# Rugby New York

Rugby New York, originally known as Rugby United New York and officially nicknamed the Ironworkers, was a professional rugby union team based in New York City that was a member of Major League Rugby (MLR). The team played an exhibition season in spring 2018 and joined MLR for its second full season in 2019. The team was founded by James Kennedy.
During the 2022 season, its first under the Rugby New York name, the team made its only MLR Final appearance, winning a title in front of 1,979 attendees at Red Bull Arena in nearby Harrison, New Jersey.
In December 2023, MLR announced that Rugby New York had withdrawn from the league and had folded, following a failed attempt to sell the team.

## History

Rugby United New York was founded in April 2018 by James Kennedy, owner of Murphy Kennedy Group a New York construction management company and John Layfield, a retired WWE professional wrestler and the founder of a nonprofit organization called Beyond Rugby Bermuda. In its 2018 exhibition season, RUNY was led by former USA men's national team coach Mike Tolkin, and assistant coaches Bruce McLane (former coach of New York Athletic Club RFC), Andrew Britt, and Vili Vakasisikakala. The team's 2018 spring season consisted of matches against the Ontario Arrows and the Mystic River Rugby Club of Boston. The team played its home matches at Gaelic Park in The Bronx. The team played its first match on March 17, 2018, at Mazzella Field in New Rochelle, New York. New York defeated the Ontario Arrows by a score of 36–19. RUNY played its first match in New York City against Mystic River on March 24 before a sold-out crowd at Gaelic Park. New York defeated Mystic River by a score of 50–0.
Ahead of the 2019 season, RUNY announced that they had retained Mike Tolkin as the team's head coach, signed Kees Lensing as the team's forwards coach, and named James English as general manager. Tiffany Faʻaeʻe was signed as Assistant Coach.
On November 7, 2018, RUNY announced that MCU Park in Brooklyn would be their home field for their first full season.
On April 12, 2021, the club announced that they would begin the season at Cochrane Stadium in Jersey City, NJ. The club would end up splitting their home fields between Cochrane Stadium and Belson Stadium in Queens, NY.
In January 2023, Rugby New York announced that Memorial Field in Mount Vernon, NY would be their home field.
On December 6, 2023, it was announced that the Iron Workers would not compete in the 2024 MLR season.

## Broadcasts

2019 and 2020 home games were shown on SportsNet New York (SNY). Matt McCarthy, John Broker and Steve Lewis were the on air talent.
The 2021 season matches was broadcast on MSG Networks, ending their contract with SNY.

## Sponsorship

During the inaugural season, RUNY signed a partnership deal with Magners Irish Cider, the official drink partner and Bawnmore Irish Beef Jerky as the official snack partner for the 2019 season. They also partnered up with EVF Performance, the team's official gym and Motion PT Group, named the official physical therapy partner for the team.
For the 2021 season, RUNY partnered with Sword Performance, a sports drink hydration company. They also partnered with Mainfreight as their shirt sponsor for the next two seasons.
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| 2018 | Paladin Sports | Murphy Kennedy Group |
| 2019 | XBlades | Murphy Kennedy Group |
| 2020 | Paladin Sports | None |
| 2021 | Paladin Sports | Mainfreight |
| 2022 | Paladin Sports | Mainfreight |
| 2023 | Paladin Sports | Hudson Pro Orthopedics & Sports Medicine |

### Head coaches

* Mike Tolkin (2018–2019)
* Greg McWilliams (2020)
* Marty Veale (2021–2022)
* James Semple (2022–2023)

### Captains

* Mike Petri (2019)
* Dylan Fawsitt (2020–2021)
* Nate Brakeley (2022–2023)

## Records
### Season standings

| Season | Conference | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason |
| Season | Conference | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result |
| 2019 | - | 4th | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 411 | 320 | +91 | 10 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 24 | -2 | Lost Semifinal (San Diego Legion) 22–24 |
| 2020 | Eastern | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 136 | 131 | +5 | 3 | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled |
| 2021 | Eastern | 2nd | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 448 | 419 | +29 | 13 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -1 | Lost East Conference Final (Rugby ATL) 9-10 |
| 2022 | Eastern | 3rd | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 433 | 408 | +25 | 11 | 56 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 80 | 50 | +30 | Won East Conference Eliminator (Rugby ATL) 26–19 Won East Conference Final (New England Free Jacks) 24–16 Won Major League Rugby final (Seattle Seawolves) 30-15 |
| 2023 | - | 4th | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 442 | 373 | +69 | 10 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 23 | -4 | Lost East Eliminator (Old Glory DC) 37-33 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 69 | 43 | 0 | 26 | 1,870 | 1,651 | +219 | 37 | 178 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 148 | 117 | +31 | 4 postseason appearances |

### Honors

Major League Rugby :
| Playoff Appearances | Conference Championships | Major League Rugby Championships |
| 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 | 2022 | 2022 |

### Head to Head

Details of the performance of Rugby United New York against Major League Rugby opponents, between the 2019 and 2022 seasons. Table includes all regular season and play-off matches.
Major League Rugby :
| Opposition | Span | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win% | PF | PA | PD | Home Wins | Away Wins |
| San Diego Legion | 2019–22 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 148 | 152 | -4 | 1 | 2 |
| NOLA Gold | 2019–22 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 66.67 | 177 | 179 | -2 | 2 | 2 |
| Seattle Seawolves | 2019–22 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 135 | 129 | +6 | 2 | 1 |
| Houston SaberCats | 2019–22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 151 | 57 | +94 | 2 | 3 |
| Utah Warriors | 2019–21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67 | 99 | 72 | +28 | 1 | 1 |
| Toronto Arrows | 2019–22 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 138 | 151 | -13 | 1 | 2 |
| Austin Gilgronis | 2019–20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 104 | 65 | +39 | 2 | 1 |
| New England Free Jacks | 2020-22 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 42.86 | 149 | 172 | -23 | 1 | 2 |
| Rugby ATL | 2020–22 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71.43 | 154 | 158 | -4 | 2 | 3 |
| Old Glory DC | 2021-22 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 178 | 124 | +54 | 2 | 2 |
| LA Giltinis | 2021-22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 18 | 59 | -41 | 1 | 0 |
| Dallas Jackals | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 41 | 5 | +36 | 0 | 1 |
| Glendale Raptors | 2019–20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 47 | 39 | +8 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 2019–22 | 58 | 38 | 0 | 20 | 65.55 | 1,539 | 1,362 | +177 | 18 | 20 |

## 2018 season

All games in the 2018 season were exhibition games and did not count in the league standings.
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Venue | Location | Result |
| March 17 | Ontario Arrows | Home | Mazzella Field | New Rochelle, New York | Won, 36–19 |
| March 24 | Mystic River Rugby Club | Home | Gaelic Park | Riverdale, Bronx, New York | Won, 50–0 |
| March 31 | Mystic River Rugby Club | Away | Mignone Field | Allston, Massachusetts | Won, 42–24 |
| April 14 | Ontario Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Toronto, Ontario | Game cancelled due to weather |

## 2019 season
### Exhibitions

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| December 1, 2018 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 38–35 |
| December 15, 2018 | Capital Selects | Home | Mazzella Field | Won, 100–0 |
| January 12, 2019 | Toronto Arrows | Neutral | Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse | Cancelled |

### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| January 27 | San Diego Legion | Away | Torero Stadium | Won, 25-23 |
| February 16 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Archbishop Shaw | Won, 27–24 |
| February 24 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Stadium | Lost, 21-33 |
| March 2 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Constellation Field | Won, 35-8 |
| March 9 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Won, 47-21 |
| March 15 | Toronto Arrows | Home | MCU Park | Won, 24–21 |
| March 24 | Glendale Raptors | Home | MCU Park | Won, 31-19 |
| March 30 | Austin Elite | Away | Toyota Field | Won, 19-11 |
| April 14 | San Diego Legion | Home | MCU Park | Lost, 19–29 |
| April 20 | Utah Warriors | Home | MCU Park | Won, 24–22 |
| April 26 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Infinity Park | Lost, 16–20 |
| May 5 | Houston SaberCats | Home | MCU Park | Won, 21–0 |
| May 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | MCU Park | Lost, 31–38 |
| May 19 | Austin Elite | Home | MCU Park | Won, 27-7 |
| May 26 | New Orleans Gold | Home | MCU Park | Won, 24–22 |
| June 2 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lamport Stadium | Lost, 20-22 |

### Post season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
| June 9 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 22-24 |

## 2020 season
### Exhibition

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| January 25 | Toronto Arrows | Neutral | Orchard Park | scrimmage no score recorded |
| February 1 | New York Barbarians | Home | Wagner College Football Stadium | Won 77-5 |

### Regular season

On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic. It was cancelled the following week
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 8 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Sam Boyd Stadium | Lost 14-34 |
| February 15 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Sam Boyd Stadium | Won 49-31 |
| February 23 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lupo Family Field @ Life University | Won 22-19 |
| March 1 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Aveva Stadium | Won 31-23 |
| March 8 | San Diego Legion | Away | Torero Stadium | Lost 20-24 |
| March 14 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| March 22 | Toronto Arrows | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| March 29 | Old Glory DC | Away | Cardinal Stadium @ Catholic University | Cancelled |
| April 10 | Rugby ATL | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| April 18 | NOLA Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | Cancelled |
| April 25 | Colorado Raptors | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| May 1 | New England Free Jacks | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| May 9 | Old Glory DC | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| May 16 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Cancelled |
| May 22 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lamport Stadium | Cancelled |
| May 30 | NOLA Gold | Home | MCU Park | Cancelled |

## 2021 season
### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| March 20 | San Diego Legion | Away | James Regional Sports Park | Won, 36–29 |
| March 27 | New Orleans Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | Lost, 28–51 |
| April 11 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lupo Family Field | Won, 27–17 |
| April 18 | Old Glory DC | Home | Cochrane Stadium | Won, 38–34 |
| April 25 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Cochrane Stadium | Lost, 12–53 |
| May 2 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Stadium | Won, 23–21 |
| May 8 | LA Giltinis | Home | Cochrane Stadium | Won, 18–16 |
| May 15 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Bold Stadium | Lost, 9–16 |
| May 23 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Cochrane Stadium | Won, 29–19 |
| May 30 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Won, 46–10 |
| June 13 | Rugby ATL | Home | Belson Stadium | Won, 31–24 |
| June 19 | Utah Warriors | Home | Cochrane Stadium | Lost, 28–29 |
| June 27 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lupo Family Field | Won, 31–24 |
| July 3 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Union Point Sports Complex | Lost, 6–22 |
| July 10 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Belson Stadium | Won, 54–19 |
| July 17 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Belson Stadium | Lost, 32–35 |

### Post-season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
| July 24 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lupo Family Field | Lost, 9-10 |

## 2022 season
### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 12 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Aveva Stadium | Won, 10-7 |
| February 19 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | Won, 36-31 |
| February 26 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 41-5 |
| March 6 | New England Free Jacks | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Lost, 29-38 |
| March 13 | San Diego Legion | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Won, 26-23 |
| March 19 | New Orleans Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | Won, 30-19 |
| March 27 | Toronto Arrows | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Lost, 10-14 |
| April 3 | Old Glory DC | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Won, 35-31 |
| April 10 | LA Giltinis | Away | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Lost, 43-0 |
| April 24 | New England Free Jacks | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Lost, 26-29 |
| May 1 | New Orleans Gold | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Won, 36-28 |
| May 8 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Won, 41-17 |
| May 15 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Won, 30-22 |
| May 22 | Rugby ATL | Home | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Lost, 3-38 |
| May 29 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Won, 59-49 |
| June 3 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 21-14 |

### Post-season

| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| East Eliminator | June 11 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | Won, 26-19 |
| East Conference Finals | June 19 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 24-19 |
| MLR Championship | June 25 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Red Bull Arena | Won, 30-15 |

## 2023 season
### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 18 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports Complex | Lost, 11-25 |
| February 26 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Memorial Field | Won, 39-3 |
| March 5 | Old Glory DC | Home | Memorial Field | Won, 34-8 |
| March 12 | NOLA Gold | Away | Gold Mine on Airline | Lost, 31-5 |
| March 19 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Memorial Field | Lost, 33-18 |
| April 2 | Rugby ATL | Home | Memorial Field | Won, 31-20 |
| April 8 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Won, 29-27 |
| April 16 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Lost, 42-31 |
| April 23 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Memorial Field | Lost, 34-27 |
| April 30 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 8-0 |
| May 7 | NOLA Gold | Home | Memorial Field | Won, 54-19 |
| May 14 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | Won, 21-20 |
| May 28 | San Diego Legion | Away | Snapdragon Stadium | Lost, 36-13 |
| June 4 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Memorial Field | Won, 43-14 |
| June 10 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | Won, 39-24 |
| June 18 | Utah Warriors | Home | Memorial Field | Lost, 43-33 |

### Post-season

| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| East Eliminator | June 25 | Old Glory DC | Home | Memorial Field | Lost, 37-33 |