The Los Angeles Giltinis signed Blake Rogers for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. Blake was interviewed on the MLR Rant and revealed his signing.
He previously played with Colorado Raptors and when the team exited the league his MLR contract was dispersed to LA along with 3-4 other players.
The 25-year-old (26 in August) prop is 6’1″ and 265 lbs. His 2020 campaign was hindered by injury, but accounted for 22 appearances previously.
During the 2019 season, Blake played 678 minutes in 15 games. He had 68 carries for 376 meters and made 58 tackles. Blake also had 4 linebreaks and 3 tackle breaks.
Blake is from Colusa, California, and went to Jesuit High School Sacramento from 2008-2012. He played football for 4 years, baseball as a Freshman and Sophomore, and rugby beginning his Junior year.
He was first exposed to rugby in 8th grade at age 13. Blake went to watch an older brother’s match, who was playing for the University of Nevada at Reno and thought it was an amazing sport. Next thing he was given a pair of shorts and boots by a senior player and told go on the field, playing in a B side match. He played against 20-year-old players and learned the game in the process.
Blake reflected on that day saying “I remember my brother convincing my mom that I would be okay and nothing bad would happen, and I’m standing there like what the hell am I getting myself into. The best memory from that day though was during the game one of the other guys on the team shouted “does that guy shave his legs or something? There’s no body-hair on this guy.” And I just remember my brother from the sidelines yelling, ‘Its cuz he’s only 13, and you’re still losing.’”
He attended the University of Colorado in Boulder from 2012-2016, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Real Estate.
Blake played rugby at Colorado and was a D1A West Conference first-team selection in 2014 through 2016.
Blake has played with the Glendale Raptors since January 2017 and provides stability in the front row and contributes to the team being one of the best teams in set pieces.
Blake also reflected on his best rugby memories saying “Some of my best experiences so far have been on this Raptors team. The friendships made and the bonds formed off and on the pitch is something special for sure. Even the travel we get to do is amazing. I know we don’t travel overseas or anything, but even being able to see different parts of our wide and diverse country while playing a sport is a dream come true.”
Other Articles
DJCoil Rugby articles by Doug Coil are also available on Facebook. Other Social Media sites to follow or subscribe include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for interviews.
