NEWS

DALLEN STANFORD TO CALL 75TH MLR GAME FROM THE BOOTH

Written by Joe Harvey

As of last weekend’s Eastern Conference Final, 24 players have achieved 50 caps in Major League Rugby. Stepping onto the field in Rugby ATL’s 19-26 loss to Rugby New York at Silverbacks Park, Georgia, Connor Cook and Ross Deacon became the latest members of a special group of players to hit the milestone.

Throughout MLR’s fifth season, the league has recognized players, coaches and referees that have achieved the feat, but on Saturday afternoon when the Houston SaberCats host two-time champions, the Seattle Seawolves, at the AVEVA Stadium it will be lead commentator, Dallen Stanford, celebrating an achievement.

Calling the game on FOX Sports 2, the Western Conference Final will be the former USA Sevens captain’s 75th game as lead commentator. First coming from South Africa to the USA in 2003, Stanford qualified for the Eagles on residency grounds and played on the World Rugby Sevens Series on 12 occasions between 2007 and 2009.

Following his time as a player, Stanford performed a variety of roles in rugby. USA Rugby’s media manager at the 2011 and 2013 Rugby World Cups, and captained Team USA in both sevens and 15s at the World Maccabiah and Pan American Maccabiah Games.

Stepping into broadcasting 10 years ago, Stanford has worked on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, at the 2018 Sevens World Cup, at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, covering over 50 Test matches and 300 World Rugby Sevens Series matches.

Since 2018, the 43-year-old has been a constant when calling MLR games, Stanford being hugely positive about the way in which the game has grown over the past five years on and off the field.

“The exciting thing is that it has gone from seven cities in the US to 12 regions and one in Canada,” he said. “There are more communities involved in professional rugby now and those communities are expanding at a tremendous rate.

“You now have 13 regions where young players are looking up and seeing both American and foreign players coming in and playing professional rugby in their neighborhood, who are also occasionally coaching them during the week and in the offseason.

“They have got something to strive towards, whether it is getting a scholarship to go and play rugby at university or be a full-time professional. Those things really excite me and that is where I see the biggest growth.”

Over the years, Stanford has become somewhat famous in the world of rugby for his one-liners, his descriptions of Japan full-back Kotaro Matsushima as being “so dangerous, Freddy Krueger has nightmares about him” and South Africa scrum-half Cobus Reinach as being “more dangerous than climate change”, Stanford is certainly enjoying his post-playing career.

“Representing the United States on the World Series was a dream come true,” Stanford said. “I did not think that would be a reality as a South African-born player.

“That was just a remarkable time period in my life, and I got to enjoy the thrill of being out there in front of packed-out stadiums for a few years.

“Players often try to replicate that when they retire, and that is hard because you can’t just go into a regular career. It can be quite boring to be honest.

“Being involved in rugby, in the sport, and the exciting product of not knowing who is going to win, that is so exhilarating. Each day, each tournament, each match, something special can happen.

“Being on the media side is great, I have coached a bit as well [Austin Huns, University of Texas at Austin and Occidental College], but nothing outside of playing beats being one of the commentators on a game. You have the best seat in the house.

“Commentary is fun, you get to bring a game to an audience, you get to have a laugh along the way, you work with some brilliant people and get to travel the world.

“It has been an absolute thrill, and there are so many great things to come.”

Describing America as the “capital of the sports world”, Stanford like the rest of the country was massively enthused by the news that the 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cups had been awarded to the USA.

No doubt hoping to be one of the commentators when those two landmark tournaments reach the country, Stanford will lead the commentary for both Conference Finals this weekend, Saturday’s marking his 75th MLR game.

After the MLR season concludes, his calendar is a full one, with the World Series season concluding in Los Angeles, the USA’s World Cup qualifier against Chile in Colorado and the Rugby World Cup Sevens taking place in his native South Africa.

All of this gives the 43-year-old plenty to be excited about when it comes to rugby in the United States.

“The next decade of American rugby is a very special time,” Stanford said. “Japan have proven that a World Cup doesn’t always have to be hosted by countries that have grown up with rugby and know the sport intimately.

“2019 was an unbelievable event, fans engaged with every match, the country itself played so well and inspired the next generation. I know that can happen in the US.

“The players who will play at those World Cups are teenagers now, so they are still to be unearthed, and there is a long runway to be successful.”

Getting his notes, and one-liners, ready for each game that will take place over the weekend, it felt only right to end the call with Stanford how excited he is to bring those matchups to a global audience.

“What we [broadcasters] get to do is so exciting, and the fact it is the playoffs with so much on the line, not only will a team be crowned as Eastern or Western champions, but they will also be able to go to the Championship Final and represent their region in that,” Stanford said.

“I don’t need any help getting excited for those games, because when you get to the playoffs it gets so much more intense. There is much more on the line, it is absolutely thrilling. Everyone needs to tune in. It is going to be brilliant, and it is going to be broadcast live to millions on FOX Sports as well.”