“Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother”.

The KJRFC would like to wish all the moms out there a very happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for all the things you do!

Happy Easter from our family to yours.

All Blacks Scrum half Aaron Smith isn’t letting a pandemic stand in the way of getting some “training” done. We hope you are as creative as Aaron by finding ways to get your rugby fix in right now. Remember to practice safe social distancing during this time. We all miss our mates and the game we love, and the sooner we follow the guidelines, the sooner we’ll be able to get back out there.

KU Rugby - Recap of Spring 2020 - aborted National Playoff http://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/social_annotation_v2?permalink_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fmyemail.constantcontact.com%2FKU-Rugby---Recap-of-Spring-2020---aborted-National-Playoff.html%3Fsoid%3D1109004614225%26aid%3DCT_ZWUB5Y3s&image_url=https%3A%2F%2Ffiles.constantcontact.com%2F15a73d53201%2F2a6e18b3-3b54-45d3-a4e4-b392d0a41ef8.png

Amongst the chaos going on, USA Rugby has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. For those unfamiliar, USA Rugby oversees not just the National team, but most of the rugby that is played in the country all the way down to the youth system. We hope the evaluation and restructuring will result in the organization coming back with a strong plan in place and poised to operate better than ever. KJRFC still plans on playing the game we love as soon as possible when allowed to. Rock Chalk! https://usarug.by/3bH2exl

As you all know we are charting unprecedented waters with the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Various levels of governance from Club, University and USA rugby have released advice and we would like to keep you all updated on those.

USA rugby announced a decision to suspend sanctioned rugby competition and activities for a 30 day period effective immediately on the 13th March. Unfortunately, for the KJRFC, the decision was also made to cancel the 2020 USA Spring Rugby College Championships and College 7s National Championships.

The KJRFC has had a wonderful and undefeated Merit table season. We were due to play Truman State in our final game which we have had to cancel. We were already guaranteed a Regional National Championship birth with our Heart of America Conference record. Our season points differential was 290-29. We played awesome rugby, home and away with a fantastic group of young men that were proud to wear the Jayhawk on their chest. We built an amazing squad with a blend of fresh talent, seasoned campaigners and some international experience. This was our season.

Our Club is hurting off the back of this news. The Coaches, Administration, Alumni, Parents but most importantly the players. Our form heading into the National Championships was undeniable.

We are so proud of this season and our Club. We have had such a successful year and it is a tough pill to swallow without the opportunity to test ourselves at the highest level. All of this aside the welfare of our players and Clubmen is our highest priority.

We will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice from the CDC. We all felt it important to share this information as soon as it was released.

Yours in Rugby,

Matt Schwartz
Andy Stewart
Jason Williams
Blake Mitton
Ian O’Laughlin
Doug Macauley
Scott Merdinger

Scenes from yesterday’s 58-7 win over Nebraska. You can find a link to the full album in the comments. Photos provided by Griff Hastings at GTH Images
Huge thank you to the alumni and parents who made the trip to Lincoln; your presence was felt. The boys have this week off for spring break but will be back in two weeks to wrap up conference play in Kirksville, Missouri against Truman State. Rock Chalk!