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Georgia
The Rugby Radar
A ball's eye view from the scrum.
Issue 12 / Vol. 2026 / July 14, 2026
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📡 Coming Soon
THE RADAR IS BUILDING A HOME GROUND
The Rugby Radar is becoming more than a Tuesday email. A full website is in testing: every Georgia club, the statewide calendar, and the whole record of the game here, in one place, with the newsletter archive alongside. Keep an eye on therugbyradar.com for the doors opening.
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📣 Issue 12 • What's Inside
No room left at the Hotlanta 7s, the Copperheads end early and turn to their community, the midsummer pitches stay open, and Lady Trydown has been at her window.
The thread running through Issue 12 is one word: full. A sevens tournament with no more room at the inn. A summer calendar stacked from Canton to Savannah. And in Roswell, the one squad that could not fill its numbers ends its season the way rugby clubs end everything: together, around a table. Georgia rugby is not coasting through July.
Also in this issue:
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The Hotlanta 7s has run out of room, and Saturday, July 25 in Canton is now the day of the summer. Lead Story below.
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The Copperheads end their 2026 season early, and invite everybody to a Community Round Table and fundraiser on Monday, July 20. Adult Club Updates below.
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The Club Spotlight heads to middle Georgia: Macon Love Rugby. Club Spotlight below.
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The summer sessions roundup: where the doors are open, from Atlanta to Augusta. Summer Play below.
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A girls residency camp in Marietta, July 23 to 29, run by the reigning 2026 women's national champions. College Corner below.
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Fresh whispers from Lady Trydown. Whispers below.
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🏆 Lead Story
THE HOTLANTA 7s IS FULL
The state's marquee summer sevens has run out of room. Registration for the 2026 Hotlanta 7s is closed, per the tournament's official page, and the organizers are running a waiting list for any side still hoping to squeeze in. The tournament itself runs Saturday, July 25, 8 AM to 5 PM at Union Hill Polo Club, 430 Roper Rd, Canton, and a full field means one simple thing for the rest of us: it is going to be a day worth watching.
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Sat July 25 • 8 AM to 5 PM • Union Hill Polo Club, Canton
THE SPECTATOR'S GUIDE
The day is free to watch, runs morning to evening, and makes an easy introduction to sevens rugby at full speed. Men's and women's divisions, USA Rugby sanctioned with CIPP registration required and competitive rosters capped at 13 players. Parking is limited, so carpool if you can, and dogs are welcome on a leash. Food comes from Hyde Brewing, Big Toko BBQ, and UgalimanKitchen, with iCryo, King of Pops, Progressive Medical Center, and Marietta Physical Rehab rounding out the vendor row, and three athletic trainers are onsite all day.
A word on the hosts: Atlanta Old White RFC, founded in 1974, comes into its own tournament day as back-to-back D2 champions in 2025 and 2026.
When the last whistle goes, the post-party lands at Hyde Brewing, 3300 Heritage Walk, Milton. Full details at atlantarugby.com/hotlanta7s.
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For the Teams
Entered sides, the clock is running: rosters and waivers are due Friday, July 17. Missed the registration window entirely? The waiting list runs through hotlanta@atlantarugby.com.
And alongside the tournament, a skills-evaluation combine for players looking to be seen, run with Warfield Sports: $25 in advance, $30 day-of.
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Who's In So Far
Declared so far: Macon Love (men's social), The Phoenix (women's social), Exiles RFC (men's), Gainesville (men's), High Country WRFC (women's social), Blitzbird 7s (men's), Orlando Women's, 2.0 Selects (women's), the Atlanta Harlequins (women's social), the Gwinnett Lions, and the Atlanta Renegades. That is a snapshot; the field is set, and the public picture will fill in fast. Is your side in? Tell the Radar and we will add you to the grid.
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🏉 Adult Club Updates
THE COPPERHEADS CALL TIME ON 2026, AND OPEN THE DOOR TO EVERYBODY
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Some seasons end with a whistle. This one ended with an announcement. On Wednesday, July 8, the Atlanta Copperheads, Georgia's rugby league club (the 13-a-side code), announced the early conclusion of their 2026 season. In the club's own words, it made “the difficult decision to forfeit its upcoming away match against Sarasota and conclude its 2026 season early,” citing a player-availability shortage that left the side unable to meet the 13-player minimum. The Saturday, July 11 match at Sarasota went unplayed as a forfeit, and the club has dropped its remaining fixtures for the year.
In practical terms: the Saturday, July 18 home match against the Tampa Mayhem at Roswell Area Park will no longer be played, and the August playoff dates the Radar has been tracking no longer apply. No pile-on from this desk. Fielding 13 a side, every week, in a young code is genuinely hard, and the Copperheads have been building rugby league in Georgia from scratch. Seasons end. Clubs carry on. copperheadsrlfc.com
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Mon July 20 • 6 to 9 PM • Gate City Brewing, Roswell
COMMUNITY ROUND TABLE + END-OF-SEASON FUNDRAISER
Here is the part where you come in. The club is closing the year the community-first way: a Community Round Table and End-of-Season Fundraiser at Gate City Brewing in Roswell, Monday, July 20, 6 to 9 PM, open to the whole community. A $1-beer fundraiser, Big Toko Hawaiian BBQ on the food side, and a room full of people who want rugby league in Georgia to work. If you have followed the Copperheads' build, or just want to show a local club some support at the end of a hard season, be there.
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Also in the senior game
Exiles RFC (Alpharetta), fresh off leading Issue 11, is stacking news: the club has announced the Palms & Pines Cup, a new home-and-away series against the Hilton Head Gators, with Round 1 in Hilton Head on Saturday, November 7 and Round 2 in Alpharetta on Saturday, February 6, 2027. The club has also named a new Senior Women's XVs head coach, and U19 Girls 7s registration lands Thursday, August 6. @exilesrugbyclub
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🏉 Club Spotlight
MACON LOVE RUGBY
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Drive south past the Perimeter traffic and rugby is alive in the heart of the state. Macon Love Rugby has been at it since 1999, a middle Georgia fixture built on what the club itself calls hard-nosed forward rugby, and over the years it has drawn players from Robins Air Force Base, Georgia College, and Mercer.
Midsummer, the club is anything but idle. Practices run Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 PM at Carolyn Crayton Park in Macon, the side has declared for the Hotlanta 7s men's social bracket on Saturday, July 25, and recruiting for the 2026-27 season is on. Want a no-pressure first taste? An open Touch Rugby session runs Saturday, July 18 at 11 AM, also at Carolyn Crayton Park: all levels, all comers.
The feed is active and the welcome is real. Follow along at @maconloverugby, or find the club at maconloverugby.org.
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🏉 Summer Play Is Open
OPEN PITCHES, MIDSUMMER EDITION
Tournaments are the headline, but the open sessions are the door in. The barrier is low, the sides are small, and beginners are welcome. A snapshot of what the clubs have told the Radar directly:
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Where to play
Atlanta Harlequins (Atlanta): Summer 7s practices Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 to 9:00 PM at Walker Park, 200 Memorial Terrace SE. Their invitation, verbatim: "All are welcome." @ahwrfc |
High Country WRFC (Atlanta): practices Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 to 9 PM at Coan Park, and every session is open. New to rugby, back after years away, or just curious: show up and you will get reps. @highcountrywrfc |
Southern Touch (Marietta): the Sunday touch session on Sunday, July 12 at Fair Oaks Park drew about 17 players, the group's "first true FIT day" in its own words. For the next session, check the Atlanta Touch Rugby group on Facebook. |
Gwinnett Lady Lions (Lilburn): the women's side is holding a recruiting event on Sunday, July 19, 2 to 5 PM at Lilburn City Park, straight from the club to the Radar. Curious is qualification enough: come meet the squad. @gwinnettladylionsrfc |
Atlanta Renegades (Dunwoody): weekly 7s practices run Mondays and Wednesdays, 7 to 9 PM at Peachtree Middle School, confirmed by the club. Fresh off their Beer City final run, with 15s fixtures still to be announced. @atlrenegadesrfc |
Macon Love (Macon): an open Touch Rugby session lands Saturday, July 18, 11 AM at Carolyn Crayton Park. The full story on the club is in this issue's Club Spotlight. @maconloverugby |
Augusta Furies (Augusta): the womxn's club is calling 2026 a rebuild year and making no apologies for it. Practices run Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 to 7:30 PM at 100 Wood St, Augusta, and as the club puts it, "any little bit helps a lot." A DM is the best way in. @augusta.furies |
Athens Eagles (Athens): the men's side is taking a quiet summer by design, but keep an eye on the women's news: the SHEagles' "Day at the Park" recruitment day, planned for Saturday, July 11 at Sandy Creek, was postponed due to the heatwave and will be rescheduled. Watch the club's feeds for the new date. |
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New to the game? The directories at the bottom of this issue run the full state, youth to college to adult. And a note for families: at the youth level, girls play coed at most Georgia programs, so the door is open there too.
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This is a snapshot, not the full list. Running open sessions we missed?
Tell us →
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🎓 College Corner
A RESIDENCY IN MARIETTA, AND THE FALL WINDOW AHEAD
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Jul 23 to 29 • Marietta • Girls 13 to 17
LIFE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S GIRLS SUMMER RESIDENCY
For girls who want a real step up, Life University's women's program, the reigning 2026 national champions, runs a residential development camp on its Marietta campus July 23 to 29, for ages 13 to 17 at all skill levels. Technical and tactical work, strength, and leadership, with on-campus housing and meals, led by Director Ryszard Chadwick, a World Rugby Coach Educator, alongside current Life U players.
Registration is open, and spots are limited, straight from the program as of July 14.
Residency $1,500 or commuter $850. Questions to Director Ryszard Chadwick at ryszard.chadwick@life.edu. Details at liferunningeagles.com.
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Elsewhere it is a quiet college summer, but the real recruiting window is almost here. When students land on campus in August, most college rugby clubs set up at the student activities fair, the club-rush tables where the majority of college players actually sign up, no experience required. UGA, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, UNG, and Life University all take walk-ons that way every fall. If your player is heading to one of these schools, the move is simple: find the rugby table in week one.
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Recruiting tool: collegerugbyportal.com is free, lists 900-plus college programs (men's and women's, D1 through club), and lets players filter by state and message coaches directly. Treat listings as a starting point and confirm details with the school.
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🏆 Tournament Watch • Georgia Clubs on Tour
WHO'S GOING WHERE
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Georgia on tour in the mountains
Beer City 7s, Saturday, July 11, Asheville NC. Two Georgia sides made the mountain trip: High Country WRFC and the Atlanta Renegades. Per the Renegades' own recap, their side made a deep run all the way to the final against the Columbia Rhinos, and a Renegades player took home tournament MVP. Neither the organizer nor the clubs published a final score or an overall champion, so the Radar will print exactly what the record supports and nothing more. High Country, a recent Radar spotlight club, capped the trip with a round of internal team awards.
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Sat Jul 25, Hotlanta 7s, Union Hill Polo Club, Canton. The full story is the Lead Story above. Spectators free, 8 AM to 5 PM. atlantarugby.com/hotlanta7s
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Sat Aug 1, Beerfoot Beach 7s, DiamondHead Beach Resort, Fort Myers Beach, FL. The Gwinnett Lions and Lady Lions are making the trip. beerfoot7s.com
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Sat Aug 15, a two-front Georgia Saturday. The Shamrock 7s runs at Daffin Park, Savannah, hosted by the Savannah Shamrocks (registration open), while Macon Love and the Atlanta Renegades both tell the Radar they are taking the beach trip to PCB 7s in Panama City Beach, FL the same day. And for the newcomers, the Shamrocks' Intro-to-Rugby series continues at Daffin Park with sessions on Sunday, July 26, Sunday, August 16, and Sunday, August 23. No experience needed.
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This is a snapshot, not the full grid. Taking your club to a tournament? Tell the Radar and we will track it.
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💬 Whispers from the Touchline
Lady Trydown
The anonymous dispatch on Georgia rugby. All rumor, all hearsay, all in good fun.
Dearest Reader,
July's heat slows the fixture list but never the material. The pitches shimmer, the coolers sweat, and the very best gossip, as ever, walks itself directly to this Author's window and knocks.
On the annual miracles. Word reaches me that preseason fitness testing has produced its yearly crop of wonders: gentlemen who have not run since the spring formal posting bronze-medal times over three kilometers. Lady Trydown does not question the stopwatch. She questions the cousin operating it.
On the regimen. My correspondents report that a certain club's "strict summer regimen" was announced, with great conviction, by a gentleman holding a plate in each hand. The regimen begins Monday. It has begun Monday for eleven consecutive weeks.
On velocity. It has come to my attention that a mother of the ton registered her son for fall rugby within four minutes of the window opening, a speed she has never once achieved with a permission slip, a potluck, or a thank-you note. Priorities, dear reader, reveal themselves.
On the photograph. And a note on the annual team photograph: fifteen gentlemen who cannot agree on a defensive shape will, for one shutter-click, achieve perfect alignment. It remains the only set piece some clubs execute cleanly.
I know what happened to the gazebo. You know who you are.
xo, Lady Trydown
Need to get something off your chest? Whisper it to Lady Trydown: Email Lady Trydown • @LadyTrydown on Instagram. All sources remain anonymous. Obviously.
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🎓 Train Up
GET CERTIFIED
Every club needs more refs and more coaches. No Georgia courses are on the calendar as of this issue, but the region has real options within driving distance, plus fully online routes. Register for all of them through the USA Rugby Learning Center via Rugby Xplorer. And remember: GA Youth Rugby reimburses certification costs for active referees and coaches, so the only thing between you and a badge is the sign-up.
| Fri Jul 17 • World Rugby Level 1 Referee, Knoxville, TN. The soonest in-person option. |
| Mon Aug 10 • Intro to Coaching, online, open nationally. Later runs on Sep 14, Oct 19, and Nov 9. |
| Sat Aug 29 • World Rugby Level 1 Coach, Tampa, FL. The nearest in-person L1 Coach course currently listed. |
| Sat Sep 5 • World Rugby Level 1 Referee, Charleston, SC. New on the sheet. |
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📅 Mark Your Calendars
DATES THAT MATTER
🏆 Tournament 🏕 Camp 🏉 Club program 🎓 Course
| 🏉 Tuesdays + Thursdays (weekly) • Atlanta Harlequins Summer 7s practice, 7:30 PM, Walker Park, Atlanta. All are welcome. |
| 🏉 Tuesdays + Thursdays (weekly) • High Country WRFC practice, 7 PM, Coan Park, Atlanta. Always open. |
| 🏉 Tuesdays + Thursdays (weekly) • Augusta Furies practice, 6:00 to 7:30 PM, 100 Wood St, Augusta. Rebuild year, newcomers welcome. |
| 🎓 Fri Jul 17 • World Rugby L1 Referee course, Knoxville TN. |
| 🏆 Fri Jul 17 • Hotlanta 7s rosters and waivers due (entered teams). |
| 🏉 Sat Jul 18 • Macon Love open Touch Rugby session, 11 AM, Carolyn Crayton Park, Macon. All levels. |
| 🏉 Sun Jul 19 • Gwinnett Lady Lions recruiting event, 2-5 PM, Lilburn City Park. |
| 🏉 Mon Jul 20 • Copperheads Community Round Table + End-of-Season Fundraiser, Gate City Brewing, Roswell, 6-9 PM. Open to the community. |
| 🏕 Jul 23-29 • Life U Women's Girls Summer Residency, Marietta. Girls 13-17. |
| 🏆 Sat Jul 25 • Hotlanta 7s, Union Hill Polo Club, Canton. Spectators free, 8 AM to 5 PM. |
| 🏉 Sun Jul 26 • Savannah Shamrocks Intro-to-Rugby, Daffin Park, Savannah. Series continues Sun Aug 16 and Sun Aug 23. |
| 🏆 Sat Aug 1 • Beerfoot Beach 7s, Fort Myers Beach FL. Gwinnett Lions and Lady Lions traveling. |
| 🏉 Thu Aug 6 • Exiles RFC U19 Girls 7s registration. |
| 🎓 Mon Aug 10 • Intro to Coaching course (online). |
| 🏆 Sat Aug 15 • Shamrock 7s, Daffin Park, Savannah. Registration open. |
| 🏆 Sat Aug 15 • PCB 7s, Panama City Beach FL. Macon Love + Atlanta Renegades traveling. |
| 🎓 Sat Aug 29 • World Rugby L1 Coach course, Tampa FL. |
| 🎓 Sat Sep 5 • World Rugby L1 Referee course, Charleston SC. |
| 🏉 Sat Sep 12 • Rebels Open House, Roswell. Fall-season kickoff, come try rugby. |
| 🏉 Sat Oct 3 • Rebels on Parade, Roswell 76th Youth Day, 8 AM. Whole club marches, all ages. |
| 🏆 Sat Nov 7 • Palms & Pines Cup, Round 1: Exiles RFC at Hilton Head Gators, Hilton Head SC. |
| 🏆 Sat Feb 6, 2027 • Palms & Pines Cup, Round 2: Exiles RFC vs Hilton Head Gators, Alpharetta. |
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Sponsored • Community Partner
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Rebels Rugby Youth GA
Every kid belongs on the pitch.
U6 to U18 coed • Greater Roswell, GA
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Summer Skills & Drills Camp is a wrap: the Rebels ran camp Monday, July 6 through Friday, July 10 at Roswell Area Park, with about 19 kids on the pitch for day one. Ages 5 to 14, all abilities, certified coaches: ball handling, kicking and bag drills, development and scrimmages. rebelsrugbyga.com.
Looking ahead: Rebels Open House, Saturday, September 12 (the fall season starts here), plus Rebels on Parade at Roswell's 76th Youth Day, Saturday, October 3 at 8 AM. The whole club marches, all ages, U6 to high school.
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🏉 New to Rugby?
FIND A YOUTH CLUB
Boys, girls, all ages. Every club below welcomes beginners. No experience needed.
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🎓 Heading to College?
FIND A GA COLLEGE TEAM
Georgia colleges with active rugby. Men's, women's, both. Most are club-level and welcome beginners. If your player is heading to one of these schools, the rugby team is a way in, and most are recruiting for the fall, so reach out over the summer. (And for the full national picture, see the College Rugby Portal callout above.)
| Life University • Marietta • Men D1, Women D1, Club • 2026 national champions (women) liferunningeagles.com |
| University of Georgia • Athens • Men's club, Women's club ugarugby.com |
| Georgia Tech • Atlanta • Men's, Women's @gtrugby @gtwrfc |
| Kennesaw State • Kennesaw • Men's, Women's @ksuowlsrugby |
| University of North Georgia • Dahlonega • Men's Nighthawks, Women's @ungmensrugby |
| Georgia College & State University • Milledgeville • Men's Bobcats, Women's @brcgcsu |
| Valdosta State (men's) • Valdosta • On hiatus, working toward a Fall 2026 return @vsu_rugby |
| Georgia Southern University • Statesboro • Women's club active @georgiasouthernwomensrugby |
| Morehouse College • Atlanta • HBCU men's club @houserugby |
| Emory University • Atlanta • Women's club • Practice Tue/Thu 7-9 PM, SAAC field @emorywomensrugby |
| A college we missed? Tip the Radar → |
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🏉 Still Playing After 18?
FIND AN ADULT CLUB
Men's and women's clubs across the state. And rugby in Georgia is not just metro Atlanta: there are sides in Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Gainesville, Athens, and beyond. Whether you played in college, played as a kid, or never touched a ball, there's a squad for you.
Featured Club Listing
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ATLANTA COPPERHEADS RLFC
Rugby league has come to Atlanta.
Open men's & women's (13-a-side) • Roswell Area Park
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Community Round Table + End-of-Season Fundraiser: Monday, July 20, Gate City Brewing, Roswell, 6 to 9 PM. $1-beer fundraiser, Big Toko Hawaiian BBQ, open to the community. Recruiting for the 2027 season, players from any union or gridiron background welcome. Details at copperheadsrlfc.com.
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| Atlanta Copperheads RLFC • Roswell • Rugby league, men's & women's • Tue/Fri 6:30 PM copperheadsrlfc.com |
| Atlanta Old White RFC • Atlanta • Men D2/D3, Women, 7s atlantarugby.com |
| Atlanta Harlequins Women's RFC • Atlanta • Women's D1 • Only D1 women's team in the Southeast @ahwrfc |
| Atlanta 2.0 Selects • Marietta • Women's • Mon/Wed 7 PM, new players welcome @2.0selects |
| Atlanta Women's Premier Rugby • Atlanta • Women's • New players welcome, interest form in bio @atlwomens_premierrugby |
| Atlanta Renegades RFC • Atlanta • Men's • Summer 7s atlantarenegades.com |
| Exiles RFC • Alpharetta • Senior men's and women's • Tue/Thu 7 PM, Innovation Academy @exilesrugbyclub |
| Gwinnett Lions RFC • Lilburn • Men, Women • Open 7s Thu, Tribble Mill Park gwinnettlionsrfc.com |
| Atlanta Bucks RFC • Atlanta • Gay and inclusive club • Mon/Wed 7:30 PM @atlantabucksrfc |
| High Country RFC • Atlanta • Men's, Women's • Hosts Peach Pitch • Practice Tue/Thu, Coan Park @highcountrywrfc |
| Athens Eagles RFC • Athens • Men's & Women's, est. 2008 athensrugby.org |
| Macon Love RFC • Macon • Practice Tue/Thu 6:30 PM @maconloverugby |
| Columbus Cruisers RFC • Columbus • Men's • Hosts Hotter than Hell 7s • Tue/Thu 7 PM @cruisersrugby |
| Gainesville RUFC • Gainesville, GA • Est. 2017 @gainesvillerufc |
| Augusta Maddogs RFC • Augusta • Men's • Practice Tue/Thu 6:30 PM @augustarugby |
| Augusta Furies • Augusta • Women's • Practice Tue/Thu 6-7:30 PM @augusta.furies |
| Savannah Shamrocks RFC • Savannah • Men's, Women's • Hosts Shamrock 7s rugbysavannah.com |
More Georgia clubs: georgiarugby.org/clubs
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No club allegiance. No union politics. No hype. Just every level of Georgia rugby, U6 to pro, 85 clubs and programs tracked, free every week.
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A ball's eye view from the scrum.
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Issue 12 • July 14, 2026 • © 2026 The Rugby Radar
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