By now you’ve probably heard of America’s Pro Rugby competition which began its inaugural season with five teams in April this year.

Denver, Ohio, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco are midway through a 12-match season, with plans in place to expand the competition to Canada and 12 teams in 2017.

For decades, rugby officials have been scratching their heads, wondering how they could tap into the North American market and while the sport has a long way to go in the US of A, it’s clearly heading in the right direction.

America’s success on the Sevens circuit is evidence of that.

Writing in the Players Tribune, San Diego captain Phil Mackenzie provides an interesting insight into the newly formed competition and just how big the sport could be in America.

Canadian born Mackenzie has 31 international caps to his name and has spent much of the last decade plying his trade in the UK, where his teammates would often ask, “What If?”

What if North America began paying attention to rugby?

What if the great athletes in the States had a way to develop their skills?

What if there was a professional rugby league there?

“In so many ways rugby feels like a natural fit for what sports fans in the States look for when it comes to entertainment,” Mackenzie wrote on the Players Tribune,

“It checks off all the major boxes: Big hits? Check. Fast pace? Check. Fun to watch while drinking? Big, big check.”

After the competition was officially announced in November last year, Mackenzie walked away from a contract with English Premiership side Sale and signed with San Diego.

“In March, six weeks before the season was set to start, I met my teammates at our first training camp. Together, we were San Diego’s first professional rugby team. I honestly had no idea what to expect. However, when we showed up we were given the red-carpet treatment: Facilities, food, staff members. You name it, we got it,” he wrote.

“The league even arranged for us to train at Exos, a state-of-the-art training facility. We were working out alongside top-level NFL players and even got a tutorial on how to Dab from none other than Cam Newton himself. We went from zero to 100 real quick.”

With each team able to sign five foreign players, the likes of Mirco Bergamasco and Mils Muliaina were signed as marquee players along with 35-year old former Wallaby Timana Tahu.

Although Mackenzie admitted these players were important for the competition, he said the home grown talent was just as exciting.

“Take Sione Tu’ihalamaka, for example. He played football at Arizona with Rob Gronkowski (NFL star), and was so talented that many expected him to play in the NFL one day. But a few weeks before the draft, Sione was hit by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting while he was visiting his grandfather. The injury ruined his chances of getting drafted, but after he recovered, he started playing in the Arena Football League, where he caught the attention of PRO Rugby scouts.”

“It’s guys like Sione who make PRO Rugby so exciting. He’d only played a couple of years of rugby in high school before joining us, so he’s definitely still has room to grow. But what’s really special about him is what can’t be taught: He’s incredibly strong, unbelievably explosive and has the competitive drive to keep improving. From personal experience, I can tell you that very few international rugby players will be able to stop him.”

After putting together the inaugural competition in less than six months, officials had mild expectations for the opening season.

“We tried to do our part to build up excitement, but ultimately had no idea what to expect in terms of fan attendance. If there were 500 people there for our game, I would have been elated,” Mackenzie said.

“I showed up two hours before the first game, and as I walked to the locker room, I saw something that shocked me: fans.”

Close to 3000 fans turned up to watch San Diego take on Sacramento, led by Bergamasco.

“It was really interesting playing in front of a large group of people, many of whom had never seen a professional rugby match before. What stood out the most was how much they loved it. Every time there was a big hit, you could hear everyone in the stands freak out in a way I hadn’t really experienced before.”

“We ended up winning the game, and afterward we all did a lap greeting our fans. We signed autographs and took pictures. It was like we were … a professional rugby team … in America. How about that?”

Although the competition and the sport have a long way to go in America, founder and New York businessman Doug Schoninger appears committed to its growth. He’s reportedly poured close to $7 million of his own money into the concept and considers this year “a beta season.”

Regardless, Mackenzie and his teammates are in for the ride and enjoying every moment as it comes.

“We still don’t know what the future holds. What we do know, and what excites us most, is that this a huge, historic opportunity.”