Whistle-stop tour of the US for SA ref
SOUTH African referee Ben Crouse will break new ground when he takes up the whistle in the USA’s Major League Rugby (MLR) competition on a five-week assignment in February and March after receiving an invite from the tournament organisers.
Crouse, pictured, who is on SA Rugby’s national panel, will travel to Salt Lake City in Utah next month when he will referee six matches.
His first appointment is for a match between New Orleans Gold and Rugby United New York in New Orleans on Saturday, February 16, while he will conclude his duties when the San Diego Legion host the Toronto Arrows in San Diego on Sunday, March 10.
The MLR competition, which features 10 teams, was launched in 2017 with the objective of driving American rugby to a higher level as a professional sport, and as an avenue for young men and women to participate in sport.
“This exchange programme serves as a fantastic opportunity for Ben and for the SA Rugby referee department,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
“With rugby growing worldwide, this will offer Ben a rare opportunity to experience American rugby firsthand and to grow in his career.”
The MLR season will kick off on January 26 with the Toronto Arrows meeting NOLA Gold and the Houston SaberCats going up against Austin Elite Rugby. The competition is set to conclude in May.
■ Meanwhile, injuries to key players yesterday forced Scotland coach Gregor Townsend to select seven uncapped players in his 39-man squad for the Six Nations.
Townsend has cast his net wide after 19 players under consideration were unavailable, including experienced loose-forward John Barclay, lock Richie Gray and both first-choice hookers Fraser Brown and George Turner.
It will be a worry for Townsend to be missing so many players ahead of the World Cup later this year, with the Six Nations providing vital finetuning for the global event where Scotland have been pooled with Ireland and hosts Japan.
Uncapped hookers David Cherry (Edinburgh), Jake Kerr (Leicester Tigers) and Grant Stewart (Glasgow Warriors) will stake a claim for a place at the tournament.
Others included are back-row Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons), tighthead prop D’Arcy Rae (Glasgow Warriors), and centres Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) and Chris Dean (Edinburgh), who have also yet to play international rugby.
“There’s certainly been a lot of improvement from this group of players in recent seasons and I believe there’s much more to come,” Townsend said.
The team will be captained by scrumhalf Greig Laidlaw.