from Megan:

I made my first purse in the Spring of 2007 while I was at home, sick with bronchitis and without a voice. I was bored, happened to have a ball that wouldn’t hold air lying around, and wanted to see what was inside! So I cut it open and a vision was born!

I realized how durable the rugby ball would be as a purse and how much it could hold. So I took straps and parts from an old purse and super glued them on the ball. I still use that purse today, 2 ½ years later. I’ve had to re-glue it several times and as I started making more purses, I’ve made drastic improvements. I sew now!… and I use heavy upholstery thread to double stitch a durable zipper to the ball. I’ve also upgraded to use the following materials included on each custom hand-made purse: cleat stud feet, prefabricated handles to add style, grommets/ eyelets, and durable webbing (backpack strapping). These purses are made to last a long time.
It’s the perfect purse to take to a rugby social. They’re pretty much waterproof and the more they get scuffed up and used, the better they look. Ladies, never feel guilty again when you put your purse on the floor under your chair at a restaurant! Gentlemen, if you have to hold your lady’s purse while she uses the bathroom, wouldn’t you rather hold a rugby ball purse?

These purses are conversation pieces and a GREAT way to spread the word about our awesome sport! They are a way to express your rugby side when it’s not appropriate to be wearing a crude rugby t-shirt. People ask about my purse on a daily basis and some stop me to take picture of it.

My goal is to make it to NZ Rugby World Cup 2011 with the profits from purses so I can cheer our Eagles on in person!!! To contact Megan about purchasing or just letting her know you think her purses are super awesome, email Megan or visit her on Facebook.

Ruck on with style!
-Meeeeeeeeeeeeegan

Most of the rugby community has already heard about the tragedy that struck Uganda this week. During a viewing of a soccer World Cup final, three explosions in the capital of neighboring Uganda tore through the crowd. The explosions killed at least 74 people and wounded about 71.

from the BBC:  An eyewitness account of the bombing.

from Delware Online: Aid worker Nate Henn was killed at the bombings. Nate was a former member of the University of Delaware rugby club.

from Kalie Gold:
One of the bombings this weekend in Kampala, Uganda went off at the Kyandondo Rugby Club, where many many people had gathered to watch the World Cup soccer final on a big screen behind the clubhouse.  I spoke with one of the women’s ruggers, and as far as she knows right now, No one from Kyadondo or the Black Panthers was affected as far as we know. However, this is only day 2 after the incident, so I am going to keep myself ready for any new news that comes from my contacts in Kampala. The Ugandan national team had arrived from Nairobi around 7:30pm, having spent the weekend competing against Kenya in the Elgon Cup. Some of the players went over to Kyandondo early in the night, and fortunately enough did not stay long, and had gone home by the time the blast happened.

Reposted from Rugbystrong.org:

via Lara Gill @ valkyriesrugby.org

In collaboration with the University of Minnesota Women’s Rugby Club, the Valkyries held an impressive clinic for local high school girls on Saturday April 17th, 2010. The all-day event, which began with an exciting scrimmage vs. the U of M, was attended by over 70 local high school rugby women and culminated with a BBQ and time to relax in the sunshine.

The three hour clinic introduced new rugby players to the basics of passing, team play, and tackling, while giving some of the more advanced players time to work on specifics with the coaching staff of over 15 U of M and Valkyrie players.

Sarah Reuter, the event’s organizer says that the event was a success because of “the huge number of people from both the Valkyries and the U of M that were willing to step-up and teach the girls the drills and games we do everyday. We have such a passion for rugby and so we were excited to pass that on the best we could.”

With the large turn-out and support, the teams now plan on making the spring clinic an annual event. “Feedback about the clinic was very positive, so we are already planning on doing it next year”, said Marissa Stevens, president of the U of M club. Rugby Fun in the Sun, as it was called, proved to be true as the weather was clear and in the mid 60’s all day. Event planners say you can expect another high school clinic to roll around next year during the month of April.

from WBIR.com:

McKenzie Hawkins starting playing rugby two years ago. That was when she was 11. Now 13-years-old, she is playing on the Maryville Girls Rugby Club. McKenzie just finished 7th grade. The rest of her teammates are all in high school.

While many girls shy away from the bumps and bruises, McKenzie brags about them. She says she fell in love with rugby the first time she got hit, and says she loves the adrenaline rush she gets from the sport.

McKenzie grew up around rugby though. He dad Jay coaches the Maryville Girls Rugby Club. Jay jokes that his daughter studies the sport more than he does and can beat him on rugby video games.

McKenzie hopes to continue rugby through high school and then on to college. Her main goal is to make the 2016 Olympic Team.

You can learn more about the Maryville Rugby Club at http://mrfcrugby.wordpress.com/

from Alex Williams, High Performance Manager, USA Rugby:

The nationwide show Rugby World will include Women’s National Team highlights in tomorrow afternoon’s episode. Here’s what the RW folks just told me will be included in the show:

- Coverage includes footage from both of the recent WNT CanAm matches, including 3 USA tries from the second match.
- Also includes graphics for wewantrugby.com

- Show airs tomorrow afternoon (July 9) at various times on all Fox Sports Net channels across the country. Check local listings for times.
For those wanting to thank the City of Glendale (who fund the Rugby World TV show), please direct traffic to: http://www.infinityparkatglendale.com/contact.php

For those wanting to thank FSN, please send those e-mails to me and I’ll get them over to the network all at once as a package: pguthrie100@yahoo.com

Please send to everyone you know who cares about women’s rugby and help us bump their ratings because they included WNT footage, as it gives us leverage to argue for increased coverage of women’s rugby! Would also be great to encourage folk to write to Rugby World & Fox Sports Net afterward to tell them how great it was to air coverage of the WNT and to thank them for supporting women’s rugby.

Go here to check out the Facebook Event, add everyone you know to help spread the word!