Monmouth Rugby Club

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Monmouth Rugby Club
Full name	Monmouth Rugby Football Club
Founded	1973
Union	Metropolitan New York Rugby Union
Ground(s)	Thompson Park
President	Colin O'Neil
Coach	Brian Muller
Official website
www.monrugbyfc.hypermart.net

The Monmouth Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team in Division II of the Metropolitan New York Rugby Union based in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

1 History
2 First XV Honors
- 2.1 Club Championships
- 2.2 Tournament Championships
3 Notable Players
- 3.1 USA Eagles
  - 3.1.1 Past Eagles
4 External links

[edit] History

The Monmouth Rugby Football Club was founded as the Brookdale College Rugby Football Club in the Fall of 1973 by Doug Coil and Steve Barberio who were teachers at the college. Brookdale suffered as all young clubs do through several undistinguished seasons, even changing it's colors several times as not to be recognized the next season! As the years passed, the clubs players and leadership developed and the club eventually found itself playing in the Metropolitan Division I in the late 1970s.

The early 1980s saw some strong play by the now Monmouth Rugby Football Club and with some close loses to some perennially powerful clubs. In 1984, the team moved back to Division II and experienced some more tough seasons / years. The early 90's brought the winning tradition back to Monmouth with a Jersey Cup championship and a return to Division I rugby. After some tough injuries and a few early retirements, the club suffered a couple of rough seasons. Since 1994, the club has shown it's resilience by winning three of four second side Jersey Cup championships and has appeared in the National playoff picture 5 times in the past 10 years. The club has made the quarterfinals twice within the 5 appearances, both years suffering close losses to Snake River, Idaho.

After an undefeated season in 02', Monmouth was again brought up to Division I rugby in the Met Union. The club, coping with a declining membership and difficult scheduling, endured for three years on the Division I level. The prospect of the Super League and competing against a larger population base brought them back to Division II. During the 1990s Monmouth has won the Jersey Cup Tournament three times and placed second in the premier division in the Saranc Lake Tournament.