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Georgia
The Rugby Radar
A ball's eye view from the scrum.
Issue 3 / Vol. 2026 / May 12
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Get the Radar
Subscribe to The Rugby Radar
Free. Every Tuesday evening. Every club, every level, every age across Georgia.
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Summer rugby is on in Georgia. Touch programs open this week. Peach Pitch lands May 30. Old White heads to Chicago Nationals this weekend. The state's awake.
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📣 Quick Hits
THE WEEK ACROSS GEORGIA
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L1 Ref course closes in 11 days. Life University, May 23. Train Up section below.
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Life U Men take top honors at CRAA D1A 7s Invitational. Iowa City, May 9-10. College Corner below.
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Hotlanta YOUTH 7s registration is open. Inaugural June 13 tournament, $300 per team. Tournament Watch below.
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Life U Women's Development Camp opens for girls 13-17. Overnight residential, Marietta, July 23-29. Tournament Watch below.
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GA youth clubs: earn fundraising dollars at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre concerts. The Supporting Youth Participation (SYP) program puts club volunteers on shifts; money flows back to the club, volunteers earn registration credits. Email sypnpo@gmail.com to enroll your club.
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🎓 College Corner
GA COLLEGES THIS WEEK
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Lead
LIFE U MEN TAKE D1A INVITATIONAL IN IOWA CITY
Life University Men claimed top honors at the CRAA D1A 7s Invitational over the weekend of May 9-10 in Iowa City. The Invitational ran alongside the D1AA National Championship at the same venue. Two distinct events; one weekend of high-level collegiate sevens.
The Running Eagles closed their year on a sevens trophy out of one of the deepest college 7s fields in the country. A Marietta program continues to be one of the most reliable producers of trophy hardware in collegiate rugby.
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Alumni spotlight
PEG LEG + SOS 7S: KSU'S TWENTY-YEAR ALUMNI ENGINE
KSU Owls Rugby has alumni infrastructure that runs deeper than most. Peg Leg Rugby (@peglegrugby_ksualumni) has been the KSU Owls alumni group since 2005, building and promoting the local rugby community for twenty-one years. Peg Leg also feeds Silver Owls Selects 7s (@silverowls_selects7s), the seasoned-old-boys touring 7s side.
Alumni programs are what turn college rugby into lifelong rugby. KSU's structure sits parallel to UGA's UGARFCAA and Georgia Tech's OGRES.
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SUMMER 7S BUILD ACROSS GA COLLEGES
UGA, Georgia Tech, KSU (men + women), UNG, GCSU Bobcats, and Valdosta State have all closed their 15s seasons and pivoted to summer 7s training. Touch programs at multiple Atlanta-area clubs offer summer reps for college players home on break. If your college player is back, point them at Rebels Touch Tuesdays or Exiles Summer Touch.
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🏉 Adult Club Updates
ACROSS THE STATE
OLD WHITE MD2 AT CHICAGO NATIONALS THIS SATURDAY
Atlanta Old White MD2 face Kansas City in the USA Club Rugby Men's D2 semifinal Saturday May 16 at 2 PM Central in Lemont, Illinois. Win Saturday and they play for back-to-back national titles Sunday at noon Central, a feat rarely achieved in their division in recent decades.
Watch live, free, on the USA Club Rugby YouTube channel. Atlanta is going to Chicago.
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ATHENS EAGLES RUN MONDAY MEET-THE-PLAYER ALL SEASON
Athens Eagles RFC (D3, Athens) is publishing a Monday Meet-the-Player feature every week on @athens_eagles_rugby. This week: Matt Mullis. Smaller adult clubs that want to build a recruiting funnel could do worse than copying this pattern. Steady, weekly, named players, no fanfare. The kind of content that compounds.
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OLD WHITE NAMES NEW 7S HEAD COACHES — MEN'S AND WOMEN'S
Atlanta Old White announced new head coaches for both its Men's 7s side and its Women's 7s side ahead of the summer slate. Announcements came via @wow_atlrugby and @hotlanta7s earlier this week. Two new voices, full summer build, season opens with Peach Pitch on the calendar.
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SUMMER 7S BUILD ACROSS THE STATE
Atlanta Renegades opened 7s training May 6. Athens Eagles, Macon Love, Augusta Furies, Atlanta 2.0 Selects, and Atlanta Premier are all in 7s mode. The summer 7s window is here.
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🏆 Tournament Watch
WHAT'S COMING
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May 30 • 5845 Hillvale Rd, Lithonia GA • Registration open
PEACH PITCH 7S — LARGEST WOMEN'S-PLUS 7S IN THE SOUTH
Hosted by High Country Women's RFC at the Southeast Athletic Complex. Premier Sponsor: Allison Smith Co. Multiple GA clubs prepping. Ticketing via zeffy.com. Watch @peachpitchrugby7s for divisions and brackets.
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This weekend • Chicago Blaze Rugby Complex, Lemont IL • Free Stream
USA CLUB RUGBY XVS NATIONALS — OLD WHITE IN
National championship weekend. Saturday May 16, 2 PM Central: Atlanta Old White MD2 face Kansas City in the Men's Club D2 semifinal. Sunday May 17, noon Central: MD2 Final, if they advance. Atlanta is going to Chicago and the defending 2025 D2 national title is on the line.
Stream all games free on the USA Club Rugby YouTube channel via Next Level Rugby. Tickets onsite: thirty dollars weekend, sixteen dollars day.
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July 23-29 • Life University, Marietta GA • Girls 13-17, residential
LIFE U WOMEN'S RUGBY DEVELOPMENT CAMP
Overnight residential camp for girls 13-17, all skill levels welcome. 10:1 camper-to-coach ratio. Director Ryszard Chadwick (World Rugby Coach Educator). Camp counselors are current Life U players. Housing in The Commons residence hall, unlimited Lyceum dining, match-day kit + gym shorts + tank + hoody + performance tee + backpack + match-day balls included. Camp details →
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June 13 • 1035 Fairburn Rd SW, Atlanta • INAUGURAL
HOTLANTA YOUTH 7S
First edition. Eight invited teams in two pools of four. USA Rugby sanctioned. Athletic trainer on-site. Check-in at 8 AM. Tournament director: Chris Byerly. Atlanta Old White's youth arm has built the marquee Hotlanta umbrella its first dedicated youth bracket.
Hotlanta YOUTH 7s →
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July 25 • Atlanta
HOTLANTA 7S
Atlanta's biggest 7s tournament. Standing divisions: HS, College, Men's Social, Women's Social. USA Rugby sanctioned. Athletic trainer on-site. CIPP required for all players. Night social at The Battery Atlanta. Registration is open.
Hotlanta 7s →
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May 21-23 • Elkhart, IN
BOYS HS NATIONALS
24 teams across Club and Single-School brackets. If a Georgia HS side is in, we want to know. Tip line is open.
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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,
This Author has spent the week receiving correspondence that defies tidy summary, so we shall proceed in order, with the customary disregard for restraint.
A whisper, first, about a certain Georgia rugby side. This Author is reliably told the team carries a number 8 whose brother performs under the lucha-libre name El Gatito. Whether the family lineage explains the breakdown work or merely the showmanship at the lineout, one cannot say. One can only admire.
On the matter of the venerable past officer of the union, who has returned once again to this Author's correspondence with thoughts: we are reminded, with the patience of long tenure, that some institutions distinguish themselves through good rugby citizenship, and others through other means. This Author shall not adjudicate which institutions fall where. We listen with the courtesy his tenure deserves and leave the conclusions, Dear Reader, to you.
This Author has been approached, repeatedly and with admirable persistence, by a parent of one of our Georgia youth clubs, insistent that we acknowledge the volunteer fundraising opportunities available at a certain large amphitheatre in the metro area. The lady is correct: the opportunity is real, the dollars flow to the club, the registration credits are nothing to dismiss. We yield gracefully. We also salute her tenacity, which several head coaches we know could productively study.
A final whisper, with some hilarity. A certain youth club of our state was recently required to verify its own founding date, the records being insufficiently clear on whether the institution was established in 2007 or 2013. Six years, in this Author's view, is not a trifling discrepancy. Yet the club in question carries on regardless, the players unbothered by their own historiography. We salute the youthful indifference to facts that does not, in our case, extend to match scores.
Until next week. Mind the lineout, mind the touchline, and mind the historiography.
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. Every club needs more coaches. GA Youth Rugby reimburses certification costs for active referees and coaches. Register through your USA Rugby Learning Center via Rugby Xplorer.
| 11 DAYSMay 23 • L1 Referee • Life University • $85 |
| Jun 25 • L1 Coach • Atlanta • $125 |
| Jul 23 • L1 Coach • Atlanta • $125 |
| Jul 23-24 • L2 Coach (2-day) • Atlanta |
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🏉 New to Rugby?
FIND A YOUTH CLUB
Boys, girls, all ages. Every club below welcomes beginners. No experience needed.
Featured Club Listing
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Rebels Rugby Youth GA
Every kid belongs on the pitch.
U6–U18 coed • Greater Roswell, GA
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Touch Tuesdays — Starts May 12. Free drop-in, 7–8pm at Roswell Area Park. All ages, all abilities. Runs through July 4. Details at rebelsrugbyga.com.
ISO Coaches — 2026-27 Season. USA Rugby certification supported. Email info@rebelsrugbyga.com.
Summer Camp 2026 — Registration Open. Register here.
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Want your club featured here? Get in touch for special charter season rates while available.
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🎓 Heading to College?
FIND A COLLEGE TEAM
Georgia colleges with active rugby. Men's, women's, both. Most are club-level and welcome beginners. If your kid is heading to one of these schools, the rugby team is a way in.
| Life University • Marietta • Men D1, Women D1, Club • 2026 CRAA D1 XVs and Premier 7s national champions (women) liferunningeagles.com |
| University of Georgia • Athens • Men's club (SCRC), Women's club ugarugby.com |
| Georgia Tech • Atlanta • Men D2 (SCRC), Women's |
| Kennesaw State • Kennesaw • Men's, Women's |
| University of North Georgia • Dahlonega • Men's Nighthawks, Women's |
| Georgia College & State University • Milledgeville • Men's Bobcats, Women's |
| Valdosta State • Valdosta • Men's club |
| Georgia Southern University • Statesboro • Women's club active |
| Morehouse College • Atlanta • HBCU men's club |
| 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. Whether you played in college, played as a kid, or never touched a ball, there's a squad for you.
| Atlanta Old White RFC • Atlanta • Men D2/D3, Women, 7s • Mon & Wed 7-9pm at Hurt Road Park, Austell atlantarugby.com |
| Atlanta Harlequins Women's RFC • Atlanta • Women's D1 • Only D1 women's team in the Southeast |
| Atlanta Renegades RFC • Atlanta • Men's |
| Gwinnett Lions RFC • Lilburn • Men, Women |
| Exiles RFC • Alpharetta • Senior men's and women's |
| Atlanta Bucks RFC • Atlanta • Men's inclusive club |
| High Country RFC • North Georgia • Men's D3, Women |
| Savannah Shamrocks RFC • Savannah • Men's, Women's • Back-to-back GRU D3 champs |
| Macon Love RFC • Macon • GRU member |
| Southern Touch Rugby (Atlanta Touch) • Fair Oaks Park, Marietta • Sundays + Wednesdays, F.I.T. rules, all welcome @atltouchrugby |
| Full GRU member club list: georgiarugby.org/clubs |
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First TRY Discount
PUT YOUR CLUB ON THE RADAR
A standout card all your own. Logo, website, schedule link, socials. In front of every rugby family in Georgia, every Tuesday.
$100 total. Every issue through Dec 31, 2026.
That's ~33 issues. About $3 a week to put your club in front of every rugby family in Georgia. First come, first served.
Claim Your Spot →
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📅 Mark Your Calendars
DATES THAT MATTER
| May 12 (TODAY) • Rebels Touch Tuesdays Open • Roswell Area Park, 7-8pm, free, all ages, runs through July 4 |
| May 12 (TODAY) • Exiles Men's & Academy U19 7s Training Begins • Innovation Academy, Alpharetta |
| May 15, 4 PM CT • Life U Women vs Northern Virginia • NCR Women's Club D1 semifinal, Chicago Nationals |
| May 15-16 • USA Girls Rugby National Championship • Salt Lake City |
| May 16, 2 PM CT • Atlanta Old White vs Kansas City • Men's Club D2 semifinal, Chicago Nationals |
| May 17, 12 + 1 PM CT • MD2 Final + WD1 Final • Chicago Nationals |
| May 21-23 • Boys HS Nationals • Elkhart, IN |
| May 23 • L1 Ref Course • Life University |
| May 26 (Tue) • Exiles Co-Ed Youth Touch (ages 5-14) Opens • 6 PM, Innovation Academy • Tuesdays through July, free |
| May 28 (Thu) • Exiles Co-Ed Adult & U19 Touch Opens • 7 PM, Innovation Academy • Thursdays through July, free • Club Social at Olde Blind Dog after |
| 🏆 May 30 • Peach Pitch 7s • Lithonia, GA • COME WATCH |
| Jun 4-6 • NAI 7s • Salt Lake City |
| 🏆 Jun 13 • Hotlanta YOUTH 7s (inaugural) • 1035 Fairburn Rd SW, Atlanta • COME WATCH |
| Jun 13 • Rudy Scholz Award Gala • Seattle (Logan Ballinger, Life U, finalist) |
| Jun 25 • L1 Coach Course • Atlanta |
| Jul 6-10 • Rebels Rugby Skills & Drills Summer Camp • Ages 5-14, Roswell GA • Registration open |
| Jul 23 • L1 Coach Course • Atlanta |
| Jul 23-24 • L2 Coach Course • Atlanta |
| Jul 23-29 • Life U Women's Rugby Development Camp • Life University, Marietta • Girls 13-17, residential |
| 🏆 Jul 25 • Hotlanta 7s • Atlanta • COME WATCH |
| Dec 7-8 • Greer Christmas 7s • Greer, SC (HS) |
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One More Thing
Don't miss next Tuesday's issue
Free. Every Tuesday evening. Every club, every level, every age across Georgia.
SUBSCRIBE →
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GOT A TIP? HOSTING AN EVENT?
Send us your events, corrections, news, and tips. Tournament results, club updates, coaching announcements, alumni news. If it's rugby in Georgia, we want to hear it.
Email the Radar →
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THE RUGBY RADAR
A ball's eye view from the scrum.
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therugbyradar.com • @therugbyradar • @LadyTrydown
Issue 3 • May 12, 2026 • © 2026 The Rugby Radar
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