USA Rugby CEO Bill Goren joins David Pembroke for a straight, practical look at what it will really take to grow rugby in the United States before LA 2028, then the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2031 and women’s in 2033. From the grassroots reality of a niche, club-led sport across a huge country, to the push for high school varsity status, NCAA progress on the women’s side, and the challenge of making rugby easy to find in a crowded US sports market, Goren lays out the opportunities and the hard bits. There’s also the big-ticket showcase: All Blacks v Springboks in Baltimore, plus what USA Rugby must do to turn one-off events into lasting fans, participation, and community support. And with the Eagles qualified for 2027, the focus turns to getting more time together, improving faster, and building a genuine pathway from kids to Test rugby.

Also in this episode:

● Bill Goren’s background across US pro sports

● Why rugby is still niche in the United States

● Imagine Rugby reaches about 500,000 kids in three years

● High school and NCAA status: the next big targets

● All Blacks v Springboks Baltimore: fan experience and strategy

● USA Eagles plans after qualifying for 2027

PLUS: How USA Rugby plans to align grassroots, high performance, and values like inclusion.

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World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin joins David Pembroke to discuss the real hard questions facing our sport at the moment – rugby’s global calendar, player safety and cashflow are just the tip of the iceberg. Gilpin breaks down the real tension World Rugby is trying to solve: accuracy and flow, without treating it as a trade-off, and why too many law tweaks make life harder for officials moving between competitions. He explains the Mark Robinson match officiating review, what “shape of the game” stakeholders are pushing for, and why the strategic plan (targeting an early May launch) is centred on fans, player welfare, and growing the sport’s commercial engine. There’s also a big look ahead: strong early Rugby World Cup 2027 ticket demand in Australia, the long runway to USA 2031 and 2033, and how rugby can win in a brutal “attention economy”.

● Alan Gilpin’s rugby journey from Gloucestershire to World Rugby

● Six Nations weekend: Scotland v France, Italy’s big moments

● Match officiating: accuracy versus flow is not a trade-off

● Law trials across comps make consistency harder for referees

● Mark Robinson review: TMO use, philosophy, elite officiating model

● World Rugby strategy: fans, player welfare, commercial growth, USA 2031

PLUS: Gilpin argues rugby’s future is more fans consuming more rugby, more often.

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Ask Eddie Jones and Ewen McKenzie anything! Fill out the form below 👇

https://tinyurl.com/rugbyunityquestions 👈👈

👉 Want more from Rugby Unity? Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive content, blogs, behind-the-scenes insights, and full podcast access — all in one place: Rugby Unity | Substack

📧 Get in touch: info@rugbyunity.com.au

Thanks to Eleven labs for providing a grant to Rugby Unity so that we can use their world leading software.

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David Pembroke is joined by Ewen McKenzie (with Eddie Jones in San Diego) to rip through what’s changing in Super Rugby and what rugby still gets wrong off-field. Ewen breaks down the experimental laws: no more caterpillar rucks, faster ball, 30-second scrum set calls, and more quick taps that keep defences unstructured. They also flag a noticeable shift in how refs are handling intercept knock-ons and yellow cards, and the bigger issue: why World Rugby won’t clearly explain what’s changed. From there, it’s back to the Six Nations: what made it so competitive, why England’s Steve Borthwick looks set to stay through to the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and what selection and combinations might unlock them. Plus, Rugby Unity launches “The Big Three” on Substack, and they finish with Third Voice questions covering Wallabies physicality, Rugby World Cup 2027 conditions, alignment camps, and whether the Iran Israel War could disrupt the Nations championship.

● Super Rugby law trials speed up rucks and scrums

● Quick taps increase tempo and punish disorganised defence

● Yellow card trend shifts on intercept knock-ons

● World Rugby transparency and communication under the microscope

● Six Nations competitiveness, England review, Steve Borthwick stays

● Rugby Unity launches “The Big Three” Substack digest

PLUS: David Pembroke and Ewen McKenzie argue rugby must market itself harder, explain the laws better, and make it easier for fans to follow the game.

Ask Eddie Jones and Ewen McKenzie anything! Fill out the form below 👇

https://tinyurl.com/rugbyunityquestions 👈👈

👉 Want more from Rugby Unity? Subscribe to our Substack for exclusive content, blogs, behind-the-scenes insights, and full podcast access — all in one place: Rugby Unity | Substack

📧 Get in touch: info@rugbyunity.com.au

Thanks to Eleven labs for providing a grant to Rugby Unity so that we can use their world leading software.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.