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USA Sevens Advertising Opportunity Expires Today! Advertise during the Women’s International Invitational 7s Webcast!

Wendy Young — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:19:43 +0000

Today is the last day to consider advertising for your team at the USA Rugby International Invitational Women’s 7s Tournament. Its a UNIQUE and cheap ad that will be viewed by over 6,000 female collegiate, club players, families and fans. PLUS, the money will go directly to the USA Rugby Women’s High Performance Program (all women national teams).

More Details - http://www.scrumhalfconnection.com/2012/01/19/2012-usa-womens-international-invitational-7s-webcast-ad-rate-sheet/

Thanks,

Wendy

Wendy Young

Editor of Your Scrumhalf Connection. Passionate Rugger since 2001.

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Using rugby to help young Africans win

Wendy Young — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:04:40 +0000

Gainline Africa is a Canadian sports for development organization that uses the power of rugby as a vehicle for development in Africa’s post-conflict communities. Gainline was founded by a small group of rugby players who experienced positive benefits playing the game they love. From these beginnings, Gainline believes rugby is a non-intrusive, efficient and cost-effective tool to assess and address many social and developmental issues that arise in post-conflict communities.

Today, Gainline is a completely volunteer-driven organization made up of rugby and non-rugby players who believe that their work can make a powerful difference. Cross the gainline and make difference with Gainline Africa.

OUR MISSION

RAISE AWARENESS of international issues affecting rugby communities.
INSPIRE Canadians to contribute to partner developing African rugby communities.
IMPROVE LIVES & EMPOWER YOUTH through rugby.

Want to learn more about the people behind Gainline Africa and how it started? Go here.

Wendy Young

Editor of Your Scrumhalf Connection. Passionate Rugger since 2001.

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Women’s 6 Nations: Tournament preview from ScrumQueens

Guest — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:19:30 +0000

from ScrumQueens:

ENGLAND

Clear favourites, the reigning champions go into the competition this year in ominous form. England have played 13 times since the last 6 Nations, and in the process have picked up an array of titles including the Nations Cup and a convincing test series over New Zealand. Perhaps more importantly though England have developed another stream of young players now more than capable of slotting into the first team and that ensures that the side should not be as disrupted by injuries to key players as most of their rivals would. There toughest test as ever will be France away in round four. Two years ago England had to rely on penalty miss from the French in the dying seconds to secure a one-point win and they know only too well that their hopes of a Grand Slam will rest on this game. Despite the ability of the French to consistently get themselves up for England at home – no matter what kind of a season they are having – England are still in my view odds on for another Grand Slam.

Key player: As obvious as it sounds, England’s skipper and fly-half Katie McLean is simply vital to her side. That position is one of the only spots where England don’t have an international specialist deputy who can slot in seamlessly given the injuries to other talented 10s of late and Gary Street will be hoping for an injury free tournament for his captain.
Player to watch: Natasha Hunt emerged as a highly talented scum-half last year who is more than ready to turn her talent to an England shirt. An exciting runner, the former winger, still has plenty to learn on the international stage but starts this weekend giving her a chance to hold onto the shirt.

FRANCE

No 6 Nations win since 2005 must grate on the talented French, who bring with them all the inconsistencies of their male counterparts onto the international stage. Brilliant one week, France can be infuriating the next, but there have been enough strides made in the months since the last 6 Nations to suggest the French could once again be a real force this season. France had their ups and downs in the early part of last year – the European defeat to Spain probably their lowest – but they have bounced back well, and been extremely active in test rugby. The victories over a young England side and Italy in the autumn will have brought confidence and the return of kicker Aurélie Bailon will be a big boost as is the emergence of a number of young stars more than ready to make their mark. The French squad for the first two weekends of games reinforced by experienced names such as Agricole, Bailon, Hebel, Ladagnous, and Rabier and they will be expected to start well against Italy. Having England at home is a key factor to their chances at winning a first title in seven years – if the French can go unbeaten to that point we’ll be in for a cracker that night. But this is France. Anything could happen.

Key player: Marie Charlotte Hebel. The flanker missed most of last season following her excellence at the World Cup and her return is a real boost. An expert in the line-out Hebel leads the pack’s ball carrying duties very well.
Player to watch: Jessy Tremouliere. The young French back three player is a huge talent and if the French feel she’s ready, she has the ability to make a big impact.

IRELAND

Ireland will feature a number of new faces in this year’s 6 Nations with six uncapped players alone in the squad for the opening round against Wales. Hampered as ever by a lack of games outside the 6 Nations test window, Ireland have done a remarkable job the last few years to finish third and that again will be their likely target this year. An issue for Ireland will be the lack of a recognised international fly-half with an injury to Helen Brosnan seeing experienced centre Lynne Cantwell move into the pivotal number 10 position. Ireland do have a reliable kicker outside her though in Niamh Briggs so Cantwell will be well supported in her unfamiliar role. With a strong record on Friday nights at Ashbourne, where the Irish play again this season, an opening win over Wales will be key if they are to repeat last year’s finish.

Key player: Lynne Cantwell is Ireland’s most capped player ever, but the majority of her caps have come at centre or wing so her enforced move to fly-half, if it stays that way beyond game one, is a big test. Regardless though, Cantwell is a key attacking play-maker for her side wherever she plays.
Player to watch: Flanker Claire Molloy has improved out of sight at this level since she made her debut for Ireland and her pace and ability at the breakdown has become a key factor in Ireland’s success in the last few seasons.

WALES

Much like the Irish, Wales’ development is always restricted somewhat by their lack of games. A schedule this year that will see them play at Twickenham and at the Millennium Stadium will be well enough to motivate a passionate Welsh side. The loss of captain Catrin Edwards, who is not playing this season, is tempered somewhat by the return of talented fly-half Naomi Thomas, a player who has the ability to open defences at will and whose presence will be key you feel for a young Welsh backline who may miss the experience of Ceri Redman and Elen Evans in the middle. A real plus for Wales is the fact that their first team has just one new cap, so they travel to Ireland with confidence that they have the exprience to see them through a tough opening away fixture.

Key player: Jamie Kift. The hugely experienced backrow player is a former Wales captain and will be key in providing leadership in this 6 Nations. A tough and uncompromising player, she won’t be found wanting in the backrow.
Player to watch: Megan York. The prop made rapid strides this season with Blaenau Gwent, Cross Keys and the Dragons and is rewarded with a bench spot against Ireland.

ITALY

With 2011 having been their best 6 Nations since joining the tournament, Italy come into this year’s tournament with some confidence. The squad announced last week includes all of the key players from recent championships, such as Schiavon, Tondinelli and Furlan and 19 of the 23 already have at least 10 caps, and every player in the squad has prior international experience. For Italy the first game against France is a challenging start to not only this year’s Six Nations, but also their qualification for 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup. With all games in both the 2012 and 2013 championships instrumental in deciding Europe’s qualifiers every point scored or conceded could be vital.

Key player: Flavia Severin. The Treviso lock has a great eye for a try and is a dogged defender. She is consistently a key pack performer for Italy and with 26 caps has the experience needed.

SCOTLAND

2011 was a tough year for the Scots in the 6 Nations and finishing bottom will have hurt. But improvements have been made. Scotland played twice in the year since, two more times than Wales and Ireland, and won both efforts against Holland and the Army so the squad will be in positive mood that 2012 will see much improvement. A first up game against England, a side who inflicted a massive scoreline on them last year, will be welcome if only if it allows Scotland to focus on the real task at hand – targeting realistic victories against the other four sides.

Coach Karen Findlay has been working the squad particularly hard on their fitness and ball skills so the Scots will be hoping to play a more expansive game this year. They are also likely to call on some new young talent such as Sarah Dixon and

Key Player: Skipper Susie Brown is a top quality performer and though she misses the English clash, her leadership will be key throughout the tournament.
Player to watch: Sarah Dixon. The flying winger is inexperienced at test level but was one of the key 7s players in the UK last year at various tournaments and has pace to burn. If Scotland get her the ball quickly she will score tries.

Keep track of all the rosters, scores and schedule here.

Guest

Guest Ruggers that have something to say, but don't necessarily want to be a regular columnist on YSC. Interested in submitting a guest post? Email wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

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The Alternate Plays of the Rugby World Cup 2011 [VIDEO]

Wendy Young — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:53:19 +0000

You know those plays that don’t go so well? A missed pass or an ill-timed knock-on? They are all here for you to enjoy, plus some of the best plays of the tournament…thanks to the Men’s Rugby World Cup of 2011 & RugbyDump:

Wendy Young

Editor of Your Scrumhalf Connection. Passionate Rugger since 2001.

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Rio 2016 is a major opportunity says IRB Women’s Development Manager

Guest — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:11:35 +0000

from Inside the Games; By Tom Degun

December 9 – Susan Carty (pictured), the International Rugby Board (IRB) Women’s Development Manager, has claimed that the sport debuting at the Rio 2016 Olympics represents a major chance to help expand the women’s game globally and that her organisation has moved now to capitalise on the unique opportunity.

Earlier this month, the IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup was staged in Dubai in what was the IRB’s first ever officially sanctioned women’s sevens tournament.

It was a major milestone for the sport on the road to Rio 2016 and Carty explained the tournament was part of the historic new IRB Women’s Rugby Plan which was publically launched this week.

The Women’s Rugby Plan is the first programme of its kind and focuses on enhancing the position of women’s rugby as one of the world’s fastest growing sports as well as a sport accessible for all ages and abilities.

“Having rugby sevens on the programme at the Rio 2016 Olympics is obviously huge for us and it provides us with a fantastic opportunity to take the women’s game forward across the world,” Carty told insidethegames.

“It is very exciting and to fully capitalise on the opportunity; we have now developed a clear policy with our Member Unions to focus on elite women’s competition ahead of Rio 2016.

“Dubai was very significant first step for us on the road to Rio because it was the IRB’s first officially sanctioned women’s sevens tournament.

“The great thing about women’s sevens is that it is relatively new and therefore there is no dominant force in the game.

“Canada won the tournament in Dubai [beating England 26-7] and that is great because it shows that the new countries can really emerge to challenge for Olympic gold in Rio.

“Women’s rugby sevens really is an open playing field and with a prize as big as the Olympics, it is a great opportunity for all countries to really look at the sport as one that they can medal at.”

Carty added that the IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cup in Dubai must now be used as a building block heading into Rio to ensure that the game maximises on the opportunity provided by the Olympics.

“Dubai was fantastic but clearly we need more events on the women’s rugby sevens calendar,” she said.

“We have a series of women’s sevens events that we are set to hold alongside the men’s HSBC Sevens World Series in 2012 to help prepare elite players for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow and ultimately the Olympic Games in 2016.

“Another part of our new strategy is to support Member Unions to deliver the best possible elite programmes.

“To do this the IRB recently held the first High Performance Workshop for women’s rugby.

“These saw unions from around the world take part in a three-day seminar to learn how to design and implement an effective high performance pathway.

“So we think we are now really developing the tools to capitalise on the Olympics.”

Guest

Guest Ruggers that have something to say, but don't necessarily want to be a regular columnist on YSC. Interested in submitting a guest post? Email wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

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Maggie Alphonsi: My Greatest Mistake

Guest — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:08:49 +0000

from The Guardian:

Maggie Alphonsi began her sports career in athletics before deciding to give rugby a shot. Photograph: Paul Seiser

Before going into rugby at 14, I did athletics. I was a discus thrower and got funding from my local authority to represent the [London] borough of Enfield entering national competitions. But as time went on I realised I really wanted to give rugby a shot. So I went down to my local rugby club and pretty much became addicted to the sport.

I gave up athletics. I could have gone on to represent England in the Olympics but abruptly, I chose to take another course in life.

The biggest reaction was from my mother because she was very keen on athletics – you saw athletics on the TV and there were women involved in it – but rugby union is not really a female sport. She was surprised rather than disappointed and tried to persuade me to stay in athletics. My mother didn’t really understand why I would want to take up rugby. Where I lived, near Tottenham in north London, people were more into football – you watched Spurs or Arsenal, you played football or did athletics. But now she appreciates the sport much more.

I got into rugby because of one of my teachers, Liza Burgess. She played herself and I was quite impressed with what she had achieved.

I loved playing rugby. It’s one of those sports where you can be multi-disciplined – I run, throw, I can tackle. When I was growing up, just doing one event didn’t feel as though I was being pushed as much. In rugby, I could show off more of my strengths.

I’ve faced barriers – trying to push for opportunities to train depending on when the guys wanted to train, promoting girls’ rugby, finding facilities – but I have been very fortunate. I have had very good coaches and people in sport to help me find opportunities.

I still look at athletics and think: “Could I go back and give it a go?” It’s one of those things you look back at and wonder what could have been. But I gave up my Olympic dream to play rugby at a high level. Thankfully, rugby is now in the Olympics for 2016. It’s nice to see it is starting to become a bigger sport.

So my greatest mistake probably turned out to be the best thing I could have done. I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

I would say do what’s important for yourself, don’t think too far ahead about the awards and achievements that may come from the sport, think about the activity – if it makes you happy, you should pursue it.

Maggie Alphonsi supports the RFU president’s XV awards, with QBE, insurance partner of England Rugby.

Guest

Guest Ruggers that have something to say, but don't necessarily want to be a regular columnist on YSC. Interested in submitting a guest post? Email wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

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111 countries – and counting. Women’s rugby worldwide

John Birch — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:42:33 +0000

The previous post mentioned that the IRB had said that women’s rugby is played in about 80 countries.

This is a slight underestimate. In fact women’s rugby is played at international level in 111 countries – with several more on the verge of joining them. The map below shows the true global spread of the game:

Compared to other women’s team sports, only women’s soccer is played at international level in more countries.

The list… Andorra, Arabian Gulf (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates), Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Is, Chile, China, Columbia, Cook Is, Croatia, Czech Rep, Denmark, Egypt, England, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Afruca, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, St Vincent, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Wales, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

John Birch

Editor of the UK Blog http://letchworthgirls.blogspot.com/. Happy to have joined YSC.

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Where is Women’s Rugby being Played?

Guest — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:44:21 +0000

John Birch points out some inaccuracies in this Guest post here.

from Rugby Girl:

The IRB has reported that Women’s Rugby is presently being played in over 80 countries with the leading countries registered players being.

USA	20,700
ENGLAND	17,500
SOUTH AFRICA	17,400
SRI LANKA	15,700
IRELAND	12,300
FRANCE	11,900
NEW ZEALAND	11.700
INDIA	6,900
CANADA	5,500
ITALY	4,700
SAMOA	4,600
THAILAND	4,000
KENYA	3,800
SINGAPORE	2,900
HONG KONG	2,400
SCOTLAND	2,300
AUSTRALIA	1,700
WALES	1,300
KAZAKHSTAN	1,200
RUSSIA	1,200
SPAIN	1,200
JAPAN	1,000
NETHERLANDS	900
CHINA	900
SWEDEN	900

Putting this into perspective, the total number of female rugby players in the world only amounts to around 4% of the total world’s rugby players, with the top 25 countries female rugby players being less than 7% of the England male rugby players.

In New Zealand 68% of female rugby players or 7800 are aged 12 years or under, 25% or 3000 between age 13 and 20, with only 900 or 7% over 20.

Other interesting statistics are Sri Lanks has 6300 or 80% more girls 12 or under than New Zealand,India has 1800 or 60% more 13 to 20 year old than New Zealand, Australia has 800 or 88% more over 20 year olds. England has less than half the 12 year old or under players but nearly 6 times the over 20 players New Zealand has whilst USA has nearly 3 times the teenage players and 13 times the over 20 players of New Zealand

With Seven’s Rugby becoming an Olympic sport from 2016 on the grounds that rugby was a sport played by both Men and Women, it will be interesting to see how these female playing numbers increase in the next 5 years, plus to see in New Zealand whether there is a significant change in the player age group breakdown.

Semi related, but not really? Not sure where else to put it though!

Map of the WRWC playing countries In red the nations already qualified (NZE, ENG, AUS, FRA, USA, CAN). In green the nations surely playing in the qualifying process (IRE, WAL, ITA, SCO, SAF, UGA, KEN) In yellow the other nations that could play qualifying matches (Spain, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Netherlands, Fiji, Samoa, PNGuinea, Japan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Singapore, China, Philippines, Thailand, Laos...)

Guest

Guest Ruggers that have something to say, but don't necessarily want to be a regular columnist on YSC. Interested in submitting a guest post? Email wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

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