Riverside Rugby Club

Teams

Team Accomplishments

Riverside Rugby has distinguished itself with the following accomplishments:

Capped Players

Being selected to play for a national team is one of Rugby's highest honors. The following current and former Riverside players have played for a national team.

Criticisms

Riverside has been a very inconsistent team. The club did not win in 2002. Two years later, Riverside was undefeated in 2004 in the highest SCRFU division. In 2006, the club again had the worst record in SCRFU, and was relegated. In 2008, the club won the white division, and made the play-offs.

Player development

There are many factors that can cause such inconsistent performance. One argument is that too much of Riverside's talent is concentrated in a few players. Over the years, Riverside has demonstrated an ability to recruit top-tier Fijian-American, Tongan-American and Samoan-American players. Some have argued that the club has not done enough to develop local talent, which makes it very dependent on these key players. 2013 Season Schedule

Transitioning from a recreational club to a professional sports organization

Another challenge for Riverside is that the club may is under-capitalized for the level of performance expected by Riverside fans. The more consistent high powered Southern California teams, such as OMBAC and Belmont Shores, are well capitalized, well run professional sports organizations, that can provide the training facilities and resources expected by top rugby professionals in the United States.

Sponsorship

Unlike the Super League, SCRFU does not have a national sponsor that shares operating costs with the teams. Riverside is supported by a combination of member dues and secondary sponsorships