Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

CHESWICK, Pa. – Defending champions, the Mid-Atlantic Men and Northeast Women still remain in the hunt to retain their 2007 All-Star Sevens Championship titles, as both finished atop their respective pools at the close of day one at Founders Field, near Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Men’s competition
In the Men’s rounds, No. 4 seeded Southern California had the best performance on the day, finishing 3-0 in the pool rounds to advance to the Cup Semi Finals against second-place Pool A finishers Midwest. The Midwest team got past the College All-Stars and Northeast but fell one try short of MARFU, 19-14 in pool play.

Meanwhile, Mid-Atlantic won Pool A with wins against the College All-Stars and the Midwest. The defending champions are set to square off with the West in the other Cup Semi Final match at 11 a.m.

Now left to duke it out for the Bowl are the College All-Stars, which face the South when Men’s competition resumes at 9:20 a.m. The All-Stars enjoyed a convincing 32-14 victory over the Northeast, but could not quite muster enough scoring oomph to overcome the Midwest or MARFU, and the South was held winless in day one.

Left without some of their key players, last year’s runners-up from the Pacific Coast finished third in Pool A and now face Northeast, which finished 1-2 on the day.

Women’s Competition
Three-time consecutive champions the Northeast Women continued their reign over the field in the pool rounds, going undefeated on the day to earn the top spot from Pool A. The NRU now meets the Midwest in the Cup Semis, a rematch of last year’s championship game.

The other semi final match-up features top Pool B finishers Mid-Atlantic and the tournament’s No. 8 seed, the West. After finishing at the bottom of the heap last time around, the West ended its day with wins against both the South and Pacific Coast.

Despite an admirable showing, the Under-23 Women finished out of the Cup contention and now face the South. The U-23s tied MARFU in a hard fought opening match and earned a victory over Southern California but lost out to the Midwest.

Following a 1-3 finish on the day, with a lone 19-10 victory over the South, Pacific Coast goes on to play its Bowl Semi Final match against Southern California, which enters day two still looking for its first win.

Competition resumes on Sunday morning at 9 a.m and culminates in the Women’s and Men’s All-Star Sevens Cup Championship matches at 1:40 and 2:10 p.m., respectively. Admission to the event held at Founders Field (101 Eisele Road, Cheswick, PA) is FREE. For more information on the USA Rugby Championship series, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/usar_championships.

USA Rugby All-Star Sevens Championships – Founders Field, Cheswick, Pa.

Day 1 Results - Round 1 - Men

Northeast 17, MARFU 14
College All-Stars 12, Midwest 14
Pacific Coast 31, South 12
SoCal 19, West 7

Women
Northeast 22, West 12
South 10, Pacific Coast 19
Midwest 17, SoCal 5
Under-23s 5, MARFU 5

Round 2 - Men
MARFU 19, Midwest 14
College All-Stars 32, Northeast 14
West 28, Pacific 14
SoCal 24, South 7

Women
Northeast 24, Pacific 10
West 19, South 12
MARFU 5, Midwest 0
Under-23s 17, SoCal 7

Round 3 - Men
MARFU 22, College All-Stars 12
Midwest 40, Northeast 7
SoCal 24, Pacific 12
West 15, South 14

Women
Northeast 21, South 0
West 17, Pacific Coast
Midwest 22, Under-23s 7
MARFU 15, SoCal 5

Day 2 Schedule
9:00am Pac Coast vs. So Cal (Women’s Bowl Semi Finals)
9:20am College All-Stars vs. South (Men’s Bowl Semi Finals)
9:40am Under-23s vs. South(Women’s Bowl Semi Finals)
10:00am Pacific Coast vs. Northeast(Men’s Bowl Semi Finals)
10:20am Northeast vs. Midwest(Women’s Cup Semi Finals)
10:40am MARFU vs. West (Women Cup Semi Finals)
11:00am MARFU vs. West (Men’s Cup Semi Finals)
11:20am SoCal vs. Midwest(Men Cup Semi Finals)
11:40am 7th/8th Place (Women)
12:00pm 7th/8th Place (Men)
12:20pm Bowl Final (Women)
12:40pm Bowl Final (Men)
1:00pm Plate Final (Women)
1:20pm Plate Final (Men)
1:40pm Cup Final (Women)
2:10pm Cup Final (Men)

Midwest Roster
Christy Ringgenberg Minnesota Valkyries
Teena Mastrangelo Chicago North Shore
Pam Kosanke Chicago North Shore
Kelly White, Ann Arbor
Nicole Helmer, Wisconsin
Gabe Fidelman, Minnesota Valkyries
Tonya Ansel, Minnesota Valkyries
Jenny Kuchar, St. Louis
Skye Leary, Cleveland
Holly Thom, Cleveland

Coach: Mark Santiago

Northeast Roster
Alison Price New York
Ida Bernstein Keystone
Tanya Carlson New York
Amy Daniels Beantown
Jenna Flateman New York
Yancy Graf Beantown
Tyshwn Henry New York
Phaidra Knight New York
Daniela Mogro New York
Ines Rodriguez Keystone
Jennifer Sinkler Keystone
Kitt Wagner Beantown

Coaches Chris Ryan, Andrew Fautley
Manager: JoAnne Ward

South Roster
Leah Barnes Atlanta
Nicole Belkin Orlando
Rosalind Chou Florida State University
Brittany Fabbri University of Florida
Carly Harrington Atlanta
Lori Light Orlando
Pat Neder Atlanta
Lindsey Stephenson Orlando
Sue Uchneat Clemson
Becky Urion University of Florida

Coach Mike May

Pacific Coast Roster
Stephanie Bruce Berkeley All-Blues
Petrie Quigley Berkeley All-Blues
Hannah Cho Berkleye All-Blues
Margret Sharp Berkley All-Blues
Lo Stander Berkley All-Blues
Monica Martin de Bustamante Berkeley All-Blues via Dartmouth College
Carrie White Chico State
Haldre Rogers Seattle RFC
Elaine Schlarbe Berkeley All-Blues via U23 7's program
Lauren Groth St. Mary's College
Ashley Groefsema Berkeley All-blues

Coach Laura Cabrera

West Roster
Claire Gregorich Glendale
Fanny Guiot Austin
Angela Hurt Kansas City
Eleanor Karvoski Little Rock
Kim Klahn Glendale
Tara McCarthy Glendale
Melissa McKibben Kansas City
Stephanie Miller Glendale
Jenn Nelson Kansas City
Donna Thomas Little Rock
Katie Thoreson Glendale
Heidi Whitman Austin

Coach Laura Hertel

Southern California Roster
Julia Anderson UC San Diego
Alyssa Barker San Luis Obispo
Leanna Corpus San Diego Surfers
Valerie Griffeth San Diego Surfers
Kelly Griffin UC Los Angeles
Kirsten Hartos San Diego Surfers
Tikvah Hayes San Diego Surfers
Beth Hettig Belmont Shore
Monique Measures San Diego Surfers
Shaina Turley San Diego Surfers
Ann Wang Belmont Shore
Amanda Wilson © San Diego Surfers

Coach Jaxs Roper

MARFU Roster
Stacy Bennett, NOVA
Beth Black, NOVA
Kristen Campbell, NOVA
Dana Creager, NOVA
Caroline Duckworth, NOVA
Jessica Hammond, Furies
CJ Hildreth, NOVA
Lauren Hoeck, NOVA
Katie Miller, NOVA
Emily Record, Philadelphia
Jennifer Starkey, NOVA
Eli White, Furies

Coach Nancy Fitz

USA U23s
Kirsten Ahrendt Keystone
Tess Kohanski Syracuse
Alison Worman Penn State
Kate Daley Penn State
Jess Watkins Stanford
Lauren Rosso PSU
Nathalie Monroig Shippensburg
Diana Zempel Navy
Sadie Anderson Fort Collins HS
Meghan Knight Colorado
Steph Burkhardt West Chester
Kati Dowty Beantown

Sue Parker, Pete Steinberg

8.22.08 - from Rugbyrugby.com

England were forced to battle until the bitter end of their Nations Cup curtainraiser game against the USA on Friday night at Esher RFC, winning 17-14.

The reigning Six Nations and European champions faced an altogether different challenge to the US team they played in a friendly fixture on Tuesday and thumped 50-3. The Eagles showed passion and pride to take the game to the hosts and made England throw everything they had to win the tournament opener.

Both sides kicked-off the clash fiercely and although the hosts dominated possession early on, the USA refused to give up and after a physically demanding first 25 minutes the US were awarded a penalty.

Flyhalf Kristin Baja couldn't stroke the kick over, but their wing Natalie Marchino followed it up and pounced on the wayward ball to dive under the posts and hand the US a surprise lead. Baja, this time, converted to take a 7-0 lead.

England clawed back three points with a Katy McLean penalty and then capitalised on the loss of US prop Jamie Burke to the sin bin as they pressurised America’s line.

A well taken line-out, just five metres out from the try-line, saw England spread the ball out wide through McLean and Amy Turner, who then off-loaded to Michaela Staniford. The Wasps centre then showed her strength to power over the line. With McLean converting England took a 10-7 lead in injury time.

But England’s advantage didn't last long and the US showed their commitment again after the break by keeping England at bay. They took their chances too, and again were rewarded for it. This time scrumhalf and captain Kim Magrini took a quick tap penalty deep in England’s territory and she caught England unaware to run through and score. Baja again added the conversion to hand the Eagles a 14-10 lead with 53 minutes gone.

England, however, responded to the pressure and with super sub Kim Oliver executing a clever offload to Charlotte Barras, the full-back showed her turn of speed to charge through three defenders and run in and score from 45 metres. Oliver added the conversion to take a 17-14 lead on 64 minutes.

England and the US continued to battle hard and the home side went close to stretching their lead when Staniford made another good break, only to be brought down just short of the line. England instead had to settle for their two tries and take a thrilling 17-14 victory.

England Head Coach Gary Street said: “To take this victory shows the strength of this team. This was a very hard test and we had made 12 changes for the match and that does not help with consistency. However, I thought the team showed tremendous determination, they never gave up and came back and deserved to win.”

England’s Nations Cup campaign continues on Sunday at 17.00 at Esher, while the USA and Canada will clash on Tuesday 26 August. England will also take on Canada in a friendly match on Friday 29 August.

Scorers:

For England:
Tries: Staniford, Barras
Cons: McLean, Oliver
Pen: McLean

For USA:
Tries: Marchino, Magrini
Cons: Baja 2

Teams:

England: 15 Charlotte Barras, 14 Katherine Merchant, 13 Michaela Staniford, 12 Amy Turner, 11 Fiona Pocock, 10 Katy McLean, 9 Georgina Rozario, 8 Karen Jones (captain), 7 Gemma Sharples, 6 Sarah Hunter, 5 Joanna McGilchrist, 4 Natalie Binstead, 3 Rosemarie Crowley, 2 Emma Layland, 1 Sophie Hemming

Replacements: 16 Samantha Dale, 17 Katy Storie, 18 Tamara Taylor, 19 Margaret Alphonsi, 20 Danielle Waterman, 21 Kimberley Oliver, 22 Georgina Roberts

USA: 15 Ashley Kmiecik, 14 Vanesha McGee, 13 Lynelle Kugler, 12 Mel Kanuk, 11 Nathalie Marchino, 10 Kristin Baja,, 9 Kim Magrini (captain), 8 Blair Groefsema, 7 Beckett Royce, 6 Mel Denham, 5 Lara Vivolo, 4 Jillion Potter, 3 Jamie Burke, 2 Mari Wallace, 1 Farrah Douglas
Replacements: 16 Lisa Butts, 17 Stacy Baker, 18 Christina Hobson, 19 Allyson Hemstreet, 20 Katy Hertel, 21 San Juanita Moreno, 22 Desiree Markovich

Replacements: Moreno for Kugler (60 min), Hemstreet for Royce (60 min), Baker for Douglas (70 min)

Referee: Claire Daniels
Touch judges: Andrea Ttofa, Becky Patrick
Assessor: Clive Nichola

Pictures from this match can be found at Scrumpix or visit this link here.

USA Announces roster for opening Nations Cup Match.
England beat the USA in their first match 50-3, for that story click here.

from womeneagles.com

8.21.08 - The US National Team will again take on England tomorrow in the first official match of the inaugural Nations Cup. After Tuesday's warm-up match against England, a 3-50 loss, the US faces an uphill battle. Head Coach Kathy Flores said, "We've worked hard on improving the point of contact in training since Tuesday's game and are prepared to better compete against the English scrum. We're looking forward to providing better set piece ball for the backs so they can maintain possession and have an opportunity to finish."

Kim Magrini, captain and starting scrumhalf for the Women Eagles said, "We're really looking forward to this rematch with England on Friday and putting together what we've learned from the first match and over the last few days."

US Flyhalf Kristen Baja,who provided the only scoring in the first match added, "We've learned a lot from our first match and have been working really hard to come together as a team these last two days. We're excited for the opportunity to face England again and show them all we've improved across the field."

The match will again be played at Esher Rugby Club, Friday, August 22 with kick off at 7pm.

US Roster for England Match - Aug. 22, 2008
1. Farrah Douglas
2. Mari Wallace
3. Jamie Burke
4. Jillion Potter
5. Lara Vivolo
6. Mel Denham
7. Beckett Royce
8. Blair Groefsema
9. Kim Magrini (captain)
10. Kristin Baja (vice captain)
11. Nathalie Marchino
12. Mel Kanuk
13. Lynelle Kugler
14. Vanesha McGee
15. Ashley Kmiecik

16. Lisa Butts
17. Stacy Baker
18. Christina Hobson
19. Allyson Hemstreet
20. Katy Hertel
21. San Juanita Moreno
22. Desiree Markovich

England beat the USA in their first match 50-3, for that story click here.

from Womeneagles.com

8.19.08 - (from England RFU by Julia Hutton)
England Women warmed up for the inaugural Nations Cup with an impressive and powerful display against the USA at Esher Rugby Club on Tuesday evening. The reigning RBS 6 Nations and European Champions, who will kick-off their Nations Cup campaign against the USA on Friday, 7pm at Esher also, ran in a blistering eight tries, including one for Lichfield's Emily Scarratt on her debut. Vice-captain Katy McLean also kicked five conversions to secure the win.

The USA proved dogged opposition in the opening stages and kept England at bay until the eighth minute, and then the flood gates opened.

USA clawed back a penalty in the first-half thanks to fly-half Kristen Baja but they had to settle for a 31-3 deficit at the break.

After the restart England called in the back-up and made six replacements. The changes didn't unsettle the hosts and Barras soon ran in for a try after a superb break and charge down field.

England Head Coach Gary Street said: "I'm really happy with this performance. We have got a lot to work on, but the style of rugby we want to play was very evident tonight.

"It's really satisfying to score eight tries against a very physical side but we have got to make sure we are not bias about this win as we look ahead to Friday's Nations Cup game."
Women Eagle News

The US squad is staying and training at Brunel University in Uxbridge, England. Having arrived in the afternoon on the 17th, it was a quick turnaround to their first match on the 19th against England. Captain Ashley English sustained a training injury and subsequently was removed from the reserve list and replaced by Nathalie Marchino; Berkeley All Blues. Liz Dilley (Washington Furies) served as Eagle Vice Captain in this opening match of the tour. The Women Eagles will have a few days to regroup before they meet England for the Nations Cup opener on Aug. 22.

England vs. USA - Aug. 18, 2008

USA
1 Jamie Burke (At-Large), 2 Lisa Butts (Davis Women), 3 Stacy Baker (Philadelphia), 4 Beckett Royce (ORSU), 5 Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries), 6 Liz Dilley (C) (DC Furies), 7 Mel Denham (Beantown), 8 Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All Blues), 9 Kim Magrini (Philidelphia), 10 Kristin Baja (New York), 11 Desiree Markovich (Minnesota Valkyries), 12 Elise Myer (Maryland Stingers), 13 Emilie Bydwell (Beantown), 14 Vanesha McGee (Philadelphia), 15 Ashley Kmiecik (Seattle Mudhens).

Replacements: 16 Farrah Douglas (Chicago North Shore), 17 Lara Vivolo (New York), 18 Sarah Walsh (Chicago North Shore), 19 Christina Hobson (New York), 20 Katy Hertel (Minnesota Valkyries), 21 Mel Kanuk (Maryland Stingers), 22 Nathalie Marchino
Penalties: Baja

England
1 Rochelle Clark (Henley), 2 Amy Garnett (Saracens), 3 Katy Storie (Blaydon Team Northumbria), 4 Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 5 Joanna McGilchrist (Wasps), 6 Sarah Beale (Leos), 7 Margaret Alphonsi (Saracens), 8 Catherine Spencer (C) (Bath), 9 Amy Turner ( Richmond), 10 Katy McLean (vc) (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 11 Michaela Staniford (Wasps), 12 Kim Oliver (Clifton), 13 Georgina Roberts (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 14 Charlotte Barras (Saracens), 15 Danielle Waterman (Clifton).

Replacements: 16 Emma Layland (Richmond), 17 Sophie Hemming (Clifton), 18 Natalie Binstead (Wasps), 19 Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 20 Georgina Rozario (Plymouth Albion), 21 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield), 22 Francesca Matthews (Richmond)

Tries: McGilchrist, Staniford, Taylor, Oliver, Alphonsi, Barras, Scarratt, Turner
Conversions: McLean (5)
Substitutions: Hemming for Clark, Binstead for McGilchrist, Layland for Garnett, Scarratt for Roberts (all 45), Rozario for Oliver, Sharples for Alphonsi (56), Matthews for Barras (59)

Half-time: England 31 USA 3

Referee Joyce Henry (Canada)
Touch Judges: Andrea Ttofa, Claire Hodnett

Complete Match Schedule:
England v USA, August 19th at Esher RFC, KO 7pm
England v USA August 22nd at Esher RFC Nations Cup, KO 7pm
England v Canada August 24th at Esher RFC Nations Cup, KO 5pm
USA v Canada August 26th at Esher RFC Nations Cup, KO 7pm
England v Canada August 29th at Esher RFC, KO 7pm

The video this week is one of the drills that Barb Fugate taught us at NA4s last year and I have passed it along to a few teams when we have had clinics here in Texas. Love this game and glad to see it came from the All Blacks! Try it out with your team and see how it helps improve hands and thinking when playing rugby.

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
8/11/2008: Phelps and the 4X100 Free
8/4/2008: Penn State Documentary: Off to Do or Die
7/28/2008: Dropkicking Props!
7/22/2008: NY Rugby's U19 Program on ABC
7/14/2008: Letchworth Girls' Rugby
7/7/2008: USA U20 WNT vs South Africa

Please keep sending me your favorite videos: yourscrumhalfconnection@gmail.com!

from thisisgloucestershire.co.uk

SOLICITOR Natalie Amor is a property expert who has excelled at her career in the legal profession.

But at weekends the 25-year-old swaps her paperwork for a whistle and shorts and heads out on to the pitch as a rugby union referee.

Natalie is so good she has reached international heights and is preparing to referee a match between the USA and Canada this month as part of the Women's Nations Cup.

The appointment was made by the Rugby Football Union days before she is due to travel to Surrey for the match.

Natalie, who works at Cheltenham- based Willans solicitors, is one of a small number of women referees in the country and hopes to take her hobby all the way in the future by refereeing England.

"It's a huge privilege to be chosen. It's a dream come true to ref at international standard and so much more than I ever expected," she said.

"In the beginning I wanted to have fun and exercise but it has led to so much more."

Natalie, who lives in Cheltenham, has been a referee and member of the Bristol Referees' Society for nine years.

She said: "My dad played rugby for Bristol and I was brought up on the sport.

"I saw a lady refereeing on TV when I was around 15 and thought I would give it a go.

"I ran the line every Saturday as a touch judge and after a season they gave me a chance to referee.

"I went to training sessions to learn the skills and knowledge necessary and I moved from adult games to league games and internationals."

Her passion for refereeing has already taken her to Chicago for the Collegiate Championships and to the Philadelphia Pumpkin Fest tournament.

She has also refereed in Holland. She says the camaraderie and high spirits make braving the wind and rain worth it.

"In nine years of refereeing I have not had any trouble with men or women," she said.

"And work has been very good to me as there is a lot of training involved.

"I would love to see how far I can go in England. I don't see why a woman could not referee a men's international and it's certainly a possibility for the future."

Jonathan Mills, a senior partner at Willans' solicitors, said: "We are all very proud of Natalie."

In October she is off to the Bahamas to referee an International Rugby Board Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifying tournament.

BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Rugby's Women's National team is set to play a warm-up match against England prior to the official start of the Nations Cup. The match will kickoff at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, August 19, at the Esher Rugby Club, on the outskirts of London.

The U.S. women have been rebuilding their squad since a competitive 4-1 showing at the 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup, after which many veteran players retired. The Women’s Eagles last traveled to England for a three-match tour in December 2007 and were defeated by the England Women, although the match gave the U.S. squad’s 19 new caps some much-needed international experience.

The bulk of the squad is comprised of players with a cap or two under their belts, who are looking to prove themselves against top international opposition. A number of the young players from December’s squad have returned, including Jillion Potter (Minnesota Valkyries) and Emilie Bydwell (Beantown).

A handful of WNT veterans such as such as Captain Ashley English (Berkeley All-Blues), Jamie Burke (At-Large) and Kristin Baja (New York) will also make the trip to England. Flanker and Vice Captain Liz Dilley (Washington D.C. Furies) will partner an aggressive back row with Number 8 Blair Groefsema (Berkeley All-Blues) and Flanker Mel Denham (Beantown), making her international debut.

"For our opening match, we've selected a good blend of experience and those previously untested in international play. As the new laws have added close to 10 minutes more of play, we are looking to the increase in our fitness level to help equalize the playing field for us,” said Women’s National Team Head Coach Kathy Flores. “The first match is often the hardest in terms of hitting the ground running; however, the players are excited and determined to improve their showing over the last time we met England in December."

The U.S. will meet up with England again, in the opening match of the Nations Cup, at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 22, also at the Esher Rugby Club. The USA’s second Nations Cup match versus Canada will be played at Esher on Tuesday, August 26.

For more information on the USA Women’s National Team, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_eagles.

USA v ENG, Tuesday, August 19, 2008
1. Jamie Burke, At-Large
2. Lisa Butts, Davis Women
3. Stacy Baker, Philadelphia
4. Beckett Royce, ORSU
5. Jillion Potter, Minnesota Valkyries
6. Liz Dilley, DC Furies
7. Mel Denham, Beantown
8. Blair Groefsema, Berkeley All Blues
9. Kim Magrini, Keystone
10. Kristin Baja, New York
11. Desiree Markovich, Minnesota Valkyries
12. Elise Myer, Maryland Stingers
13. Emilie Bydwell, Beantown
14. Vanesha McGee, Philadelphia
15. Ashley Kmiecik, Seattle Mudhens
16. Farrah Douglas, Chicago North Shore
17. Lara Vivolo, New York
18. Sarah Walsh, Chicago North Shore
19. Christina Hobson, New York
20. Katy Hertel, Minnesota Valkyries
21. Mel Kanuk, Maryland Stingers
22. Ashley English (C), Berkeley All Blues

Anyone know if the match will be available on TV or online anywhere? I have been searching the Internet but haven't found any news yet...leave your thoughts in the comments!

The Republic of Texas Rugby Referees is the Local Referee Organization which is now recognised by the Texas Rugby Union and the West Territorial Union. This new organization was created to foster a better working partnership with the LAU and to increase referee recruitment at all ages.

Since its inception approximately two months ago, The Republic of Texas Rugby Referees is proud to announce that we are currently up from the 26 members reported earlier to a new total of 36 with more to come.

TRTRR CONTACTS
Richard Prim
Jim Wolfinger


Our new referee society realized a wealth of new members who came on board to serve as referees for Rugby 7’s this summer. This increase of referees is a testament to hard work by all. We have had a great beginning and now it's time to embark on the Fall/Spring 08-09 schedule.

Our two last tournaments for this summer were The Woodlands Youth 7’s and the TOLA finals in Shreveport .

The Woodlands 7’s: Aug 2, 2008
The Woodlands 7’s went well. The crew was: Jimmy "Shiner" Schreiner, Bill Rung, Kyle Witenbraker, Richard Zedunkewicz, Jim Wolfinger and Johnny Brown. These guys worked as a team of 3 throughout the day with Jim (Wolfe) Wolfinger, who served as lead ref, providing on going evaluations and coaching while Johnny Brown performed touch judge specialist duties.

Wolfe indicated to me a marked improvement within the framework of the referees' knowledge, positioning, and management of the games. There were so many highlights of improvement regarding these very new referees and I am very encouraged by their attitudes going into the Fall season. I am happy to say that this group of new referees has decided to continue refereeing in the Fall/Spring season.

TOLA Finals Shreveport : Aug 9, 2008
Interestingly, we had the same crew that worked the TOLA finals that were involved in the very first TOLA 7’s in Dallas on June 7: Meg Pace, James Summers, Kevin Kopp, James Rangel, Wendy Young. Traci Schmidtke and I joined this crew for the Shreveport tournament. (see picture attached)

As this was the TOLA finals…watching the improvement these referees gained over the summer made me extremely proud. Congrats to the crew. We worked a team of three throughout the tournament. I am proud to say the players thought that this crew was superb and they provided me with positive comments throughout the day.

Traci did a fine job of refereeing the men’s 7’s. Her initial referee experience was a tough duty in the SAND at the Corpus 7’s. I am very encouraged with her refereeing savvy as she moves from playing to reffing when time permits. James Rangel really worked on positioning and Kevin Kopp focused on management of the match. Wendy did an excellent job reffing the consolation finals and Meg and James Summers worked the hardest matches of the day, the semi-finals. Dallas Reds came away victorious in the finals capturing a final try on the very last play.

The Summer 7’s was a great and safe way for new referees to develop their core skills and I must say kudos to all for a job well done.

July 25 2008
We are in the apex of the Summer 7's programs with the only remaining T'OLA event scheduled for August 9th in Shreveport, La. Congratulations to all the players and coaches for their commitment to making this a great summer for rugby.

This Summer 7's experience has not only been a success for the players and coaches--I am proud to say that it also has been quite an achievement for our local referee society. I am very proud to report that we now have a pool of 63 membeers. Many of these 63 members have participated in our level 1 training class and many have also had fun volunteering their time during these hot summer days by refereeing 7's matches.

SUCCESS! That is the word that I would use to describe the overall Summer 7's for all who participated. It has been a very enlightened and rewarding time for all the referees and others who stepped up to the plate and helped TRTRR to become the organization that we are today. As Technical Director for TRTRR--I, along with our Chairman, Jim Wolfinger and the TRU Chairman, David McPhail--with a big Republic smile on our faces--say THANK YOU!

"Rocky" Rocking at Pumpkinfest!
The first item in our news comes from the USA Women's Referee clinic. Our own Rachel "Rocky" Osborn has been selected to take part in this exclusive Women's Elite Referee Camp during the Pumpkinfest Tournament later in September. Big congrats go to Rocky as this camp is supported by USA Rugby referee manager, Ed Todd. There were only 12 invitees from across the USA. These selected ladies are scheduled to go through a vigorous class on Friday. After the class on Friday, during the Pumpkinfest tournament, they will be evaluated by one of the top men referees in the country, Richard Avery. Ya'll give this new mom a big shout out when you see her!

St. Thomas 7's
Our crew at the St. Thomas 7's, Richard Zdunkwicz, Dave Cammack, Jeff Krus, Mike Monks, Kyle Wittenbraker, Bill Rung, Jimmy Schreiner, and Rich Prim, had a great time. We would like to thank the St. Thomas coaches, Jim Wolfinger and Brett Mills for putting on a wonderful tournament. Most of our referees were new but they had a great time feeding off of their Katy 7's experiences. Our veterans worked great with the less experience group and their learning curve was evident in their attitude and demeanor on the pitch.

Brett Mills will come out with a write-up on Athleteconnection.com in the near future regarding this event.

Corpus Christi 7's by the Sea
One of the highlights of 7's this summer was the event last week in Corpus Christi. Not only was this event fun and challenging (sometimes quick-sand challenging), it was also an opportunity for our new women to pick up the whistle. Our crew included: Wendy Young, Amy Wolfrey, Stephanie Flores, Traci Schmidtke, Daniel Schwartz, Randy Stuart, Robert Hayes, and Rich Prim.

Kudos to Amy Wolfrey who started out refereeing and really saw the challenges from a different perspective. Amy is a gentle soul and she knew that making tough decisions with the whistle would be a test for her. We spoke that evening about those challenges and she is very much aware of the three things to work on.

Young Steph Flores is a dynamo. She was very commanding in her demeanor and Step made sure that she was heard and understood. She reff'd with a strong sense of duty and made sure that managing the game was her main goal. Traci Schmidtke also was amazing. She picked that whistle up and started using her primary and secondary signals like a veteran...telling folks when advantages were over. I said to Traci, 'I haven't seen such natural raw talent since, well since--I started refereeing.'

Randy Stuart had a solid performance all day on Field 3. His hard work and calm attitude made the players very comfortable with his refereeing style. His enthusiasm for refereeing and for the game of Rugby came through loud and clear.

I have to tell you about Dan Schwartz. He came out with a banged-up toe and STILL worked his tail off in that sand. His hard work was noticed when refereeing two games in a row and still wanted to coach some of the young ladies and improve their techniques. Ms. Wendy Young! Mentally tough. She refereed top level matches throughout the day. She has the best attitude in the world when it comes to working hard--she is a true lover of our great sport.

All of our crew were winners this past weekend...Cheers to you Corpus Crabs!

Thanks again for a strong group of TRTRR referees reffing the St. Thomas and Corpus Christi 7's.

We are getting ready for our Fall season. We will be excited to put some of you in the middle of the pitch. We will video you and make sure you are prepared to move forward this season as a comfortable referee.

June 30, 2008
TRTRR was honored and excited to be able to provide rugby referees for two different events on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Referees from our organization served as touch judges for the prestigious West USA 7’s Qualifier in Dallas , Texas and also called the matches for the Katy Youth 7’s in Katy , Texas .

Katy 7’s
The referees at the Katy 7’s Tournament were able to participate in a unique and fun event. The combination of younger/inexperienced referees learning from the older/experienced referees made for an exceptional experience for all the referees as they enjoyed the play of the young rugby players.

Nine referees called the matches throughout the long day in Katy; TRTRR’s Kyle Wittenbraker, Richard Zdunkewicz, Dan O’Donnell, Bill Rung, David Cammack, Jeff Kraus, Neil Doherty, and Tim O’Gara along with STRR’s Charlie MacMasters. Charlie, who’s sons played in this event, was instrumental in working with newcomer, Richard Zdunkewicz.

Prior to his son’s involvement with the St. Thomas Rugby team, Richard had no working knowledge of the game. Recently, he participated in the day-long IRB Level 1 Rugby Referee Course in Houston , but had no intention of refereeing this past weekend. When he was called upon to do just that, he said that he felt comfortable accepting because of the level of knowledge that he had gained from the course.

Richard was able to shadow Charlie--which proved to be very beneficial for his ongoing development as a referee. After the matches, Richard said, "I will make more progress in my next game because I know what to expect, and I will get to work on my fitness routine". His commitment to continuous improvement in his refereeing skills was evident when he asked about DVD or VHS tapes that he could purchase to supplement his study.

All of the experienced referees provided positive feedback regarding the learning curve for the young players as well as the new referees. I heard from many observers that the interaction between the young boys and the referees was very inspiring.

Another quote from Bill Rung speaks to the camaraderie of the day at the Katy tournament "One thing you should know was the mutual support all of us gave each other as referees. We had a good crew,there were no experts, we all helped critique each other’s matches and learned from the experience".

That quotes sums up our mission; to have all of our referees working in a student centered way by working with each other discovering solutions through sharing the wealth of talent at our disposal.

Thanks to Dan O’Donnell and to Neil Doherty of the Katy Youth RFC for a great day.

The West USA 7’s Qualifier
The TRTRR took a strong crew to Dallas and served as touch judges for the USA West 7’s Qualifier. Jim Wolfinger, James Rangel, Aaron Fortin, and Rich Prim worked together in pairs throughout the long hot day.

Congratulations go out to James Rangel and Aaron Fortin for receiving their first Western USA appointment as touch officials for the 7’s qualifier held in Dallas . The qualifier was a fast-paced tournament which showcased the best 7’s players in the western United States .

This TRTRR team performed as touch judges for 26 games (13 each) from 9:15 until 5:30. It was a challenging day for all, but these young refs and old guys like Wolf and I were professionals the whole day. Tim Lipscomb had the head official duty along with four referees representing the West. Later, two more referees were added for the matches--TRTRR’s own Ted Hill and STRR/West referee, Greg Varnell.

Greg was tapped to get a run and did an outstanding job in the middle with the whistle. STRR officials, John McConnell and Mike Geach, looked on like proud uncles as Greg’s professional approach to the game was very obvious. A young man, such as Greg Varnell is very passionate about being an outstanding referee for the game.

Greg’s other passions include his young family...girls ages, 2, 4 and 6, and his job. Greg and I spoke about the conflicts that exist at this time between STRR and TRU...and while we may not see what has transpired in our union through the same lens...we both agreed that Rugby is the players’ sport. He is committed to STRR but looks forward to refereeing this summer.

It was a fresh start to have STRR, the West Referees, and TRTRR all together under one tent with one goal in mind; development of rugby referees.

We, at TRTRR embrace openness to the exponential growth of rugby refereeing in Texas. We have 36 members with USA Rugby as part of our wonderful growth. The positive outcome this weekend--having STRR, TRTRR, the West Referees under the same tent, is a beginning step toward listening to the voices of the players and their interests in the great sport we love.

We will continue to focus on safety and fitness as we go into the fall season.

International Head Coach of Ireland from 2001 – 2007. Eddie is respected as one of the most professionally thorough and innovative coaches in World rugby and made history by leading Ireland to three Triple Crown victories in four years (2004,2006 & 2007). After taking charge he dramatically changed the fortunes and style of Ireland's National rugby team and became their most successful ever coach with a win/loss of 50-28.

MTSU Rugby is proud to host Eddie O’Sullivan and invites coaches and players from Tennessee High School Rugby, local colleges and clubs to share in this unique opportunity. Eddie first came to MTSU in 1998 to present the first USA Rugby level 2 Coaches Course. He is an outstanding speaker, educator and motivator. It is a rare opportunity that coaches and players can actually learn from an international coach.

New Coach at MTSU!!! -- This season MTSU Rugby welcomes John Keepa to the coaching staff. John is from New Zealand and holds an IRB level 2 Coach Certification as well as an advanced coaching certificate from IRANZ. He has a Bachelor Degree in Business from Massey University with his major being sports management. He is a professional sports trainer and has won New Zealand body building championships. John will be a great addition to MTSU and the entire rugby community.

Fees:
Coaches -- $90 for all sessions
(Single session on Saturday at $40 each; Sunday only $45)
*Players -- $50 for all sessions
(Single session on Saturday $20; Sunday only $25)

*Only a limited number of player participants can be accepted – advance payment and reservation is required. Additional players and day of show walk-ins can attend as observers, but may not get to participate in session. Players should be prepared for contact, dressed in rugby shorts, jersey and mouthpiece. Players must be CIPP Registered, equipped with drinks and pre-taped etc. Eat sensible especially at lunch breaks.

All checks should be made payable to MTSU Rugby and can be mailed in advance to

Mark Williams

MTSU RUGBY CAMP SCHEDULE

Saturday – Sept 13
9:00 – Check in – Basic introductions and an overview of program.
9:30 – 11:30 Eddie O’Sullivan -- Defense:
(a) Multi-Phase Defensive System.
(b) 1st Phase Defense.
(c) Tackle Technique.
Question and Answer
11:45 -- Lunch Break (On your own)
12:45 – 2:45 Eddie O’Sullivan-- Continuity:
(a) Tackle/Ruck Transition Skills.
(b) Rolling Plays off Phase Attack.
Question and Answer
3:00—4:00 John Keepa, MTSU – Pre-Match Preparation
(a)Warm up
(b) Dynamic Stretch
(c)Contact
(d) Motivation (psychological)
4:00 PM -- Scrimmage Match MTSU vs Nashville

Sunday Sept 14
10:00 – Gates open. Check-in & Introductions
10:30 – 12:30 Eddie O’Sullivan -- Team Attack:
(a) Attack Patterns based on Field Position.
(b) Attack Patterns based on Opposition Defense.
Final Question and Answer for Coach O’Sullivan
12:45 Lunch Break (On your own)
1:30 – 3:30 John Keepa – Fitness By Intelligence

John will demonstrate techniques and programs that are rugby specific, effective and most of all fun. “Train Hard – Train Smart”.

MTSU Rugby Fields / area map and link to mapquest

Some news from the inbox!
from USA Rugby:

BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby has appointed former Eagles Captain Alexandra Williams as its first Women’s High Performance Manager.

“This is a great step forward in women’s rugby,” CEO and President of Operations Nigel Melville said. “We want both our men’s and women’s programs to embrace our high performance plan and Ms. Williams not only has a lot of experience in HP Rugby, but also has a lot of contacts across the board that will help in bringing the program forward.”

The Women’s High Performance Manager’s responsibilities include the administration of all Women’s High Performance Programs, with the ultimate goal of improving USA Rugby’s international success and standing in the sport of rugby. This role includes finalizing and implementing the Women’s High Performance Plan and developing additional initiatives and programs deemed necessary to achieve the primary goal.

“I think the development of this position was very important to USA Rugby for several reasons,” Williams said. “Not only does it demonstrate a commitment to game in general, but I will make sure it proves to build the game for women on all levels, which will, in turn, pay off at the National level. The Women’s National Team has a long and successful history, it is a flagship program for USA Rugby and this is their sign of visible support.”

Williams has experience playing for the Women’s National Team for 10 years, during which time she was a captain and is the fourth most capped USA woman in team history. She also has played for the Berkeley All-Blues and Beantown over the years and not only has led her teams to four National Championships, but received several MVP awards along the way. She is also just one of the few women’s players to have had the honor of representing the U.S. in three Rugby World Cups (1994, 1998 and 2002.) She is also working as the Women’s National Team assistant coach (forwards) and is the Head Coach of the Berkeley All-Blues, who have won 11 of the last 14 National Championship titles and the Head Coach of the Pacific Coast All-Stars.

Williams is a member of USA Rugby’s Rugby Committee and Congress as well as being a WNT volunteer administrator. She formerly worked as a Senior Analyst at Arthur D. Little and as Lead Carpenter at Kim Cobb Construction, where she managed all aspects of major remodeling projects. Besides getting her degree from Harvard University, Williams has also taken a 35-hour course on the principles and techniques of fundraising.

“I think an important aspect of this job will be bringing everyone together,” Williams adds. “The Women’s National Team has already worked this hard and gotten this far and now our job is to open it up and bring it to the next level. I will be working with everyone, from the volunteers to USA Rugby staff, and the coaches to the athletes. It is essential that we all be on the same page.”

Williams first day in the office is August 4 and her first major priority is to finalize the Women’s HP Plan, which was started in May. Following the completion of the plan, starts the actual implementation, building a solid and competitive schedule for the Women’s National Team, developing an integrated Women’s High Performance structure and organizing, and meeting volunteers at every level of the game.

For more information on Women’s High Performance, contact Alex.