Ohio Aviators (rugby union)

This article is about the PRO Rugby team. For the defuct ABA Basketball team, see Ohio Aviators (basketball).

The Ohio Aviators are an American rugby union team that played professionally in the short lived PRO Rugby competition. They are based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, and played their home games at Memorial Park in Obetz, Ohio. They are now playing in the newly formed World Tens Series.

Ohio Aviators

Full name	Ohio Aviators
Union	USA Rugby
Founded	2016
Location	Obetz, Ohio, U.S.
Ground(s)	Fortress Obetz (Capacity: 6,500)
Coach(es)	Paule Barford
Top scorer	Shaun Davies (84)
Most tries	Spike Davis (14)
League(s)	PRO Rugby (2016) World Tens Series (2020-present)
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.ohioaviators10s.com

History

PRO Rugby announced on February 9, 2016 the addition of Columbus, Ohio as the league's third team.^[1] The selection of Columbus came as somewhat of a surprise, because the original PRO Rugby announcement in November 2015 did not mention that the competition planned to place a team in the midwest in the inaugural season.^[2] Ohio's inaugural season home opener was played on May 1, 2016.^[3] PRO Rugby revealed the team's nickname — the Ohio Aviators — on June 6, 2016, a reference to the Wright brothers who were from Ohio.^[4]

10's return

On September 9, 2020, the Aviators announced on their Instagram page their return to participate in the World Tens Series, occurring from October 24 through November 7, 2020 in Bermuda.^[5]

Stadium

The Aviators during the 2016 season played their home games at Memorial Park in Obetz, a suburb of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Aviators planned to move to Fortress Obetz, on the site of the former Columbus Motor Speedway, starting with the 2017 season.^{[6][7][8][9][10]}

2016 roster

For player movements before and during the 2016 season, see 2016 PRO Rugby season § Ohio.

On December 20, 2016 all PRO Rugby players received notice their contracts will be terminated in 30 days if progress is not made towards resolving disputes between the league and USA Rugby.^[11]

The squad for the 2016 PRO Rugby season:^[12]

Ohio roster
Props   Demecus Beach   Jamie Mackintosh (c)   Angus MacLellan   Anthony Parry   Derrek Van Klein Hookers   Dylan Fawsitt   Chris Schade Locks   Kyle Baillie   Pierce Dargan   Ryan McTiernan	Loose forwards   Filippo Ferrarini   Matt Hughston^INJ   Chad Joseph   Sebastian Kalm   Peter Malcolm   Dominic Pezzutti   Riekert Hattingh Scrum-halves   Shaun Davies   Robbie Shaw   Sam McGuffie Fly-halves   JP Eloff   Taylor Howden   Chris Kunkel	Centers   Ryan Cochran   Ahmad Harajly   Zach Stryffeler   Roland Suniula   Dominic Waldouck Wingers   Mason Baum   Spike Davis   Alex Elkins   Shawn Riley Fullbacks   Allan Hanson   Zac Mizell
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped.

2016 coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Paule Barford
Assistant coach	Paul Holmes
Assistant coach	Eamonn Hogan

Current players and staff

Current roster

The squad for the 2020 World Tens Series:^[13]

Ohio roster
Forwards   Kyle Baillie   Chris Baumann   Dylan Fawsitt   Riekert Hattingh   Eric Howard   Spencer Krueger   Paddy Ryan   John Sullivan   Moni Tonga’uiha   Brad Tucker	Backs   Bryce Campbell   Ben Cima   JP Eloff   Tiaan Loots   Will Magie   Taylor Howden   Chris Kunkel   Shawn Riley   Christian Rodriguez   Juan-Philip Smith   Shalom Suniula   Nick Feakes
(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped.

Current coaching staff

Position	Name
Head coach	Taylor Howden
Assistant coach	Kane Thompson
Manager	Zach Stryffeler
Medical Director	Richard Quincy
Director	Tom Rooney

^[14]

World Tens Series

2020

Bermuda

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result
October 25, 2020	Phoenix	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 26-0
October 25, 2020	Rhinos	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 0-12
October 25, 2020	London Royals	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 10-11
October 26, 2020	Asia Pacific Dragons	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 11–10
October 26, 2020	Miami Sun	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 10–11
November 2, 2020	Rhinos	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 11–10
November 2, 2020	Phoenix	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 22–0
November 2, 2020	Asia Pacific Dragons	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 16–20
November 3, 2020	London Royals	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 12–13
November 3, 2020	Miami Sun	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 17–17
November 3, 2020	SX10	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 14–10
November 7, 2020 Quarterfinal	Miami Sun	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 26–5
November 7, 2020 Semifinal	London Royals	Bermuda National Stadium	Won, 12–7
November 7, 2020 Final	SX10	Bermuda National Stadium	Lost, 14–21

Season summaries

C=Champions, R=Runners-up, W=Wooden Spoons

Competition	Games Played	Games Won	Games Drawn	Games Lost	Ladder Position	C	R	W	Coach	Details
2016 PRO Rugby season	12	9	0	3	2 / 5				Paule Barford	2016 Ohio Aviators season

Leading players

Season	Captain	Most tries	Most points
2016	Jamie Mackintosh	Spike Davis (14)	Shaun Davies (84)

Coaches

Coach	Tenure	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Winning Percentage
Paule Barford	2016	12	9	0	3	75%
Taylor Howden	2020–present	14	7	0	7	50%

See also

• Ohio Aviators (basketball) — defunct ABA basketball team

References

1. "Ohio Gains PRO Rugby Team", This Is American Rugby, February 9, 2016.
2. "PRO Rugby Launches First Professional League in North America" 2015-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, USA Rugby, November 9, 2015.
3. "Rugby | New team offers speed, power, blood", Columbus Dispatch, Bill Rabinowitz, April 15, 2016.
4. "PRO Rugby Unveils Team Names", This Is American Rugby, June 6, 2016.
5. [1], Ohio Aviators Instagram, September 9, 2020.
6. "Ohio Aviators trying to grow regional fan base", The Columbus Dispatch, Adam Jardy, July 3, 2016.
7. Weese, Evan (November 18, 2016). "Obetz building 6,500-seat sports and concert venue". Columbus Business First. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
8. Perry, Kimball (November 16, 2016). "Obetz to build 6,500-seat stadium for pro sports teams". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
9. Widman Neese, Alissa (November 17, 2016). "Obetz says lacrosse stadium eventually will pay for itself". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
10. "Multi-Use Athletic Stadium To Take Place Of Columbus Motor Speedway". Columbus, Ohio: WOSU Public Media. The Associated Press Ohio. November 17, 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-21.
11. Down Goes PRO
12. "PRO Rugby Preview – Ohio". Americas Rugby News. Americas Rugby News. April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
13. "Ohio Aviators - Team Roster". Ohio Aviators. Ohio Aviators. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
14. "Round One of World Tens". worldtens.com. October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020.