Rugby with an American accent

Although it is the "father" of American football, rugby is an almost unknown sport in the US. That is expected to change, however, now that Eddie O'Sullivan has been appointed head coach of the United States national rugby team. O'Sullivan, one of the most successful Irish coaches of all time, has been hired to help the US qualify for the next Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. "I am delighted to accept the invitation," O'Sullivan told The Guardian. "It is an exciting challenge, which comes at a crucial period when I share the American ambition to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2011."

One of O'Sullivan's first stops in his new role will be the elite military academy of West Point in New York, where rugby is booming. With its complicated rules, the need for quick decision-making and, especially, its warrior culture, rugby is seen as the perfect sporting preparation for the battlefield. Two years ago, West Point opened its Anderson Rugby Complex, built at a cost of $8.3 million. With an all-weather pitch, weight rooms and a high-tech media centre for match analysis, Anderson's facilities are said to be as good as those at professional clubs in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere.