An Epic Day at the Chicago Lost Afternoon Luncheon!

Eric Rush and George Hook Put on a Great PerformanceSan Diego, CA (November 4, 2014) – Over 550 rugby fans from across the globe enjoyed an afternoon of rugby humor and camaraderie at the 2014 Chicago Lost Afternoon Luncheon. Held in the beautiful Crystal Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, those in attendance enjoyed over four hours of rugby fellowship.With over 80 past internationals on hand from the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Fiji, and England, the sell-out crowd was first treated to some heart-felt words by Nia Tolliver and Leodes Van Buren Jr., members of Stuart Krohn’s ICEF Rugby Program from Los Angeles.Irish rugby personality George Hook then took over in his role as the program’s emcee. He showed little mercy for many in the crowd, including those who were on hand from New Zealand. “The strength of the New Zealand dollar is now equal to that of the Monopoly $100 bill” was just one of many barbs aimed at our guests.Eric Rush, one of, if not the very best speaker on the rugby circuit, then took over and had the crowd in stitches for over an hour with stories about his days playing for his country, his many teammates, meeting the Queen and Princess Diana, swimming with sharks, boxing in charity events, growing up in a small town, his Irish father and many of his other adventures.The Luncheon ended with thousands of additional dollars being raised for youth rugby through raffle and auction items.The United States Rugby Foundation thanks all those who attended the Chicago Lost Afternoon Luncheon, those who donated items for the raffle and auction, and those volunteers who assisted in making this a truly wonderful afternoon.Images and a video of the event will be posted soon. In addition, several items of autographed rugby memorabilia from this past weekend will soon start to be posted on eBay so you can have a lasting memory of the Lost Afternoon Luncheon and the unforgettable weekend in Chicago. First up will be a New Zealand All Blacks jersey signed by Man of the Match, Sonny Bill Williams.Be sure to like the USRF and Lost Afternoon Luncheon on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/USRugbyFoundation and https://www.facebook.com/LostAfternoonand follow us on Twitter at @usrf_ and @LostAfternoon.Don’t forget to make future Lost Afternoon Luncheons a part of your international test match weekend.