He has built it – will they come? Doug Schoninger and the US pro rugby dream

Not much more than a year ago, the New Yorker knew little of rugby. On Sunday, he will launch America’s first pro league. Will he find an audience?From the 36th floor of One Penn Plaza, where Doug Schoninger keeps an office, the view is simply extraordinary. The skyscrapers of Manhattan spread away to the south. To the west, the glittering Hudson and the Statue of Liberty herself. But then, in New York City, such views are ten a penny. Related: US professional rugby a step closer as five teams begin training for kick-off I don’t want to give people things they don’t want and I don’t know if th…