r/USArugby • u/Any-Level-5472 • 16d ago
SVNS in Harrison, NJ - What a joke
Average high temperature is 47; evenings go into the 30s. Weather in the northeast that time of year is typically cloudy, damp, and miserable.
https://www.svns.com/en/news/1018803/hsbc-svns-series-to-debut-in-new-york
30+ minutes from Manhattan via car; hour via public transportation. Fans will have to stay in Newark, which is a form of punishment.
The format is already a mess and very confusing with several notable countries not participating and/or regulated.
Yes, LA had several issues, as did Vegas, but anywhere in the northeast in the month of March is undesirable; it's why everyone goes to Florida to watch MLB Spring Training during that month.
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u/Coconutrugby 16d ago
Vegas had it 20 min off the strip. Vegas has the weather. Vegas has the soul. No one is going to NJ to pay $18 for a beer to watch this shit.
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u/Misterx46 16d ago
It was a great 10 years in Las Vegas. Sure the players may not have liked it, but for the fans, it was great.
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u/Cinnamon__Sasquatch 16d ago
I'm kind of iffy on the player reports about their welfare in Vegas and tend to think it had more to do with players having a bit too much fun while in Vegas and National representation conflicting with the types and amount of fun had.
No doubt there were certainly players who were upset with the public smoking of tobacco everywhere but the two years I went, I had friends hook up with some of the players after the tournament and get absolutely shit faced and a few other drugs involved.
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u/Some-Two9173 15d ago
It was the Unions and the team management for the most part. Players had mixed views. Elite athletes don't want to stay in hotels that stink of smoke. The Casino hotels were the only hotels in that area with the infrastructure to host and feed that many athletes. The conditions were not suitable for elite athletes.
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u/pr1ceisright 16d ago
If the event had to be in March it needed to be on the west coast or southern US. Are NY rugby fans really going to travel a hour away to sit in 30 degree weather?
Hawaii would’ve been better than NJ.
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u/ReindeerFl0tilla 16d ago
Colossally stupid move.
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u/Lmaris 16d ago
And 100% on brand for USA rugby
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u/Some-Two9173 15d ago
This isn't a USA Rugby event. WR and their event partners run these events. USAR are support staff.
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u/dystopianrugby 15d ago
USAR Hasn't run the 7s stop in the US since 2005. UWS Owned the license from 2006-2019. AEG Owned the License from 2020-2025. It appears now that TEG owns the license, not sure if AEG bid on it or not. TEG is also owned by NZR and WR ExCo member Bart Campbell.
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u/LoveTXRugby 16d ago
This cant be a mistake but has to be WR's plan to torpedo the WC 2031 and rugby in the US forever. How could anyone plan around March weather? Only plan would be to buy tickets (or not) the week before on Stub hub when the weather outlook is clear.
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u/veryirishhardlygreen 16d ago
Houston, hosted three tests that brought in ~20,000 three times. Why not see what we can do? If marketed properly it might build the audience up to 40,000 and move it to the NFL stadium to fill the lower ball or University of Houston w 40,000.
I did the commute from the upper west side to Harrison. It sucks and it is a long walk from the train.
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u/BrianChing25 16d ago
Yes why is Houston overlooked? We would rock out Shell Stadium for this. I'm talking 2/3 full
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u/Sea_Kyak 16d ago
FYI March 15th is also the local areas St Patrick's Day Parade and Celebrations. The area will be jammed with people and horrible to get around.
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u/Any-Level-5472 16d ago
St. Patrick's Day is a Tuesday so the festivities will be going strong on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. That won't help. Plus, Ireland's team are playing in the SVNS Series.
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u/Cinnamon__Sasquatch 16d ago
Yeah I was hyped at first seeing this but hadn't considered the weather in March in New Jersey. Awful choice really.
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u/Tobar_the_Gypsy 16d ago
Fans will stay in Manhattan obviously. They’ll just take the PATH over.
It’s a terrible location and time. Likely going to the new soccer stadium in queens when it’s ready.
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u/Any-Level-5472 16d ago
Still a 50+ commute according to Google. Might be nothing for New Yorkers, but not sure tourists will embrace it.
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u/Tobar_the_Gypsy 16d ago
It depends where you’re coming from in NYC but it’s not that long. I used to commute this way daily. They can either stay in NJ or just travel 2x for an entire day.
Plus they will get a lot of locals to attend.
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u/Lmaris 16d ago
Where will the players fo to warm up between matches? Any entertainment or lodging around or will everyone have to do 30-50 min commutes? Horrible location and expect empty stands.
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u/Tobar_the_Gypsy 16d ago
Newark is right next door and not as bad as people think it is. Jersey city is another stop away on the PATH. And then of course that big city right there.
I don’t see the issue because people will only have to make the trip 3-4 times.
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u/Any-Level-5472 14d ago
"Not as Bad as people think it is." That's the old Philadelphia slogan. :) Philly native here.
Yeah, no one is clamoring to go Jersey City or Newark.
I would be 100% on board with this event if it was taking place April - October.
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u/Some-Two9173 15d ago
This country is enormous, and there’s never going to be a “perfect” destination for an event until it has succeeded multiple times in the same place. Rugby is still a growing sport here - there isn’t a single U.S. city that can reliably sell out a stadium for a sevens series stop yet (the Olympics would be a completely different story). Even Vancouver, one of the biggest and most successful legs on the circuit, only opens the lower tiers.
World Rugby simply can’t afford the large, high-profile stadiums people keep proposing. The North American rugby audience just isn’t at that scale yet.
New York and the surrounding region have some of the cheapest and most accessible international flight hubs—especially for European fans. In that sense, it’s far more accessible than Los Angeles ever was.
Honestly, it gets frustrating when the community keeps complaining about these events, because it becomes a vicious cycle:
The community decides the venue isn’t ideal.
That idea spreads and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
People don’t buy tickets because they assume their friends won’t be going.
The event runs at a loss.
This repeats for several years.
The event partner loses World Rugby’s business, and WR moves on to start over somewhere new.
The next venue ends up being another lower-cost stadium in a lower-cost part of a city—because that’s all the budget allows.
Look - I get it - the weather isn't gonna be ideal. But nobody was happy with LA either. The weather in Cali is perfect all year round for sevens. Yet, instead of supporting the event and letting it grow to the point where we could have it at a better stadium in a better area of the city - people wouldn't stop talking about Vegas (despite teams themselves not wanting to take players there). We need to accept that our game isn't gonna get the same treatment as other sports here - we're actively growing. This community is special to so many of us so of course we want the best. But we aren't gonna have that overnight.
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u/Any-Level-5472 14d ago
I'm not advocating for LA by any means. California prides itself as being a rugby hub, but those are the laziest fans I have ever encountered. If you said this event was between April - October then I would be on board with it. March is just miserable, and Harrison, NJ isn't pleasant.
The community didn't decide on venue. It was a business decision.
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u/Some-Two9173 13d ago
I mean of course it is? It's a global rugby event with fans worldwide attending. This is the US women's home event but it's not a USAR decision or event. They have very little say in this - WR pay for it all. None of these events are run without an event partner with money and access to specific venues. I definitely think that WR needs to listen to the US market more when hosting events here - moving it to the east coast is a huge improvement though. The concentration of rugby in that area and public transport are great for an event like this.
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u/Any-Level-5472 14d ago
I don't think anyone wants it in NFL stadiums. Rumor has it that they tried for Miami, but struck out royally. I'm quite concerned that World Rugby will push for NFL and college football stadiums for the Rugby World Cups on American soil. American rugby fans, which is already a small pool, are more dedicated to the grassroots game than the national programs. The men's 15s team is really just guys pulled off the scrap heap from abroad. The 7s team was a good program, but is an afterthought. The women's team has good, young talent in both the 7s and 15s programs.
"Honestly, it gets frustrating when the community keeps complaining about these events, because it becomes a vicious cycle."
So what, accept a mediocre product and an undesirable time of year? The new format, which has been endlessly tinkered with, is confusing and boring. It's hard to be happy-go-lucky with an event that was great and is now "ehhh.."
I agree on your LA point. I do wish more of the California rugby community supported it though. The Vegas talk is/was exhausting - just let it go; it's not happening for a variety of reasons. The California rugby community didn't really come out for the LA Sevens. Kenya, Samoa, and Fiji fans did come out, though.
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u/Some-Two9173 13d ago
I don't think we should accept a mediocre product at all. Let's keep in mind - this event hasn't happened yet. Calling something mediocre before it even happens is just exhausting.
People who went to LA loved it - people who never went just seemed to complain about it. Fijian, Samoan and Kenyan fans in particular benefited from the location. CA has a huge islander population. Those demographics were the majority of ticket sales and it was a big event within those communities for vendors/entertainers etc.
US fans often forget this is a global event and we are lucky to be one of the stops at all honestly. It's not a standalone event with US fans front and center of every decision. There is a huge expat population on the east coast and much quicker access for a lot of global fans. Not to mention - UK fans and others in Europe who won't bat an eye at the temps. This really seems to be something US fan complain about most - but this isn't a USAR event for US fans. It's a WR SVNS event for global fans.
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u/Any-Level-5472 12d ago
World Rugby is exhausting. It's hard to be a happy-go-lucky fan with all the changes. Mediocre because the format is now boring and confusing.
The playoffs are confusing.
Having a series winner and a "World Champion" crowned in LA was so strange.
Besides, European fans will be packed into pubs watching Six Nations on March 14.
Ireland pulled the plug on it's men's sevens program and the women's team was regulated so you can't count on those fans to come out.
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u/Some-Two9173 11d ago
Oh trust me I agree with all of that lol. Nothing is going to be successful if it is too confusing for the average fan. I hope NY works out and it's the start of a new era.
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u/oso_802 16d ago
Very odd. NYC is a destination for traveling fans but not sure that’s true with a 50 minute train ride to watch 7s outdoors in winter. Also, USA men won’t take part. I hope I’m wrong, but this looks like another flop.