Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

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 Some of the photos are out of date, but still cute!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