National Scouting Combine Features USA Rugby Head Coach Brendan Keane

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Brendan Keane | USA Rugby | Head Coach 

Twitter: @USARugby | Instagram: @USARugby

Q: Tell us about your sports career and how you came to the position you are currently in.

A: Like many young men, I played football and dabbled in other sports through high school. Toward the end of high school I was looking for something new and through family and friends, found rugby.  I played all four years at Appalachian State University.  After college I played for the Charlotte Rugby Football Club from 2001-2010.  During this time I also began to coach at the high school at which I was teaching.  After a number of successful seasons, I was fortunate to be given an opportunity to attend USA age grade camp as a coach.  From there I continued to develop my coaching and took advantage of each opportunity I was offered to grow and improve outcomes for players.  In the process, I have been fortunate to coach across the USA Rugby Men’s development pathway and now to oversee the men’s pathways programs for USA Rugby.  

 

Q: Did you compete in college or professionally, and if so, who did you play for? What was your experience like?

A: I played for Appalachian State University in college and for the Charlotte Rugby Club in the old USA Super League.  The experiences I had helped to form me as a person and allowed me to build lifelong friendships, while also preparing me for my current work.

 

Q: What would you consider to be your biggest accomplishment in your sports career?

A: Helping young players believe in themselves and find opportunities and to become their best selves through rugby.  

 

Q: What do you consider to be one of the more important things you learned during your career?

A: Habits matter.  Good habits will help lift you up, bad habits will help tear you down.

 

Q: What has been your biggest challenge and how do you manage it?

A:  Balancing work and family.  With lots of travel and an obsession for the game, family time is hard to come by.  Fortunately I have an amazing partner in my wife. 

 

Q: What qualities do you look for when scouting athletes?

A: Different players bring different things to the game but the best have good character, grit, energy, and curiosity – they also have some point of difference that makes them stand out from other athletes.

 

Q: How can athletes learn more or get on your radar?

A: Players can learn more at our pathways website: pathways.usa.rugby; and I am always happy to get film that shows what players have on the field.  

 

Q: What can athletes do to prepare for opportunities with USA Rugby?

A: Immerse themselves in the game as much as possible.  Watch, play, train.  There are rugby clubs all over the country where players can learn the basic skills of the game to prepare for a performance environment.  

 

Q: How important is an athlete’s background in high school or collegiate athletics?

A: What their background is is less important than that they have the basic physical and mental tools to compete.  We have players on the Men’s olympic team who played football, ran track, played basketball, threw javelin, and wrestled in high school and/or college.  One was even a collegiate cheerleader.  They are all all elite athletes who bring their own strengths to the game of rugby.

 

Q: Who is the perfect candidate that will succeed in your sport?

A: An athlete who is open-minded and willing to learn – becoming a student of the game, who is dedicated to doing what it takes to be the best and playing for the team not just themselves, and as I said before, brings something that makes them stand out from the rest and is useful in the game – speed, fitness, power, height, aggression, skill – there are lots of ways to stand out.  

 

Q: If you could make a positive impact on all of society what would it be and why?

A: That’s a tough question.  I think it would be to help build genuine curiosity and empathy.  We tend to seek out what is psychologically safe and not push ourselves into spaces that challenge us, leading us to seek out versions of the truth that suit us as opposed to the truth itself.  In the process we villainize one another and see each other through our differences as opposed to our common humanity, preventing us from sharing our collective joys and struggles, exploring our disagreements, and, ultimately, from experiencing the fullness of life that real connection and understanding brings.  

 

Q: Who is or has been the most influential person in your life?

A: My father.  

 

Q: What is something unique about your sport or organization that people would find fascinating?

A:  For those who haven’t experienced it, the fact that you can travel the world and in just about any country you can find a rugby club.  If you need help, they’ll help you, if you want to train or get a game, they’ll have you in; need a place to stay, they’ll find you one.  It’s a global community for all shapes and sizes who play the game.  

 

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National Scouting Combine Posts

“I would like to start this message by thanking you and everyone involved who made this opportunity possible. I am truly grateful for the experience and atmosphere you’ve cultivated through the National Scouting Combine. My journey has not been an easy one by any means. Losing my mother in 2017 to cancer, losing the house my brothers and I called home before attending this very event in 2018, and completely bombing the event left me completely shot mentally. This event that just took place gave me the motivation and hope for better days. That is exactly what has been provided to me. Opportunities I never considered have presented themselves to me with each passing day. WWE contract offers, Rugby offers, and NFL scout inquiries about what kind of man Jarrod Cann is, are just the first of many opportunities that were made real through my participation in your event! Thank you for allowing me to tell my story on such a platform and allowing me to save lives with my story.”
Jarrod Cann
Jarrod CannRB, Central Connecticut State
“The National Scouting Combine was a great opportunity for me to get official test numbers and get my information out to teams and scouts to gain necessary exposure. It is always a big challenge for athletes to get official verified numbers but the National Scouting Combine gave me this opportunity. The entire staff works with the players to put them into the best position to succeed. They give players opportunities to promote themselves on and off the field. They have a setup to do all combine tests and to perform official position drills. The event also allows for players to gain useful contacts with teams and National Scouting Combine staff members to further promote themselves. The National Scouting Combine provided me with a chance to showcase my abilities as a free agent and put myself in a good position to have success in my pursuit to play professional football. I want thank the National Scouting Combine staff for giving players this unique chance to demonstrate their skills.”
Chris Bury
Chris BuryTE, Notre Dame
“I had a great experience at the combine. The whole staff was extremely positive and really wanted the best for all of the players that attended. Being that I was a free agent and a season removed from NFL camps it was crucial for me to get new numbers to show I was still working hard. My only opportunity so far came from a scout who attended the combine. As players that’s why we attend these events, to be seen by the pro levels. I’m very greatful for the opportunity that was came from the combine. I’ll be recommending it to every player possible in the future who’s looking to go pro.”
Dillon Salva
Dillon SalvaTE, Merrimack
My experience at the National Scouting Combine was an extremely positive one. Coming from a small school (Bryant University – Division I AA), opportunities to showcase my athleticism and measurables to pro scouts were scarce. However, Jimmy and his team gave me that opportunity when they put together a first-class event, in an outstanding venue and invited hundreds of players that had been overlooked or just wanted the opportunity to showcase their abilities. The connections, advice and coaching I received at the 2018 National Scouting Combine were priceless, as many pro scouts and coaches began to get in contact with me during and immediately after the combine. Jimmy and his team did an outstanding job of incorporating new, cutting edge technologies into the combine, while inviting well-respected coaches, scouts and former professional players to run the drills and provide coaching. Jimmy provided me with a platform to chase my dream of playing professional football that I would not otherwise have had, and in turn is part of the reason why many CFL teams took interest in me, why I was invited to Rookie Minicamps with the Jets and Texans and why I have now signed with the Orlando Apollo’s of the new Alliance of American Football League. The invitation to the 2018 National Scouting Combine was a blessing to me and my career and I would recommend any and all small school or overlooked college football player to attend and take advantage of this combine that, with Jimmy leading it, will continue to get better every single year.
Matt Sewell
Matt SewellWR, Bryant University
“My testimonial would be because of COVID-19, it has hindered my ability to showcase my talents at pro days, workouts, and tryouts. But, because of the NSC I can still send official numbers and video to each team, while also gaining the opportunity to meet scouts in face and build a relationship with them. Lastly, the NSC is second only to the NFL combine which helps me have something else to hang my hat on as one of the top performers!”
Jamal Ware
Jamal WareLB, Maryville College
“Thank you for the support and helping with promoting me for the next level. I am most definitely interested and my experience at the national scouting combine was incredible. It was my first official opportunity and it was a professional combine. All verified, legitimate laser times and numbers are vital to have especially in the times we are facing today. All of the coaches and personnel involved were professional in every aspect. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to be apart of the national scouting combine and I can’t be more grateful to have verified numbers.”
Kyle Haines
Kyle HainesWR, Shippensburg
“First and foremost I would like to thank the NSC staff for giving me the opportunity to showcase my skills in front of scouts and allow myself to get relevant combine numbers. This combine is by far the best Combine I have been to. The rooms were great and the food that was provided by NSC was great as well. You can feel that they had a passion for helping those who may not have had an NFL Combine invite and others who are just chasing that opportunity. They were extremely supportive and willing to market the players in every way possible. I was beyond impressed with the testing once we got going. Everything was very organized and professional just as it should be. When it came to the testing they had both hand time and laser time which makes your test times that much more official. The number of scouts that attended the Scouting Combine was even better. This staff truly knows how to put together a legit A+ combine experience and was by far the best combine experience I have been a part of.”
Nolan Saraceni
Nolan SaraceniRB, Montana Tech
“I was fortunate enough to be a participant in the 2020 BSN Scouting Combine as it was an experience that I will surely never forget. Not only did it open opportunities for me to play football at the professional level, but it also shed light on my path to a football dream as an underdog. Not many athletes get this sort of opportunity and I am just blessed to have been apart of it.”
Tyler Anderson
Tyler AndersonRB, Thomas More University
Pursuing a career in professional football from a small school is a lonely path. A prospect may have the support of his peers, family, and teammates, but the process can be overwhelming and very confusing. Often times small school prospects don’t have access to the resources provided to prospects at football powerhouses. “How can I get myself in front of scouts? How can I prove to them that I can play at the next level?” These are only a few of the many questions that race through a potential prospects mind on a daily basis. The Beyond Sports Network National Combine helped simplify this process for many of the players that attended, including myself. Despite the combine being held for a few days, the information and services provided by the combine, as well as the sense of community between the staff members and prospects stood out to me. Every test that would be performed at the NFL combine was covered, every coach and staff member supported each prospect to an unbelievable extent, and the amount of scouts and agents in attendance and how interactive they were was impressive. The Beyond Sports Network National Scouting Combine was a critical step in attempting to take my talents to the next level. If you are a small school prospect with no clear path to the next level, the National Scouting Combine will certainly clear up the path for you.
Schnayder Termidor
Schnayder TermidorLB, Ithaca College
BSN gave me the platform I needed to be respected as a athlete. I came to there first Combine in 2010. I was pulled by every NFL, CFL scout. At that time there were a couple really good WRs including a SEC top WR who NFL scouts were coming to see. Once I put up good #s in my Testing Drills, we did one on ones. I showed my great covering skills to the point all the scouts herd the WRs talking and asking who was this guy. Then BSN promoted me and my numbers and I received workouts on all levels. I became a name in the business. Having legit numbers and respectable organization backing you is what you need. Everyone can say they can play and perform but coaches and scouts don’t believe you. BSN gives you the stage to perform and prove them wrong and get the opportunity you deserve. Because of BSN I was able to create a long professional career and when needed comeback to prove I could still play at a high level.
Cedeno Patrick
Cedeno PatrickLB, Delaware State
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