Your Scrumhalf Connection

Elon vs. Wake Forest, 17-10 (Win)

The Women’s Rugby team won this weekend against Wake Forest. It was a close game, but Elon managed to get 3 tries and 1 kick, thanks to some great breakaways. They played well as a team and their last try was in the last ten minutes of the game. Their next games will be at the Cherry Blossom tournament, starting April 7th.

For the most up to date news about the women’s Collegiate game, hover over Competitions on the Navigation bar and then choose the division you would like news on. Or use these links to view the D1 and D2 Collegiate rankings.

from Cal Women’s Rugby:

The Cal Women’s rugby team played a strong second half but couldn’t overcome a slow start in a loss to Stanford on Sunday February 28th. Throughout the first half, the Bears struggled against Stanford’s fast backs and quick turnovers, and stymied themselves with penalties and sloppy play from both forwards and backs. Stanford capitalized on Cal’s mistakes to jump to an early 36-5 lead at the half. The Bears came out with a more intense and organized defense in the second half and managed to hold Stanford to one try, but were unable to mount a comeback. Flanker Zully Camacho scored a try in the first half after flanker Kathy Sprowles blocked a kick, prop and captain Julia Diskin punched in a try in the second half, and eight man Jen Sever converted a penalty kick to round out Cal’s points.

For the most up to date news about the women’s Collegiate game, hover over Competitions on the Navigation bar and then choose the division you would like news on. Or use these links to view the D1 and D2 Collegiate rankings.

The West U23 Local Area Union Tournament was this past weekend and it showcased the best of the best in the West Rugby Union. With only three unions participating this year, Texas Rugby Union (TRU), Eastern Rocky Rugby Football Union (ERRFU) and the Heart of America (HOA), the format was a bit different than in years past. Since this is mainly a selection venue, on Saturday all three teams played once and then on Sunday the West coaches split the teams up into motley sides. The West coaches in attendance were Angie Cranmore, Head Coach, Traci Schmitke, Fowards Coach and Wendy Young, Backs Coach.

The first match of the day on Saturday featured the hosts Texas against ERRFU. This match was very intense and incredibly close the whole 80 minutes. The ERRFU pack was incredibly mobile and Texas struggled with tackling and rucking in the beginning of the match. ERRFU was able to take advantage of this early in the match and put five points on the board. Katie Thompson, Rachel Ryan and Becca Knappe from ERRFU were unstoppable off the edge of the fringe, gaining meters on every run. During the second half the Texas backs, Kandis Ruiz, Autumn Murrill, KC Curl and Alex Davenport began to get clean ball and they showed their speed and evasive running to put 5 points on the board. Texas was able to hold ERRFU back from opening the gates and the score ended ERRFU 15 Texas 5. View the video below, or go here.

Texas Rugby Union vs Eastern Rocky Rugby Football Union – West U23 LAU Tournament from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

The second match of the day pitted the Heart of America vs the Eastern Rocky Rugby Football Union. ERRFU brought the most players of all the teams, so we got to see some fresh faces in this match. ERRFU scored very quickly at the beginning of the match off of a driving maul. But HOA had some great forward support and they were able to steal ERRFU ball and capitalize on it themselves. Towards the end of the first half, HOA’s inside center, Cari Squires, cherry picked a pass and 80 meters later put HOA on the board. HOA was able to put another score on the board in the second half, but ERRFU continued to score as well with three tries in the corner from Emma Parenteau to bring the final score to ERRFU 22 HOA 10. View the video below, or go here.

Heart of America vs Eastern Rocky Rugby Football Union – West U23 LAU Tournament from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

The last game on Saturday was voted as the match of the day by all. HOA took on Texas for a nail biter of a match. HOA got off to a quick start with two tries from Cari Squires and at half time the score was HOA 26 Texas 0. Texas finally responded at the start of the second half with big hits, runs and scores. The Texas backs were able to get fast ball often and were passing well and this resulted in several tries in a row. Not to be undone, the Texas forwards played smart in the red zone and were able to dot a few tries down as well. The final score of this match was Texas 51 HOA 26. Unfortunately the battery ran out in the camera and this game was not filmed.

Overall the weekend was a success and the level of rugby was the highest seen in the West in quite some time. With 81 girls attending, the West coaches will have a chore choosing players to bring to the Invitational only tryouts in late April or early May. After that the West coaches will need to pick the best 28 players to attend the 2010 National All Star Championships in June.

In an effort to further develop the U-19 rugby landscape in the New England area, coaches from around the region will converge at MIT on March 14th for a one day only camp. The goal of this camp is to bring the current generation of boy and girl U-19 players together, to help further their skills on the field and build lasting relationships off of it, all while having fun.

The camp will focus on fundamental aspects of the game, such as passing, catching, defensive organization, kicking, rucking, and set piece work. Each coach will bring their own style, to allow players to experience different ideas, expectations, and skills. This will be good for all levels of players. Newer players will benefit from the focus on the basics of the game and more experienced players will benefit from working with higher level (if not future) coaches. In general, this is about building a rugby learning  atmosphere for players and coaches.

Quick facts about the camp:

ELIGIBLE PLAYERS: male and female high school rugby players.
DATE: Sunday, March 14th
COST: $55 for individual players
$100 for two players
$245 for five players
OUTLINE: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Morning Session: Fundamentals
Afternoon Session: Positional and Units

*Registration includes t-shirt for camp participant*

Deadline for registration is March 8th

For Registration please e-mail MITskillscamp@gmail.com with the following:
-NAME
-SCHOOL/CLUB
-ADDRESS
-AGE
-POSITION

All are invited to this event to watch and learn. For registration or questions, please e-mail MITskillscamp@gmail.com. For up to the minute information join the Facebook group “U-19 Skills Camp Hosted by MIT”.

Hope to see you all there!!

Brandon Sparks
Camp Director

from Santa Monica Rugby Club:

San Diego, CA – It appears that the Santa Monica Women’s Rugby team has returned to form after a tough match-up last weekend against the hosting San Diego Surfers. After slogging it out in the rain, Santa Monica came away with a terrific victory and put the Surfers away, 22-10.

With the weather forecast proclaiming a 90% chance of thunderstorms, it looked like Saturday wasn’t going to be a rugby day after all for the Santa Monica Women’s team. But alas, the Rugby gods intervened and with a late go-ahead the women’s team headed to San Diego to play the reigning DI National Champs.

From the very first whistle, it was evident that the game was going to be tough. The late go-ahead resulted in a tardy arrival to the pitch and, consequently, the Lady Phins only had 20 minutes to shake off the siesta, stretch out their cramped legs and prepare to challenge the Surfers. The Surfers’ starting line-up was peppered with some of their more inexperienced players, but they still eagerly took advantage of the Phins’ sluggish start. They were dominant in the opening minutes, maintaining possession, keeping the ball in their territory, and finally punching through the Santa Monica defense for the first try of the game. However, in spite of the Surfers early onslaught, the Lady Phins were still able to hold the Surfers to that single trip across the try-line in the first half out of sheer determination and will power.

The Surfers’ try marked a turning point in the Lady Phins’ level of play – a wake-up call the Phins needed to get their minds and bodies into the game. Then it was the Lady Phins turn to score and it was #8, Nikki “Q” Garcea, who found the line. Q was a standout in the game, earning herself Forward-of-the-Match honors. She was everywhere she was supposed to be – hitting low and hard on defense, cleaning out rucks and taking the ball into contact like the monster that she is.

After leveling the score, 5-5, the game turned into a welterweight bout, with flashes of brilliance here and there on either side of the ball. Referee Jason Scott made sure to let the ladies know when he thought something brilliant was taking place. He chanted a mantra with every secured ball, driving maul or dashing back (“That’s some nice rugby”). But despite both sides’ commendable play, it was Santa Monica who scored again in the first half. Karie “Truck” Orendorff crossed the line in true “Truck” style – crashing over the line, out on the wing. Truck’s score put the Lady Phins up 10-5 to end the first half.

The intensity on the pitch did not let up in the second; in fact, it developed from a test of capability and athleticism into a trial of mental toughness. It was clear that the team that who refused to give up would be triumphant and that neither team was going to concede easily. Santa Monica was first to score and extend their lead off a penalty as Surfer hands were in the ruck right before the try line. Five meters out, Lock Te Awhina Ho Chee took the tap and punched through defenders to score.

With the positive energy of a lead radiating through the team, it was time for the Santa Monica backline to shine. Flyhalf Emily Birdwhistell called an inside play and no one could stop Outside Center Whitney Vance when she came flying in. Taking the ball at the tremendous pace that we have come to expect from Whit (not to mention a beautiful angle) Whit made her usual appearance over the try-line, right between the up-rights. Chipping the conversion through the posts, Whit extended the Santa Monica lead, 22-5.

Waterlogged and full of bumps and bruises, both teams played hard until the final whistle. Minutes before the end of the game, the Surfers managed to get another try in and found a hole in the Santa Monica defense. The final result was a Santa Monica victory, 22-10.

The backlines for each team were, for the most part, evenly matched. The Surfers’ backline was lead by veteran Kristin Hartos who always kept the Phins on their toes with her brilliant boot and field awareness. Coming into the game in the second half, Surfers Fullback Casey Fields brought some more firepower to their back line and made her presence immediately felt whenever she had the ball in hand. However, every time Fields got into open space, she was forced to go head to head with Andrea “Burner” Staid. Burner played a solid game in the backfield, saving territory when Hartos would put the ball to space and making deadly open-field tackles when Fields broke through exhausted defenders. In forward play, due to a combination of blustering winds and their height advantage, the Surfers owned the lineout. But, when it came to the Scrum, it was Santa Monica’s ball all day. The Lady Phins pushed San Diego off the ball, wheeled the scrum and secured possession with every put-in to get ball to the backs.

This week the Lady Phins travel to San Diego again to play in the Champagne Classic. The tournament is going to be an excellent opportunity for the women to rub shoulders with some of the elite women’s rugby players in the nation. Their first match-up is against the powerful Berkley Blues and should be a nail-biter. Stay tuned.