Phoenix-area man named to USA Rugby World Cup squad
Sep 3, 2015, 3:17 PM
(USA Rugby Photo)
PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area man will soon represent the United States in the Rugby World Cup.
Brett Thompson, a Tempe native who attended the University of Arizona, will be available for the team when it takes the field later this month in England.
Thompson began playing rugby when he was 12. Though he was recruited by the Wildcats to play football, he left the team after two years to play rugby full-time. While on UA’s squad, he scored a try against rival Arizona State on the team’s way to winning the 2010 National Collegiate Championship.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Thompson plays professional rugby for Edinburgh in Scotland as a wing or full back.
The USA is scheduled to open play Sept. 20 against Samoa at 4 a.m. Arizona time. The team will also play Scotland, South Africa and Japan in the pool stage.