Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

Taking a look back at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, we see that England holds the title. Will they be able to sustain and carry on? Jonny Wilkinson is indeed suiting up for England and recently Australia upset New Zealand...as the months count down...lets take a look back.

Jonny Wilkinson scoring the winning goal, a 35m drop goal from dead center. Hooks it perfectly with his right foot (non-dominant) and it goes in perfectly!

Wilkinson. England starts with the ball about midfield and then moves it up with some great support. The last ruck gets a little messy and And just because he is my favorite rugby player, check out this AMAZING try by JonnyJonny gets it about 3 meters from the ruck, he looks for his support and then sees NO FULLBACK, little chip kick over the top and the diving try!



The time of the World Cup is approaching, it begins September 7th and runs through September. I know it is still a few months away, but I have just discovered Bit Torrent and after downloading all the Tri-Nations games, I am super excited! I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to watch the games this year, but the Internet saves the day again!

-Check out this and more at the official RWC 2007 website.

-And this is an interesting article on Drop Goals and the World Cup:

Drop Goals: A slice of World Cup magic
(Rugby News Service) Friday 6 July 2007

Ninety-two drop goals have sailed between the posts in Rugby World Cup history; some of them have been match or even World Cup winning kicks, others totally unexpected and the odd one or two pure self indulgence.

One that definitely falls into the latter category is Zinzan Brooke’s three-pointer for the All Blacks in their semi final with England in 1995, the back row stunning his teammates by unleashing a 40 metre plus effort.

“Is there any more famous drop goals?” laughed Brooke, a World Cup winner with in 1987 after making his debut in the Pool match with Argentina. “The short story is I used to practice all the time in my backyard, you know left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.

“The moment I decided to do a drop goal was when it was actually bouncing along the ground, the ball bounced straight in front of me, straight between the posts and it was at that moment that I thought right this is going to go through the posts.”

For the complete article, click here.

Via Goff (no subscription required for this post):

Rugby Added To Pan American Games
The Associated Press

Rugby union and racquetball were added to the list of sports that will be played in the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mario Vazquez Rana, president of the Pan American Sports Organization, or PASO, made the announcement Wednesday in the organization's general assembly in Rio de Janeiro, where the 2007 games begin Friday.

Rana said no sports would be dropped at this time, increasing the number of events to 36 in 2011.

Rana also said baseball and softball were guaranteed for the games in Guadalajara, dismissing some earlier reports that they would be dropped.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said the addition of rugby union to the Pan Ams opens the doors for the sport in a future Olympics.

"It's closer than ever," he said.

Rana said the possible addition of rugby as an Olympic sport "was not bad news for baseball ... which would have its chance."

Racquetball was played in the previous three editions of the Pan Ams before being dropped for Rio de Janeiro.

Participating Nations:
Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevi, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, United States Virgin Island, Uruguay,
Venezuela

-The questions posted on Goff were if this included women's rugby as well....pretty cool!

A small writeup from Stephanie "Sprouts" Dvorak from the University of Texas A&M Rugby Team. She just got back from the USA U23 Developmental Program in Philadelphia. She is and up and coming prop with a ton of potential and is a force to reckon with. Her field vision and "gap seeking" improves with every game.

*Haha, I just realized that her jersey says 13 on it, I had heard rumors that you used to be a back!*

The camp was great....I had a LOT of fun, and that was actually the first time I have ever met the USA coaches so that was a great part of it. The shoulder is doing much better. It was pretty sore each day but I'm working hard to take care of it... icing it and taking my medicine and therapy and what not.

Basically this was 4 was the most physically demanding rugby days of my life. We stayed at the dorms at West Chester University and the pitch was 1 mile away, so we walked to and from it 2 times a day for our practices (I never thought 4 miles of walking a day would hurt so bad).

Practice was amazing, the first day we did fitness testing and I felt like I did pretty solid...I had been keeping up with fitness so I wasn't in too bad of shape. We started on ball handling that afternoon, working on running channels and crosses and moving the ball with runners trailing, inserting, etc. It was definitely a big learning thing for me, especially being a forward.

The next day we started in on the tackling, starting low (on our knees) and working up to massive drills with 15+ people in at once just going at it. the progression of each of the drills was nice, and after the big drills we would work on individual skills and what not and then go back to the drills to try to improve in them. That was a pretty intense day with all of the tacking.

The next day we worked a lot on defense, working on communicating and sliding and who should get what tackle. We also split up into the different positions and I went with the tight 5. We did lots of core work and powerful, explosive movements for the scrum and line outs. Monday, we split into teams and had a full out, 80 minute scrimmage, which was one of the best games I have ever played in my life. They really encourage fast ball out of the rucks and lots of movement in the back line.

What was really different for me (being a prop) was that they really wanted us to insert right up WITH the backs to be there to support to work on continuous play. We also rucked more than I've ever rucked before to try to work on poaching and turnovers at the breakdowns. I have never really personally worked on that so that was good for me. Ooh also I LOVED meeting girls from all over the US, girls that I have seen play and have played and always thought were amazing were there, and that certainly helped with confidence levels and just learning about different styles. I love those girls a LOT already.

Another fun thing we did was watch the women's 2006 World Cup, which I had never seen before, between England and New Zealand. It was great to watch with all my teammates because everyone had comments about everything and Barb really went through it and broke down the plays with us.

Ok well this was probably more than you needed to know but I'm at work and just went off on a tangent :). Hope everything is going well with you. and I hope I see you again soon so we can have a slurpee together!

-Sprouts

Once again we have an eye witness to Cape Fear 7s in Wilmington, NC, our very own Heidi Whitman:

Right, so, bad wifi at our hotel, no pool either,what's a girl to do?! And here's the rest of the story: Anything else that happened Saturday is a blur. I know that our spirits did not match our record, that is to say that the west girlie's were gellin' and finding our game and loving it! We started making connections, and had some lovely runs made by superstars Melissa McKibben and Jenny Kuchar (or cooch, love it!). Meredith Bagley was voted by the team as player of the day for her steadfastness and scrappy play at scrumhalf. We were in high spirits and couldn't wait to get back onto the pitch Sunday morning.

Hooo-ee! Sunday morning we were still in a position to make it to the finals. First we just had to beat Northeast, defending champs, to move on. We were ready for the challenge! We came out fierce, the Northeast definitely did not know what hit them. How you gonna bench eagle starters when everyone knows West is the dark horse at these events! That's alright. The game started off great, real back and forth. The NE hit the rucks harder than any of the other teams this weekend, but you know what: we hit back. I don't know if we lost any balls going into contact. Our defense slid, and our offense sliced and caught them on their back foot. Finally we make a run at it and we are so close we can spit on the try line. There's a ruck here, another there, and Meredith Bagley picks up the ball...the NE defense is already running to the support, to the people she is going to pass it to. Ok, Mere says; she hops over the ruck and untouched into the try zone with the first points of the day.

Before the half is over, the NE capitalizes on a mistake and scores to tie the game (don't ask for details, I've blanked them out). Second half is more of the same, one more mistake by us that the NE used to their advantage. One missed tackle, man. L 7-12, but that was a hot game. Final game of the day pitted us old ladies against the spry wiles of the Atlantis 7's team. That game featured the crazy verticals of Angie Hurt disrupting line outs, McKibben scoring on sudden death overtime, and I got to level 3 tackle a gal so hard her kids are limping around! Cooch received Player of the day for Sunday.

West players were: Karla Orellana (Austin), Meredith Bagley (Austin), Heidi Whitman (Austin), Rosalind Chou (Austin), Melissa McKibben (KC), Jenny Kuchar (St Louis), Angie Hurt (KC), Katie Thoreson (Glendale), Sonrissa Lucero (Glendale), Chrissy Carpenter (KC), Kate Wolff (St Louis), Emily Bock (KC), and Breann Walas (Little Rock).

Great Job Ladies, can't wait for ITT's!!

Other Cape Fear Results:

First Place: Midwest ($800 dollar prize)
Second Place: Mid-Atlantic ($200 dollar prize)
Third Place: Northeast
Fourth Place: South
Fifth Place: West
Sixth Place: Atlantis/U23s

From in the field, Heidi "Boat Fight" Whitman, a reporter for the West Rugby Union gives us a quick summary of the teams first day at Cape Fear 7s.

Wilmington, NC: Sorry Wendy, the ghetto hotel wifi was down, so I'm springing you this quick email at a cafe.. I was really excited to write some big fun emails :( We arrived early for some team get together/bonding/practicing in the sun for 3 hours on Friday...then we hit the beach! Man that Atlantic water is awesome.

Practice went well, but it was obvious that most of us have never played together. That feeling carried through into Saturday's early morning matches unfortunately. We came out against the South ready to play our individual game plan, giving it our best. But you know, we needed to feel it together, play the west game plan! We had some doh moments, but really, with each game half we brought it more and more together. ( and in the South game I was able to score with Pat Neder diving at my heels :) So that game was a lot to 7.

Our next game was against the Midwest, T-storm delayed for an hour. We were all kitted up and in came the clouds - we had even already done our cheer, all pumped up! When that game finally got going, we really kept our communication building and working together. But since this is our camp for ITT's, we had to keep the combos switched up, so it is hard to keep momentum in that situation. It's cool, it's all for ITT's.

Wendy I have two more games to write about, but I have to go now! sorry, will get it to you. -h

Holler to YOU from Davidson, North Carolina!! My brother, his wife and their daughter Ainsley just moved her last month and it is such a cute quaint town! Check out some of the photos of the "old downtown," this town also holds Davidson College so its an interesting mix of old traditions and new liberal arts students. Most of the houses are old farmhouses that have been remodeled and had driveways, sidewalks and more put in. Having coffee and bagels with my brother this morning was a treat as we walked to the coffee shop and walked to the grocery store! Everything you could want or need is within walking distance!

I was supposed to be attending Cape Fear with the West 7s Team this weekend...but after injuring my knee at the National All Star Championship in Minnesota, I decided to take some time off. I went to the doctor and they at first thought it was just a burst bursar sac in my left knee, but after some test it appears that my meniscus is torn. Fun stuff!

So I am taking some time off to let the swelling and pain go away and then making the all time decision to have the out-patient surgery or tough it out. The problem here is that I have had this problem with my knee for about two years now and it is slowly getting more painful and the recovery time from training/playing is getting longer. I am now at two weeks of "recovery" and it is still painful and swollen everyday. So the daily ibuprofen and all is getting old. I am tempted to just have the surgery first thing in August and be ready for league play starting about the second week in September. I have heard of players having the surgery and playing right after they are released. I guess we will have to see what the doctor says on the next visit.

Whew, the real reason for this post...oops is that the Austin Valkyries are debuting a new website next week. The site is down right now...darn Yahoo! making us wait 7 days to transfer the website into another name. Bunch of bull crap! I want results and I want them now!

Anyways, here is a screen shot for you to look at...I am building the website and I wanted to go for simplicity and easy navigation.

I think a website that is updated daily and maintained can do wonders for your team. I hate visiting team's websites that are two or three years old. Potential new players and sponsors are always looking for a unique team with a unique past and future. I think a well-informed and well designed website can do wonders for your team.

I haven't finished all the aspects of the designing, but wanted to make sure that we have something up as soon as I am granted access. I love web designing and it was a pleasure to do it for the Austin Valkyries. Any suggestions are welcome!

When do you plan on retiring from rugby? 25? 35? 40? I think it all depends on when you starting playing rugby...I have only been playing 6 years and I can't wait for each season to begin. But the toll that rugby takes on the body can be a brutal one. Most players are battered and tired after ten years or so. Very few make it past the 20 year mark.

I think it has a lot to do with when you started playing rugby. I started playing rugby when I was twenty. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I had started playing in high school. These kids that are in high school touch leagues and even on teams have no idea how lucky they are. In fact, today in Oklahoma is the Annual Fourth of July Booger Game and Fireworks at the pitch. This is the first year I haven't attended, and it makes me sad. The legends of Oklahoma Rugby come every year and they play booger. Tarzan, Larry Naifeh, Michelle Core, the Velie Brothers and so many more...bless the pitch with their presence.

I remember when I first started playing rugby and I heard about all these players and I saw their pictures in our clubhouse. It was mind blowing to think that they had STARTED rugby in Oklahoma. That Michelle Core had started Women's Rugby in Oklahoma and that she was still involved. Amazing really! And then that first year I went out to the pitch and saw those legends play...it was incredible. Made me realize that I want to stay with rugby for my whole life. It is one sport that doesn't kick you out after your prime. It really is the sport that keeps giving. My boots will hang in the Oklahoma Rugby Clubhouse when I die...

From Total Flanker:

Check out this guy who has been playing 70 years! He trains 3 days a week! Crazy!

So someone emailed today and asked why my nickname is Fancy. UMM, hello? Cause I'm FANCY? I am free to admit that I have a big head, its fine. I still fit through doorways, so I'm happy. Fancy was given to me by Meredith Bagley (Valkyrie teammate), I assume because I am just that damn fancy.

Check out my Beaver Tour Jersey, it even says it! Granted we did get to choose our name on the back of the shirt. haha.


I personally have been excited about this nickname, sometimes the luck of the draw is not in your favor! I could have been nicknamed something way worse...so embrace it I will! Plus I can kick left-footed and right-footed and that is JUST fancy! 15 years of soccer did something for me...

But here is some real fancy stuff, Australia upsets NZ:

This NA4 is definitely stirring up some thoughts. Here are some more details from USArugby.org:


New Women's Territorial Union Season Announced
6.28.07 - USA Rugby has released the upcoming schedule for elite Territorial Union matches. Tier 1 teams will play two games away and one home, Tier 2 teams will play 2 home matches and 1 away. The 2008 National All Star Championships will still have all teams attending and will seed them according to their 2007 NASC finish. USA Rugby hopes the new structure and schedule will create more elite playing opportunities and player development. Each territorial union will handle their own player selections for these elite teams. Matches will be held on Sundays to allow team practice on Saturdays and each team will have a weekend off between each venue.

USA vs Canada Series Under Development
6.28.07 - A Canada-USA series of matches is now expected to be organized in August 2007. The event hopes to involve 44-52 of the top players in the Women's National Team program in cross border competition. Player selections are due to be announced in mid-July. Coaching will be provided by coaches involved in the National Team Program. The series is designed to give players the opportunity to work with the coaching staff and showcase their abilities in international matches. A CanAm series will also give rugby fans a chance to see international competition at home and in nearby Canadian venues.

Women Eagles to Tour England
6.28.07 - USA Rugby has arranged for a tour to England in December 2007. England has agreed to host up to 3 matches with the Women Eagles. The matches slated so far are against England A and England. A third team is in negotiations. More details available soon!

Sorry the blogging has been in short order recently...work has been heating up with the next Fight Nite and life just keeps getting in the way!

A few exciting things that have happened this weekend and today:

ROBOSAURUS! The Alamo Drafthouse is premiering Transformers tonight and they brought in this awesome mechanical contraption. He is a 40 ft tall, 50,000 pd, fire-breathing robot/dinosaur that travels all over country. You would most likely see him at monster truck rallies, but TODAY he was in my gym's parking lot. They had blocked off like half the parking lot and were running tests of his sound systems, lights, fire, hydraulics etc all morning. The real show is tonight at 8:45pm and I am thinking of going to see it...the only thing I didn't get to see was the robosaurus crush cars. Check out this video:


In other news, the rain has ceased for a few days! But it looks like it is going to start up again tonight and go for a few days. I did end up taking Jake to the dog park (Auditorium Shores) and the water was VERY high. There were a few dog owners that were letting their dogs go in the water, but I didn't let Jake go in. Some of the dog owners talked about seeing more snakes around the water, but didn't seemed concerned. RIGHT, all I needed was Jake to get bit by a water moccasin.

If you look at the pic to the right, you can see the normal level that the water at Town Lake is usually at, imagine it about 3 feet higher on the pillar and actually having white caps it is moving so quickly.

Alright, time for some rugby:

The Austin Valkyries are hosting a Rookie/Collegiate camp on September 1st, 2007. The camp will be from 10am to 4pm and we will be showing a Tri-Nations match at our favorite rugby sports grill here in Austin. We have 5 veteran players from the Austin Valkyries running the camp, two forwards, two backs and a scrumhalf. Combined these players boast over 30 years of rugby experience. Email Wendy at scooterwe@gmail.com if you or your team is interested.

Summer 7s is in full swing all over the nation, check out my posts from last week for tournaments around TX, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Austin hasn't started our touch league yet, but I can't wait! We play out at Burr Field and it is every Thursday night. Touch as we all know is a sensitive topic. Some players absolutely hate it and even refuse to play it. Some players love every minute of it and wish the WHOLE practice was touch. I fluctuate between the two extremes, touch can go sour for me if there is no mediator (referee) and we are reffing ourselves. It seems to get out of hand quickly if there is no one with a whistle, the tag turns into "momentum" and players start reffing themselves. However, when touch is flowing and everyone is in a good mood, it can really be some rugby magic.

I have also started working on the Fall Schedule for the Valkyries and it is shaping up to be pretty awesome. So far we are traveling to Colorado and St. Louis for our league matches and we are hosting Sweet 16s here in Austin. For the social side of the season we are traveling to Houston for a round-robin and playing Texas A&M as well. Should be a great fall season.

I think that's it for me, I should have some 7s tournament write ups coming in over the week and I will post them as soon as I get them.