The Austin Gilgronis signed Bryce Campbell for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 26-year-old center is 6’2″ and 225 lbs.
Bryce is from Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated from Cathedral High School. He played rugby with the Royal Irish.
He attended Indiana University between 2013 and 2017, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Marketing. While there, he played rugby between 2014-2017 and was the captain and Vice-president of the team. He was an Intern at Colliers International Australia in Sydney during Summer 2016 and was also on the Collegiate All-American Tour to Australia that same summer. In 2014 he also attended the USA Junior All-American Camp. In 2017, Bryce was named the Rudy Scholz Award winner as the best collegiate rugby player and twice earned Collegiate All-American honors.
Upon graduation, Campbell moved to Glendale and played with the Glendale Merlins before starting the 2018 Major League Rugby exhibition season on March 10 against the New Orleans Gold Rugby Club. He played 492 minutes in 7 matches in 2018 with the team advancing to the MLR Final against the Seattle Seawolves.
Following the 2018 season, Bryce signed with the London Irish who were in the Rugby Championship before gaining promotion to the English Premiership. Prior to the 2020-2021 season, he left the team and will join the Austin Gilgronis for 2021. During November 2020, he played for the Ohio Aviators 10s in the World Tens Series in Bermuda.
While in England, he enrolled in a Master’s Degree Progam in Sports Business, Management, and Policy in 2019 and hopes to finish it in 2021.
USA Rugby Eagles XV
Bryce played for the USA Selects in the Americas Pacific Challenge in 2016. That led to an uncapped debut for the USA National Team on 4 November 2016 and his debut against Romania on 12 November in Bucharest. Since then, he has accumulated 32 caps, starting 28 times and scoring 8 tries.
A highlight for the team was going undefeated in the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship and winning their second consecutive one.
He also played in four matches at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, starting three times and scoring one try. His last test was against Tonga on 13 October.
Austin Gilgronis Comments
“Bringing an MLR shield home to Austin is the goal first and foremost,” says Campbell. “For me, I want to be the best version of myself for me and for my team.”
Campbell is known for his raw power, impressive stiff arm, and skillful offload ability. He is recognized as an outstanding leader in the national team and will bring a high standard of professionalism to the AG clubhouse.
AG Sign USA Eagle Bryce Campbell – Highlights
AG head coach Sam Harris spoke at length about Bryce Campbell’s character before getting to what he brings on the field. “Bryce could potentially be the face of the club moving forward, but I will leave that decision to my marketing team, says Harris. “I can say he will definitely be part of our leadership group, Bryce is an extremely valuable asset to the organization and brings a level of professionalism and expectation on and off the field. He is an exceptional talent that is right up there with the best in the USA.”
Campbell rejoins USA Eagle teammate and good friend Will Magie in Austin after a 2018 departure from the Colorado Raptors saw both men leave Major League Rugby for the Championship in England. In 2020, both men returned to the MLR to chase a second opportunity to suit up for the Eagles at the Rugby World Cup.
“Will and I are obviously very close friends, we were roommates back in Denver and we’ve been around each other a lot through Eagles tours and the World Cup and now Bermuda,” says Campbell, “He’s definitely played a huge role in getting me to Austin and his words carried a lot of weight when he explained the excitement around the city and the AG’s setup.”
Sam Harris welcomed the recommendation from Magie. “Different players have made me aware of other players that they have played with that they would deem a good fit for the AGs and I would take over from there,” says Harris. “Camaraderie is high in my list of values and I am all about enjoying your work and sharing that experience with your mates.”
Bryce Campbell has already checked off a lifetime of accomplishments in winning the Scholz, and playing professional and international rugby all over the world, so what gets a guy like that out of bed in the morning? Campbell mentioned that he hopes to challenge himself as a leader in his return to the MLR. “I’ve always had high expectations for myself as a leader, but with the Eagles, I was the younger guy, then in London, I was ‘the American’, so this last year I’ve really challenged myself to be the kind of leader I know I can be and I hope the guys get around that and I think they will,” says Campbell.
Bryce Campbell has been training in Austin for the last month and is currently playing in the World 10s competition with the Ohio Aviators alongside Will Magie.
Welcome to the AGs, Bryce Campbell!
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