The Mystic River Rugby Club, sometimes called Boston Mystic, is a New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) club, founded in 1974, located in Malden, Massachusetts, and Melrose, Massachusetts, who field teams in Division 1 American Rugby Premiership and Division 2 Rugby Union in the United States and are the current 2018 USA Rugby D1 National Champions.
Their home field is located at Pine Banks Park. Their primary sponsor is Coors Light.
History
The early years (1970s) The Mystic River Rugby Club was founded in 1974 by 32 members of the Boston Rugby Club, who took a great step forward in exercising their independence. These members had long since functioned as a ‘club within a club’ and had developed a distinct style of play both on and off the field. They were experienced rugby players, and immediately the Mystics established a schedule within the first division of New England. They soon became a sought-after fixture by teams from all over based on a reputation for hard, fast rugby and an aggressive “joie de vie”.
The club evolved throughout the 1970s with the influx of younger players and Tours to Wales and the former Soviet Union highlighted these years. In 1978, the Mystics became the first American rugby team to be invited to play rugby in the Soviet Union. In the early 1980s the club saw a major turnover, a somewhat generational change, when several new players were attracted from local colleges. Old Boys rugby began to take shape and several of the original Mystics began playing a schedule of "over 30s" rugby. In 1986 the Mystics returned to Malden, Massachusetts, where they were originally incorporated in 1976.
The 1990s: The birth of a dynasty With several of the club's players regularly representing New England and the East Coast in representative side play, the Mystics were committed to championship level rugby. Their reputation earned them respect overseas as well, with touring sides, such as the Glamorgan County RFC, seeking a challenge at top level rugby.
In 1989, Mystic River defeated their parent club Boston to win the first of seven straight New England championships. They would go on to win the Northeast Championship that same year. In 1992 the Mystic finished second in the US, losing to the Old Blues from California in the National Finals. The Mystics had established themselves as a force within the national rugby community.
The 2000s In 2000 and 2001, Mystic River competed in the short lived Major League Rugby (a former amateur club competition not to be confused with the current professional Major League Rugby competition). Set up in the manner of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the MLR was designed to provide an additional competition structure for top division teams outside of their usual geographical unions and complement their USA Rugby competition schedule, however, it was never sanctioned by USA Rugby and the Mystics returned to competing solely in USA Rugby competition in the fall of 2001.
The 2007 season saw the Mystics win their first New England title after twelve years, moving on to take the Northeast Championship in 2008 and a spot in the National Division 1 Sweet 16. In their 2009–2010 season, Mystic River again took both the New England and Northeast Championships, making it through to the quarter-final round of the USA Rugby DI National Championship Series as well as making their first ever appearance in the National Sweet 16 in 7s competition. 2010 also marked the expansion of the Mystic River Youth Rugby Program and the addition of the U-19 Mystic Eagles, who saw success in both 15s and 7s tournaments in their inaugural season.
2014 merger with Middlesex
In 2014, Mystic River merged with cross-town rivals, the Middlesex Barbarians, in an effort to develop the game of rugby in the area. While the details of the merger allowed the forty-year-old rugby club to retain their name, Middlesex coach Josh Smith took over head coaching duties for the combined club, with former Eagle prop Jake Sprague as forwards coach, and Glen Mannering directing the backs, with the club now competing in both Division 1 and Division 2.
As the 2014–2015 season came to a close, the newly formed Mystics went undefeated at the top of the Division 1 table going into the playoffs. Post season wins against White Plains RFC and Kansas City earned them their first trip to the USA Rugby D1 Final Four tournament since 1992, while in D2 the Mystic Barbarians took the NERFU D2 Championship against division rival New Haven, eventually losing to New York Rugby Club in the USA Rugby D2 Round of 16 beginning a new era for Mystic Rugby.
The Mystics also saw success in 7s, qualifying for the 2015 USA Rugby Club 7s (USARC7) Championship Series for the second time in club history, losing in the Semifinal round to eventual tournament winners Seattle Saracens, but coming away with the bronze medal.
American Rugby Premiership (2015—present) Beginning in the 2015–2016 season, Mystic River became a "de facto" member of the American Rugby Premiership (ARP), joining Life Running Eagles and fellow Atlantic North D1 clubs Boston RFC, NYAC, Old Blue and the Boston Irish Wolfhounds in the reformatted elite competition.
Though officially a member of the Atlantic North Division 1 Conference, the Mystics competed in the ARP and played all teams but Life. They finished their regular season with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses in their inaugural year in the elite competition, automatically securing a berth in the USA Rugby Championships quarter-final round as the number two seed in the Atlantic North Conference. A win over the Midwest Conference's number one seeded team would put the Mystics in the Final Four for the second year in a row, against ARP rivals Old Blue. In the final match of the Eastern Championship Series, a 10–5 win put Mystic River in the Division 1 National Championship for the first time since 1992. The Mystics would go to play the Western Conference Champions, the Austin Blacks in the USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club Men's Division I National Championship. After a hard-fought match, Mystic River won their first ever National Title by a score of 45–33.
At the beginning of the 2016–2017 season Mystic River became a full member of the ARP, making it through to the Eastern Division finals. However, they were knocked out by NYAC 14–24. The following season the Mystics were able shock the favored Norfolk Blues 36–22 to set up a revenge match with their New York rivals, beating NYAC 26—25 and earning a trip to the 2018 national championship game. In the final match, Mystic River were able to stay ahead of their Western conference counterparts, Belmont Shore RFC and win their second national title by a score of 25–24.
Boston Mystics and Major League Rugby Mystic River, which was called Boston Mystic or Mystics in some press releases, were scheduled for several 2018 exhibition games in Major League Rugby (MLR). Though they were merely exhibition, these matches were the first taste of the MLR professional era in the New England market. In late 2018, the New England Free Jacks were announced as a 2020 expansion team in MLR and Mystic River subsequently became a main source of talent for the initial Free Jacks roster including head coach Josh Smith. For the Free Jacks' first exhibition match against Ontario in October 2018, there were 15 former Mystic River players on their roster, including coaches Smith and Kareem Afifi.
2018 season Date Opponent Home/Away Result March 24 Rugby United New York Away Lost, 0–50 March 31 Rugby United New York Home Lost, 24–42 April 21 Ontario Arrows Home Lost, 19–29 May 5 Ontario Arrows Away Lost, 8–77
National / representative players
USA Eagles This is a list of players who currently or have at one time played for the Mystics and have represented their country with the United States national rugby union team, also known as the Eagles, in rugby fifteens or sevens. Not represented in this list are the many Mystics who have been named to the Eagles' player pools or Junior sides over the years. For Rugby sevens players, (*) denotes tournament appearances such as World Rugby Sevens Series. Player name Rep Year(s) Caps Pts Debut Date Dimitri Efthimiou 20101* 02010–11 IRB Sevens World Series21 January 2010 Pono Haitsuka2013–20148*492013–14 IRB Sevens World Series29 November 2013 Tavite Lopeti2021–55United States v New Zealand23 October 2021 Alec Montgomery 1986–198960United States v Canada8 November 1986 Anthony Purpura2010–201785United States v Russia5 June 2010 Richard Tardits1993–19992410United States v Australia XV2 October 1993 Marcus Satavu 2014 2* - 2014 Japan Sevens 22 March 2014 Jake Sprague200910United States vs Uruguay14 November 2009 Mitch Wilson2022–315United States vs Kenya6 November 2022
All-Americans (USA U-20/U-23) Below is a list of players who have received Rugby All-American honors. The Collegiate All-Americans rugby team is considered the USA's U23 national team, while the Junior All-Americans are the USA's U20 national team. Player name College/Club Year(s) XVs/7s Team Grade Ref Alex Brussard Boston College High School2008XVsFirst Team U20 Kyle CiqueraSt. Bonaventure University2019XVsFirst TeamU23- Steve Dazzo Dartmouth College2015XVsHonorable MentionU23 Dimitri Efthimiou Northeastern University20137sHonorable MentionU23 Chris Frazier Northeastern University20157sFirst TeamU23 Pono Haitsuka Oregon State University20137sFirst TeamU23 Martin KeuchkerianMystic River U192017 XVs First TeamU20 Ian Luciano New England College2016XVsHonorable MentionU23 Dylan Lubbe Brigham Young University2009, 2010,2012XVsFirst Team, Honorable MentionU23 Trevor McKenzie Amoskeag Youth Rugby2007XVsFirst TeamU20- Brian Raposo Bridgewater State University 1998, 1999XVsFirst TeamU23- Akinola Raymond Maryland Exiles20127sFirst TeamU20 John Sullivan St. Bonaventure University2016XVsHonorable Mention U23 Erik Thompson UCLA2013-2015XVsFirst TeamU20 Chris TofteAmoskeag Youth Rugby2005, 2006 XVs First TeamU20-
Other Nations This is a list of Mystic River players who have represented other nations in rugby union fifteens or sevens, unless otherwise indicated. Players marked with a "♦" represented other nations in rugby league.
David Barry (AUT) Declan Brady (IRL) ♦ Steve Brain (ENG) Sean Burgess (BVI) Mikel Facey (JAM) Marcos Flegmann (MEX) Ethan Fryer (CAN U-20) Joseph Lusse (UGA U-19) Molibi Maphanyane (BOT) Guy Matisis (ISR) Herman Mostert (RSA) Jeron Pantor (TTO) Etuini Pongi (PAC) Mikhael Shammas (LEB) ♦ Edwin Shimenga (KEN) Alatasi Tupou (SAM) Alfred Uluinayau (FIJ) Kyle Winter (INA)
Championships
Fifteens (Division 1) New England Champions (1989–1995, 2009, 2015) Northeast Champions (1989, 1991, 2007, 2009–2012, 2015) Eastern Champions (1991, 2016, 2018) National champions (2016, 2018) National Playoff Appearances: Playoff Round Appearances Year(s) Sweet Sixteen 8 1989, 1991, 2008 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 Quarter Finals 81992, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Semi Finals 41992, 2015, 2016, 2018 National Finalist 31992, 2016, 2018
Fifteens (Division 2) New England Champions (2015, 2016, 2017) National Playoff Appearances: Playoff Round Appearances Year(s) Sweet Sixteen 32015, 2016, 2017 Quarter Finals 0 Semi Finals 0 National Finalist 0
Sevens USA Rugby Club 7s Championship Series Year Seeded Round Result Source 2010 Sweet Sixteen 13th 2015 Bronze Medal Match 3rd 2016 Quarterfinals 8th 2018 Bronze Medal Match 3rd 2019 8th Sweet Sixteen 14th 2021 11th Sweet Sixteen 13th 2022 Sweet Sixteen 11th 2023 12th Sweet Sixteen 16th 2025 11th Bronze Medal Match 4th
U19/Youth rugby