ROSCOE VILLAGE — Neighbors stumped by the switch of Black Rock Pub & Kitchen to the Rugby Club Pub might be surprised to learn that Black Rock was always a rugby bar.
Greg Doolan, who recently bought the Black Rock, 3614 N. Damen Ave., said his mates, the now former owners of the bar, originally named it after a well known Irish rugby team.
If that association wasn't ever particularly obvious, November's name change to Rugby Club Pub and the addition of rugby-themed memorabilia make the connection clear.
Doolan, a New Zealand native, is positioning the pub as a hub for Chicago's growing rugby community as well as ex-pats looking for a place to follow their favorite team.
"Chicago rugby fans have never had a true home," he said — and no, soccer bars don't count.
Given that a number of crucial rugby matches take place in Europe, Australia and other far-flung points, the Rugby Club will keep some odd hours for live broadcasts, occasionally opening at 8:30 a.m. and serving breakfast (check out the meat pies), Doolan said.
But first and foremost the Rugby Club is intended as a neighborhood hangout, with friendliness considered the sport's "heartbeat," Doolan said.
"If you were tripping around New Zealand" and popped into a rugby pub, "within 10 minutes, you'd know everyone in town," he said.
Doolan said he aims to create that same atmosphere at the Rugby Club.
Yes, one of the pub's seven main television screens will always be tuned to a rugby match, but the others will be up for grabs — be it for hockey, basketball or football (American-style or the other futbol).
"We generally love any sport going," Doolan said of his fellow rugby enthusiasts.
Staff will be happy to answer any neophyte's questions about rugby, a sport that — quick history lesson — Americans dominated in the early 20th century, winning back to back Olympic gold medals in the 1920s.
Thanks to increased television exposure and a push by the USA Rugby union to develop youth programs in schools, rugby is back on America's radar, even if misconceptions persist.
If the image of "hooligans" springs to mind when rugby's mentioned, it's undeserved, Doolan said.
"The game emphasizes good character ... and a lot of respect for your opponents," Doolan said. "Rugby's always been an up-market sport."
Rugby counts among its proponents both the creator of "Sherlock Holmes" — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — and the detective's most recent portrayer, Benedict Cumberbatch, Doolan noted.
"There's a mess of crossover between the arts and rugby," he said.
To that end, the Rugby Pub will continue hosting Story Lab's monthly storytelling series and the Whiskey Radio Hour's live radio plays.
The bar's back room is a "great space for theater," Doolan said, and he'd like to add improv performances to Rugby Club's entertainment mix.
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