LAFAYETTE, CO. - Brendan Keane has been appointed as the new Director for the USA Rugby Boys High School All-American XVs, the organization announced today. Along with holding coaching positions with the 2013 and 2014 USA Rugby Stars & Stripes, Keane has also been a part of USA Rugby's Training & Education department, bringing a wealth of experience in coaching and mentorship to the High School All-American program.

"We are excited to have Brendan Keane lead the Boys High School All-Americans as he brings the experience of an educator as well as coaching knowledge at age-grade level," said General Manager for the Men's 15s Programs, Dave Hodges. "We can't thank Salty Thompson enough for the years of service and we know that Keane will access his experience under coach Thompson to improve the athletes in this program."

Recently completing the USOC's Coach Accelerator Program through Project SOAR, and having worked previously with the Boys High School All-Americans in assistant coaching roles, Keane is in a perfect position to build on the program's well-established operations and provide continuity to the All-Americans as a whole.

"It's been a privilege working with so many fine young men and staff within the age-grade program over the past 16 years," said former Boys High School All Americans Head Coach Thompson, describing his appreciation for the program. "Brendan Keane has the character and pedigree to do a great job with the teams. His teaching background and experience make for a smooth transition."

To hit the ground running at the 2018 Regional Cup Tournaments (RCTs), Keane will join USA Rugby's high performance staff in scouting the nation's top athletes for upcoming All-American assemblies. Thrilled to continue his involvement with the organization, the new Head Coach looks forward to helping rising athletes blossom into full-fledged national team players.

"I believe that in the age-grades we can have a big impact on the development of rugby by increasing the number of players who are exposed to an international performance environment," says Keane. "I find it really exciting to use rugby as a means to develop young men and women. The game incorporates multi-faceted forms of learning and the opportunity to test oneself to perform physically, mentally and emotionally in a very difficult environment."

At the beginning of his career, Keane served as a high school teacher for Charlotte Catholic High School (CCHS) where he founded the CCHS Rugby Club in 2004. During the same time, he was involved with the North Carolina Youth Rugby program in addition to continuing his playing career. In 2013, he earned an appointment as an Assistant Coach for the USA Rugby Stars & Stripes, becoming a Head Coach in 2014 and even going on to serve as a coach educator with the USA Rugby Training & Education department.

Keane was most recently a skills coach for the 2017 Spring High School All-American Tour to France and defense coach on the 2017 Summer tours to Ontario and British Columbia as well as leading one of the teams that played Canada U18s this past December.

With a massive scouting opportunity in the Regional Cup Tournaments up ahead, Keane is looking forward to finding talented athletes who possess the skills and character to represent the United States on and off the pitch.

"What we want to do over the next few weeks at the various Regional Cup Tournaments is to continue to identify quality players and to finalize a pool of athletes, get them on a training regimen and see what their strength and conditioning outcomes and improvements are as we move through the fall in preparation for the Stars & Stripes at U19 level and the North American Four at the U18 level," said Keane, describing his immediate focus heading into the RCTs.

Of the five Regional Cup Tournaments taking place across the country from June 9 - June 23, Keane will personally be present at the South RCTs in Marietta, GA, in addition to remotely following the other four tournaments with all games being captured and analyzed. Other members of USA Rugby's high performance staff will identify talent in the West, Northeast, Midwest and Northwest tournaments, respectively.

For Keane, the RCTs will serve as a starting point to the larger goal of continuing to build a flourishing program to mentor young athletes and develop their skills for the World Stage.

In addition to duties with the High School All-Americans XVs, Keane will also serve as the Defense Coach for the U18 7s at the 2018 CanAm Futures Cup, set to take place July 27-29 at Saranac Lake Placid.

In order for All-American athletes to be successful in their quest to become national team players, community support is critical. To help support future Men's Eagles, visit USARugby.org/trust or click here.

 

2018 REGIONAL CUP TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

West Regional Cup

June 9-10 | Denver, CO

USA Rugby Scout: JD Stephenson, National High Performance Development Manager

 

Northeast Regional Cup

June 16-17 | Rahway, NJ

USA Rugby Scout: JD Stephenson, National High Performance Development Manager

 

Midwest Regional Cup

June 22-23 | Fishers, IN

USA Rugby Scout: David Fee, Assistant Coach Boys Youth Olympic Games Team
LIVE ON FLORUGBY

 

South Regional Cup

June 22-23 | Marietta, GA

USA Rugby Scout: Brendan Keane, Director of the Boys High School All-Americans

 

Northwest Regional Cup

June 22-23 | Boise, ID

USA Rugby Scout: JD Stephenson, National High Performance Development Manager
LIVE ON FLORUGBY