American rugby is constituted in different ways from normal rugby nations. USA Rugby Union remains the primary governing body of rugby in the USA, while offshoot leagues also exist such as US Rugby Super League, Major League Rugby, and Professional Arena Rugby. Though there are a number of leagues and bodies this is not indicative of a large rugby market. Rugby in the United States has no popular sports exposure and will continue to remain an obscure sport for years to come without something very major happening. For now it is relegated in popular USA sports culture to the level of winter biathlon or frisbee football even though most men's club teams are organizations having survived more than 20 years.
American rugby is also quite different from all other nations due to geography, namely the size of the country and climate. The size places large travel demands on teams while playing seasons are fragmented severely due to the varying climates throughout the country. For example, in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Southern Californa rugby is played only in the winter due to summer heat but in Colorado, seasons must be aligned more towards the summer especially in mountain towns. Northern teams stick to a split Fall/Spring season with winter precluding most play from December through January. Teams in Hawaii and Alaska are required to conduct their own seasons and do not factor into continental rugby competitions.
One interesting aspect of American rugby is a marked tendency for playing tournaments. Throughout the US, each weekend numerous rugby tournaments are held by clubs (mostly as fundraisers). American teams play 15s, 10s, and 7s quite a bit with 7s dominating the summer schedule and 15s the Spring and Fall. And yes the 15s tournament are typically played in two days or over a three day weekend sometimes involving as many as 5 matches.
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