Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

YSC Intern Ashley strikes again with a great writeup on the upcoming USA Rugby Senior Women NASCs (ITTs) All Star 15s Championships...gosh that title is a mouthful! For more posts from Ashley, go here for Rites of Spring Tournament coverage and go here for her writeup on the NRU vs MARFU matches.

Also Wendy (YSC Editor) will be playing scrumhalf for the West Mustangs. I will have YSC Tshirts with me and they are ONLY $10! I will also be giving away YSC stickers for free!

I am going to try to videotape a few of the games but I am not sure how that is going to work with training etc. If you would like to volunteer to videotape a game or two I am glad to give you a tshirt for your help!

Please make sure you following me on Twitter as I will be posting scores!

The National All-Star Championships will be held this weekend, May 29-31 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The USA Rugby National Championship Series is the highest level of play within its domestic competition structure.

There will be a total of 8 teams one from each region in the US. For one of the teams, this will not only be its first appearance at the NASC’s but also its first year as an actual team as well. For the first time, the Collegiate All-Americans will form their very own team instead of only being a named honor. They will take on Southern California in the first match of the day.

Of course, the usual suspects will be in attendance as well. The remaining teams are West, South, Midwest, Pacific, Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.

Every one of these teams is a contender but only the top 4 in Tier 1 can can walk away with the title. The bottom four teams are fighting for the right to be back in Tier 1.

This year was the 2nd year that NASC Warmup matches were played and thanks to the Ruckosphere we were able to gather those scores for a preview of how the teams are playing:


West vs Pac Coast 0-63 (video available to watch here)
West vs South 24-26
MARFU vs Midwest 13-23
MARFU Dev vs South 25 -15
Pac Coast vs Midwest 17 - 0
NRU vs MARFU 26 - 7
NRU vs MARFU Dev 40 - 18

*Some of these scores were gathered from Jeanie the Greek's comments section...thanks everyone!

Last year the NRU had a very convincing win over the two-time defending champions from the Midwest with a score of 34-0. Their victory was attributed not only to their speed, but also to their powerful pack. Assuming they bring the same type of arsenal they had last year, they will be hard to beat.

However, that is not to say it can’t be done. Jeanie the Greek also agrees that the NRU will be tough to beat, but also believes there are certain teams who just might take the title away from them.


Friday, May 29
Match 1 10:00 am SoCal vs Collegiate All-Americans 12 - 42
Match 2 12:00 pm West vs South 0-39
Match 3 2:00 pm Midwest vs Pacific 0 - 30
Match 4 3:30 pm Northeast vs Mid-Atlantic 32 - 23

Sunday, May 31
Match 5 8:30 am Loser # 1 - SoCal vs Loser # 2 - West 0 - 3
Match 6 10:00 am Winner # 1 - Collegiate All-Americans vs Winner # 2 - South 32 - 5
Match 7 11:30 pm Loser # 3 - Midwest vs Loser # 4 - Mid-Atlantic 22 - 5
Match 8 1:00 pm Winner # 3 - Pacific vs Winner # 4 - Northeast 36 - 5

Also Wendy (YSC Editor) will be playing scrumhalf for the West Mustangs. I will have YSC Tshirts with me and they are ONLY $10! I will also be giving away YSC stickers for free!

I am going to try to videotape a few of the games but I am not sure how that is going to work with training etc. If you would like to volunteer to videotape a game or two I am glad to give you a tshirt for your help!

Please make sure you following me on Twitter as I will be posting scores!

Its that time of year again, time for 7s tournaments galore! This year Scrumhalf Connection is working with the Dallas men's team to co-host Dallas 7s Lonestar Classic.

When: June 6, 2009
What: 7s Tournament, DEBUTANTE BALL and West Women's All-Star 7s Tryouts
Entry Fee: Men’s entry fees are $250 and Women's are $150. There is $25 discount for multiple teams and a $25 discount if payment is received prior to May 22, 2009.
Payment: Checks can be made out to Dallas RFC and sent to Dallas Rugby, 5355 McCommas Dr. Dallas, TX 75214

Last year we had 8 women's teams and we are hoping to have 12 teams this year!

WEST WOMEN'S ALL-STAR TRYOUTS - Tryouts for the 2009 West 7’s team will be at the tournament as well. The selection process will include your participation in the Lone Star Classic 7’s tournament on Saturday and fitness testing and camp on Sunday. Twenty one players will be selected based on tournament play on Saturday for the selection camp on Sunday. If you do not have a team to play with on Saturday, contact us and we will assist you in finding a team. Please contact Laura Hertel with your interest in participating in West 7’s. She will provide you with additional details.

DEBUTANTE BALL - Last year we had over 50 women participate in the ball, it was dresses galore! Not sure what a Debutante Ball is, check out the write-up, videos and pictures from last year!

PUB CRAWL - As usual, Dallas will be having a pub crawl/block party and we have been told this is reason enough to attend this tournament...

The Lone Star Classic is proud to have been named a TOLA Championship Series qualifier (go to http://www.tola7s-rugby.com/ for more information). This year for the first time the Women will also have a TOLA series, check out this blog post for more info!

Please contact Filip Keuppens (Men's) or Wendy Young (Women's) with questions or for registration.

Cheers,
Wendy & Fil

CONFIRMED Women's Teams as of May 5, 2009
Satiated Beavers (Austin)
Mockingbirds Traveling Side
St. Louis Sabres
Oklahoma
Kansas City
Glendale (confirmed May 9, 2009)
Dallas (confirmed May 9, 2009)
Arkansas (confirmed May 22, 2009)
Little Rock (confirmed May 25, 2009)
Texas Tech (confirmed June 1, 2009)

UPDATE (6/4/2009): Schedule/Pools were just posted here.

**For a comprehensive list of 2009 Rugby 15s & 7s Tournaments, click here!!
**For results, videos and pictures of last years tournament, click here!!

I received this week's video from John of the Letchworth Girls' Rugby blog: "I just discovered these highlights from yesterday's sensational win for Sweden over Spain to qualify for next year's World Cup. There are some great tackles (1:08 in particular), as well as the winning try in the dying seconds of the game."

Thanks for the video John and enjoy all!

If you are viewing this post through an RSS feeder, go here for the video.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
5/18/2009: Paradox on the Pitch by Deb Wallavand
5/11/2009: Rugby Video Monday: It's time for 7s Rugby!!
5/4/2009: More U23 LAU Videos from March 2009
4/20/2009: ERRFU A vs Texas & ERFFU B vs Texas
4/13/2009: Austin Valkyries vs DC Furies & Houston
4/6/2009: Glendale vs Berkeley Video from Infinity Park

Please keep sending me your favorite videos to scrumhalfconnection@gmail.com! Make sure to check out my Vimeo Channel or my Youtube channel...and you can subscribe to both if you like, but keep in mind that all new videos will be on Vimeo only as they are recorded in High Definition.

YSC would like to officially welcome the 2nd and newest YSC Intern today, welcome to Julia from Virginia Commonwealth University Ram Rugby!

Julia will be covering Tournaments that are listed on the YSC Rugby Tournament page the week before the event. Feel free to add your Tournament so you can get some free coverage!

The Richmond Lions will be hosting their annual Monk Vaughan 7‘s rugby tournament on May 30th, 2009. Competition will begin at 1PM at the Mountain Road pitch, with the finals to be held under the lights. This is a true test for any Sevens side wishing to tune up for the MARFU 7’s season qualifiers.

Entry details:

• $150 if paid before 5/23
• $175 after 5/23

In honor of Monk Vaughan:

• Portions of proceeds will go to benefit the The Comfort Zone, a charity supporting children who have recently experienced the death of a close loved one.

About Monk Vaughan:

This tournament honors the memory of our rugby mate Monk Vaughan, a superb scrumhalf for old Richmond RFC, a warrior, outstanding business man, and friend to the bikers, judges, and politicians of our fair city. Monk was respected by all for his playing ability and was loved by all for his spirit and thirst for living. He was cut down by a drunk driver in his playing prime. This tournament serves to remind us all how lucky we are and to act responsibly when drinking is involved.

**We are double checking that this tournament is having a Women's Division...if you know let us know!

UPDATE (5/29): Unfortunately we will not be hosting a Women's bracket. We have tried to field a women's division in the past but have not gathered enough interest.

Cheers,

Phil Kempf
Match Secretary
Richmond Lions RFC

If you have any scores, videos, photos etc from this Tournament I would love to post them, please send them to me at scrumhalfconnection@gmail.com.

YSC Intern Ashley attended the NRU vs MARFU game this past weekend and this is her writeup with pics of the event! Check out her other post covering the Rites of Spring Tournament for more Ashley!

The Northeast Rugby Union and the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union squared off Sunday afternoon. On a day that was surprisingly cold, the two teams wasted no time heating things up. It only took the MARFU squad a couple of minutes to find their rhythm and get their offense going as they ran in a try first about 10 minutes into the game. However, the NRU women were not phased. They answered with a try of their own. Fullback Laura Bilazarian fed wing Vanesha Mcgee who used her quickness and evasiveness to get the NRU on the board.

Play following those two quick tries became a little inconsistent as both sides seen a number of dropped balls and penalties. This was due in part to the little time these teams have had together as a unit. However, the amount of experience on the pitch from both sides was easily able to make up for any lost time. Both teams have players who have played at the national level as well as countless All-Americans.

The match was filled with hard runs and even harder hits. The defensive stands put up by both sides meant that neither team would score for the majority of the first half. That was true until about the 38th minute when NRU’s Ida Bernstein split two sets of defenders for the try.

The NRU opened things up a bit during the second half. Their successful set pieces allowed them to march down the field, but often their attempts to score were halted by the MARFU defense. However, penalties plagued the MARFU women, which the NRU capitalized on, scoring 12 points from penalty kicks made by flyhalf Ines Rodriguez.

Both the NRU and MARFU women displayed moments of brilliance. The difference was the NRU was able to use their experience and skill to capitalize on the mistakes and mishandles of their opponent.

Final score:
NRU-26
MARFU-7

Following the first match, the NRU and MARFU developmental sides took to the pitch. While there was less experience out there, the intensity matched that of the first. There were many players who showed great promise and a few stand-out players as well whom I’m sure we’ll get to see more of in the future. Both teams had their offensive troubles-mainly handling and maintaining possession, but like their senior side, the NRU women were able to gain from the mistakes of MARFU. They broke through their defense and sent the ball out to their speedy backs who took it the try zone six times.

Final score:
NRU-40
MARFU-18

We are working on gathering other NASC Warmup match scores, if you know of any, post in the comments, post on Facebook or email me!

West vs Pac Coast 63-0 (video available to watch here)
West vs South 24-26
MARFU vs Midwest 13-23
MARFU Dev vs South 25 -15
Pac Coast vs Midwest 17 - 0
NRU vs MARFU 26 - 7
NRU vs MARFU Dev 40 - 18

*Some of these scores were gathered from Jeanie the Greek's comments section...thanks everyone!

While the Rugby season across the globe heats up with intense semi-finals and finals being played all round, an epic British and Irish Lions tour looming and the Sevens coming to a much anticipated climax, a new initiative is getting ready for action. Olympic-rugby.org is a petition to get Rugby to the Games.

A grass-roots, Rugby players' initiative that will "Engage" and through media stunts and viral action, collect millions of signatures for the Olympic Rugby cause.

Now you have a chance to make Olympic history! Engage! Go to Olympic-rugby.org and add your signature.

Update: They are up to 609 signatures with 29 from the USA! Keep it up everyone!

The Women’s Division I Championship match will be show in its entirety on ESPNU on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. (ET).

The Men’s Division I Championship between Cal and BYU will be shown at 9 p.m. (ET).

Check your local guide for channel and provider availability of ESPNU as air times are subject to change.

Tell all your friends, family, bars, restaurants to play this game as this is a GREAT chance for rugby to be seen on National Television!

And the winners of the Try for Others Rugby Raffle are:

Please email me your preferred tshirt size, style (red or pink) and your postal address for shipping.

Try For Others is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping critically injured persons live a more active and independent lifestyle. TFO sponsors exercise based rehabilitation for critically injured athletes and provides activities that allow those with disabling conditions to experience a life with no limits. » recent recipients » endorsements

OUR FOUNDER:
Dominic Cooke's journey in life began on December 12, 1979 in Sacramento, California. Born to English parents, Brendan and Penelope, Dominic would join his older brother, and eventually, younger sister as the family's first generation of Americans. Despite his American upbringing, Dominic's parent's reminded their kids of their English heritage, regularly making trips across the pond with the entire family. It was on one of these early family vacations that Dominic was first introduced to the game of rugby. » READ FULL STORY

TFO APPAREL:
The TFO brand believes in fashion not only being an expression of lifestyle but also an expression of life philosophy. It promotes socially conscious principles and encourages individuals to adopt practices that inspire humanity.

All proceeds from TFO APPAREL benefit programs to provide opportunities for person with disabilities to challenge their limitations, defy stereotypes, and re-define the meaning of being disabled. » SHOP TFO APPAREL

Congratulations to you and THANK YOU to everyone who entered the raffle this month! Next month we will be having another raffle from Red Rhino!

I have heard your complaints ladies...my tshirts are just too expensive! Well I finally did a bulk order and will be selling my fabulous tshirts for $10 in person or you can buy on-line via Paypal for $12 (includes shipping). See below to buy yours TODAY!

Don't forget you can also purchase a YSC sticker for only $2 (if you buy a tshirt as well it will be $15 for everything).

Get buying and show that you support YSC and the fight to bring Women's Rugby to the forefront!

Buy sticker ONLY ($3, includes shipping)

Buy tshirt ONLY ($12, includes shipping)

Buy tshirt and sticker ($15, includes shipping)

**If you do not have a Paypal account you can still pay with a debit/credit card securely. Click on the Buy Now button and once Paypal loads go down to "Don't have a Paypal account" on the left and click continue.

If you are looking for my fancier shirts or test shirts, check out the YSC Tshirt shop at Scrumbot.

This week's video comes from Deb again! This is her 2nd video submission, her first was posted on YSC on Nov 10, 2008 and can be seen here.

This is part 1 of my Master's project documentary "Paradox on the Pitch." (part 2 and part 3 can be viewed by those links) It examines how female rugby players at the University of Oklahoma manage the expectations of masculinity on the pitch with society's expectations of femininity off of the pitch.

If you are viewing this post through an RSS feeder, go here for the video.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
5/11/2009: Rugby Video Monday: It's time for 7s Rugby!!!
5/4/2009: More U23 LAU Videos from March 2009
4/20/2009: ERRFU A vs Texas & ERFFU B vs Texas
4/13/2009: Austin Valkyries vs DC Furies & Houston
4/6/2009: Glendale vs Berkeley Video from Infinity Park

Please keep sending me your favorite videos to scrumhalfconnection@gmail.com! Make sure to check out my Vimeo Channel or my Youtube channel...and you can subscribe to both if you like, but keep in mind that all new videos will be on Vimeo only as they are recorded in High Definition.

from USA Rugby:

PITTSBURGH – Milwaukee’s Divine Savior Holy Angels held off a late second half comeback from Ohio-based opponent Lakewood to win the 2009 USA Rugby National Guard Girls’ Under-19 Championship title when play concluded at Pittsburgh’s Founders Field today.

Both Midwest sides came out with their eyes locked firmly on the prize and executed strong defense. DSHA’s Sarah Chmielewski had the only points for either side in the first half, with a third-phase try inside the 19th minute to give the Wisconsin team a slight 7-0 edge heading into the second half.

After the break, Lakewood climbed back into the game, with a try from No. 8 Kourtney McNulty inside minute 45. The accurate conversion from Danielle Foster tied it up, 7-7. However, Lakewood hadn’t seen the last of DSHA fullback Chmielewski, who dotted down her second try of the day at 55 minutes. Less than five minutes later, Elise Miller crossed into the try zone to grow DSHA’s lead to 19-7.

Lakewood made a late surge when No. 8 McNulty notched her second try of the game to pull her team within five points as time wound down. However, Divine Savior Holy Angels cut short Lakewood’s persistence toward the try zone and held on to win their second consecutive USA Rugby U-19 title in a 19-14 final tally.

“Lakewood showed a lot of heart and came out strong; they made it very difficult for us for 80 minutes, but we came out and played our game,” Divine Savior Coach John Klein said after the victory. “Our team played for each other today. We will be losing about 10 seniors this year, but the team definitely showed that we have a lot of strong leadership within our underclassmen.”

DSHA’s Sarah Chmielewski, who was awarded the National Guard Girls’ Under-19 Championship MVP trophy following the match, was proud of the way her team managed the game versus Lakewood, despite the absence of team leader Kathryn Junius due to injury sustained in the earlier rounds: “Our team really stepped up after losing one of our captains. We took it to them today, got the ball out and used our wings on the outside.”

In the day’s earlier matches, West Carroll (Md.) held off Rutland (Vt.), 10-7, to take home 7th place and Summit High School (Colo.) claimed 5th in its match against Fullerton. The Sacramento Amazons powered past Maryville (Tenn.) and sailed on to a 56-0 victory in the battle for third place.

A highlight show featuring the hard-hitting action from the full weekend of High School and Under-19 competition will be shown on ESPNU on June 8, at 7 PM (ET).

For more information on the USA Rugby National Guard High School and Under-19 Championships and the National Championships series, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/championships.

Day 3 Results
7th/8th – West Carroll 10, Rutland 7
5th/ 6th – Summit 3, Fullerton Youth Rugby 0
3rd/ 4th - Sacramento Amazons 56, Maryville 0
Championship - Divine Savior Holy Angels 19, Lakewood 14

from USA Rugby:

PITTSBURGH – Under the lights at Founders Field, reigning title winners Jesuit of Sacramento and Highland Rugby repeated as the National Guard Boys’ High School and Under-19 Champions, respectively, and the Girls’ Under-19 finalists were locked into place when Day 2 of play concluded at Founders Field on Saturday, May 16.

In the Boys’ High School division, it was a Sacramento showdown as Jesuit High School returned to the championship round to face rising club, Christian Brothers in a hard-fought match. Before the close of the first half, the perennial powerhouse Jesuit built a 14-0 lead; however, Christian Brother refused to back down after the break.

Although Christian Brothers could not quite get the ball to dot down in their favor, the team returned to the field to play a disciplined and patient second half, holding Jesuit to just one more try for a final score of 19-0.

Despite the end result, Christian Brothers Coach Sean Lyon could not be prouder of his team, which has made immense developmental strides in its mere five years of existence. Above all, Lyon links his team’s success to the quality of play among his team’s competition: “We were the underdogs and met our archrival in the final. In the Sacramento area, we have stiff competition week in and week out.”

Jesuit Coach John Shorey shares Lyon’s sentiments: “Sacramento is a rugby hot bed, and the teams in the area are constantly building and improving to stay ahead of one another,” said Coach John Shorey. “This team worked really hard, they played above their rate, and they have better rugby skills than years past.”

Jesuit flyhalf Brandon Kraft was named the tournament MVP for his leadership on the field – scoring tries and kicking for field position – as well as off the field, as a competitor respected by his teammates, coaches and opponents alike.

In the Boys’ Under-19 Championship, Larry Gelwix’s Highland Rugby team put forth a strong physical effort and steadily grew its lead to a final 32-0 end tally in their match against rival Utah outfit, United.

“United is a tremendous team, what a credit to Utah for having the two top rugby teams in the country,” said Gelwix, following his team’s second consecutive U-19 victory and 19th championship title win. “This team played the entire tournament with incredible heart and focused on all three games.”

In the day’s earlier Boys’ High School match-ups, New York’s Xavier High School shut out Gonzaga 24-0 to claim third place honors. After being knocked into the consolation bracket following a tough 33-5 loss against Christian Brothers, Penn High School picked up some momentum in day two, defeating Brownsburg RFC 19-12 to claim fifth place. St. Thomas High School (Texas) picked up its first win of the tournament to nab seventh place in a 29-22 finish versus Charlotte Catholic.

In the Under-19 Boys’ division, the Kansas City Jr. Blues (Mo.) captured third place with a 15-7 win over West Shore United (Pa.), while L.A. Cougars finished their 2009 Championship outing on a high note, defeating the No. 3 seeded Westerville Worms 24-12 to claim fifth place honors for the second consecutive year. In the battle for seventh place, it was Chapel Hill’s Highlanders Rugby out in front of Union County 11-7.

Meanwhile, following the first day of Girls’ Under-19 competition, the finals day pairings have shaped up in similar fashion to 2008. Defending champions Divine Savior Holy Angels (Milwaukee) will again meet Lakewood (Ohio) in an all-Midwest Championship final at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

DSHA started its day with a tough 10-8 win over a powerful Summit High School (Colo.) team, and muscled out a 17-5 win over Maryville (Tenn.) to advance to the final.

“I expect a tough match tomorrow against Lakewood; they’re a well-coached, fundamentally sound team that play an excellent game of rugby,” said Divine Savior Holy Angels Coach John Klein. “I know they will keep us on our back foot and we will do our best to counter that. We know how they play and they know how we play - it will be an all out battle tomorrow.”

Lakewood overcame a size mismatch against the aggressive Sacramento Amazons, eking out an 8-5 tally – just enough to emerge to the final against DSHA.

“Summit and Maryville gave DSHA two hard-hitting games today and they had to work to get to the finals,” said Lakewood coach Andre Bruwer. “They’re playing with a world of confidence, and with a lot of returning players, it will play as a strength. But, if any team can take DSHA, it will be Lakewood.”

In the remainder of the Girls’ Under-19 competition, West Caroll will take on Rutland in the 7th/8th place match when play resumes at 10 a.m. on Sunday. The 5th/6th place contenders include Summit and Fullerton, which each finished the day at 1-1. Finally, the 3rd/4th place match at 11:15 a.m. will showcase the Sacramento Amazons versus Maryville.

For more information on the USA Rugby National Guard Boys’ High School and Boys’ and Girls’ Under-19 Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/Championships.


Boys’ High School
Championship: Jesuit of Sacramento 19, Christian Brothers 0
3rd/4th place: Xavier 24, Gonzaga 0
5th/6th place: Penn High School 19, Brownsburg RFC 12
7th/8th place: St. Thomas 29, Charlotte Catholic 22

Boys’ Under-19
Championship: Highland Rugby 32, Utah United 0
3rd/4th place: Kansas City Junior Blues 15, West Shore United 7
5th/6th place: L.A. Cougars 24, Westerville Worms 12
7th/8th place: Highlanders Rugby 11, Union County 7

Girls’ Under-19
Divine Savior Holy Angels 10, Summit High School 8
Maryville 22, West Carroll 5
Sacramento Amazons 46, Fullerton Youth Rugby 5
Lakewood 22, Rutland Rugby Club 0

Consolation Semifinals:
Summit High School 14, West Carroll 0
Fullerton Youth Rugby 29, Rutland Rugby 0

Semifinals:
Divine Savior Holy Angels 17, Maryville 5
Lakewood 8, Sacramento Amazons 5

from USA Rugby:

PITTSBURGH – Following a full day of stiff competition at Founders Field on Friday, May 15, the title contenders in USA Rugby’s National Guard Boys’ High School and Under-19 Championships are now locked in place.

Upsets throughout the Under-19 Boys’ competition set the stage for a Saturday evening rematch of last year’s final - a Utah showdown between Salt Lake City’s Highland Rugby and United Rugby Club (Alpine). Highland met a tough match against Highlanders Rugby, Chapel Hill but advanced with a 31-15 in its tournament opener and is still on course to repeat its 2008 results, after pushing past the Kansas City Junior Blues 42-3 in the semis.

A win in the finals on Saturday would not only mean a second consecutive U-19 title for Highland, but its nineteenth championship title in the history of USA Rugby’s High School/U-19 Championships. However, Utah United is out for redemption after falling short in the 2008 final, and proved fierce competitors in day one. United downed Union County (N.J) 24-5 in the first round and secured a 31-17 win over No. 6 seed West Shore United (Pa.), who kicked off the tournament with a massive upset over the No. 3 Westerville Worms (Ohio).

With just injury time remaining, a successful kick from West Shore fullback Steffan Cameron made all the difference, securing a narrow 16-15 victory over the Worms to advance to the third place match versus the Kansas City Junior Blues on Saturday. Kansas City opened the day with a convincing 17-5 win over the Los Angeles Cougars but proved no match for perennial powerhouse Highland Rugby in the semis.

The L.A. Cougars will faceoff against Westerville for fifth place on Saturday at 11 a.m. After falling just short versus West Shore United in a heartbreaking finish, the Worms found a 26-12 victory over Union County in the consolation semis. Union County will meet Highlanders Rugby in the battle for 7th place when the Boy’s U-19 competition picks up on Saturday.

“There were some great upsets and some high quality matches today that could have proven to be the championships game,” USA Rugby Director of Competition Dan Payne said. “It’s always exciting to watch well coached teams and observe the progress of players at this level.”

Leading the pack in the Boys’ High School division were reigning champions Jesuit High School (Sacramento), who now look to defend their title against Christian Brothers High School in the final match at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Jesuit dealt Charlotte Catholic a commanding 50-0 shutout in the opening round of play and moved on from the semifinals with a redeeming 27-5 win over Xavier - a reversal of outcomes from the teams’ last meeting just two weeks ago when Xavier topped the Sacramento squad while on tour preparing for Championships.

Christian Brothers did not have such smooth sailing to the final round. The team topped Indiana-based Penn High School 33-5 in its first game of the day but then met a tough battle against Gonzaga College High School, just barely coming away with a win, 25-22, to advance to the final on Saturday night.

Gonzaga will now meet Xavier for a shot at third place, an improvement from the 2008 Championships when the teams sparred for fifth place. Instead, this year’s fifth place match features Brownsburg RFC and Penn High School. Brownsburg kicked off to a rough start in the losing end of a 43-0 shutout against Xavier, but then pulled off a shutout of its own, 24-0, against Charlotte Catholic.

Charlotte will meet St. Thomas High School (Texas) in the seventh place match when Boys’ High School play resumes at noon on Saturday. St. Thomas fell to Gonzaga 37-3 in its opening match but hung close with Penn High School in the consolation semifinals, resulting in a 14-12 final.

“The quality of high school rugby in the U.S. has increased dramatically, and tournaments such as this will help make us a super power,” said USA Rugby Lineout Specialist Luke Gross, who was onsite as an Age-Grade evaluator. “The players here today are certainly making great strides in building the future of USA Rugby.”

Competition picks up again at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning with the Girls’ Under-19 match featuring 2008 champions Divine Savior Holy Angels versus Colorado’s Summit High School on field 2, and last year’s fifth place finisher Maryville (Tenn.) against the West Carroll Lady Marauders on field 1.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in day or weekend increments, starting at $6 for a youth (12 & Under) and military day pass, up to $50 for a VIP weekend pass, which includes VIP parking and deck seating. General parking is $2/day. Tickets will be sold at the gate on the day of the tournament or via the Pittsburgh Harlequins’ Web site at www.pittsburghharlequins.org.

For more information on the USA Rugby National Guard Boys’ High School and Boys’ and Girls’ Under-19 Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/Championships.

Boys’ High School
Jesuit of Sacramento 50, Charlotte Catholic 0
Xavier 43, Brownsburg RFC 0
Gonzaga College HS 37, St. Thomas 3
Christian Brothers 33, Penn 5
Jesuit of Sacramento 27, Xavier 5
Brownsburg 24, Charlotte Catholic 0
Christian Brothers 25, Gonzaga College HS 22
Penn 14, St. Thomas 12

Boys’ Under-19
West Shore United 16, Westerville Worms 15
United Rugby 24, Union County 5
Highland Rugby 31, Highlanders Rugby 15
Kansas City Junior Blues 17, L.A. Cougars 5
United Rugby 31, West Shore United 17
Westerville 26, Union County 12
Highland Rugby 42, Kansas City Junior Blues 3
L.A. Cougars 21, Highlanders Rugby 0

from USA Rugby:

BOULDER, Colo. – The Pittsburgh Harlequins are set to host the top 24 boys’ and girls’ teams in the country for the USA Rugby’s National Guard High School and Under-19 Championships at Founders Field from May 15-17.

The tournament gets underway with a full day of Boys’ Under-19 and High School competition from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15, leading up to the championship matches at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, on Saturday. The Girls’ Under-19 contest commences early Saturday morning and culminates in the Championship match at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

A highlight show featuring the hard-hitting action from the full weekend of High School and Under-19 competition will be shown on ESPNU on June 8, at 7 PM (ET).

The Boys’ High School division features defending champion Sacramento’s Jesuit High School, which meets Charlotte Catholic High School in its opening match. Also making the return trip to Pittsburgh this year are 2008 third place finishers, Penn High School (Ind.), St. Thomas High School (Texas), Gonzaga College High School (Washington, D.C.) and Xavier High School (N.Y.). The field of eight is rounded out by Brownsburg RFC (Ind.) and Christian Brothers High School (Calif.).

Winners of the inaugural Boy’s Under-19 Championship, in the new competition structure rolled out in 2008, perennial favorites Highland Rugby hope to reclaim their crown in 2009. In the 24-year history of the USA Rugby High School championships, Highland has claimed an impressive 18 titles and meets Highlanders Rugby, Chapel Hill in the first round.

The Westerville Worms (Ohio) return to the competition hoping to best their third place finish in 2008 and start their championship bid versus West Shore United (Pa.) on Friday morning. Also returning to this year’s competition are last year’s seventh place finishers, Union County RFC (N.J.), who meet 2008 runners up United Rugby Club (Utah) on day one. The U-19 Boys’ round one match-ups conclude with a showdown between the L.A. Cougars and the Kansas City Junior Blues RFC.

In the first year of the official USA Rugby National Guard Girls’ U-19 Championships, Milwaukee’s Divine Savior Holy Angels knocked off Ohio’s Lakewood for the 2008 title, and both return to battle for hardware this year. DSHA takes on Colorado’s Summit High School, when the Girls’ U-19 contest kicks off on Saturday, while Lakewood meets Rutland Rugby Club (Vermont).

Rounding out the field of Girls’ U-19 competitors, last year’s fifth place finisher Maryville (Tenn.) takes on the West Carroll Lady Marauders on day one, while 2008’s third place recipients the Sacramento Amazons clash with Fullerton Youth Rugby.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in day or weekend increments, starting at $6 for a youth (12 & Under) and military day pass, up to $50 for a VIP weekend pass, which includes VIP parking and deck seating. General parking is $2/day. Tickets will be sold at the gate on the day of the tournament or via the Pittsburgh Harlequins’ Web site at www.pittsburghharlequins.org.

For more information on the USA Rugby National Guard Boys’ High School and Boys’ and Girls’ Under-19 Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/Championships.