Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

From Ashley Mefford's facebook site.

http://txstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041868&id=29604395
http://txstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041882&id=29604395
http://txstate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041887&id=29604395

DIVISION I WOMEN’S COLLEGE PLAYOFFS
Three of the four teams that advanced to last year’s championships return in 2006 as top-seeded Stanford defeated 79-7, Navy beat Air Force (34-10) and Penn State ran a 34-10 score up on Army. With a 39-28 win over 2004 semifinalist Virginia, Ohio State advances to its first-ever Division I Championship semifinal. In the consolation bracket, Cal shutout Central Florida, 51-0, West Chester upended Princeton (18-10), UC Santa Barbara defeated Radcliffe (19-8) and Chico State held off Northern Iowa, 23-13.


DIVISION II WOMEN’S COLLEGE PLAYOFFS
With a 34-12 win over Claremont, Plymouth State advances to its first championship match since the inaugural USA Rugby Division II Women’s College Championship in 2000 and will face first-time finalist UC Santa Cruz, 32-29 winners over Northeastern. In the Pool A consolation round, Claremont beat Georgia 25-7 and Mary Washington blanked Denison, 33-0 in Pool B.

Best of the West Wrapup

COMPETITIVE BRACKET
1st Place Harlequin Olde Girls 29-17
2nd Place Austin Valkryies
3rd Place Boulder Babes
4th Place Oklahoma Roses
5th Place HARC
6th Place Alamo City

SOCIAL BRACKET
1st Place Arkansas Iron Maidens
2nd Place University of Texas
(waiting for the rest of the results)

-Flickr Photos from Amy on Valkryies
-Awaiting tournament photos from Joe...

Great job Valks...it was an excellent tournament, and congrats HOGS on taking 1st at the FIRST Best of the West Tournament.

-Also will be listing the players selected for West 15's All Stars as soon as the official list comes across email.

Hey all,

I will be away for a few days as I am attending training camp for the West in Austin on Friday. Then playing with the Oklahoma Roses in the Best of the West tournament.

Freakin' excited! Good rugby ahead!!

Will post results monday!

Peace.
WE

Fresh off the press!

Thanks to Chris Franz for writing this up so eloquently!

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Kansas City Jazz 48-7 over Scottsdale Blues

It was a warm humid sunny Saturday morning with temperatures in the mid 70s when the Scottsdale Blues kicked off to the Kansas City Jazz at 11:00am at Seymour Field in Kansas City.

The Jazz began the match on the south end of the field with a stiff wind at their backs. The match was very evenly contested for the first 5 to 10 minutes. At or around the 10th minute into the match the Jazz earned a penalty kick at goal for an off side infraction against the Blues. The kick was converted by Jazz winger, Sara Wood, and the Jazz led 3 – 0.

Minutes later the Jazz fullback, Kristina Johnson crashed the middle of the Blues line at the Jazz 35 taking the ball inside the Blues 22. The Jazz forwards pounded the center until flanker, Emily Bock, punched through a try for the Jazz. The conversion kick by Sara Wood was good and the Jazz led 10 – 0 over the Blues.

On the ensuing kickoff the Jazz had a quick ruck and the ball went out to winger Sara Wood who streaked down the left side of the field and managed to avoid all tacklers to score under the posts in the center. Sara made her kick at goal and the Jazz stretched their lead to 17 – 0 over the Blues.

Both teams were plagued with penalties in the first half of the match. The Jazz, having lost the ball in loose play, suffered various mental mistakes all on the same Blues drive down the field. The penalties varied on this drive such as, off sides at the ruck, hands in the ruck, and failing to release. With about 10 minutes left in the first half Blues prop, Crissy Paul drug several Jazz players into the try zone and scored the Blues only try of the day. Meghan O’Donnell kicked the conversion and the Blues were on the board. Blues 7 – Jazz 17.

Again, penalties beleaguered the Blues, and flanker Emily Bock on a ‘tap and go’ from a penalty plowed through the Blues defense to score again for the Jazz. The lead was now Jazz 24 – Blues 7. This remained the score through the first half.

In the second half the Jazz kicked off to the Blues and Jazz backs moved almost at will with the ball. A beautiful break came from Sara Wood who dished to Jen Nelson to bring the ball inside the 10 meter line. The Jazz forwards took over from there and flanker Emily Bock again emerged from the pile to score easily out flanking the Blues defenders. Sara Wood kicked the conversion and the Jazz led 31 to the Blues 7.

Melissa McKibben broke loose on an open field run and scored under the posts to stretch the Jazz lead to 38 to 7 with the conversion kick coming from Sara Wood.

The Jazz forwards were tough throughout the match but their aggressive hard charging style of play took its toll in the last 15 minutes of the match. The Jazz forwards pounded the ball in for a try from just inside the 15 meter line. Flanker, Sonia Rios, dove in for the try but the conversion kick by Sara Wood was missed and the Jazz extended their lead 43 – Blues 7.

The final try of the day was scored by the Jazz 8-man, Katie Lofton. Lofton broke free and with elusive running she notched the final score for the Jazz bringing the total score to Jazz 48 – Blues 7.

The Lady Blues never gave up in the match and are great competitors on and off the pitch. The West maintains their 3 seeds into the National Championship Round of 16 playoffs in October.

Respectfully submitted by, Christine Franz, Heart of America Treasurer and Match Official.

I added the Baton Rouge Barbarians under Texas Clubside teams today. Not sure if you are club, but it didn't sound like you were collegiate.

Send me some more details! Here is the email I recieved:

Dear Wendy,

Hi, thanks for sending that website address out! I am the contact for the newest women's club side team in
the west, the Baton Rouge Barbarians Women's Team. We are from Louisiana, but our brother team is part of
the TRU and so we have followed their lead.

We are on the way to getting a website, and it would be fantastic if we could be added to the right side of
the website with the club lists :)

Please let me know what information I need to send you.

Thanks!
Marcel Gawronski
Baton Rouge Women's Rugby

The Best of the West tournament is in Austin, TX this weekend....I am very excited!! I have recieved many phone calls, emails etc and am LOVIN' the organization. Makes me want to make our tournaments even better!

Here are the pools and the teams attending:
Pool 1
Austin Valkryies
Colorado Black Ice
Oklahoma Roses

Pool 2
Olde Girls
Boulder Babes
Alamo City

Pool 3
HARC/Rice/Galveston
Texas Women's University
Baton Rouge

Pool 4
NW Arkansas Iron Maidens
University of Texas
Texas State

Rugby starts at 10am on April 22, 2006 and ends later Sunday afternoon. The championship games will start at 9am on Sunday April 23, 2006.

Some notes from Jen Joyce:

• Don't forget that there's also a costume contest for the Saturday social! Trophy goes to best costumed team!
  
• Be sure to have AT LEAST one rep available for 4:00 pm Saturday West Meeting! This is a meeting that will change rugby for the next few years, so be there or be square!
  

For even more info go here.

Thought this was pretty interesting...found via usar-press@usarugby.org

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USARFU
Referees and Laws Committee
Laws sub-committee
BOULDER, Colo.- Less than three years ago the ruling copied below was circulated to all Referees Societies. Recent events have made it clear that this issue needs to be circulated again, with some amplification.

-----------------------------------Original Ruling----------------------------

RULING ON USE OF RED AND YELLOW CARDS
(June 2003)

Question:
Referees occasionally have to manage the behavior of people on the sidelines such as coaches and reserve players. Should the referee display yellow (warning) or red (expulsion) cards when acting to control unacceptable behavior?

Ruling:
The use of red and yellow cards is carefully and clearly laid out in Law 10. Cards are to be used when cautioning or sending off a player. That?s it. They are not to be used as a ?crowd control? tool. When a card is shown, that is a statement that a player has contravened Law 10 and that certain sanctions will be applied. Specifically, that there will be a penalty (unless a penalty try has been awarded or advantage has been played and gained) and that the sanctioned team will be a player short for either ten minutes or the remainder of the match.

What is the harm in using cards outside the specifications of the Laws? When a card is shown, there is an expectation by all, both participants and observers,that the specified sanctions will be applied. That would not be the case if cards were used for the purpose of managing non-participant behavior. The result would be a loss of confidence in the referee on that particular day, and a general degradation for all referees.

Misconduct by non-participants is addressed in the USA Guidelines and in the Disciplinary Procedures, as well as in Territorial and Local Union By-Laws. Use of Red and Yellow cards are not part of that process.

Peter Watson
Chair, USARRA Law Committee

---------------------------End of original Ruling-----------------------------

The Disciplinary Committees of Local Area Unions, Territorial Unions, USARFU and the iRB, depending on which body is responsible for the match or the area in which the incident occurred, take disciplinary actions for Foul Play in a game, and adjudicate on incidents that occur outside of a match. Information regarding an incident reaches the DC via an incident report, a citing or a referee?s red/yellow card report.

Further questions have been asked about this process:

Question:
What is the difference between a carding and a citing?
Answer:
? A card is issued by the referee as a visible symbol of the punitive action he/she is taking (caution or send-off).
? A citing is a report to a disciplinary body by an observer of a match (live or video) on an incident, which is not observed by the referee.
? The third possible action is a simple report of misconduct, which can be regarding actions by a non-player during a match, or some sort of unpleasantness apart from that happening in a game. (e.g. at the post-match
function, or in a chance meeting days later).

Question:
Can a non-participant be carded?
Answer:
No. See the original Ruling.

Question:
What is the time frame or geographical boundary within which anyone can be carded or cited?
Answer:
Both carding (caution or send-off) and citing are with reference to actions that took place during a match. It is for the Disciplinary Committee to decide what parameters they will place on reports detailing misconduct that took place outside of a game.

Question:
Who can cite?
Answer:
That is for the Disciplinary Committee or the Union to decide. USARFU Disciplinary Policies and Procedures specify who can submit a citing.

Question:
Who can submit a report on misconduct outside of a game?
Answer:
Any interested party.

Question:
Are two cautions (yellow cards) in separate matches automatically equal to a send-off (red card) in the second match?
Answer:
No. From the referee's perspective, each match is a separate event. Tournaments may have rules about multiple cards, and Unions may have rules that require Disciplinary review for some number of accumulated yellows, but it is not a referee issue.

Since this is my favorite male rugger, I had to include him!
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found via Google Alerts

Wilkinson is sore but happy after comeback
By John Westerby
Newcastle Falcons 32 Sale Sharks 21

Jonny Wilkinson (GETTY)

AS THE referee blew for full time at a sunny Kingston Park yesterday, Jonny Wilkinson stood hunched over, his hands resting on his knees, his head bowed, while his Newcastle Falcons team-mates celebrated around him. Cue a sharp intake of breath from the stands. Surely, in his latest comeback match, he hadn’t suffered yet another injury? A few seconds later, the head was lifted to reveal the broadest of grins. Looking exhausted after his first appearance for five months, he then wandered across and shared hugs with a succession of team-mates. Having come on at half-time and played an impressive part in Newcastle’s revival from a 21-13 deficit, Wilkinson had got his life back.

“I’m a bit sore, as was inevitably going to be the case, but it’s nice to get my life back on track,” he said. “It just feels right to be standing around on a field after a game. It feels the way it always has done.”

When Wilkinson trotted out after half-time, Sale Sharks had been leading 16-13 and the latest comeback did not begin well when Wilkinson was one of three defenders to bounce off Oriol Ripol, the Sale Sharks wing, who scored in the right-hand corner. With the wind at their backs, however, Newcastle gradually assumed control against a weakened Sale side. They went on to score three second-half tries to clinch a victory that lifted them away from the bottom of the table and ensured that Leeds Tykes were relegated.

For his part, Wilkinson was just happy to have come through unscathed, having recovered from the groin injury that had kept him out since November. He fired some sharp passes off his left-hand, kicked a couple of huge touch-finders and even survived a frontal collision with Sébastien Chabal, a test of his robustness if ever there was one.

Just one thing was missing: Wilkinson did not kick at goal. He revealed afterwards that he had forsaken kicking practice over the weekend to protect his groin. Once he was into his stride, he injected greater pace into Newcastle’s play behind the scrum and, in the 54th minute, his meticulous cross-kick towards Anthony Elliott unsettled the Sale defence, before Mike McCarthy brushed aside Jason Robinson to set up Tom May’s first try.

May crossed again after Chabal had attempted a comically inept clearance kick and, when Geoff Parling’s telescopic reach sealed Newcastle’s success, they clinched their first four-try bonus point of the season.

Sale had picked only six first-choice players and their weaknesses were exposed when, in each half, they lost a player to the sin-bin. Eifion Roberts was dispatched when the Sharks’ defence had been stretched by a tap penalty from Mathew Tait and then, in the second half, Sililo Martens’s removal led to Parling’s try.

It was ironic that Charlie Hodgson, the incumbent England fly half, was not around to greet Wilkinson after picking up a knock against Gloucester last week, but he is expected to be fit for Sale’s next game against Bath, as is Mark Cueto.

In keeping with his sunny disposition, Wilkinson even had time to appreciate the weather. “The best thing about today was the enjoyment factor,” he said. “It was a lovely day to be playing rugby.” When you have missed as much rugby as Jonny Wilkinson, you enjoy these things while you can.

From an anonymous poster:

The first half of this match saw the Menagerie's 'A' side pitted against most of the Jazz's new more inexperienced players. The Menagerie jumped out to a 14 - 5 lead at the half.

In the second half the Jazz put many of their experienced players in while the Menagerie played their newer players. The result was a 31 - 0 Jazz dominated half.

Final score, Jazz 36 - Menagerie 14.

This weekend the Jazz face the Scottsdale Lady Blues in defense of the West's 3rd seed into the National Championship Playoffs in October.

The Jazz will be striving to maintain the West's proud winning tradition.

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Thanks for the scores and match rundown.

Quarterfinals
Men's DI
Wyoming 29 Oklahoma 16
Truman State 38 LSU 5
Colorado 78 Texas 13
Colorado State 17 Texas A&M 10

Women's DI
Colorado 5 Oklahoma 10
Texas A&M 7 UNC 10
Air Force 29 Truman State 5
New Mexico 29 Wayne State 15

Mens' DII
Angelo State 29 Regis 12
Texas Tech 33 Wayne State 0
Northern Colorado 72 New Mexico State 15
Missouri 35 Northeastern State 10

Men's DI Consolation
Oklahoma 27 LSU 10
Texas A&M 31 Texas 18

Semifinals
Men's DI
Colorado 31 CSU 5
Wyoming 32 Truman 8

Women's DI
Texas A&M 39 Colorado 0 (Consolation)
Wayne State 44 Truman 10 (Consolation)

Oklahoma 8 UNC 7
Air Force 27 New Mexico 0

DII Consolation
New Mexico State 26 Northeastern State 5
Wayne State 33 Regis 22

DII Semi
UNC 32 MIssouri 24
Texas Tech 32 Angelo State 5

Finals:
Women’s 7th/8th Place 20-0 CU over Truman
Women’s 5th/6th Place 33-0 TAMU over Wayne
Men’s DI 7th/8th Place 31-14 LSU over UT
Men’s DI 5th/6th Place 22-15 OU over TAMU
Men’s DII 7th/8th Place 22-7 Regis over NSU
Men’s DII 5th/6th Place 22-7 Wayne over NMSU
Women’s 3rd/4th Place 17-0 UNM over UNC
Men’s DII 3rd/4th Place 24-12 Missouri over Angelo State
Men’s DI 3rd/4th Place 26-17 Truman over CSU

Men’s DII Championship 25-14 UNC over Texas Tech

Women’s Championship 23-3 Air Force over OU

Men’s DI Championship 17-10 CU over Wyo

http://stuartsteelephotography.smugmug.com/


KC Jazz played Minneapolis Menagerie this weekend...send me scores!

They also played the Chicago Women's Rugby Club on April 1, 2006...couldn't find any results.

Heard a rumor that ya'all might be attending Best of the West...is that right? Let me know!

Still waiting for the official score of the game, but sounds like it was a great test for Austin as they work to move up in the national rankings.

On April 22, 2006 the Valks are hosting Best of the West with 12 teams already confirmed. They are:

Valkyries A (possibly B), Austin, TX
Harlequin Olde Girls- Denver, CO
Black Ice- Denver, CO
Boulder Babes- Boulder, CO
Alamo City- San Antonio, TX
Rice University- Houston, TX
TWU (Texas Women's Rugby), Denton, TX
Arkansas Iron Maidens- Little Rock, AR
HARC- Houston, TX
University of Texas Women- Austin, TX
University of Texas A&M
University of Oklahoma

The Valks look forward to another exciting match as they travel to face NYRC and Beantown on May 6-7, 2006. Good luck ladies, make the West proud!

OU Women's Rugby Takes 2nd in West Championships (April 7-9, 2006)

Norman, Okla. - The OU Women's Rugby team is riding high after this weekend's stellar 2-1 performance and claiming 2nd place in the Western Collegiate Championships Women's Division 1 finals held in Norman.

The Roses defeated the University of Colorado 10-5 on Saturday morning and won a nail- biter against the University of Northern Colorado 8-7 in the semi-finals that afternoon.

Roses wing Lesley White was on fire all day Saturday as she scored both tries in the CU game and assisted with the try in the UNC match. Outside Center Wendy Young made crucial penalty kicks in both games and scored the only points in OU's 23-3 loss against the Air Force Academy in the finals Sunday morning.

"The team played fantastic all weekend. We came in as a #7 seed and are leaving a #2 seed in the West, we couldn't be happier," said OU Head Coach Tracy Curtis. "This sets us up nicely for a run at the Sweet Sixteens next year. With our seeding this year, OU is securely ranked in the Top Twenty nationally. It's a proud accomplishment and a big win for club sports at OU."

The Air Force Academy came off two impressive wins on Saturday to defeat the Roses. The Zoomie backline was intense and had great ball movement to the wing where they scored their tries.

The Roses fought hard all 80 minutes and left everything on the field. Great line-outs and fringe defense were strong points for OU all game.

"We played with all our hearts and came up a little short," said flanker Becca Poslick. "I'm so proud of my team for dominating the way we did as an underdog and making Air Force fight for their championship."

Next up, the Roses travel to Austin, Texas, for the annual Best of the West Tournament on April 22. Club-side power-houses the Austin Valkyries and KC Jazz will be in attendance as OU hopes to bring their 2nd place magic to South Texas and capture the title: Best of the West.

For more information on the Roses please visit http://rugby.ou.edu or email Coach Curtis at rugby@ou.edu.

Valks Lay Down Gauntlet to 'Lanta

By Alex Goff

April 7, 2006 – The Austin Valkyries women's club will face the Atlanta Harlequins this weekend in a friendly, but to consider this a game of little consequence would be foolish, as Austin is hot on the trail of proving themselves a national contender.

The Harlequins in some ways represent something of the women's rugby establishment, with several national team players, some of whom have been around for some time (Pat Neder, Patty Jervey). This isn't a complete representation because Atlanta continues to bring in young talent (Kate Cox, Kirsten Aerts) to avoid that dreaded rebuilding year.

But Austin is in a way a contender made out of whole cloth as in only the most recent of years have they stepped forward and as much as made a public declaration they want to be at the top.

Head coach Andy Ireland wants this coming game to be part of that coming out process.

"As a team we have come on leaps and bounds in training and are targeting the game as an opportunity to beat a top three team," said Ireland. "The Quins are a quality team and have a number of Eagles in their side but we are confident of keeping our unbeaten run going. Playing strong teams is the only way we can judge our form and I think we will give them a very hard time up front and with natural pace 9 to 15 will run them around in the backs."

Running around the backs will be tough as the Harlequins have tons of speed. But in the forwards they continue to be a force, led by Eagles Meredith Ottens (yes, yes, we know, she's been around for a while too), lock Jennifer Joyce, and all-star flanker Anna Kunkel.

So it's just a game played in Austin on a Texas Saturday, but maybe, just maybe, it could mean more. If Austin is to make a statement, now would be the time.

You all have probably figured out I am from Oklahoma...and I have to do a bit of bragging here! The University of Oklahoma is proudly hosting a 24 team tournament this weekend in Norman, OK.

As we meet the demands of the West (lengthy list!) we have realized how much this costs to run a tournament. We had put our estimated budget at $8,000 but are now realizing it may unfortunately be much more. What an honor but what a burden!

So I just wanted to share a few things:

• t-shirt design (which is amazing!)
• placards each team will recieve
• score cards
• various west signs required

If you are around Oklahoma this weekend the action starts at NOON on Friday (tomorrow) with Div 1 Men's Rugby. Then the action follows on Saturday with matches starting at 8:30am and ending around 3:00pm. The rugby again continues on Sunday with championship matches. It will be an amazing weekend of rugby in the heartland.

Peace.
WE

St. Louis Sabres-

Sabres took first place beating the Lady Bombers in the championship match 37-0. Congrats!

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Sarah sent this to me! Thanks!

Truman State

In true rugby fashion, the tournament in St. Louis was changed last minute forcing the Bullets into three matches on Saturday two of which were against club teams. The first game was against the St. Louis Sabres. Ultimately the Sabres ended up winning the tournament but the Bullets were able to score on them. Their teamwork and basic skills dominated most of the game. One try was scored (the final try for either team) by the Bullets off of a quick-tap penalty pass from Michaella Levy by Natalie Gerhart. The final was 5-67.

A very short time later, the Bullets played a new club team also from St. Louis called the Bombers. They were able to use their forwards well and suck our backs into rucks ultimately resulting in several trys. By the end the Bullets were simply too exhausted and dehydrated to chase them anymore. The final score was 0-77.

The final game of the tournament was a rematch against WashU. The Bullets went out completely ready to beat WashU and ready to use what they had learned in the first two games. By working as a team and communicating the Bullets were able to overcome a much weaker WashU defense and ultimately score 6 trys. Scorers were Natalie Gerhart (and 1 kick), Alison Hays, Chelsea Klaus (2), Michaella Levy, and Jamie Mucho. After losing to WashU earlier this season the Bullets managed to shut out WashU at this meeting 32-0.

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Google alerts found this game summary here.

Washu University

They fought hard against Truman State but were ultimately defeated and were able to take 2nd place in the tournament. I also added their link to the sidebar under the Missouri Rugby Union. There site is here. I have included their logo...great fun!

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Found these results here.

Couldn't find any information on Green Country or Loyola. Can anyone help?

Women's Inaugural Match, 87-0

Saturday, March 04, 2006

In what was a historical day for the St. Louis Bomber Rugby Football Club, the inaugural Bomber women's side took the pitch for their first match ever... and what a match it was as the Bombers notched their first win 87-0.

Some early opportunities by the Bombers went unrewarded, but it still only took 5 minutes for Eagle fullback Liz Reed to score the first ever try by a Bomber lady with a patented sprint around several KU defenders to dot down in the corner. Fellow Eagle flyhalf Mari Therrien quickly scored two minutes later following up on some of her own well placed tactical kicking. Therrien and Reed would combine for 7 tries and a number of poster tackles in only 45 minutes of play.

The Bomber scoring was continued by two consecutive tries by Team Alberta representative Robyn Keating as she followed up some nice handling by the backline to break a couple of tackles and side-step several other would be defenders to dot down. Keating would notch 3 tries of her own on the day showing tremendous promise both in attack and defense. Tries by Liz Reed, Lindsay Wieczorek and Liz Reed again rounded out the first half scoring, both following up some nice handling by Ann Marie Russell and Katie Giljum for a halftime score of 39-0.

Tries by Therrien, Reed and Therrien again opened the second half scoring as the two Eagles stepped off the pitch to make way for other promising newcomers. Western Sevens representative Ann Marie Russell notched the next Bomber try as she darted past several would be defenders following tackle breaking run by No. 8 Dre West. Western Territorial representative Michelle Stephen who led the Bomber forwards around rucks all day was rewarded with a try, taking a quick tap penalty and going the distance herself. Rugby newcomer Erin Herwig was the next Bomber scorer as she picked and jammed from the base of ruck and went 5 meters carrying no fewer than 3 defenders into the tryzone with her to notch her first 5 pointer. Ann Marie Russell and Robyn Keating finished the Bomber scoring with two long distance scores showing their tremendous pace on each.

The Bomber forwards were strong around the rucks and gained strength as the match went on. Michelle Stephen, Beth Mulligan and Dre West poached numerous balls and were at nearly every breakdown. Sheri Borders, Diana Rau, Ann MacDonald and Allison Whitaker had high tackle counts and applied the pressure that led to numerous turnovers by their opposite numbers. Erin Clark made her presence known at the lineouts and scrums in her rugby debut, putting Kate Giljum into the stratosphere in the lineouts. Team Canada U-19 representative Michelle Bella in her debut at scrumhalf displayed her speed and knowledege of the game as she provided not only good service but kept the KU defenders retreating with numerous line breaking darts from the base of the ruck. The Bomber backline boasts a bit of experience and lethal pace which bodes well for the future as they begin to gel. Promising upstart wing Josie Beckman and prop Sheri Borders added several conversions. Marissa Rhea-Mann and Allison Cook also played well in their run-ons.

Credit to the KU Women who never stopped playing with heart, a reflection of their coach, classy KC Jazz player Sonia Rios. Special thanks to Todd Philips of East Central College for hosting the match as part of an International Day for college.

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Google Alerts found this article here.

Women draw crowds at Twickenham

by RFU press office

	The World Cup trophy is one of the exhibits photo by RFU

4 April 2006

Since its launch last month, the Museum of Rugby’s exhibition on women’s rugby, entitled Women’s Rugby – A Work in Progress, has attracted over 1,200 visitors in its opening two weeks.

The exhibition, which looks at the female game ahead of the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup in Canada this September traces its evolution from inception through to today’s global popularity.

Some of the most popular exhibits are proving to be the hands on displays, including the interactive video footage of previous World Cups and the audio recording of England legend Gill Burns. Younger visitors in particular have enjoyed the life size cardboard models of England players and many visitors have been surprised by the length of time women have been playing the game.

The exhibits are also provoking feelings of nostalgia in some older visitors. Said one elderly female visitor, “Seeing the exhibition took me back to my childhood when I tried to play rugby at school in the 1930s.”

As well as local residents and rugby enthusiasts, the exhibition is attracting international visitors from around the world, including touring clubs from Canada and Sweden. Their enthusiasm is reflected in the visitors book; "Women's rugby is a beautiful sport. Live rugby, life is rugby!" was one comment left by a visiting Spanish club; "Rugby is the greatest and the most fascinating sport. We love playing rugby!" came from a Swedish women's team.

The exhibition, entitled ‘Women’s Rugby - A Work in Progress’, runs until 17th September.

More information on the Museum of Rugby and the Women’s Rugby exhibition is available from Laura Stedman on 0870 405 2001 or laurastedman@rfu.com

For further information on the RFUW or women's rugby contact Julia Hutton on 07971 474557 or juliahutton@rfu.com

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Google alert "Women's Rugby" found this article here.

St. Louis Sabres Rugby has a great photo album! Some of the photos are out of date, but still cute!

Check it out! http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabresrugby/

Sidebar UPDATE: I have added a few teams:

• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• New Mexico State Chiles
• Fallen Angels WRFC
• Albuquerque Atomic Sisters

Ugandan Women complete task

Sevens as well

What a week for women's rugby it has been here in East Africa! After convincing wins in the XVs code the previous Saturday by the As and then again last Wednesday evening by the B's, the Kyadondo Rugby Club Women's A side has cleaned up, quite literally, at the 2nd Kyadondo International Women's Sevens Tournament here in Kampala over the weekend, with a solid 19-0 victory over visiting Brown A of Pennsylvania in the main Cup final, with Kyadondo B also emerging victorious in the Plate competition.

This one-day women's tournament, one of only two scheduled for the whole of Africa this year it is believed, was held on Saturday 1 April at the Kyadondo Club grounds in the centre of busy Kampala and saw seven sides enter the fray, with entries from Rwanda, Kenya, the USA and hosts Uganda all taking part. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe, not altogether surprisingly considering the state of that country's economy at present, cried off citing financial woes, and South Africa, also invited, opted not to send any teams either.

With the day devoted to the women's tournament by the crowds (an important men's league game being played on the second pitch was almost completely devoid of spectators) Kyadondo A started the proceedings at 1pm against local Kampala Rugby Club adversaries, the Black Panthers. Fifteen minutes later and a definitive 39-0 display of Sevens superiority was on the scoreboard, with the usual suspects, Christine Kizito, Asha Sonko and Rachael Kakaire amongst others in fine, free-scoring form.

Rwanda side the Silverbacks and Mwamba from Kenya both sprung surprises with comfortable wins over the American B side and local hosts Kyadondo's Junior B team. The spanking of the day was the 57-0 rout by Kyadondo A of the Brown B girls, though it has to be acknowledged that Brown actually play very little Sevens rugby at home.

So, to the first of the finals, with a 20 minute local-derby clash between rivals Black Panthers and Kyadondo B, the host side emerging 14-5 victors of the Plate competition.

Brown A emerged as victors against a spirited Mwamba attack in the first of the Cup semis, and were thus again destined to meet their week-long nemesis, Kyadondo A, in the final, who had battled to a 15-5 win over the hard-charging Rwandans from Kigali.

Both sides were by now exhausted after a tough week of highly competitive rugby but, with the tropical sun dropping over the yardarm to the west, when the whistle went for the start, aches, pains and fatigue were forgotten in the final 20 minutes' quest for glory.

The USA had come too far to glibly give up the opportunity of a first win and the local side had an unblemished record to defend in front of their home fans. The perfect scenario for everyone to give of their all. Stellar performances from Uganda's Rachael Kakaire, notching up her seventh (and record) try of the tournament, prop Lillian Ikulumet battling away like the warrior she is in the pack and American utility back Stephanie Bruce, scorer of six tries herself and a number of conversions and penalties, later to be deservedly awarded Player of the Tournament and in the view of many a knowledgeable head arguably the most complete woman player they have seen, were a joy to watch. The Americans were unable to find that last bit of gas they needed and three unanswered tries (and two conversions from the irrepressible Kakaire) later, it was all over, with Brown destined to collect their third consecutive runners-up trophy of the week, the frustration of this tempered somewhat maybe by Bruce's terrific individual performance and resulting award.

After the match the now-familiar trophy table beckoned and a final big cheer went up for a very gallant, battling touring side when they raised their plaque, a team who have been a pleasure to host and a pleasure to watch playing. As for the Kyadondo women, their part in the Americans tour officially over, a further step in their extraordinary battle for global rugby recognition had been taken; their 100% record remaining intact, their reputations still further enhanced. To the all-female Ugandan committee who organised this tour, Jackie, Jero and Irene, a huge vote of congratulation must be given for pulling off an event that has changed so many women's lives, not least of all here in Uganda, where sporting opportunities on the big stage so rarely come along for the fairer sex. The question for the Ugandan women now is, what next? Well, plans are afoot.........

No rugby match would be complete without the out-takes - the little bits of film footage of bared flesh or idiotic behaviour that alert and awake cameramen try to get past the producer before he can switch screens to beat the censor - and there were a couple in this match. They centred on a small group of very vocal supporters on the opposite side of the pitch to the club house, who had clearly had a pint or two of Worthybrew's Olde Loude Mouth Soupe during their obviously extensive, pre-match preparations. These lads had toddled in to the ground early on, straight from last night's party by the looks of them, laid claim to the top row of one of the steel stands and proceeded to shout, cheer, sing, bang on the stands' steel sheets and generally enjoy themselves immensely, whatever happened, and
sometimes even when nothing happened. Wearing a mix of Stars and Stripes t-shirts, a Union Jack pair of underpants a-la-boxer it looked like, and a most eclectic mix of various East African flags, caps and paraphernalia, at one point these lads heralded their American heroines with a (fairly dreadful it must be said) rendition of Boney M's Brown Girl in the Rain, to the great amusement of the crowd, made even funnier as rain was about as likely as a tidal wave that day! At the end of the trophy presentation, their contribution to the day was acknowledged over the PA, to which they took a collective, if slightly shaky, bow ... it could only be rugby.

So, one XV's match to go on Sunday, the last of this excellent tour but not officially involving a Uganda side this time, to be played between Brown and the Mwamba side from Kenya at Kyadondo at 5 p.m.. From what's been seen of the two sides, a difficult one to call. 'Till tomorrow then.

The Draw

Group A
Kyadondo A (Uganda)
Rwanda Silverbacks (Rwanda)
Black Panthers (Uganda)
Brown University B (USA)

Group B
Mwamba Invaders (Kenya)
Brown University A (USA)
Kyadondo B (Uganda)

Cup Semi-Finals
Kyadondo A vs Mwamba, 24-0
Brown A vs Rwanda, 15-5

Plate Final
Kyadondo B vs Black Panthers, 14-5

Main Cup Final
Kyadondo A vs Brown A, 19-0

Winners: Kyadondo A
Runners-up: Brown A
Most Tries Scored trophy: (7) Rachael Kakaire (Uganda)
Player of the Tournament trophy: Stephanie Bruce (Brown)

All match officials provided by Uganda Referees' Society
Final refereed by Foxy Ojambo

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Google Alerts found this article here.

This story is from our news.com.au network

Source: AAP

Hiding referee rescued by police

April 02, 2006 QUEENSLAND police used capsicum spray today to rescue a rugby league referee who was assaulted after a match and locked himself in a change room to escape wild fans.

Police raced to the ground at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, but were forced to call for back-up when fans, who had been trying to kick down the change room door, turned on them.

The police were called about 1.25pm (AEST) after the Ipswich Rugby League Under 18 match between West End and North Ipswich at Cribb Park.

The referee was reportedly assaulted by someone in the crowd as he left the field in Pelican Street, North Ipswich.

"From what I understand, somebody took offence to a ruling from the referee," a police spokesman said.

"He was then assaulted and he ran into the clubhouse and locked himself into his room and a large fight started."

Some people in the crowd attempted to kick in the door of home team's change room, but when the police arrived some of spectators turned their attention to them.

The officers called for back-up and capsicum spray was used to subdue the crowd.

Several arrests were made and police escorted the referee from the change rooms.

No injuries were reported.

Ipswich Rugby League refused to comment on the incident saying it wanted to wait until the conclusion of a police investigation.

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If any of you have been following the Jack Clark story at CAL...this is along the same lines. Referees are being mistreated all over the place! What's the deal?

Thanks to an anonymous poster pictures! Photos of the Harlequin Olde Girls vs. Kansas City Jazz on March 25, 2006. The Olde Girls were victorious by a small margin of 8-7. Congrats.

The pictures are right-click protected, so I can't post any here, but they are all here.

Thanks!!

OU to Host Western Collegiate Championships this Weekend

Norman, Okla. 24 teams, 4 fields, and 3 days of intense rugby action are all happening
this weekend, April 7-9 at the Western Collegiate Championships in Norman. OU Womens
Rugby is set to move up the rankings by securing a win against formidable opponents.

This is, by far, the most important venue for the Roses all year, said OU Head Coach
Tracy Curtis. The players have been working towards this weekend since the announcement
that the Championships were being held at our pitch. The Roses are more than prepared.

Mens Division I and II teams begin action on Friday and the Division I Women begin play
on Saturday with the University of Oklahoma taking on the University of Colorado at 8:30
a.m.

Qualifying teams from across the Western Rugby Football Union will be testing their
mettle against the toughest teams in their division for bragging rights and a trip to the
Sweet 16 Collegiate Rugby Championships.

After a gutsy showing against #15 Texas A&M and a 5-5 tie with New Mexico, the OU Women
are ready to showcase their skills on a grand stage in front of their hometown fans.

Weve been practicing non-stop for 2 weeks and working on team unity to prepare for
this weekend, said OU center Jen Swenton. My team is ready to show the West that we are
a force to be reckoned with.

The OU women face a tough CU side that is more than ready to prove their worth as a #2
seed.

The first game of the Western Collegiate Championships features the OU Sooner Men
against the University of Wyoming Cowboys at Noon on Friday at the Al Velie Rugby Complex
located off Chautauqua Ave. and GT Blankenship Blvd. in Norman. This match is eagerly
anticipated by both clubs since the brackets were announced.

For more information regarding the tournament or the OU Womens Rugby team, please visit
http://rugby.ou.edu or email Coach Curtis at rugby@ou.edu.

USA Women Lose in Hong Kong Semis

April 1, 2006 – The USA women's 7s team lost 15-0 to Australia in the semifinals of the Hong Kong 7s Saturday.

The game was somewhat tighter than the score would indicated, with the teams deadlocked at 0-0 ten minutes in. Then Australia wheeled a USA scrum deep in American territory and managed to nab the ball and scamper in for a try.

Minutes later Australia intercepted a pass between scrumhalf and flyhalf, and while many called for the Aussies to be penalized for offsides, the interception and try stood.

That score took the wind out of the American sails and another score right at the end of the game saw Australia into the final. They faced New Zealand, who won 38-0 over Kazakhstan, and the Black Ferns ran out on top 24-12.

Mental errors at set piece and lineout gave Australia too much possession said USA head coach Julie McCoy. "When we did have possession lack of patience in the backline forced the offense into too much pressure."

Like the men's team, the USA women seem to be a little yippy on the restarts, shwoing their nerves under pressure and committing way too many unforced errors.

"Without repeated tests these errors will continue to plague USA National teams," McCoy said. "But for now, we stay the course building the program in the direction we want and continue to engage in sponsorship monies that will allow us to travel to international tournaments to test our wills."

Harlegquin Olde Girls defeat KC Jazz on April 1, 2006. The score was close, 8-7.

More details are sure to come!

Updated the sidebar with a few team websites and some tournaments.

Thanks for all the comments and submissions!! Keep it coming!

A few birds have told me about some matches and I am awaiting results:

University of Nothern Colorado vs Colorado College

University of Wyoming vs Colorado State University

Black Ice at Round Robin with KC Jazz & Harlequin Olde Girls

Truman State at Ruggerfest in St. Louis
Kansas State at Ruggerfest
St. Louis Bombers at Ruggerfest
St. Louis Sabres at Ruggerfest

Texas A&M vs. Austin Valkryies


Thanks for all the submissions and I am awaiting pictures, results and stories!

From an anonymous poster the Jazz photo below is from 3/25/06. Thanks!

The Jazz are in Colorado this weekend facing the Olde Girls and Black Ice.

On April 8th the Jazz will face the Minnesota Menagerie here in Kansas City at Blue Park, 103rd and Holmes.

April 15th the Jazz will defend the West's 3rd seed in the National Championships when they face the Scottsdale Lady Blues at Seymour Park in Kansas City.

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thanks for the updates!

WE