New England Immortals RLFC

Last updated
New England Immortals
New England Immortals.png
Team information
NicknameImmortals
Governing body AMNRL (2010)
USARL (2011 - )
Region New England
Head coach Flag of England.svg Robin Peers
Team results
First game
New England pine flag.svg Immortals 12-8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
(New Jersey, United States; 31 July 2010)
Biggest win
New England pine flag.svg Immortals 12-8Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
(New Jersey, United States; 31 July 2010)
Biggest defeat
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Royal Marines 68-12 New England pine flag.svg Immortals
(Rhode Island, United States; 27 April 2012)

The New England Immortals was the first All-Star representative Rugby League Football team made up of the top American players from all Rugby League teams in the six New England states, and those US athletes who come from the region.

Contents

Club Motto: "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

History

AMNRL Years (2010)

The New England Immortals were founded in 2010 and consisted of the top players from the New England–based teams of the AMNRL – the Boston Thirteens, Connecticut Wildcats and the New Haven Warriors. Their logo is based on the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial located on Boston Common at the corner of Beacon and Park Street in Boston, MA. Colonel Shaw commanded the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment during the civil war. There are six stars which represent the six states that make up New England, while the red white and blue symbolize not only the national colors of the U.S., but also hardiness, valour, vigilance, and perseverance.

They played their inaugural match against the Canadian National Team at the 2010 AMNRL "War at the Shore", on July 31, 2010, defeating the Canadians 12-8 in a tightly contested match. [1]

USARL Years (2011–2012)

After the AMNRL/USARL split in 2011, the Immortals joined the latter. Due to the regulations of the separation outlined by the RLIF, only players registered in the AMNRL competition qualified for selection to the USA Tomahawks. Under that same ruling, the Connecticut Wildcats (who opted to stay with the AMNRL) were dropped from selections to the Immortals. The Immortals was now the only representative rugby available to USARL players.

In April 2012, Head Coach Robin Peers named the 23-man roster that would make up the New England Immortal side that would represent their region against the British Royal Marines at Tucker Field in Cumberland, Rhode Island, at the end of the month. [2] Despite the loss of the Connecticut, the expanded player pool from newly formed Oneida FC and the Rhode Island Rebellion saw a new breed Immortals, with only three returning veterans. The Immortals took to the field for their second match since their inception, and despite putting up a hard fight, they were out classed by the more experienced Marines, losing by a score of 68–12. [3]

As of 2014, due to budgetary cuts and restructuring of the USARL competition, the Immortals have not played a match since their loss to the Royal Marines.

Former member teams

Former squads and match summaries

Notable players

The following is a list of New England Immortals who have played representative rugby (league or union) at the National level.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States men's national rugby league team</span> National rugby league team

The United States national rugby league team represents the United States in international rugby league football competitions. The team is managed by the USA Rugby League (USARL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American National Rugby League</span>

The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout its existence, the AMNRL was also recognized by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) as the governing body for the sport in the United States, and oversaw the United States national rugby league team, the Tomahawks.

While rugby league has been played in the United States since 1954, with Australia and New Zealand playing games there on their return from the Rugby League World Cup in France, serious attempts to start the sport in the United States began only in the late 1970s. The establishment of a national team and a domestic competition in the late 20th century has seen more recent progress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington D.C. Slayers</span> US defunct rugby league club, based in Washington DC

The Washington D.C. Slayers were a rugby league football team based in Washington, D.C. who last played in the USA Rugby League. They played their home games at Duke Ellington Field near Georgetown Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Fight</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Fight are a semi professional rugby league team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. They currently compete in the USA Rugby League, having formerly competed in the now defunct AMNRL. They play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacksonville Axemen</span> Semi-professional US rugby league club

The Jacksonville Axemen are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They currently play in the USA Rugby League (USARL). They play their home games at the North Practice Soccer Fields at the University of North Florida.

Two popular American sports were invented in New England. Basketball was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian, in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1895. Also, the first organized ice hockey game in the United States is widely believed to have been played in Concord, New Hampshire in 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Thirteens</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Thirteens are a professional rugby league football team based in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. The team previously played in the USA Rugby League, before turning fully professional in 2021 and becoming a founding member of the North American Rugby League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Haven Warriors</span> US defunct rugby league team, based in West Haven, Connecticut

The New Haven Warriors were a rugby league football team based in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. They played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2006 to 2010 and in the USA Rugby League (USARL) from 2011 to 2012 before withdrawing. They played their home games at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Virginia Eagles</span> US semi-professional rugby league club, based in Manassas, Virginia

The Northern Virginia Eagles were a rugby league team based in Manassas, Virginia, U.S. The club currently plays in the USA Rugby League (USARL). From 2007 to 2011 they were known as the Fairfax Eagles and were based in nearby Fairfax, Virginia.

The 2006 American National Rugby League season was the ninth annual American National Rugby League (AMNRL) season, and the 26th since the first season of semi-professional rugby league began in North America. The season began on May 17, 2006 with a match between defending premiers Glen Mills Bulls and the Philadelphia Fight, played at Jack Pearson Stadium. The same venue hosted the Grand Final between the Connecticut Wildcats and Glen Mills Bulls on August 19, 2006 in front of a crowd of 2,500.

The 2010 American National Rugby League season was the 13th season of the AMNRL. The Pittsburgh Vipers are the newest team to enter the competition and the Bucks County Sharks have withdrawn from the competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USA Rugby League</span> Official governing body for rugby league in the United States

The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States.

The Rhode Island Rebellion were an American semi-professional rugby league football team based in Providence, Rhode Island. The Rebellion compete in the USA Rugby League (USARL), which they joined as a charter franchise in the 2011 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oneida FC</span> Football club

Oneida FC is a soccer club based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organisation was established in 2011 and plays its home games at East Boston Memorial Stadium, owned by the city of Boston. The field also hosts American football and baseball games.

Curtis Cunz is an American rugby league and former rugby union player and owns the 4 time National champions Connecticut Wildcats, most recently winning the premiere in the AMNRL in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Winter</span> Former American international rugby league & Indonesian international rugby union footballer

Kyle Johan Winter is an American Indonesian former rugby union player. He played senior level Division I rugby with the Mystic River Rugby Club in the American Rugby Premiership and has represented Indonesia on the national level. He also played rugby league with the Boston Thirteens in the USARL.

The 2015 USA Rugby League season was the fifth season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its first as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Fourteen teams competed for the USARL Championship. The season began on Saturday, May 30, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Boston Thirteens won their first USARL Championship, defeating the Atlanta Rhinos 44-12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Rugby League</span> Professional rugby league in North America

The North American Rugby League (NARL) is an unsanctioned rugby league club competition in North America.

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Site of the Canada Rugby League: War at the Shore match reports". Archived from the original on 2014-10-27., July 2010.
  2. "Official Site of the USA Rugby League (USARL): New England select ready for action"., April 26, 2012
  3. 1 2 "Rugby League International Scores: Immortals Show Guts Against the Marines"., April 29, 2012
Official websites