Portable posts could boost rugby participation, says US club

New full-sized portable rugby posts that can be transported in the trunk of a car and set up in minutes could help grow the sport of rugby across North America.

That’s according to Fort Lauderdale Ruckus Rugby Club President Matthew Wells, who introduced world-first inflatable Rugby Packaposts at the club’s first home U19 10-a-side women’s tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last month.

Mr Wells said the club had initially planned to use conventional steel rugby posts for the tournament but discovered at the last minute that some of the components they required were missing.

“Fortunately, I had gotten hold of a pair of full-sized Rugby Packaposts after seeing them at the USA National Rugby Development Summit in Denver last year. I brought them to the field in the back of my jeep, set them up in 10 minutes each, and they performed perfectly.”

Mr Wells said he received positive feedback from players, coaches and referees who took part in the tournament and the club has since used the posts during other outings, including 15-a-side U19 and senior men’s matches.

“We used them again this past Saturday and they saved the day again.”

The posts were portable and easy to set up, making them ideal for North American and Caribbean rugby clubs that wanted to attract new players and host tournaments for their senior, youth and flag rugby teams, he said.

“In South Florida many fields are shut down for maintenance and recovery from American Football until mid- to late-February. The Rugby Packaposts allow us to convert soccer fields into rugby pitches, or to play two games across a field for small-sided matches.”

Rugby Packaposts were developed by New Zealand-based company Packaworld International.

Packaworld Chief Executive Peter Roberts said the posts were developed to provide a real-game experience in locations where access to fields with existing permanent posts was limited.

“Our new portable rugby posts were created for exactly this reason – to allow people to play for real, any time and anywhere there is a flat surface.”

Rugby Packaposts can be set up without damaging turf and their compact size makes them simple to transport and store. They have been tested by England Rugby at Twickenham Stadium in London and were the posts of choice for the world’s first ever Blind Rugby test series between the New Zealand Blind Rugby Team and the Blind Lions in 2017.

VIDEO: Rugby Packaposts in action in Fort Lauderdale

>> For more information about Packaworld's portable rugby posts, visit the Rugby Packapost page on this website.