Your Scrumhalf Connection

The Girl and I knew that this was a critical match for the US since they had just previously lost to Ireland a few days ago. So we hatched a plan to videotape the match and put it up for all those fans that couldn’t be there in person. It was done without a tripod so it might be a bit jumpy or blurry, but some video is better than no video right?

UPDATE 4pm: FINALLY I got the compression settings right! Here is the full match and the highlights are still below.

WRWC: USA vs Ireland Full Match from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

We will attempt to video tape the next game as well (Sep 5, 2010), but no promises!

USA announces side for Ireland rematch

GUILDFORD, UK – The U.S. Women’s National Team has been presented with an opportunity for redemption in a rematch against the Irish at Surrey Sports Park. Momentum gained from their last pool play match will bring them one step closer to a 5th place finish in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Results of this test will dictate their next opponent, depending on the outcome of the Canada versus Scotland, and will also impact the final tournament rankings.

The U.S. met Ireland in the second round of pool play and came away with a disappointing 22-12 loss. Commitment to the task and self-reflection resulted in a much stronger performance against England as the Eagles managed to score the only points against the tournament leaders in their nationally broadcast Pool B closing match with a final score of 37-10. The Irish drew Kazakhstan as their final pool play opponent and defeated them with little trouble by posting a 37-3 result.

“We are excited to have a second chance against Ireland. We have reviewed film, recognized our mistakes, and are looking forward to capitalizing on the corrections we were able to make against England,” said head coach Kathy Flores.

The front row will relish another opportunity to test the Irish scrum with Farrah Douglas returning at loosehead prop and Mari Wallace back at hooker. Lara Vivolo will join them with fresh legs at tighthead prop.

Blaire Groefsema and Sharon Blaney will team up once more to provide resolute strength in the second row. Blindside flanker, Kristin Zdanczewicz, will launch from the back row with assistance from openside, Beckett Royce, and Mel Denham at number eight.

Scrumhalf Kim Magrini will push the tempo alongside Christy Ringgenberg at flyhalf, while Nathalie Marchino and Vix Folayan cover the wings. Emilie Bydwell will handle the inside center position with support from Amy Daniels at outside. Ashley English completes the back triangle at fullback.

“It’s not often in rugby that we get the chance to play an international squad again so soon. We are looking forward to the rematch against Ireland. We’ll be focusing on cleaning up our penalties around the breakdown, while still playing aggressive, physical defense. On offense, we’ll look to maintain possession of the ball in contact, and getting the ball into the try zone,” said team captain, English.

USA versus Ireland will take place at 4:30 p.m. GMT on the main pitch at Surrey Sports Park to account for the high volume of supporters from both nations.

USA v IRELAND

1 FARRAH DOUGLAS – AT LARGE
2 MAURIN WALLACE – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
3 LARA VIVOLO – NEW YORK
4 BLAIRE GROEFSEMA – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
5 SHARON BLANEY – BEANTOWN
6 KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ – MINNESOTA VALKYRIES
7 BECKETT ROYCE – ORSU
8 MELANIE DENHAM – BEANTOWN
9 KIM MAGRINI – KEYSTONE
10 CHRISTY RINGGENBERG – MINNESOTA VALKYRIES
11 NATHALIE MARCHINO – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
12 EMILIE BYDWELL – BEANTOWN
13 AMY DANIELS – BEANTOWN
14 VICOTIRA FOLAYAN – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
15 ASHLEY ENGLISH – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
16 LISA BUTTS – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
17 NAIMA REDDICK – BERKELEY ALL-BLUES
18 STACEY BRIDGES – AT LARGE
19 PHAIDRA KNIGHT – NEW YORK
20 CLAUDIA BRAYMER – ALBANY
21 MELISSA KANUK – MINNESOTA VALKYRIES
22 VANESHA MCGEE – NEW YORK

from USARugby:

GUILDFORD, UK – USA dropped their final Pool B match against England, who will enter the semi finals as the top seed of the Women’s Rugby World Cup. The four teams to go through to the semi-finals include New Zealand, France, Australia, and England. The Women Eagles, while disappointed in the result, produced an exciting display of rugby fit for a nationwide broadcast.

England’s Danielle Waterman drew first blood in the first five minutes utilizing blistering speed to the outside. Katy McLean added three more points with a well-struck penalty making the score 8-0 in favor of England. The Women Eagles responded midway through the first half with a try by Nathalie Marchino. The wing broke through initially, setting up several successful phases and worked her way back into play to finish the move with a try in the corner.

England countered by scoring with five minutes remaining in the half to extend their lead to 13-5. McLean weighted a grubber kick perfectly for Merchant who touched down for the score. USA then went down a player after Marchino was yellow carded and England took full advantage with another try from Waterman. The fullback evaded several defenders before scoring under the posts and the half would close with England leading 20-5.

The USA began the second half with fierce aggression and commitment in the tackle as the English Roses suffered a few early mishandles. Ten minutes into the second half, English center, Emily Scarratt, righted the situation by breaking two tackles and sprinting to the line to give England a 25-5 lead. At the 60 minute mark, despite another yellow card dealt to the Americans, the Women Eagles scored their second try through a dedicated effort by Kim Magrini. Christy Ringgenberg’s boot gave the USA possession around England’s 22 meter line to lead into some open play, with Magrini diving in for the try, making the score 25-10.

England’s final phases produced well-worked tries by Amber Penrith, who was able to beat the USA defense outside, and Maggie Alphonsi who side-stepped her way into another five points. The final whistle sounded and England had defeated the USA with a score of 37-10.

“I’m pleased with our performance as we proved we were able to bounce back from a disheartening second round match. We were able to score and defend against England, one of the top ranked teams in the tournament, and we forced them to bring their best game to earn the win. We believe we are in a positive position leading into next week,” said Eagle head coach, Kathy Flores.

With the final pool play points tallied, the Women Eagles have earned a second chance against Ireland in a battle for placement amongst the fifth to eighth seeds. England will look forward to a semifinal against Australia. The USA will take on Ireland one more time on Wednesday September 1, hopefully with a better result than their previous encounter. The USA lost their second Pool B match against the Irish 22-12 on August 24.

USA 10, England 37

USA 10
Tries: Marchino, Magrini

England 37
Tries: Waterman (2), Scarratt, Merchant, Penrith, Alphonsi
Penalties: McLean
Conversions: McLean 2

GUILDFORD, UK – USA Rugby’s Women’s National Team has regrouped from a difficult loss to Ireland to name an official roster for the final round of Women’s Rugby World Cup pool play against England. This crucial match will determine the USA’s fate in terms of a possible semi-final appearance and will be broadcast on Universal Sports channel at 10 p.m. EST.

England currently holds the lead in Pool B with a convincing 12-try win over Kazakhstan and a more challenging 27-0 contest against Ireland. USA found a similar result against Kazakhstan with an impressive 51-0 offensive display. Their second pool play match offered a different outcome as Ireland was able to capitalize on the USA’s mistakes and come away winners with a score of 22-12. The Women Eagles intend to regain their form by improving their ball retention, while maintaining their focus under pressure.

“The energy is high and the players are ready to play to the best of their abilities. We are looking forward to an elevated game of rugby and showcasing what this team can do when faced with a challenge,” said head coach, Kathy Flores.

The tight five will look to carry over their strong scrum performance against Ireland against a technically sound English side. Farrah Douglas will remain at loosehead prop with Lisa Butts getting the nod at hooker. Jamie Burke will once again provide leadership up front at tighthead.

Blaire Groefsema and Sharon Blaney will provide raw power as the locks, while blindside flanker, Phaidra Knight, and openside, Kristin Zdanczewicz, will amp up the intensity in the backrow. Mel Denham solidifies the forward pack at number 8.

Kim Magrini, as scrumhalf, will work to distribute clean ball to flyhalf, Christy Ringgenberg. Nathalie Marchino joins Vanesha McGee, who showed great pace against Ireland in a late USA rally, on the wing. Lynelle Kugler will move in one spot to inside center to team up with Amy Daniels at outside. Ashley English completes the roster as team captain and full back.

A change to the overall squad due to injury has also been confirmed as Ashley Kmiecik suffered multiple facial fractures during match play against Kazakhstan. Reserve player, Hannah Stolba, has been called up to provide assistance throughout the tournament.

USA versus England is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 GMT and will be broadcast nation wide at 10 p.m. EST via Universal Sports (http://www.universalsports.com/tv-listings/Universal_Sports_on_TV.html) and streamed online at http://www.rwcwomens.com/video/index.html.

USA v IRELAND

1 FARRAH DOUGLAS – At Large
2 LISA BUTTS – Berkeley All-Blues
3 JAMIE BURKE – Beantown
4 BLAIRE GROEFSEMA – Berkeley All-Blues
5 SHARON BLANEY – Beantown
6 PHAIDRA KNIGHT – New York
7 KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ – Minnesota Valkyries
8 MELANIE DENHAM – Beantown
9 KIM MAGRINI – Keystone
10 CHRISTY RINGGENBERG – Minnesota Valkyries
11 NATHALIE MARCHINO – Berkeley All-Blues
12 LYNELLE KUGLER – Twin Cities Amazons
13 AMY DANIELS – Beantown
14 VANESHA MCGEE – New York
15 ASHLEY ENGLISH – Berkeley All-Blues
16 MAURIN WALLACE – Beantown
17 LARA VIVOLO – New York
18 KITTERY WAGNER – Beantown
19 STACEY BRIDGES – At Large
20 CLAUDIA BRAYMER – Albany
21 MELISSA KANUK – Minnesota Valkyries
22 VICTORIA FOLAYAN – Berkeley All-Blues

USA vs England 12:30pm CST – UPDATE: They just announced that this will be available to watch online at http://www.rwcwomens.com/video/index.html.

from Scrumqueens:

The IRB have created a good video preview of the host nation’s final game against the USA this weekend. An English win will secure them a semi-final spot.

Thanks to: IRB / WRWC 2010 / 78Seventy Broadcast

See rwcwomens.com/video for more

from USA Rugby:

GUILDFORD, UK – The Women’s Rugby World Cup moves forward as the U.S. Women’s National Team prepare for Ireland at the Surrey Sports Complex in Guildford, England on Tuesday, August 24th at 4:30 p.m. GMT (11:15 a.m. EST). Head Coach, Kathy Flores, has made changes from their successful day one appearance against Kazakhstan to match up against the dogged Irish defense.

“We expect the Irish to be extremely passionate and fight for every ball they can get, so it is important that we counter their aggression,” Flores said.

Ireland was defeated by England on day one of Women’s Rugby World Cup action with a score of 27-0. The physical and committed Irish side held strong until the final minutes giving up a late try and bonus point to the tournament hosts. The U.S., coming off a 51-0 route of Kazakhstan, will be looking to lessen their penalty count, while continuing to deploy an explosive offensive arsenal against their second Pool B opponent.

“We are building on the positive aspects of our last match and looking forward to improving our attack, while stepping up our defense against a strong Irish side,” said captain, Ashley English.

The front row will be led by Farrah Douglas at loosehead prop, Mari Wallace at hooker, and Jamie Burke at tighthead.

Locks Stacey Bridges and Beckett Royce will provide the drive needed to control the Irish scrum with assistance from blindside flanker Mel Denham and openside flanker, Kitt Wagner. Blair Groefsema will direct the back row at number eight.

The backline will continue to attack with new leadership from Claudia Braymer at scrumhalf and tournament high-scorer, Christy Ringgenberg, at flyhalf. Vanesha McGee will switch in to join Victoria Folayan on the wings. The center pairing also changes to include Melissa Kanuk at inside and Lynelle Kugler at outside. Team captain, Ashley English, will direct the back triangle at fullback.

The USA will face Ireland as the fifth match of the day in the second round of Women’s Rugby World Cup pool play action.

USA v IRELAND
1. FARRAH DOUGLAS – Keystone
2. MAURIN WALLACE – Beantown
3. JAMIE BURKE – Beantown
4. STACEY BRIDGES – Texas A&M
5. BECKETT ROYCE – ORSU Rugby Club
6. MELANIE DENHAM – Beantown
7. KITTERY WAGNER – Beantown
8. BLAIR GROEFSEMA – Berkeley All-Blues
9. CLAUDIA BRAYMER – Albany Sirens
10. CHRISTY RINGGENBERG – Minnesota Valkyries
11. VICTORIA FOLAYAN – Berkeley All-Blues
12. MELISSA KANUK – Minnesota Valkyries
13. LYNELLE KUGLER – Twin Cities Amazons
14. VANESHA MCGEE – New York
15. ASHLEY ENGLISH – Berkeley All-Blues
16. LISA BUTTS – Berkeley All-Blues
17. NAIMA REDDICK – Berkeley All-Blues
18. SHARON BLANEY – Beantown
19. PHAIDRA KNIGHT – New York
20. KIM MAGRINI – Keystone
21. AMY DANIELS – Beantown
22. NATHALIE MARCHINO – Berkeley All-Blues

General Information:
Women’s National Team Website: http://www.wewantrugby.com

Katie Wurst, USA Rugby’s Women’s National Team Media Manager, 303-539-0300 ext. 124, email: kwurst@usarugby.org

Andrea Wiggins, iRB Communications Manager, +353 (0)86-040-3950, email: andrea.wiggins@irb.com