Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

from womeneagles.com:

7.1.08 - The US Women's 7s TU committee, in conjunction with the US Women's 7s Coaching Staff are holding an informal "7s Challenge Cup" tournament in Chicago, Illinois, July 18,19.

The US U23, and TU teams will be competing as a "warmup" venue for 7s ITTs to be held in Pittsburgh, PA, Aug 23-25.

This summer will mark the end of scouting opportunities for selection of the World Class Cup Squad, that will be practicing and playing together Sept 2008 culminating in the 7s World Cup, March 2009.

If you want to be seen, but haven't had the opportunity to make it to your TU camp, please contact Julie McCoy, the US Women's 7s coach for assistance. The US Team is interested in ANY player, which includes those in the Club 7s/15s system, collegiate, or the D2 level.

For a comprehensive list with results etc, of 2008 7's Tournaments, go here.

From Austin Rugby:

Austin Rugby was asked to participate in Lance Armstrong's new website livestrong.com which was recently released. Our very own Mark Brewerton and team are THE source for rugby information on this amazing site. The site is a free site and is gearing up to be the best source for health information on the web. Described to us as a mix of Web MD, fitness info, and instructional how to videos aimed at getting people interested in different physical activities. Check it out!!

Please see the statesman article below, and towards the bottom of the page I ran a search on the site for rugby and you can see our 10+ videos!

New LiveStrong site acts as virtual health coach
Lance Armstrong's new Web site has tools aimed helping people reach fitness goals.
By Mary Ann Roser

Want to lose weight? Be healthier? Change your lifestyle?

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has a coach for you.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation and Demand Media, a social media company with offices in Austin, are launching a Web site today with 600,000 pages of content on health, fitness and wellness. The site, www.livestrong.com, includes information from doctors and other experts, exercise tips on everything from flattening flabby abs to improving overall workouts, and an array of help on such topics as quitting smoking and dieting, including a "daily plate," which tracks calories for those on the path to lowering their weight.

"People love coaches," Armstrong said Monday, "and this is just another coach for them, if they want it."

The site is free, and unlike livestrong.org, which is dedicated to cancer survivors and their families, livestrong.com is for anyone who wants to make change, Armstrong said.

"The polls will tell that 85 (percent) to 90 percent of Americans want to change something about their life or their lifestyles, but only 40 percent of them get started doing it," he said.

The obesity epidemic, soaring diabetes rates and other unhealthy trends have America heading to a "perfect storm" the health care system is not prepared to handle, he said.

The site enables people to work in groups, like the one with 100 women who tested the "daily plate" to collectively lose 1,000 pounds and got messages when they needed to step up their exercise to counteract their daily calories, said Larry Fitzgibbon, general manager of livestrong.com.

"We think this is one of the killer (applications)," Fitzgibbon said. "There are sites for this on the Web, but they cost money."

Fitzgibbon says the site is one of the few that combine the health and fitness information a person might be seeking on the Web.

Articles on the site, such as "Four Ways to Treat Bacterial Infections," or "Five Things You Need to Know About Lipomas," are delivered in a short, simple style. Armstrong said he's not worried about the site being too simplistic.

"I would prefer to err on the side of a little more simple than too complicated," he said. "The site will evolve."

http://www.livestrong.com/search?search=rugby

We are happy to announce that the New Orleans Women's Rugby Team is once again hosting Twilight 7's. The event will be held Labor Day weekend which coincides with Southern Decadence a festival in the French Quarter!

Tournament Date: Saturday, August 30th

We start in the late afternoon and finish under the lights!
Our goal is to have 6 teams which would allow 5 games each.
Entry fee is $125 and will host all teams so no need to get hotels!

Check our website for more information: http://www.halfmoonsrugby.com

Come help rebuild New Orleans "One Ruck at a Time"

For a comprehensive list with results etc, of 2008 7's Tournaments, go here.

Another great opportunity here, just like the struggle for the D2 Women's Rugby to be recognized, a few players are getting together to build a Women's 7's Club Championships. The tournament would be in conjunction with the Men's 7's Clubs Championships in San Francisco next month. See below for an email from Melissa McKibben about some more details:

Ladies,

I am on a committee working to develop Women 7's Club Championships. Since I have been unable to get a team from the West to enter this tournament, I wanted to check to see if any of you were interested in entering a motley team in the tournament next month (August 9-10 in San Francisco). Please let me know if you would be interested or willing to commit to such a team (email is below). Currently I have 3-4 Jazz players committed, so I would need at least 6-8 more to even consider entering a side. Let me know as soon as possible is you are available, since they will not be holding this tournament unless at least 8 teams are entered (ideally at least 1 city/club team from each territory). I have listed the teams that have currently committed below. The goal is to have this as a formal USA Rugby sponsored venue next year. If you have other teammates that you know would be interested, please forward them this email. Thanks!

Los Angeles
San Diego
Berkeley 1
Berkeley 2 (Bay Area)
NOVA 1
Furies
Atlanta

Melissa McKibben

So shoot Melissa an email if you are interested because this is a GREAT idea! Wish I could go, but I already committed to reffing the 7's TOLA Championships in Shreveport, LA.

For a comprehensive list with results etc, of 2008 7's Tournaments, go here.

Welcome to another Rugby Video Monday! Thanks to everyone who sends me links to new videos, I have quite a few on my list now...so if you haven't seen yours yet, don't worry I will get to it! This week the video comes from another rugger in the ruckosphere, Letchworth Girls' Rugby, its a great site, you should check it out! The link for the video is here in case you can't view it in browser.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
7/7/2008: USA U20 WNT vs South Africa
6/30/2008: New York vs Chicago Northshore scrum try by New York.
6/23/2008: USA Rugby NCAA Iniative
6/17/2008: USA Rugby Youth Promotional Trailer
6/9/2008: West All Star Senior Rugby Fun in the Pool!
6/2/2008: Rugby is Beauty

Please keep sending me videos!! My email is yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com!

Northeast Women Only All-Stars at Cape Fear
partial repost from Goff

July 4, 2008 - The Cape Fear 7s have often been used as a warmup tournament for women's territorial teams. This year that's not quite what's happening. The women's competitive bracket includes two USA Developmental 7s, under the name Atlantis, plus two area clubs.

But one territory is there, defending national champs the Northeast. Head coach Chris Ryan doesn't have all his horses there - he is likely expecting the likes of Phaidra Knight, Tyshawn Henry, Jen Sinkler, Jenna Flateman, Yancy Graf and Ines Rodriguez all to be available for the 7s NASC.

For the rest of the article go here, subscription required.

**I have been scouring the internet for results from the tournament, but have only found results for the men. Leave results, links to picutres etc in the comments, or email me!

For a listing of 2008 7s Tournaments with results etc., check out this post.

CAPE FEAR EXCHANGE
from Hail Pelicus
Report by Tom Zanarini:

Just wanted to thank the Society for sending me to Cape Fear. I had a great time, got some good matches and was able to watch some of the higher level refs perform. The heat wasn't too bad, just made me remember playing 15's in Austin in September and April.

I had four matches on Saturday mixed up between Social, Women's Club, Women's Premiere and Men's Club. The Women's Premiere was NOVA v. Northeast Selects, a very fast paced match with great athletes. NOVA won by three tries which the Northeast coast tried to explain to me that they were all due to missed calls on my part. Right. Pat McNally was on hand to give me some pointers which I was able to execute in the next matches.

One match that I was really looking forward to was the Cape Fear II v. Kenyan Exiles II. The Kenyan I team played the Cape Fear I right before, but the Kenyans were traveling light and ended up forfeiting my match. So, that sucked. David Von Kolnitz managed to tweak the schedule and got me another match right after so I did my four and ran touch for a couple.

The banquet was quite entertaining and Zinzan held court. I got two dings, one for not producing a yellow card after awarding a penalty try for a professional foul. Cherry Point were behind by 21 and we were into full time with a penalty awarded to CP. They kicked ahead to chase for goal and an AHO (Appalachian Honors Society) player grabbed the kicker's jersey with no other defenders chasing. I awarded the penalty try, took the conversion then called full time. I truly feel foolish about that since Dave busted me about the exact same thing in Chico. Sorry! I also forgot a Hawaiian shirt for the banquet. I did get out of paying that fine due to my permanent Hawaiian shirt ink which I had to present to the court. I was wearing my 2008 Pacific Coast Referee shirt and instead of donning the offending jersey I offered it to Zinzan as payment. He told me after that it made his night because he never got a PC jersey or polo when he was a Grizzly and said he wouldn't ever ask for one, but would take one as a gift. So, karma I suppose.

Sunday was another early and on time start. I had Camp Lejeune v. Washington Irish social div. quarter-final. An entertaining match that the Irish ended up running away with in the second half. The military sides were running shallow, Fort Bragg had to forfeit all their matches because most of the team were on recall and couldn't leave base. It was nice to see the Marines and Army playing nicely together. Great athletes that chased hard all match but didn't have the rugby skills or practice to compete with the Irish. My second Sunday match was the Women's open semi with Raleigh Venom v. Maryland Stingers. Raleigh routed the Stingers on Saturday but were a bit gassed on Sunday. The match was 5 all at the half. The second 7 was a different story. The Venom finally found their winger on the outside and it was breakaway tries for the rest of the match.

I ran touch for a couple more matches then had to leave for the airport. I'm glad I got there early since my flight was delayed for 2 hours. A thunderstorm in Atlanta put Delta in a tailspin of delays. The cold Yuenglings at the airport bar made the wait considerably less painful. My connection in Atlanta was delayed as well and pushed my arrival time in SF to 12:20am, twenty minutes past the last Marin Air Porter Shuttle. My wife is on vacation back in Plymouth, MA so I am fortunate to have one good friend in Mill Valley, to whom I owe a steak dinner. 1:30am in bed, 6:30am wakeup call and the coffee is extra strong this morning!

SERRS were great hosts and helpful at every turn. The tournament is very well organized, four fields well marked and in excellent condition. I hope this exchange remains on the NCRRS calendar for other referees to experience.

7's is starting to grow on me and I'm looking forward to this Saturday in Palo Alto.

So a notice today went out about a verbage clarification on Law 17.5 for the new ELVs from USA Rugby...and when I read the subject of the email I was secretly hoping that this meant that USA Rugby was not going to abide by the new ELVs.

I know, I know, I haven't played under the rules yet, so why am I complaining? I can't help it, they just seem err different and not all of them will help the sport of rugby, at least in my opinion. But I may change my tune after I play under the laws in September.

Seems like everyone is talking about, here are a few of the most interesting articles/blogs I found out here:

The Voice of Reason (and he's Australian) (Total Flanker)
A funny thing happened when I pulled that maul down... (Total Flanker)
ELVs will pull up the grassroots (Planet Rugby)
ELVs Caused Trouble (Sporting Life - Rugby Union)
Talking ELVs (IRB)
ELVs. Deadly dull - but could change the game you play (Letchworth Girls Rugby)

Some more resources/funny stories on ELVs can be found here:

Also Total Flanker has a hilarious bit (Rugby - for Aliens!) about the new ELV laws that is definitely worth a read!

Also Hail Pelicus weighs in on the injury risks of the ELVs, many people were afraid that the new mauling and rucking laws would increase the injury risk.

Need some video examples highlghting a few of the the new ELVs? Check out an older post I had written that has several good Youtube videos!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, here is what the email really said:

Attention USA Rugby Supporters and Administrators:

Per the attached memo from the IRB, please note that there was an error in the wording of the ELV Law 17.5 circulated to Unions after the Annual Meeting of Council 2008.

The correct ELV Law 17.5 reads as follows:

17.5 Successful End To A Maul
(b) A player may pull a maul to the ground providing that player does so by pulling an opponent in the maul down from the shoulders to the hips.

*NOTE: It is not legal to drop a maul by pulling down a teammate.

Please disseminate this information to all referees, clubs and societies throughout your respective TUs and LAUs.

Thank you,

Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby
Ashley Voss | Communications Coordinator | USA Rugby

Another gem from Bryn (coach of the U-20 Women's National Team)...a video from the recent June 2008 tour of South Africa! It was originally posted on the U19 Girls Rugby blog.

Here is a long clip from the USA U20 WNT v South Africa U20 WNT game played on June 28th in Nelspruit, South Africa. The clip ends with try from Adetayo Mafe of the USA with the conversion by Cat Parkhill. The USA won the game 21-17.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Game 1 vs South Africa, go here.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Game 2 vs Developmental team, go here.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Game 3 vs South Africa, go here.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Tour Wrap-up and Diary, go here.

**Bryn Chivers gives an update on events, venues etc for upcoming U-20 WNT Events, go here.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
6/30/2008: New York vs Chicago Northshore scrum try by New York.
6/23/2008: USA Rugby NCAA Iniative
6/17/2008: USA Rugby Youth Promotional Trailer
6/9/2008: West All Star Senior Rugby Fun in the Pool!
6/2/2008: Rugby is Beauty
5/27/2008: Rugby in Dresses!
5/19/2005: AMAZING try in Rugby league
5/12/2008: Sharks vs Minnows
5/5/2008: Trent University Women's Rugby Highlight Reel

She will be throwing the evenings of July 3 (9:20pm PST) and July 5 (1:50pm PST). The TV stations to watch her on are USA (3rd) and NBC (5th). The fist being the qualifying round and the second being the finals. Remember the time difference if you want to tune in to see the little tiny blurbs they shove in between races for the throwing events!! Anyway, I'll be in the over-crowded Oregon Track and Field Complex, probably behind some pole or something, squinting to see the little metal balls flying through the air... but I can't wait! Everyone be pulling for her! (Thanks to Leigh for emailing this!)

Check out this video from March 31, 2008 of Abby in action:



GOOD LUCK BFF!!!

Update:

Abby threw incredibly well all weekend, she breezed through the semi-finals, and had good throws in the finals...but it wasn't quite enough.

However, she is looking forward to the upcoming Shot Put season and then of course towards the 2012 Olympics.

GREAT JOB ABBY!

For full results of the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR, check out the Olympic Trials homepage here.

Bryn Chivers let me know that the U20's had a tour diary, but limited internet access made it hard to post anything...so its all just been posted at the U19 Girls Rugby Blog. I have re-posted it here:

U20 WNT Update
Sorry this is a week of posts at once but we lost the wifi at the Ingwnyama Lodge for the last week of the tour.

Sunday June 29th
Breakfast and packing. It’s amazing how much you can buy at a rural African market and luggage space was at a premium. Kayla Morisoli set a record for the most carry on with three bags and an armful of presents. Mallory Ives had purchased a wooden bowl the size of a large satellite dish, and was reveling in the challenge of getting it on and off three flights. We took the last team pictures and headed off…….to the mall, hey there was still time to shop before the flight. =)

Saturday June 28th
Game day and everyone was nervous. Started the day with a walk through of the game plan. Started at one end of the field and went through every scenario, discussed every decision, the what, the when, the why, the who. Everyone ate a light lunch and then it was off to the Nelspruit Rugby Stadium for the last game of the tour. We’ve got used to the police escorts =). There were two games as curtain raisers and there was probably 1,000 people in the crowd at game time. There was still a game in progress when the team jogged down the sideline to the in-goal where they were going warm up. The PA Announcer made a very big deal of the entrance and as the players got to the far end of the stand there was a huge round of applause with shouting, clapping and horn blowing from the fans…….the Mpumalanga Rugby Unon had bussed in the girls from the township we visited on Monday.

The Game – We won 21-17 and the game report will follow.

The banquet afterwards was held at the Ingwenyama Lodge and was a lot of fun. Despite the physical nature of both games the teams really liked each other and this showed at the banquet. The SA women sing this wonderful song before games and they gave the team one last performance at the banquet. The USA women could not get it out of their heads all week and would attempt to replicate it despite not knowing any of the words……and not being able to sing. The food was as interesting as ever and served right on the table. They cover a table with a clear plastic film and put the food right on the table without serving plates. The players had no idea of what they were eating but knew it was all very good. The favorite food of the players was cook-sisters, a small, syrup filled, incredibly sweet, twisted pastry.
The banquet ended with the traditional trading of spare kit. The USA players had a lot of old kit from previous events (and previous sponsor) and were able to get some really good stuff from the SA women. Lots of practice shirts, shorts, t-shirts, hats and one or two jackets were acquired by the USA players.

The South Africans left and the team took a moment to reflect on the win and then it was off to the phones to call home with the news.

Friday June 27th
Still no internet service except for a very slow dial up in one of the offices so updates may not get posted till we get home. It was a two practice day today as we again spent a lot of time working on ball possession and controlling the breakdown. The Jersey Ceremony was emotional. We can only dress twenty-two of the twenty-five players for the international games and it was tough on the players who missed out.

Thursday June 26th
So the team has had two days off to go sightseeing and shopping, and shopping, and shopping =)
Wednesday we visited the Sabie River Valley area of Mpumalanga. The canyon is one of the largest in the world and gave the players a chance to see some of the incredible waterfalls that drop hundreds of feet from the rim of the canyon to the river below. The tour also included a trip to the old gold mining town of Pilgrims Rest where the players got to see and hear about a piece of South Africa’s history and haggle over prices in the local market....everyone got what they thought was a steal but I'm sure the folks at the market thought they robbed the players blind.

Thursday started with a 5:00 am wake up call so that the team could be at Kruger National Park by 6:00 am. The players traveled in four open vehicles driven by very knowledgeable local guides. Each of the groups went a separate way and met up for meals at two of the lodge areas within the park. The players were able to spot lion, elephant, giraffe, rhino, hippo, Zebra, crocodile, water buffalo, kudu, impala and a lot of other animals not found at home. One vehicle even saw a small group of Tsessebe that the guide had not seen in five years. The players spent eleven hours at Kruger National Park and all agreed it was an incredible experience. The team returned home at 6:30 pm and after dinner it was back to work as the players reviewed the tape of Tuesday’s game.

It was a fun two days for the team and everyone needed the break.

Tuesday June 24th
Today the players had a morning practice and got a rest in the afternoon prior to the night game against the Mpumalanga Provincial Side. Sue and Tasha took some of the backs and forwards this afternoon and worked on some individual stuff. The trip down to Nelspruit tonight was similar to Saturday with the police blocking traffic all the way to the stadium. The crowd was a good size with probably five hundred people in the stands. We've had to share the Ingwenyama Sports Center with the Italy U18 boys and the local Currie Cup team, the Pumas. It's been interesting as we always get the "A" field for practice despite it being the only one with rugby posts and the other teams are on the "B: field. So the curtain raiser for our game was the Italy U18's v the provincial HS boys side with the Italian side running out easy winners. The players entered the stadium and the SA U20 Women were there to clap them on to the field, it was very sporting. As the game progressed you could hear chants of USA! USA! from the crowd and it turned out that the Pumas had shown up to support the team. The game ended 87-0 in favor of the U20 WNT and a report will follow. The banquet was nice and simple and a lot less formal than last Saturday.

Monday June 23rd
We started the day by going out to one of the townships to run a camp for about 70 kids. It turned out to be a big event again. Police escort, the radio station broadcast from the event, coach and player interviews, it's hard to explain how we are being treated. The kids were mostly all girls from the townships with a couple of boys in each group. The players had designed the drills and ran all of the practice themselves while the coaches wandered around answering questions from the local organizers, mostly about the structure of the game for women in the USA. The team finished by playing some semi-opposed stuff against each other just to demonstrate the speed of the game. They picked a couple of girls to join the team for a couple of plays and afterwards gave them each a piece of kit donated by the players. Going to one of the townships was an incredible experience and an eye opener for a lot of the players. People living in tiny buildings made from whatever they can find, "shops" made from salvaged wood where people sell whatever they can grow, and hundreds of kids who want to say hi. Incredible experience.

We finshed the day with a short practice and then dinner.

Saturday June 21st
We had a short practice this morning at a local high school that had three rugby fields including one in a stadium…..such a different world compared to rugby in the US. We got back to the lodge in time for lunch although the players and staff didn’t eat much as most of us have a bad case of intestinal distress form last night’s fish.

We boarded the bus for the game and found out that we have a police escort to the game……no kidding. Police cars out in front of the bus with lights on and sirens going as they stopped traffic at intersections and red lights so we could go through. It was surreal to be given this much attention. We arrived at the stadium and it was full of school children that had been bussed in for the game. Wonderful atmosphere.

We lost 12-23. See the match report.

The social after was interesting. Lot’s of speeches from representatives of the Local Rugby Union and South African Rugby who highlighted what a great event this was for the development of the women’s game in South Africa, Both teams really liked each other and they bonded immediately. Lots of singing and laughing.

The players have Sunday off.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Game 1 vs South Africa, go here.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Game 2 vs Developmental team, go here.

**USA U-20 Women's National Team Game 3 vs South Africa, go here.

**Bryn Chivers gives an update on events, venues etc for upcoming U-20 WNT Events, go here.