Lawrence rugby community sees opportunity in Kansas City’s 2031 World Cup ambitions

KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.

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The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council introduced an ordinance Thursday to prepare for the host city bid process for the 2031 Men's Rugby World Cup.

The ordinance would provide funding for certain services — like police, fire, EMS, transportation — in the event Kansas City is selected as an official host city.

Rick Renfro, a former player with the Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club and owner of Johnny's Tavern in North Lawrence, said he didn't think the United States would become the host nation of the 2031 Rugby World Cup.

“I’m lobbying already now," he said. "I talked to KU because they did such a good job with Algeria and keeping them here.”

Renfro bought the Johnny's Tavern location in the 1970s while he was still a student at the University of Kansas. He said he was flunking out of school, and he just wanted to continue being part of the rugby community in Lawrence.

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“There’s the third half in rugby," Renfro explained. "You play the first half, second half, bang, bang, bang. Then, they have the third half, where you go, ‘Hey, you had some good hits, let’s have a beer, let’s eat a cheeseburger,’ that kind of stuff. We used to do that at people’s houses. Unfortunately, it was my house, so Johnny’s was the perfect place to have the rugby club.”

Located upstairs in the original Johnny's Tavern is the Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club's clubhouse. Its door is marked with a "Do Not Enter" sign, and behind it are decades of memorabilia and memories.

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It's a place where Renfro can celebrate his favorite part of the game — the third half.

"That’s where most of my friends in life have come from," Renfro said.

But Renfro hasn't only found a rugby community in Lawrence. He has traveled the world with the Kansas Jayhawks Rugby Football Club, which has gone on 17 international tours.

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“You typically stay eight or 10 days with the players, so we get to eat what they eat, do what they do," he said.

With Kansas City working on its bid to be a host city, he's imagining what that could look like in Lawrence, saying it would be "fantastic" if a World Cup team celebrated their third half at Johnny's Tavern.

"If we don’t get it in Kansas City, I’m sure a lot of us will fly to Denver or Dallas or wherever the game’s going to be to be around that atmosphere," he said.

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