Washington Renegades

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The Washington Renegades is a Division III rugby union club based in Washington D.C.. Established on October 24, 1998 by Mark Hertzog, the Washington Renegades was the first men's rugby club in the United States to actively recruit gay men and men of color.

In October 1999, the club played its first 15s match against the Roanoke Rugby Football Club. In July 2000, the team competed in a sevens tournament held in London, England against teams from London and Manchester. In May 2001, the club held its inaugural International Rugby Invitational, which included teams from San Francisco, Manchester, England and Buenos Aires. Also attending were individual players from Chicago, London and Melbourne. In 2002 and 2004, the club participated in the IGRAB Rugby Festival and Mark Bingham Cup, named for former UC Berkley and San Francisco Fog rugby player Mark Bingham, who died on September 11, 2001.

[edit] External links

• Washington Renegades Rugby Football Club
• IGRAB the International Gay Rugby Union & Board Site
• Article about the club in Washington, DC magazine "Metro Weekly"
• Observer Sport Monthly article on gay rugby, mentions Renegades in discussion of international phenomenon
• "Rugby Players: For the Love of the Game, and a Party", Washington Post article
• "Joining in the Scrum: On This Rugby Team, Winning Is The Last Thing", Washington Post article