Your Scrumhalf Connection

Welcome to another Guest Blog from Monty…this blog post is an interview with a few of the recent USA 7s Eagles at USA Sevens.

Monty Nyriws

It may not be easy being green, but it’s certainly not any easier being red, white and blue… the red, white and blue women’s rugby seven’s team, that is. Everyone who knows anything about rugby in the USA knows about the struggle the sport is facing gaining notice among Americans. And as we all know, very few Americans know anything at all about rugby. Even worse off is women’s rugby. In some ways, these ladies have to put up with much more than the men do. Unlike the men’s team, when the women go to a tournament they have to…

• sleep four to a room
• buy their own shoes
• bring their own kit bag WITH USA Rugby Logo
• bring their own water bottle
• bring their own notebook and 2 pens, 2 pencils and a permanent marker
• press their own khaki pants
• wear jeans with no holes, tears, or patches!
• and launder their team gear on a rotating duty basis…What is this, the Army where you have to do KP duty?

Now consider that the women’s 7s team (like the men) are going to represent our country in the 2016 Olympics. Isn’t it about time that we start promoting both men and women rugby 7s teams, and mounting a serious effort to educate the American public and generate fans for the sport?

At the recent Las Vegas 7s tournament, the USA women played very well against their international opponents, winning all their games in the preliminaries, and losing by only two tries in the finals against China. Women’s rugby may not be as fast and as tough as the men’s version, but once you begin to get to know them, as I started to do at the sevens tournament in Las Vegas, you have to be impressed with how they play — with soul and inspiration.

CJ Hildreth

After the match I was lucky enough to sit down with two members of the team: Lauren Hoeck, and CJ Hildreth. I tell you, if you see these women charging after you on the pitch, you just want to get out of the way. But off the pitch when you see them smile, you just want to melt! Below are excerpts from this interview.

[See Blogger's Note at the end of this article]

Las Vegas, Sunday, Feb 14, 2010
Interview with Lauren Hoeck and CJ Hildreth

YourScrumHalfConnection: So Lauren, you’re the team captain?
Lauren: I’m the co-captain, with Jo Ward. CJ is the hooker, #2, she’s a stud!

YSC: You guys are all studs. I’m so impressed with all of you… By the way, I’m not comfortable calling women “guys”… You know they call men ruggers “boys,” so maybe we should call you “boys” as well?
Lauren: (smiles) How about ladies?

Lauren Hoeck

CJ: Yes, ladies.
YSC: Great! So, ladies, you did very well on Friday.
Lauren: Yes, we did.
CJ: We went 4-0. We beat China that day.

YSC: Well, now you have to beat China in Hong Kong.
CJ: That would be a great comeback.
Lauren: Is Hong Kong official yet?
CJ: No, it depends on funding. We’re working on it…

YSC: So what do you think of Coach Ric Suggit so far?
Lauren: All around he is really fun, knowledgeable… I really learned a lot.
CJ: Relaxed, at the same time.
YSC: Do you have to teach him anything about managing the women’s 7s team?
CJ: He’s managed women’s 15s and 7s in Canada before. He’s also coached basketball, so he’s done it all.
Lauren: He knows when to delegate and what he needs to do, and he keeps it really simple.
CJ: He’s worked with women and he’s worked with men… he has an incredible coaching awareness.
YSC: So you like his style?
CJ: He treats us with a lot of respect…
Lauren: I’ve never met a coach in any sport I’ve played like him… he has a really different style.
YSC: In what way?
Lauren: More of a management style, I’d say. He’s trusting of us. He figures that you’ve gotten this far, so you know how to run your life… you know how to manage your health and your well-being, so he doesn’t really interfere.
CJ: He just respects you as an adult and as an elite athlete. He trusts that you’re here for a reason.

YSC: What are you most excited about this year?
Lauren: The fresh start. I feel like the team has bonded really well, and I feel like we have a good base. Ric said that he just has more and more to offer. So he seems very knowledgeable and I’m excited to pick his brain as we go along.
CJ: It’s true, the part we saw this weekend was phenomenal, and I think there’s more for him to reveal.
YSC: You ladies must have been pretty good athletes in other sports.
Lauren: How about just calling us “you guys?” (laughing)
YSC: OK, what made you “guys” decide to take up rugby?
Lauren: I got tricked into it by a co-worker. It was during our interview, she talked about rugby a little bit and then I watched some. And then she asked me if I wanted to play. She’s a 15s prop… she’s a 225 pound woman! So I was a little bit like “no I’m not playing.” Then I went out for a practice and it was unbelievably addicting.
YSC: Ric mentioned that one of the important things to him is the building of younger players, the culture of rugby, so that there’s a new stream of players coming up. Do you “guys” get involved with that in your communities?
Lauren: Yes, we play for Nova, and there’s a U-19 team that a couple of our players coach. We go to their fund-raising… we try to support them as much as we can. It’s very developed at this point.

YSC: Typical interview question: What’s one thing you’d like your fans to know about you?
Lauren: CJ is a pro skateboarder. She was here (in Las Vegas) two weeks ago for a tournament.
YSC: You mean like extreme sports skating?
CJ: Yeah, I won the women’s open.
YSC: Very cool!
Lauren: She does that to pay for her rugby (all laughing).
YSC: And you, Lauren?
Lauren: Oh man… I can’t compete with a pro skateboarder. Just give us another question…!
YSC: OK, what’s one thing you DON’T want your fans to know about you?
Lauren: Well why would we say that? (all laughing…)
CJ: Well what we want our fans to know is like a group thing, which is that we need to start traveling internationally on a regular basis, and that’s dependent on support and fans and funding, and a system, like we said, of building from the youth upward. So it’s not just the players in the core, but it’s the whole culture of rugby. We truly are depended on the fans, because that’s part of the funding, and we are dependent on our sponsors, without whom we don’t exist.

YSC: Right… So what about promoting the image of women’s rugby in particular. What has to be done in this country to get that going?
Laura: In general, once the men’s side gets bigger, then it will trickle down to the women’s side. Until that becomes a big part of American sports, we won’t be there. It’s just like basketball. Once the men’s team got to a certain level the women started catching up.
CJ: Or like soccer, that’s probably a more recent example.
Laura: Exactly. It’s just going to take a while. The men’s side needs a lot of support, too. They’ve got more than we do but they still don’t compare to other American sports.
CJ: There are a lot of IRB-approved 7s tournaments throughout the world, and only a small percentage include women’s competitions in conjunction with them right now. So ideally every single IRB tournament would have men’s and women’s divisions.
Laura: Yeah, we’re not IRB-approved yet.
CJ: When we were first included in the World Cup last year, that was huge for us, and the Olympics will be huge as well.
YSC: When I talked to Ric he said his goal was a gold medal in the Olympics! What do you think about that?
Laura: Sounds good to me!
CJ: Nothing less!
Laura: I think it’s not unreasonable… we got third at the World Cup, and we’re picking up steam as we go.

YSC: Do either of you expect to be playing on the Olympic team?
Laura: We certainly hope so! I know Ric is looking at high schools now so he’s going to get a lot of athletes from there. But he’ll need some leaders in six years! Hopefully that will be us!
YSC: How about the possibility of an exhibition tournament at the 2012 Olympics in London…?
Lauren: I would imagine so. The game basically started in England, so they have all the basic infrastructure there, so it makes sense. They haven’t officially announced it yet.
CJ: We’re used to being non-official (smiles)
Lauren: (laughs) We don’t mind!
YSC: You don’t mind being non-official as long as you get to go!
Lauren: Yeah, we can still tell everybody that we’re going to the Olympics!

—————
Monty’s note: Sometime after the interview, it was made known that the women would NOT be attending the Hong Kong Sevens tournament in March, due to lack of funding. When I inquired as to what kind of funding was required, I was shocked to learn how little was required. (It’s such a minuscule amount, I’m embarrassed to even mention it here.) Now tell me… is there not one brand-name company in this country that would care to sponsor an Olympic-bound US rugby team?

Come on, rugby fans! The women need our help. As coach Ric Suggit pointed out, if the women don’t start participating in more elite-level international tournaments, how can they expect to do well in 6 years? If anyone out there has connections with People In High Places, now’s the time to call in those favors. Those of you who blog about rugby… we have to do more to promote the team and get them into the hearts and minds of Americans, and to get them the financial support and sponsorship they need.

[Monty Nyriws is a rugby newbie whose temperature is easily raised when people are not treated fairly]

Copyright (c) 2010 YourScrumhalfConnection.com and cuestaPhoto.com. All rights reserved.

from Guampdn.com:

The 13th Annual Budweiser True GRIT (Guam Rugby International Tournament) wrapped up yesterday at the Wettengel Rugby Field.

Women’s Division results: Hong Kong 19, Para Todu 5; Royals 32, Guam Rugby Club Women 0; Hong Kong 22, Royals 0; Little Blacks 71, Southern 0; Little Blacks 34, Para Todu 0; Guam Rugby Club 26, Southern 5; Royals 14, Para Todu 7.

Men’s Division results: Kurumi 35, Southside 14; IGETA 29, International Christian University 0; Guam Rugby Club 48, Old Soaks 0; Zenkai 22, Barbarians 7; Samuraiz 36, Southside 0; Para Todu 17, IGETA 0; Guam Rugby Club 68, Zenkai 0; International Christian University 12, Southside 5; Samuraiz 38, IGETA 0; Kurumi 17, Para Todu 0.

Monty Nyriws

Welcome to another Guest Blog from Monty (to read his first blog, go here). This time Monty was able to snag some time with the new USA 7s coach Ric Suggit. Read below!

One of the more pleasant surprises I had at the Las Vegas Sevens last weekend, aside from the Eagles Bowl win, Kevin and Lauren’s engagement, and the thrill of being on the field with camera in hand, was meeting the USA men’s and women’s coaches. I admit that I expected both Al Caravelli and Ric Suggit to be very busy that weekend, and would have little time for a relatively unknown blog reporter. I was wrong. Both coaches came across as genuinely friendly and interested in my “assignment” with YSC for the tournament. I came away from both meetings feeling very positive about the prospects for both men’s and women’s teams, and realizing how lucky the players were to have them as coaches.

My primary assignment for YSC was to interview newly-appointed women’s Sevens coach Ric Suggit, to find out more about his plans for the team as well as the man himself. Ric was kind enough to sit down with me for a good 20 minutes while I pestered him with questions. I discovered that the man has a great sense of humor (some of my questions were “off the wall” so to speak), and seems to have a genuine love for the sport and especially for coaching women’s rugby.

In my opinion, the most exciting thing that came out of the interview was Ric’s goal for the team: a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics! You may think he’s dreaming, but that’s how the path to all Olympic gold starts… with a dream. And just watching the women play, you can see that they really leave their hearts on the field.

Ric also talked about the future of USA rugby in general, not only for women’s sevens, but also for the men’s teams. He has obviously given a lot of thought to the development of rugby in the States, and seems very confident about the prospects. His enthusiasm got me fired up… I can see how the women on the team might feel. Their confidence can only increase going forward.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Ric Suggit Sunday, February 14, 2010

Your ScrumHalfConnection: Congratulations on your first major tournament as coach of the US Women’s 7’s team. How do you feel about it?
Ric Suggit: I’m excited…I mean, I wouldn’t have thrown my name into the ring if I didn’t think I was gonna like it.
YSC: What made you do that? Was it something you had wanted to do for a long time?
RS: It’s funny because I was asked the same question by the girls tonight.
(YSC: Thinking… uh… am I going to ask the same questions he’s already been asked?)
YSC: They probably don’t know you that well yet, right?
RS: Yeah. They wanted to know why a coach who’s been to several world cups, coaching men’s teams… what would be my interest in coaching them. There were a couple of things. One is the attraction of going to the Olympics, for sure. And the other one is I love coaching women in Rugby. I coached the Canadian women teams for 5 years and they were a fabulous bunch of athletes and people… This opportunity came up and I put a resume and plan together and sent it to the high performance director Alex Williams, and I ended up getting the position in a day. Yeah, I’m pretty happy.
YSC: What do you think made you stand out among all the other applicants?
RS: Obviously, they ran out of choices…(ha ha) I don’t know, some people will say I might have been the second or third choice. As I was saying to the girls, it doesn’t matter what choice you are when you’re here. You are that choice and you make do with what you have and you just carry on. I don’t know why they chose me but I’m happy they did.

Ida Berstein in the USA Sevens final vs China

YSC: A lot of the fans I talked to want to know what kind of changes you’re going to be making. Do you have new team rules?
RS: There aren’t a lot of rules. They’re not being micro-managed. They are mature young adults, they’re very knowledgeable. I just give them suggestions and they make life choices. They’ll grow faster and they’ll grow as better people because of it. One of the things they said they enjoyed was sometimes I was there and sometimes they turned around and I was gone. They need their space to find themselves. When we are on the field no one can play the game for them… Sevens is a great game in which to do that. It’s like hockey or basketball, it’s free-flowing, you go-go-go. The last thing you want to do is stand over the top of them and scream and holler.
YSC: Do you have a new strategy or game plan, or is it a secret? I don’t want you to tell me and then have to kill me…
RS: (another laugh) As I say to everyone there are no secrets in the game of rugby. Especially with modern technology and video… You can pick up the defensive structures and systems, attacking patterns and flows… The truth is to find the correct form that suits the team, and make sure that you can accelerate your strengths and then mask your weaknesses. We didn’t do a very good job of that in our last game today.
YSC: But you did very well in the tournament overall.
RS: Yeah, they really started to be more fluid together and not chase around so much. Today we got beat by a team that was red hot, good running lines, accurate passing, they were fit. We had come into the game trying a tactic to double team up on them to hope to tire them out and that didn’t work. So we’ll have to go back to the drawing board.

CJ Hildreth fending a Chinese player in the USA Sevens Final

YSC: How do you define success for the team and how will you know when you get there?
RS: I think in small stages. The overall success is to win the gold medal in 2016. But we can’t just go there and do that. We have to have all the building blocks on the way. If we can get into the Pan-Am games.. get into elite competitions.. get the women involved into the IRB series, even four stops… Dubai, Las Vegas, Hong Kong and London or Wellington. Four really good spots in which we can afford to house the women just prior to the men’s event, then we’re talking about another successful step for women in rugby. You know they pushed so hard to get women involved in the Olympics, so they need to provide the structure so that when they get there they’re not embarrassed.
YSC: So your vision is definitely Olympic-bound
RS: Yes, that’s my vision and it’s USA Rugby’s vision, too. And we can’t forget about all the other parts of rugby. We need to focus on the under-20 program, if that program is strong it will benefit the 7s program. If the 15s program is strong, it will benefit the 7s program. So we have to think about rugby as a whole, and when we do that then we can make better use of our resources. For the women’s program that lacks resources we have to make better use of them without complaining.
YSC: Since this year seems like it might be a 15s-focused year, what with the World Cup coming up, what impact will that have on the Sevens program?
RS: We will see some focus on Sevens for sure. Just because the 15s go to the World Cup doesn’t mean that you stop doing everything else. We’ve talked about that. We had a 2-day meeting in Boulder with Alex Williams and Kathy Flores, and Nigel Melville was in some of the meetings as well. We’re taking a good look at everything and making sure that we don’t forget about under 20s, Sevens, and so on. Although the resources this year will definitely go to the 15s program, deservedly so, if they do well and let’s say finish in the top 2 or 3 in the World Cup then it should also generate more exposure for women in the States in rugby.

YSC: Are you familiar with the effort by William Tatham Jr. to put together a professional rugby sevens league in the US? What do you think about this idea?
RS: I’d liken it to the effort to promote beach volleyball, and I think it could be a good thing if it takes off. I think the way the Sevens game is played, the North American fan will jump on it. There’s been talk about that forever among the rugby coaches. If it takes off I don’t care how it takes off as long as it takes off.
YSC: What if you put the beach volleyball uniforms on these (rugby) girls?
RS: (Covers the recorder…) I’d delete that one! (laughs). I’m just asking them to change their socks right now.

YSC: Fans on the West Coast, especially in California, want to know if there are any plans for developing women’s sevens on the west coast in particular.
RS: We’re going to search high and low for the best athletes to play Sevens. We’ve got six years to teach them the Sevens. So if it’s a 17 year old, by the time the Olympics rolls around they’ll be 23. Or if it’s a 24 year old and she’s really really fit and loves to play sevens, she’ll be 30 and she’ll be mature enough to lead the side. I just want someone who loves playing Sevens who wants to make a total commitment for the six years.
YSC: So 30, 31 is not too old for a rugby player?
RS: Definitely not. Not for North Americans because some of them don’t come into rugby until later. For example, someone who played NCAA soccer is done playing soccer at 21, 22, but she might actually excel at rugby. So she might just come in then. Or a basketball player or volleyball or track star who might want to smash the daylights out of someone and score some tries and win a gold medal. (Smiles…) We have to formulate a better way of attracting more types of athletes, but we need to provide an appropriate environment, because there’s so much more discipline in training when you come to rugby.

YSC: So what do you think about the “darling” couple of rugby sevens, Kevin and Lauren?
RS: I’ve asked them to sign a “no baby” clause through 2016! That goes for both of them! (More laughing…) I think it’s fantastic. It’s one of those Disney stories almost where a fairy tale couple gets engaged.
YSC: That may have been the highlight of the tournament.

RS: Yes it was very classy. I was glad they were able to do it with the men winning the Bowl. It was a very stressful week. This week was a roller coaster for Sevens Rugby in the US and I’m glad it could end on a high note for the men’s team.
YSC: So do you think we should ask the rest of the guys on the men’s team if they have any girlfriends who want to try out for the team?
RS: Some of the girls just asked me where all the hot Canadian guys were! We’ll leave that one alone!

YSC: So what has to be done to improve the image of women’s rugby in this country?
RS: For a start, what they’re doing with Rookie Rugby is a good thing because they’re getting the kids interested at a very young age. I think that’s part of the way they’re going to change the culture of rugby in North America. They need to develop solid grass roots programs. As for the group that we have now, they need to be cognizant of the fact that they have to promote themselves and present an image that is a cut above the rest. Instead of us trying to reach a standard forever, let’s set our own standard that is higher than everyone else’s.
YSC: You’re kind of a good looking guy, do you think your face could help the image of rugby?
RS: No, I don’t think so.. (as he sports his game-winning smile…) I think there are some faces in USA rugby that they could use to promote the game. Take a look at Kevin and Lauren today. There’s an attractive couple. I’d be interested to see what’s on the USA rugby web page in the next couple of days. If it was up to me they’d be on there… (With a “no baby” clause!)

YSC: Just a couple more questions about yourself… What’s your favorite non-rugby past-time?
RS: I have a lovely wife and three kids. I’m very fortunate. I don’t spend enough time with them and so when I get home I spend more time with them. I coach my daughter’s under 8 soccer team. That was new for me and I really enjoyed it. I do warm-up drills with soccer balls in their hands! I’ll convert them all!
YSC: What would be your favorite motivational word?
RS: You can’t print it! (Laughs). I bumped into a gentleman who said “Your team is ordinary.” It was before our game, so I told the girls tonight, “Let’s go out there and do something extra-ordinary.” I think we will be extraordinary. I think we’ll prove that we can do something that’s never been done before. It would be nice to be the first women’s team to win a gold medal.
YSC: You seem like a guy who is pretty cool and doesn’t easily lose his temper… so what’s your favorite cuss word?
RS: (Big laugh) Boy, there are too many. The girls have heard them all already. You can check with them. They can probably give you a few that I use.
YSC: I really appreciate your taking the time to do this interview for Your Scrumhalf Connection. I sure hope the women will be able to make it to Hong Kong.

For more photos from Monty and Sunday’s action in the USA vs China final, go here.

Photo Credits: CuestaPhoto.com

Copyright (c) 2010 YourScrumhalfConnection.com and cuestaPhoto.com. All rights reserved.

from USA Sevens:

(Las Vegas) – ABC will broadcast the USA Sevens Rugby Tournament presented by Bridgestone as a one-hour special on Saturday, February 20 at 5PM ET / 2PM PT.

The USA 7s event was held February 13-14th in Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium, and is the fourth stop of the eight global tournaments that compose the annual IRB Sevens World Series circuit. Sixteen elite international teams competed in 44 matches over the two days with the United States claiming the Bowl and Samoa’s chase to the Cup Final.

The one hour program is narrated by David Amber of ESPN, with insights and match commentary featuring Dave Sitton, Nigel Starmer-Smith, Wyn Gruffydd, Ray Viers and international analyst Jonnie Cox.

“In addition to the dynamic tournament coverage of the most recent Olympic sport, we will also have the opportunity to introduce the USA team to America,” said Mark S. Reilly, of USA Sevens LLC and the executive producer. “Viewers, both rugby fans and those new to the game, will find their stories compelling.”

USA Sevens LLC and the USA Rugby are encouraging all current and former players and fans across America to support the growth of rugby in this country by tuning in to watch this broadcast – be sure to check your local listings for the times in your area.

from ScrumQueens:

The national women’s rugby teams of Japan and Hong Kong will curtain raise an Asian 5 Nations game for the first time this year when the two sides do battle on May 22.

The game, to be played in Japan, marks a big moment for women’s rugby in Asia, which will receive a big exposure boost as the match is likely to take place in front of a large crowd.

The Asian Five Nations (A5N) is a competition which started in 2008 between the men’s teams from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan and the Arabian Gulf. With this year’s competition serving as a qualification route for the 2011 World Cup, a big interest in the games is expected.

With neither women’s teams from Hong Kong or Japan qualifying for this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the game marks the main 15 aside fixture so far on both nation’s calenders.

It also continues on the growing trend of women’s internationals acting as curtain raisers to major men’s test matches with England and the Black Ferns curtain raising at Twickenham last year and with France and Canda doing likewise at the Stade de France.

Both Hong Kong and Japan took part in the Women’s World Cup Qualifiers last year with Japan reaching the final but losing out to Kazakhstan who grabbed the last spot.

Hong Kong finished behind Japan in third spot in the competition with a final day win over Singapore.

Asian women’s rugby suffer from a lack of a mainstream 15 aside competition, with teams forced to play each other sporadically which leaves them ill prepared for World Cup Qualifiers every four years so game so of this nature are significant.

Meanwhile the Hong Kong 7s taking place in March is due to announce the participating women’s teams this week.