Lexington Blackstones RFC

Well folks, we’ve finally recovered from a long weekend of rugby and there’s just so much we could say. To keep it simple, we wanted to say THANK YOU. Thank you to all 14 teams that traveled to Lexington and played; thank you to gypsy Rugby for collaborating on this special tourney with us; thank you to the Kentucky Horse Park for allowing us to host such an important event; most of all, thank you to everyone who came to honor our beloved fallen Lexington/gypsy Rugby member, Ali Crane. For all of us to gather in her memory is something that we won’t EVER forget- thank you all, from the bottom of all our hearts.
**This was for you, Ali. Thanks for all you’ve done. Even today, you’re still making waves in the rugby community- we’d expect nothing less! ❤️**

This was the largest rugby tournament to take place in the history of Kentucky to-date. If you came, you just participated in something historic. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish together- this tourney is proof of that. Forward we go! Cheers to every lover of rugby in every corner of this world, including our Old Kentucky Home. Thank you all again, from Flexington. 💪🏉

Show our Blackstones support during our Spring Season as we bash heads in all throughout the Midwest! 🏉🔥

See you every Tuesday and Thursday at Wellington Park for practice from 6-8pm!
Bring cleats, a mouthguard, water, and leave fear at the door! 💪

Savannah 2024 was one for the books! Smashing and bashing in the rain and mud is always a recipe for a great time. We’d like to give special acknowledgment to some of our members for their outstanding performances this weekend- Kevin Kelley, our Captain, for being our Top Scorer, James McGregor for MVP (tackling like a madman), and our rookie Seth Mik for experiencing his first 15’s tournament and coming home with stitches in his face! Our boys fought hard and well. Time for a 9 hour van ride back… See you next year! 💪🏉🤡

For this week’s edition of our Blackstones series, we’re showing off Sam Elliott! Sam, hailing from Ohio, has played rugby for 10 years- a whole decade of dedication! His favorite position is wing.
He works a day job as a scientist and he’s also pursuing masters in materials engineering!
Sam loves to read (particularly history and fantasy), he loves a good video game session followed by a pan seared steak at midnight, and he sings 30-40 songs about his dog to his dog daily. Also, he had to retake his final semester of college due to a Mario kart obsession! What an absolute catch!! 🔥

For today’s , we’re showing off Kevin Kelley!
He put in 2 years at Roanoke Men’s Rugby club, 4 years at Virginia Men’s Rugby club (where he served for 2 years as captain/president), and now he proudly bleeds for Blackstones. 💪 Kevin’s favorite position is #10!
Off the pitch, he’s a law student and marine officer.
We’ve also heard that he was the school spelling bee champion in the 8th grade.. 📚 Brains, brawn and capybaras- we’ve got it all! 🏉

BIG NEWS!! 🚨 Lexington Rugby’s official Youth Program has launched! This is a monumental stride in our efforts to grow rugby in Kentucky. Introducing the culture of this iconic sport to our youth opens infinite doors for players and their personal development on AND off the pitch. Rugby has positively impacted the lives of many- it’s time to set the next generation up for success, support, and a lifetime full of adventures. No experience necessary- the story has to start somewhere! Cheers to the world of rugby and this historic addition to Rugby in Kentucky, and cheers to every new player that joins! 🎉

Boys & Girls welcome; first practice begins March 4, 2024 @ Wellington Park (4pm).
Scan the QR code to complete the interest form; for any inquiries, email [email protected] 🏉

Aaaaand we’re back!! Come on out and join our Lexington Blackstones for some touch rugby every Saturday at 11am @ Wellington Park! Let’s shake the dust off our boots and get up and running for the Spring. Bring cleats, water, and a friend 💪🏼

For our first Player Spotlight post (cleverly doubling as our official Blackstones ), we’d like to introduce you all to one of our rookies, Seth!
Seth is 23 years old hailing from Brandenburg, KY. When he’s not busy laying out bodies on the pitch, he works as a professional E Sports coach! He took to propping like a fish to water- we’ve got a lifer on our hands, folks. 🔥

“My favorite thing about rugby is being allowed to crank people and the skill ceiling being so high so I have a lot to work towards and learn.”

Here’s to you and all the memories to come, Seth! Welcome to Blackstones. 💪

The fall playing season might be at its end, but rugby practice is STILL ON!! Come join these handsome faces at Wellington Park @ 6pm; all are welcome in our Brotherhood. 💪🏉

Today’s the day- cheer us on as we face off against for our last home game of the season! Kickoff is @ 1pm at Centennial Park in Wilmore, KY. Let’s go, Blackstones! 💪

This week, we had a professional player hailing from England drop in to join us for practice while he was visiting Lexington, KY. Endless thanks to for all the help and for giving one of our Blackstones the honor of swapping jerseys with you! 🔥 This highlights one of the best and most important aspects of rugby- wherever you may be in the world, you’ll always have a home and a family, far and wide. 🌎🏉 Cheers!

Our Blackstones will be facing off against Wolfhounds today at 1pm- best of luck to both teams, let’s give ‘em hell boys! 🏉

Rugby practice is today at Wellington Park @6:15pm- All are welcome to join, no experience necessary! Come on out and let us show you what rugby is all about. Join the brotherhood today! 💪

Bring cleats, water, and a mouthguard.

Our mission statement: The Lexington Blackstones rugby football club (est. 1981) consists of some of the best players in the entire Midwest union- we’re still growing! Family, excellence, organized violence, Brotherhood. What makes us unique is our unwavering support for our own on AND off the pitch; to be a Blackstone is to NEVER STAND ALONE.

A tale of two presidents- these guys have been battling on the field for well over a decade now. Off the field, they’re great friends and collaborators- on the field, they’re fierce opponents! Over the years, both clubs have had our wins and losses, but we’ve always stayed friends (off the pitch 😉 See you next year, we’ll be back!) Good luck to for the rest of their season and congrats on this Saturday’s win!!

The fight for the Governor’s Cup starts soon- kickoff 11am @ Hays Kennedy Park!! 💪🔥

THIS SATURDAY Blackstones are facing off against in our annual D3 battle to see who’s the best in the Bluegrass- kickoff is @ 11am at Hays Kennedy Park. 💪🔥 Give it your all, boys!

We’d like to give a well-earned congrats to last Saturday’s man of the match, Quintin VanCleve! You gave a full 80 minutes of hell, atta boy Blastoise!! 💪🔥

Special shout-out to our very own handsome James for earning Man of the Match this Saturday! Best jumping face we’ve ever seen. Cheers, lad 🍻

Enjoy some highlights from our first game of the season! Big congrats to for their win against us, and a huge shoutout to our rookies that had their first game debut this weekend.
The fall season has officially started and we’re still accepting recruits- all experience levels welcomed! Join the brotherhood and see what it‘s all about 💪🏉
DM us for all inquiries.

Lexington Rugby out last night enjoying our weekly post-practice social!
Want to join? Practices are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:15pm @ Wellington Park! Message us for any inquiries- all experiences levels welcomed, athletes wanted 🏉

Good luck to our Flyhalf Shane Waldick today, as he leads Tennessee Elite Rugby into the Quarterfinals of USA Club Rugby Nationals today!!

Tennessee Elite went 2-1 in pool play yesterday, with their only loss coming on the final whistle.

All games can be seen live in YouTube today at the link below

https://www.youtube.com/live/_aGZzkcoIyc?feature=share

Congratulations to Tennessee Elite Rugby and our Flyhalf Shane Waldick for Winning the Premier Division of Cape Fear Rugby 7's Tournament and officially punching their ticket to USA Rugby 7's Nationals in Madison Wisconsin!! We will be cheering you on from a watch party here in Flexington!!

It's with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Ali Crane. Ali has been an integral part of the Rugby community here in Lexington and a great friend to so many of us. Ali played college rugby here at the University of Kentucky and then immediately joined the Black Widows where she served as President for many years. Later in her rugby career she was also invited to and became a member of the Gypsy Rugby Club.
Aside from being a huge supporter of the Blackstones, Ali specifically helped with the Blackstones social media and merchandise orders in previous seasons. She was also a huge factor in making sure the Widows and Blackstones worked together for the betterment of rugby in Lexington.
Anyone who knew her knows the smile and positive attitude she always brought around. Our rugby community is gutted and we will greatly miss her. We will share any funeral and other information as it comes to us

Congratulations to Blackstones Flyhalf, Shane Waldick, on his Championship in Nashvilles Music City 7's National Qualifier this past weekend. Shane was selected to play this summer with the Tennessee Elite 7's Side.

A native of Gauteng, Pretoria, Shane has been playing Flyhalf for the Stones for the past two seasons.

Good Luck to Shane and Tennessee Elite as they continue their push to Nationals this summer!