The Las Vegas Blackjacks Rugby Football Club (Las Vegas Blackjacks RFC) was a rugby union team based in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were members of the Southern California Rugby Football Union and competed in the Senior Men's 1st (Red) Division of USA Rugby.
The Blackjacks finished in fourth place at the USA Rugby Nationals - Division I Tournament and won their first SCRFU Regular Season title in 2008. The Blackjacks won the regular season again in 2009 and made it to the National Final where they lost to the Gentlemen of Aspen. Redemption was found in 2010 as the boys claimed the nations top prize with a win in the national final against Belmont Shore.
History The Las Vegas Rugby Club was established in 1976, following a newspaper advertisement to recruit players for a local rugby club. The Blackjacks have reached the National Final 4 competition three times since 2006 and were the national runner-up in 2009. The club finally reached the mountain top as they edged Belmont Shore for the 2010 National Championship.
In 2010, LVRC signed a player development agreement with Top 14 side, Montpellier Hérault RC. The agreement with Montpellier will have the French side sending young players to play with LVRC during France's offseason, while allowing amateur players with the Blackjacks the opportunity to play top-level professional rugby.
Season-by-season record Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, D = Draws, Pts = Points, PF = Points for, PA = Points against Season W L D Pts PF PA Finish Playoffs 2003 4 7 0 - 174 283 5th, Division I USA Sweet 16 2004 2 6 0 - 130 278 6th Division I 2005 2 7 1 - 142 226 7th, Division I 2006 9 4 0 - 347 174 2nd, Division I National Semifinalist 2007 5 7 0 26 219 250 4th, Division I Lost in Round of 32 2008 9 2 1 48 375 130 1st, Division I National Quarterfinals 2009 5 1 0 25 192 45 T-1st, Division I National Finalists 2010 4 1 1 22 309 115 2nd, Division I National Champions 2011 5 8 0 25 285 323 5th, Division I DNQ
Sponsors The Blackjacks were sponsored by several different companies, including McMullan's Irish Pub, Bugsy's Bar and Grill, and the Megapixel Cafe. Canterbury of New Zealand is the official merchandise supplier of the team in 2012.
Honors
Club Championships USA Rugby Premier Division Champions - 2010 2nd Place - 2009 4th Place - 2006 SCRFU Division I Gainy Cup Champions - 2009 Regular Season Champions - 2008 Playoff Champions - 2008
References
External links Official Site SCRFU Official Site USA Rugby Las Vegas Rugby League Facebook Las Vegas Rugby Union Facebook