In May 1874, at a University in Massachusetts, the first recorded game of rugby was played on American soil. The sport's popularity began to grow, but the removal of rugby from the Olympics in the 1920s halted its progress, and the USA game remained dormant for the next half century. Rugby enjoyed a renaissance during the 1960s and 1970s, so a new national governing body was needed. Today, USA Rugby is an official member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). It has approximately 75,000 members and is responsible for the development of the boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club athletic programs, and ultimately all of the national teams representing the USA in international competitions. The USA National Rugby Union Team (nicknamed the Eagles) are currently ranked 17th in the IRB World Rankings. They frequently compete in international tournaments like the Churchill Cup and have qualified for six of the seven Rugby World Cups, only missing out in 1995. More recently they have  impressed in the IRB World Sevens Series, wining the Shield at the 2008 New Zealand Sevens event and losing close matches to both France and Kenya in the Bowl Finals at the 2012 Japan and Hong Kong legs of the series. -          http://www.usarugby.org/