Charlie Kain-Williams
Contributing Writer
On a brisk night in Vallejo the Dons faced off against UC Monterey Bay for 80 minutes of rugby. The Dons came out ahead with a final score of 43-17. Continue reading Rugby Club Kicks Off Season By Breaking Even
The University of San Francisco’s men’s rugby team spent last Thursday, Feb. 9 through Sunday, Feb. 12 competing in and watching rugby matches at the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championships qualifier tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament is an NCAA Division I event, and while USF’s team is a club sport, it was considered to be a Division III level team at the tournament. The new classification led to some changes in the University’s recognition of the team, which included partial funding for the Las Vegas trip. Generally, club sports teams pay for the costs of travel and equipment on their own, but as an NCAA sanctioned sport, the University pays those costs.
In addition to funding, there is an even bigger change that comes with switching between club and NCAA level rugby. Club rugby plays a 15s game (15 players on the field at a time), while NCAA rugby is a 7s game (seven players on the field at a time). USF’s rugby team, the Defenders of the Faith, was challenged to learn a new style of play before their matches in Las Vegas.
The Defenders played matches against St. Joseph’s University, University of Buffalo and the Claremont Colleges. They weren’t able to come away with any wins, but the tournament was an important learning experience for the developing team.
“While we dropped all three matches, this tournament was a litmus test for us as far as essential rugby skills go, and we performed well,” junior team captain and club president Rainier Cardin said.
“Our lack of time and experience with 7s showed, but our basic rugby skills were very sound so I, personally, am very happy with what we did and I know the coaches are as well.”
The USF team spent the rest of the weekend in Las Vegas watching the other events taking place in and around Sam Boyd stadium. The biggest event was the HSBC International Sevens World Series, a tournament among the best sevens rugby teams in the world. The team from Samoa defeated New Zealand for the championship in the 16-team tournament.
The USF Defenders return to San Francisco to play out the rest of their season in the Bay area. Discounting the Las Vegas tournament, they will play 10 matches in the regular season and also add 4-5 pre-season matches. The pre-season takes place during the fall semester while the regular season runs January-April.
“(This season) I want to see this team grow. We are very young and fairly new as a unit to the game of rugby. We do, however, have some phenomenal individual talent and I want to see more of the newer guys learning from the veterans and becoming veterans themselves who lead future USF ruggers,” Cardin said.
The Las Vegas tournament was a chance for USF to improve on skills and strength before playing the rest of their regular season.
“The team was awesome,” Cardin said. “We have very little 7s experience, but we gave it all we had for those three matches and our skills, as well as our fitness levels, grew significantly.”
The Defenders play their next match on Saturday, Feb. 18 against their rivals San Francisco State. The match begins at 1pm at Negoesco Field.
Disclaimer: In this article, football means soccer. Sorry Vince Lombardi.
The population of New Zealand hovers around 4 million people and 60 million sheep. In an attempt to even those numbers, New Zealand is hosting the Rugby World Cup, putting up the 20 best international teams and 130,000 fans. That is quite an increase of warm bodies in a country half the size of Texas.
Legend has it that rugby came to be when, while playing a game of football in 1823 in Rugby, England, William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran forward, running over the opposition. Since that day, rugby has become the contact sport of choice for the world, minus the US. Unsurprisingly, the English colonies of the 19th century have become the powerhouses of the sport, with New Zealand, Australia and
Ireland being among the best in the world. The governing body of the sport, The International Rugby Board, came to be in 1886, created the Rugby World Cup in 1987. The inaugural Cup was held in Australia and
New Zealand and teams competed for the William Webb Ellis Cup, which was won by the favored All Blacks of New Zealand. Since then, the Australian Wallabies have won twice, the Springboks of South Africa have won twice and the English Roses won once, upsetting the Wallabies in Sydney, in what is considered the greatest match ever.
The game of rugby is played on a pitch similar to a soccer field, but slightly longer and wider. Each team puts 15 players on the field, who are broken up into 8 very large forwards and 7 smaller back. The goal is to touch an oval ball down in the try zone for a Try, worth 5 points. The ensuing kick for extra points is worth 2 points and is taken from the spot where the ball is placed down for the Try. Teams can also kick for points during play, worth 3 points.
The game is 80 minutes long, and played in two halves. A team is allowed 7 subs during a match. Teams may only pass the ball backwards, but can kick it forwards to gain lots of meters at once, but risk the other side gaining possession. For the more technical rules of the game, visit irb.com.
This year’s World Cup has lived up to the hype. The host side, New Zealand has had little trouble thus far, handily beating Tonga and Japan to lead Pool A. Their first real test will be against France, a team known for their big, aggressive forward pack. In Pool B, the favored Argentina Pumas were upset by England in their first match. England then went on to maul Georgia, winning 41-10.
Pool C has provided a lot of excitement. The Cup favorite Australia lost to a determined Irish side in a match marked by stubborn defense, which neither team scored a Try. The USA Eagles, playing in pool C, have shown that the US is a growing force in rugby, giving Ireland a run for their money and winning the Cold War match against Russia. In Pool D, Wales and South Africa played a great match won by the South African Springboks by a score of 17-16.
If these trends were to continue, the eight teams advancing out of pool play would be the New Zealand All Blacks, the English Roses, the Australian Wallabies, the Argentinean Pumas, the South African Springboks, France, Ireland, and Wales. Scotland, however, has a chance to knock out Argentina with a win against them on Sept 25th and take their spot in the field of 8. Many experts have New Zealand winning their third Webb Ellis Cup at home, but a resurgent Ireland and a scrappy English side cannot be overlooked as potential champions.
Additionally, the Wallabies will lick their wounds and make a serious and aggressive post pool run at the Cup.
All of this international drama is largely overlooked by America. Rugby is not a popular sport amongst younger players, hampering the growth of the sport here in the States. At the moment there are around 87,000 American ruggers, compared to American Football, which has well over 1,000,000 players. While rugby is growing in the US, the best athletes tend to play sports that will help them pay for college, which does not include rugby, since the NCAA does not recognize rugby 15’s as a sport.
In August, however, the NCAA officially sanctioned Rugby 7’s, a faster paced version of rugby 15’s, which is played with 7 players a side. Hopefully this action by the NCAA will help rugby grow in the US. Imagine Patrick Willis hitting people without pads.
Or visualize Adrian Peterson running down the sideline, lighter and faster without his plastic body armor? It would be quite a show. If D-1 football players would give rugby a shot, the USA could field one of the most exciting rugby teams on the international circuit. The major difficulty with rugby is that all 15 players must be able to run with the ball, tackle, kick, catch and pass. American
Football is highly specialized, thus many players would struggle to pick up rugby. It would, however, be extremely satisfying to see Warren Sapp kick a ball downfield, run after it for 40 meters, catch it in the air, run 30 more, and score. However outlandish that scenario sounds, rugby players as big as Sapp are asked to do just that on the stage that is called the Rugby World Cup.
If you would like to watch some matches with the USF Rugby Team, or for more information on upcoming rugby games, e-mail [email protected]
It has been awhile since my last rugby write-up, and I believe I’ve come a long way. Instead of attending matches simply to ogle at men in short shorts, I now understand the rules and play of the game. Don’t get me wrong, the shorts are still a great perk, but the knowledge I have of the game was very useful when the USF men’s rugby team matched up against Humboldt State this past Saturday.
The team has been attempting to grow throughout the past three years. With constant dips and spikes in the roster, they’ve had a tough time with consistency. While USF has offered club rugby since 1997, they have often operated under the radar; however, the team has begun the season on an exciting note, winning their first game in the last three years.
The first half against Humboldt started out looking a bit grim when the opposing team quickly scored two tries. While it may have been easy for USF to become discouraged, the team kept their heads in the game and finished the half with a score of 12 to 17, down only one try.
The second half was full of exhilarating play. USF’s players fought with fervor, and it was clear that the team was finally starting to gain their bearings. Both teams consistently scored tries, but USF couldn’t seem to one up Humboldt.
Inevitably, injuries ensued throughout the game, the top honor going to USF player Hugo Ramirez. Exerting energy and a true knowledge of the game throughout the entire match, Ramirez could be seen making tackles and advancing the ball across the entire pitch. Unfortunately, during one of his tackles he was knocked in mouth, causing his jaw to break. He then had to walk himself and his broken jaw to St. Mary’s for treatment.
With the loss of one of their more experienced players, USF was forced to keep their play at one hundred percent. After a great return, the team was able to score, lessening the point discrepancy.
With a win nearly in their grasps, USF battled to get the ball back into their try zone. With the game nearing the end, USF kicked the ball resulting in a drop goal and an additional three points. This was just enough to put USF on top with a score of 30-29. The game ended as Humboldt neared their try line, coming close to a try, but missing out with mere seconds left on the game clock.
The team has undoubtedly grown out of its infant state, and, if they continue to play with the commitment and dedication, they will definitely be a force to be reckoned with this season. For more information on the team, and for a schedule of their games visit usfrugby.com.
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After more than one (which is one more than necessary) Ke$ha dance session in the USF club sports van, I and the rest of the women’s rugby team arrived at UC Davis ready for a day of play. After our last two games were cancelled due to the rain (and the unfinished Negoesco Field) we were all itching to get some game time in.
The team has gone through a lot of changes in the past few months, with a much-needed addition of new faces, leading to a boost in the teams’ morale. The group, with girls from both SF State and USF, amounts to nearly 15 (the magical number needed to fill a side), though only thirteen were able to make it to the game this past weekend. With a few extra girls from Sacramento State filling in our missing spots, we had the numbers needed to get the game on the way.
After a few minutes of chaotic play we all began to gain our bearings, with the newer players catching on quick. While both USF and Davis both made it within yards of their individual goals a few times throughout the first half, no tries were made. With a score of 0-0 after thirty minutes of play, I must say I was proud of our team for keeping the opposing side’s scoring at bay.
The second half started off well, with a breakaway run from SF State’s, Sally Le. Nearing the try line she was taken down by a player from Davis only to get back on her feet and continue her run. Unfortunately, Le was unable to reach the try line successfully and no goal was made.
As time went on it was clear our fitness was lacking. As we drug ourselves across the field, Davis was able to outrun the team on a few plays, and managed to find the holes in our defensive line. Eventually they managed to score two tries on us, leaving the score at 10-0.
The game was a great learning opportunity for both new and old players. Many of our girls had never seen a rugby game play out, and it’s nearly impossible to understand concepts at a practice without enough girls to field a single side. The loss didn’t dismay anyone, including USF’s coach, Kathy Flores, who spoke only positive words within the team huddle at the end of the match.
USF definitely has the potential to strive forward in the coming season. With a continuing influx of committed players the future of women’s rugby is shining bright.
