The Sacramento Express were a professional American rugby union team that played in the short lived PRO Rugby competition. They were based in Sacramento, California, and played their home games at Bonney Field.
| Full name | Sacramento Express | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | USA Rugby | ||
| Founded | 2016 | ||
| Disbanded | 2017 | ||
| Location | Sacramento, California, U.S. | ||
| Ground(s) | Bonney Field (Capacity: 11,440) | ||
| Coach(es) | Luke Gross | ||
| League(s) | PRO Rugby | ||
| |||
History
editIn early November 2015, PRO Rugby launched its Facebook page and scheduled an announcement for November 9, 2015.[1] On November 9, 2015, PRO Rugby made an official announcement outlining its plans and a framework for the competition. USA Rugby affirmed that it sanctioned and supported the PRO Rugby competition.[2] PRO Rugby announced its first team, Sacramento, on November 18, 2015.[3]
In February 2016, Luke Gross was announced as the head coach of the new Sacramento PRO Rugby team.[4]
The league reportedly had begun extending contract offers to select players by mid-February. In early March, the league made its first official announcement regarding player signings when it announced that Italian international Mirco Bergamasco would be joining the Sacramento team.[5] Sacramento and other teams started convening their players in mid-March 2016 to begin training.[6]
On December 20, 2016, all PRO Rugby players received notice their contracts will be terminated in 30 days if progress is not made towards resolving disputes between the league and USA Rugby.[7]
Venue
edit| Sacramento |
|---|
| Bonney Field |
| Capacity: 11,442 |
|
Current players and staff
editRoster
editThe squad for the 2016 PRO Rugby season:[8]
| Sacramento roster | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Loose forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centers
Wingers
Fullbacks
|
| (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped. |
Coaching staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Luke Gross
|
| Assistant coach | Kevin Battle
|
| Assistant coach |  Fred Waititi
|
| Head Athletic Trainer | Taylor Masten |
Season summaries
edit| Competition | Games Played |
Games Won |
Games Drawn |
Games Lost |
Ladder Position |
C | R | W | Coach | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 PRO Rugby season | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 / 5 | Luke Gross | 2016 Sacramento Express season |
Leading players
edit| Seasons | Captain | Most tries | Most points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | John Quill | Olive Kilifi (3) | Mirco Bergamasco (77) |
Coaches
edit| Coach | Tenure | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Gross | 2016 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00% |
References
edit- ^ "Pro Rugby Announcement Coming Next Week", Goff Rugby Report, November 4, 2015.
- ^ "PRO Rugby Launches First Professional League in North America", USA Rugby, November 9, 2015.
- ^ "It's official: Sacramento will get team in nation's first pro rugby league", Sacramento Business Journal, November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Gross Picked To Lead Sacramento PRO Side", This Is American Rugby, February 4, 2016.
- ^ "Bergamasco To Sacramento", This Is American Rugby, March 9, 2016.
- ^ "US professional rugby a step closer as five teams begin training for kick-off", Guardian, Martin Pengelly, March 14, 2016.
- ^ Down Goes PRO
- ^ "PRO Rugby Preview – Sacramento". Americas Rugby News. Americas Rugby News. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.