel on DirectTV, which would need a competition like this. If you have Sentanta you know that a lot of the content is coming from Sky Sports in the UK, which is a News Corp company. Basically News Corp can have a DirectTV sports channel with a lot of Sentanta's content by just not signing new agreements with them. Let Sentanta prove the model on your satellite system with your content from foreign markets, then start your own channel and push them out of the market. That play would be vintage Rupert.

I think it is pretty obvious that SANZAR knows that moving the teams around in the competition is not going to satisfy News Corp, and only broadening the competition will make News Corp happy. Not to mention an expanded monied competition may keep their players from going to the NH in huge numbers.

Or you could be right and a pro rugby league is going to crop up in the USA with guys like Henry Bloomfield running into some other 35 year old club journeyman.

[Flynn Hagerty]

All of your points just support my point - cheers for framing my argument for me.

Investors, or so Melville claims, are willing to invest in Super Rugby franchises located in the United States. Putting NA4 teams instead into the competition would be a disaster. The teams will be substandard, and there's no way you can turf out professional rugby players from the US on five games a year of income. Therefore, the only way to introduce professional rugby to this country is by adding American franchises to Super Rugby, effectively showcasing the game with foreign talent and a sprinkling of the best Americans.

The Falcons or the Hawks are a non starter. They can't even beat Canadian teams, so how the F are they going to beat the Bulls or the Crusaders? Even if the game was devolved to provinces in those two examples the Canterbury team would still whip the Falcons.

[doug lyons]

Didn't hear back from USA rugby but it is a moot point. The squad is announced over on ergubynews. The article was dated 8/4.

Very young squad with a few core vet's to steady things. Good to see the youth movement starting.

[FrankRM]

Doug, They released it late at night. I still think Kurt was right, they are just media disorganized. They bought airlines tickets but couldn't get it together to say who was on the ground. I'm not surprised they didn't respond. They are largely, but not completely, an unaccountable staff. The concept that they work for the membership, on our dues, isn't considered. We should give Nigel Melville more time to get this office right, but the clock is ticking.

[Ed Schram, Sr.]

Congratulations to Luke Gross on his outstanding rugby career and committment to the game.

To Kurt's point:

Luke's entry to the national team came during a time when the team was committed to finding and developing non-rugby playing collegiate athletes. It proved to be a process that worked well for the Eagles. As but one example, witness the background of the side that took the field Oct. 2, 1993 in Riverside.

That "process" continues to work well in collegiate rugby as well. Witness the recent collegiate finals in Palo Alto.

"Player of the match" in the first-ever Eagle victory was Tom Altemeier, an early round KC Chiefs draft choice out of Luther College. Another collegiate football player replaced Alty at lock in the next USA test.

No "crush" intended....just the facts. Get over it, man.

Ed Schram Sr.

[doug lyons]

I got a response around 10 am this morning. The post was on erugbynews when I checked around 8:30. All Eastern time for what it's worth.

I don't see posting the squad on Tuesday am as being terribly deficient. That said, I appear to be in the minority.

My suggestion is to write to USA Rugby as I did and let your feelings be known. Ask if there is an established protocol for when squads should be announced. If there is no protocol then ask why not. Certainly there should be. Even if it is to announce that squad naming has been delayed due to selection or availability reasons.

I'll probably follow up and ask what the process is.

The only way they are going to improve is to get feedback from their customer base.

[Really?]

I think you are being a little short sighted Flynn. You have 2 Italian clubs in the Heineken Cup and that doesn't seem to ruin what is considered by many the best club competition in the world. Hell, SANZAR is trying to replicate this competition. In the European Challenge Cup you have Spanish, Romanian and Italian clubs with GP teams London Irish, Saracens and Newcastle; plus Top 13 French sides Bourgoin, Brive and Bayonne. These tournament thrive even with the developing nations clubs.

[Really?]

Top 14...sorry

[MIke]

Organizationally, the head office in Boulder seems to hire Rugby players as the first and only qualification. They should hire media pros to handle media (or outsource the function), this seems true whether the issue is Youth Dev, marketing Test competitions, whatever. Its like its the first time any sport has been marketed, or grown.

IF Argentina can win a gold medal in basketball like in the 04 Olympics, it proves the US can improve rapidly in Rugby with the right people in place. A US Team with foreign players makes sense, look how many PI's there are in the NFL, does anyone care? No, you dont have to be from Chicago to play for the Bears. Once there are opportunities to go Pro in the US, other athletes will make the switch to Rugby.

[Leksan]

Good to see Chief get a mention... even if he did have to post it himself.