Chicago Blaze Academy in State Championship

The Chicago Blaze Rugby Academy burned through most of the competition, but the one team that was able to extinguish our flame was Chicago Hope Academy in a 44-5 home defeat April 17th. In our other matches we outscored our opponents 265-5 including our 44-5 victory in the state semi-final over Elmwood Park. We now face a team that stifled any offense we could mount by controlling the ball with great ball skills, powering runs, swift moves and quick darts through our usual wall of fire. 
We now face Hope in a rematch for all the marbles in the Rugby Illinois State Championship on Memorial Day May 25 in Rockford at Sportscore Two - Wedgbury Stadium kick off at 11 am.

As coaches Nolan Day, Ryan Stoddard, Jason Brusa and myself Academy Director we could not be prouder of these fine young men we started mentoring this January on Lemont’s Park District Core basketball court. Our freshman thru our seniors play their hearts out and we’re sad to see our seniors play their last game for the Blaze Academy. Win or lose, we mentored a solid core of young men that are already champions in the whole Blaze family of past and present Men’s Club minds.

We are proud to teach the core values of rugby, camaraderie, teamwork, brotherhood, lifelong friendships, hard work and dedication.
Rugby is America’s fastest team sport and with its inclusion in the 2016 Olympic’s and USA Rugby’s chance to defend our 1924 gold medal, the last time rugby was played at the Olympiad, it is getting more backing and exposure in media then ever.

Yesterday in London USA Rugby 7s won their first ever World Sevens Series Cup at Twickenham going 6-0 over the weekend and now must face Canada in June to see which team from North America will qualify for the Rio Olympics.  

The Chicago Blaze is proud of the young men we are growing through this great sport of rugby and are happy to announce that we will be breaking ground on our new million dollar multipurpose facility this June. This facility and our property was a vision of the club when after 3 years of existence they purchased land on the Cook County border in the southwest suburb of Lemont in 1985. The vision of the building corp, the men playing on the field along with the club officers our fire is burning brighter.

This past weekend we hosted the Division 1, 2, & 3 Men’s and 2 Women’s Championship and the Blaze men’s club won the Inaugural Thaddeus Hupp Memorial Cup vs. Des Moines.


Please come on out and support the Blaze Rugby Academy in our mission to light the Rugby Illinois State Championships a Blaze.

Blaze On,

Norm Smyth
Academy & Alumni Director

Chicago Blaze Rugby Academy

chicagoblazerugby.com