Rugby ATL Airs Seventh Installment of ‘The RATL Roundup’ Series Featuring the Draft Picks

Atlanta, Georgia- For this week’s ‘RATL Roundup,’ on June 21st, 2020, Rugby ATL branched out and did something that we had never done before, in response to a historic week. For the seventh episode of our weekly live series, we reached out to our two newest members of Rugby ATL, streaming live from their homes, our two draft picks, Michael Matarazzo and John Scotti.

Speaking about the historic event that was the first-ever college draft for professional rugby in the United States, Matarazzo of Notre Dame opened about the duality of feelings during the event, a mixture of uncertain nerves and intense excitement at the thought of being picked, something that he himself said was not on his radar when he came into school. As Rugby ATL’s first-ever draft pick, Matarazzo’s humility shone through his initial conversation on the Roundup, highlighting his will to be as great of a person off of the pitch as he can be, knowing how that will translate to on-field performances he will be proud of.

Scotti, having had the time to collect himself, told our viewers about the conversation he shared with Coach Scott Lawrence on the morning of the draft, from the thrill of being told that he was on ATL’s radar to the composure to level his feelings in case he was not selected in the draft, which he understood was a possibility, to the inevitable joy of being called again by Scott, and told that the pick for him was in.

As Scotti & Matarazzo outlined their respective paths to the draft, one thing became clear; though both men came from other sports backgrounds, they shared a common fire to step up into the new sport and prove their worth through a commitment to learning and development, personifying the primary value of Rugby ATL.

To hear more about Rugby ATL’s first two draft picks to ever join the club, go online to our YouTube page and search for ‘The RATL Roundup,’ and be sure to tune in to our live stream on Facebook next week.