Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

The Atlanta Renegades hosted 32 teams in five brackets in the 11th annual Renegades 7s rugby tournament on Saturday, June 6, 2009, on three fields at the fine Georgia Soccer Park facilities in East Point, GA, with Life RFC coming away with wins in the top two men’s club brackets. The Renegades were also happy to be able to contribute $250 of the tournament proceeds to the USA Rugby South’s men’s collegiate all-stars team, who are heading out to Glendale CO for USA Rugby’s National Collegiate Men’s All-Star Championships next weekend.

Life posted two come back wins in the men’s club finals, with Life I beating Daytona 31-5 in the men’s premier bracket (which also included sides from Atlanta Renegades and Old White), and Life II winning the men’s open/ social bracket 21-5 over Slackers. In the premier final, Daytona struck first about 1 minute in with an unconverted try by Ben Catania to take a 5-0 lead, but after that it was pretty much all Life. Tries by Life’s Garry Sullivan and Kyle Grossheider at the 4 and 5 minute marks in the first half (one converted) gave Life a 12-5 halftime lead. Early in the second half, Life’s Tui Osborne set up Joe Breuer for a long break downfield, only to be caught by Daytona’s Rod Ceasar (who plays 15s for the Renegades) covering across a lot of field. Life’s Nathan Rogers scored and converted two tries at the 2 and 4 minute marks, the first in support of a break started by Benny Mateialona and the later on his own break, increasing Life’s lead to 26-5. Osborne added another unconverted try shortly afterwards after a Daytona kick in their own end was charged down, for the 31-5 final score.

Life II was in the finals of the 12 team men’s open/social bracket against Slackers, a social side made up predominately of veteran Renegades players. The first half remained scoreless until just before the half, when Slackers’ Mike Rock made a long break before dishing to Cory Miles near the line for an unconverted try, and a 5-0 Slackers lead at half time. But just as in the premier final, after that it was all Life, as Slackers seemed to tire in their 5th game on a hot Atlanta day (as well as a tough 24-5 quarterfinal win over a very large and physical BRAMAS team that averaged about 250 pounds per player, also a mostly Renegades social side). Life II scored a pair of converted tries midway through the second half and added a third just before the final whistle to round out their 21-5 win.

In the other brackets, MTSU beat Georgia Southern in the 6 team men’s collegiate division, a veteran Atlanta Women I side beat their younger second side in the 4 team women’s bracket, and Alpharetta Phoenix won easily over Starr’s Mill in the 6 team boy’s high school division. With 32 teams entered this year, the Renegades 7s has become probably the second largest 7s tournament in the southeast (after Cape Fear), and is typically held on the first Saturday in June each year; mark your calendar for June 5, 2010 and plan to attend.

The Renegades would particularly like to thank our sponsors, Stout Irish Sports Pub (which also hosted the post-tournament social) and Crystal Head Vodka, and were pleased that vendor National Rugby Supply (http://www.nationalrugbysupply.com/) set up a booth at the tournament.

Premier:
Renegades
Old White
Daytona
Life I

Men’s Open/Social/College:
MTSU
GJLS
Ga. Tech I
Old White II
Birmingham
High Country I/Green
High Country II/Blue
Life II
Slackers
BRAMAS
Ga. Tech II
Ga. Southern Men
Kennesaw State
Walton HS Alumni
Magnificent 7s
Auburn Alumni
Chattanooga
Piglets

Women’s Open/College
LadyGades
Ga. Southern Women
Atlanta Women I
Atlanta Women II

Boy's High School
Alpharetta Phoenix
Starr's Mill
Walton
Grayson
Cherokee
Brookwood

**For a comprehensive list of Rugby 15s & 7s Tournaments, click here!!

COMMISSIONER PODZIBA WELCOMES MAYOR'S CUP RUGBY TOURNAMENT AND USA VS ENGLAND RUGBY MATCH AS PART OF NY RUGBY WEEK

Please come and support our players on Saturday. Registration starts 9am, matches kick off 10am, awards commence at 4pm.

218th Street and Broadway, Manhattan. Take subways: 1/9 to 215th or ACE to 207th, or parking available.

New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba will welcome the USA Rugby Select XV vs. England Counties XV rugby match on June 6 as well as the Mayor's Cup Rugby Tournament on June 7. Both events, held at Columbia University's Baker Field, will cap off New York City's first ever Rugby Week--a series of events aimed at raising the awareness of rugby and developing the sport at the grassroots level.

The Mayor's Cup will feature 24 teams comprised of players ages 8-14 who participate in Play Rugby USA's programs located across the five boroughs. The event will offer many of the participants their first taste of competition. The tournament will begin at noon while the elementary and middle school Mayor's Cup finals will take place at 2:25pm and 2:55pm, respectively. The awards ceremony will immediately follow at 3:20pm.

"Play Rugby USA has developed an excellent program that is truly committed to the development of New York City's youth," said Commissioner Podziba. "Participation in rugby can provide children of all socio-economic backgrounds with an opportunity to learn about teamwork, discipline, overcoming adversity, leadership and commitment; all of which will guide them as they move through life. We are truly thrilled to be supporting this landmark event and look forward to watching its continued growth and success."

The USA Rugby Select XV team, comprised of up-and-coming rugby players from the Rugby Super League and national championship teams, will face off against the England Counties XV, a developmental squad for the England National Team that features young professional players. The England Counties XV vs. USA Rugby Select XV match is part of a three-match tour of North America that also features a stop in Canada. The event will start at 7pm. Admission is free of charge, but donations will be accepted to benefit Play Rugby USA.

"Currently, 85% of the children participating in the youth program in New York come from underserved backgrounds," said Mark Griffin, Founder of Play Rugby, Inc. "Rugby is truly a team sport and it teaches the children invaluable lessons in teamwork and self-discipline that provide them with lifelong tools for success both on and off the pitch. We have received tremendous feedback from teachers and administrators about how inspiring it is to see participants improving their self-esteem and exhibiting increased cooperation and fewer behavioral problems after participating in our program. To have the support and endorsement of the Sports Commission in New York is an incredible honor and testament to the difference this program is making. We look forward to working with the city to expand our reach to all of New York City's youth."

Play Rugby USA's first group of participants in 2004 was made up of 75 children from a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. The following year, Play Rugby USA began their school-based program and has since grown to support programs in more than 50 schools throughout all five boroughs. The program is now a fully integrated youth development program that has positively influenced over 5,000 children. Play Rugby USA continues to grow around the nation with offices in San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR with additional offices opening in Philadelphia, PA and Washington D.C. in late 2008.

**For a comprehensive list of Rugby 15s & 7s Tournaments, click here!!

We all rugby on TV right? Make sure to check out the highlight show featuring the hard-hitting action from the full weekend of High School and Under-19 competition TONIGHT on ESPNU at 7 PM (ET).

This week's video comes from Angie Marfisi of the Philadelphia Women's Rugby Team. Two weeks ago they had their annual Friends and Family Day and showed up to find there happened to be port-o johns in the try zone....so as a team we moved them...pretty funny and kinda gross:)

Philadelphia moves a porta potty... from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

from Angie Marfisi:

Here is our submission for video/photo of the day. We had our annual Friends and Family Day this past Saturday (5/20/2009) and showed up to find there happen to be port-o johns in the try zone....so as a team we moved them...pretty funny and kinda gross:)

Please note that the audio is very quiet, so don't be afraid to turn up your speakers!

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

Other Rugby Video Mondays:
5/25/2009: Sweden vs Spain Highlights - 2010 Rugby World Cup Qualifier
5/18/2009: Paradox on the Pitch by Deb Wallavand
5/11/2009: Rugby Video Monday: It's time for 7s Rugby!!
5/4/2009: More U23 LAU Videos from March 2009
4/20/2009: ERRFU A vs Texas & ERFFU B vs Texas
4/13/2009: Austin Valkyries vs DC Furies & Houston
4/6/2009: Glendale vs Berkeley Video from Infinity Park

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

Want instant updates? Follow me on Twitter and Facebook and check the blog often!

For more details on the actual tournament, TOLA etc, go here.

We are very pleased to have both the Men’s and Women’s brackets full for this weekend’s Lone Star Classic tournament in Dallas. We have 20 Men’s teams registered and 10 women’s teams. Attached is the schedule. We ask that each team have a representative available for the captain’s meeting at 8:30 AM. As you can see on the schedule, we are playing 76 games of rugby on 3 pitches during the day so it is critical that we start on time and stay on schedule. We will be starting promptly at 9:00 AM, if you are scheduled to play in the first game and are not ready, you will forfeit your first match (sorry, we can’t make any exception to this since it’s such a packed schedule).

Timeline:
* 7:30 AM – Check in opens
* 8:30 AM – Captain’s meeting
* 9:00 AM – first game kickoff
* 5:00 PM – pub crawl pre-party begins at Greenville Bar and Grill (for teams not advancing)
* 6:30 PM – pub crawl starts
* 7:30 PM – awards presentation at pitch

Tournament Location: N Buckner Blvd & E Lake Highlands Dr. Dallas, TX 75218

NOTE: Don’t park on the grass at the fields, you’ll get towed

Phone numbers: Should you need to contact anyone from the tournament in case you get lost, need a place to get ice, etc:
Chris Chefchis: (214) 226-6699
Filip Keuppens: (716) 435-5757
Mike Xuereb: (214) 226-3161
Wendy Young: (405) 802-2490

Pub Crawl:
Each team will receive 12 wrist bands to attend the pub crawl. The information is attached in the event you want to pass this on to anyone not playing in the tournament. Additional bracelets are available for $5 each. Each of the pubs participating will be offering $2 beers as well as shot specials. We have also arranged for the “Miller Lite girls” and various shot girls to be in attendance and giving away beer, booze and prizes. Anyone age 21 and over is welcome to attend. There should be some free food available at the pub-crawl pre-party for those teams not advancing to the semi-finals.

Concessions:
Unfortunately, the parks department has informed us that no club is permitted to cook or sell food on city land (which all the rugby fields in Dallas are on). We will have fruit, energy bars, water and sports drinks available but we will not have our famous brisket tacos available this year. There are a lot of Hot food options available about a ¼ mile past the pitch (travel south on Buckner to Garland), there is also a grocery store for ice, water, etc.

Want instant updates? Follow me on Twitter and Facebook and check the blog often!

This month's free raffle is special for the props! Picked special by The Girl it is a size XL X-Treme Rugby Jersey with #11 on the back!! Anyone who knows a prop, plays with a prop, or lives with a prop knows they tend to aspire to be one of the fast, juking, fix your hair type of players...aka a back. Cause we all know, forwards determine if you win or a lose a game, and backs say by how much.

This jersey even has flames on it for the full effect. Any prop would feel super sleek in this jersey. Now, even if you are not a prop, you can still enter the drawing, but please think about all your prop friends out there and send them the info to enter! If you are bummed that I am not raffling off rugby gear that is in your size, buy a YSC tshirt, don't worry they are only $12 online.

X-treme Rugby Wear are producers of custom made rugby gear for club teams, schools and universities around the globe, X-treme Rugbywear is designed by rugby players, for rugby players. Our products are built tough yet our designs can be worn with pride both and on off the field.

All our jerseys and shorts are built tough with taped seams and double stitching to ensure long playing seasons. Jerseys and shorts can be embroidered or printed with your club logos and sponsor artwork. Contact us about making a new design for your club or send us your own ideas and we’ll work with you to perfect them.

This free raffle is courtesy of X-treme Rugby Wear, a rugby merchandise shop with amazing and unique rugby items for sale. To see more of their products, please be sure to visit their website.

To enter the raffle, please either email me, Facebook me or leave your entry in the comments. The last date to enter the raffle is June 14, 2009. A winner will be picked around June 15, 2009 and will be notified via email.


When I started out doing my monthly Free Rugby Raffle back in August 2008 I had plenty of free merchandise (thank you to everyone who donated!) to give away, but now my stash is running low! Please let me know if you would like to donate any items for the monthly Free Raffle!

Please email me at scrumhalfconnection@gmail.com if you are interested, and please pass the word on to any of your friends etc. The blog posts about your donation will never be removed and will be seen by hundreds of thousands of viewers!

Have a new product that you want to highlight? Send it my way! Have old out of date World Cup jerseys, hats, balls or tshirts you need to get rid of? Send it my way and I will raffle it off! Anything rugby can be donated and I will raffle it off for free! Thanks for your participation and support!

Past Raffles
May 2009: Try For Others Tshirt
Apr 2009: Dollface Rugger Tshirt
Mar 2009: YSC Rugby Tshirt
Feb 2009: Red Rhino: Ireland Grab Bag

More and more information about the events culminating around the USA Rugby Women's National Team match vs Canada on June 27, 2009. Along with the 7s Tournament, U19 International Tournament there is also the first Women's Eagle Reunion!

from WomenEagles.com:

* A weekend of fun, reminiscence and, of course, good rugby: the Eagles battle archenemy Canada on Saturday, June 27th in a rare match here in the USA!
* A unique opportunity to support the current Eagles with your presence while also celebrating your own experience with your fellow Eagles!
* A chance to receive public honor and recognition for your contribution to the game. Infinity Park stadium will be playing a tribute to all former Women Eagles on the Jumbotron at halftime of the Test match! Join us and be honored!

Why should you come?

* Flights to Denver are affordable (see kayak.com) and local hotel rooms are available at lower cost! Bunk with your friends like the good old days!
* Your purchase of an Eagle Reunion ticket will get you into the stadium, VIP access to the Eagle's Nest, an area with a bar and both indoor and outdoor viewing of the match, a reunion T-shirt, an Honor Cap ceremony, and more!
* The current team will get the opportunity to meet and honor you AND you get to hang out with your pals and relive the glory days!
* Additional fun outings for the weekend are being explored: rafting, hiking, paintball, golf, etc.
* Your buddies are coming and you don't get that many opportunities to hang out with them in a rugby environment any more!
* Family, friends, loved ones are encouraged to come too!

Reunion Details International Match Information

* USA vs Canada
* Infinity Park, Glendale, CO
* 6:00 pm Kickoff Time
* VIP area opens at 5:00 pm
* Regular admission to match: $15 (no access to reunion!)

Reunion '09 Special Event Ticket
Your Eagle Reunion ticket gets you:

* VIP admission to the match
* Access to the Eagles' Nest with cash bar and inside and outside spaces overlooking the pitch
* One drink coupon and finger food
* An Eagle Reunion '09 T-shirt
* A Reunion '09 Directory with current contact info and a brief bio, so your friends know what you're up to and how to get in touch
* Honor Cap ceremony - continuing the process begun by Anne Barry several years ago to give every Eagle an actual, real cap in recognition of their first Test match representing the USA on the rugby pitch
* The opportunity for current Eagles to meet and honor you for the path you blazed and the standard you set
* Tickets will be available soon, check back here for more information and our early registration discount!

Hotel:
* Special room rate of $89 + tax at the Marriott, includes breakfast!
* Ask for the rugby rate associated with Infinity Park.
* Courtyard by Marriot Southeast, 1475 Colorado Blvd., Denver, Co 80222, (303) 757-8797.
* Or book your room at the Marriott through Glendale Rugby's website.
* Other local hotels also listed on Glendale Rugby's website.

Tribute:
* Infinity Park will honor former Eagles with a video tribute on the Jumbotron at halftime.
* Please send old photos and videos of yourself and your Eagle teammates to the following address to be included:
* Note: please check back soon for the email address to send pictures and videos!

Posterity:
* As part of our ongoing effort to capture the essence of being an Eagle for publicity and marketing efforts, we plan to shoot interviews with current and former Eagles during the reunion. Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker and former Eagle Amanda Micheli has offered to help make this happen.
* The alumni interviews will most likely be shot on Saturday before the game or Sunday before you fly home.
* If you are interested in participating (we know you have a lot to say), please let Alex Williams know in advance and please advise your availability on both days.

Eagle Alumni Reunion '09 Directory and Update
* Colleen Fahey will be putting together a Reunion '09 Directory, containing contact information and a short update about each alumnae.
* Please send your information and a paragraph about your current self directly to Colleen Fahey for inclusion in the directory
* The directory will ONLY be sent to Eagle alumni and will not be posted elsewhere.

Community Outreach: Army of Women
* The WNT has partnered with the Love/Avon Army of Women, an amazing group striving to get 1 million women to participate in breast cancer research.
* At the CanAm, the team will be wearing the Army of Women logo on their jerseys, Army of Women volunteers will hand out literature and assist with signing up (free Army of Women T-shirts to the first 200 women to sign up online at the match) and there will be a moment of silence prior to the match in honor of all women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer
* Breast cancer is relevant and personal to every woman. Please join the current team in supporting this wonderful initiative.
* Go to www.armyofwomen.org for more information or to sign up.

List of all Eagle Alumni:
Below is the official list of Eagle alumni. We are looking for contact information for names in italics, please help us out! If you can add or update any email addresses, please email Alex Williams with the information. Thank you!

Women Eagles Alumni
*Contact information needed!!

1. Hedwig Aerts
2. Kirsten Aerts*
3. Shalanda Baker*
4. Suzanna Barth
5. Jos Bergmann
6. Barb Bond*
7. Catherine Borek*
8. Tam Breckenridge
9. Nancy Breen*
10. Sue Brooks*
11. Megan Brown*
12. Carol Burdick
13. Cynthia Bystrak
14. Laura Cabrera
15. Liberty Caplan
16. Erin Carter
17. Sonya Church
18. Annie Collier
19. Patty Connell
20. Darlene Connors
21. Linda Coulter*
22. Kate Cox
23. Jennifer Crawford
24. Jen Crouse
25. Kim Cyganik
26. Shari Dahlberg*
27. Martha Daines
28. Catherine Darrow
29. Stacey Davis
30. Lindsay Davison
31. Deb Dennis
32. Mary Dixey
33. Julie Drustrup*
34. Carrie DuBray
35. T.J. Eckert*
36. Kath Edsall*
37. Colleen Fahey
38. Dawn Farwick*
39. Jill Fenske*
40. Nancy Fitz
41. Tara Flanagan
42. Annie Flavin
43. Kathy Flores
44. Stacy Foley
45. Polly Foureman*
46. Tanya Fry*
47. Barb Fugate
48. Cynthia Gehrke
49. Claire Godwin*
50. Julie Gray*
51. Kim Greene*
52. Marie Hahler
53. Heather Hale
54. Chris Harju*
55. Kerri Heffernan
56. Pam Heiman
57. Tracy Henderson
58. Tyshawn Henry
59. Amy Beth Heroux
60. Betsy Hill*
61. Megan Himan
62. Elise Huffer*
63. Sherrie Hunt
64. Pam Irby*
65. Patty Jervey
66. Michelle Johnson*
67. Sharon Johnson*
68. Jen Joyce
69. Kris Kany
70. Ellie Karvoski
71. Kerry Kelly*
72. Kalei Kim*
73. Liz Kirk
74. Lee Knight
75. Phaidra Knight
76. Pam Kosanke
77. Elizabeth Lake
78. Sue Landsittel
79. Cassie Law*
80. Keirsten Lawton
81. Jen Levi
82. Julie Liebler*
83. Ava Mason*
84. Kerry McCabe
85. Anne McClain
86. Marge McClure
87. Laura McDonald
88. Krista McFarren
89. Sandy Meredith
90. Rebecca Metzger*
91. Amanda Micheli
92. Vicki Middaugh
93. Cindi Miller
94. Danielle Miller
95. Annie Misko*
96. Mary Money
97. Andi Morrell*
98. Joy Morrison*
99. Joan Morrissey
100. Pat Neder
101. Tina Nesburg
102. Brett Newton*
103. Christie Nixon
104. Jessica Olive
105. K.O. Onufrey
106. Candi Orsini
107. Meredith Ottens
108. Robin Pace
109. Beth Pepper*
110. Michelle Persica
111. Natasha Pfeiffer
112. Kate Pope
113. Erina Queen
114. Mona Rayside*
115. Lori Reese
116. Jen Renne
117. Ines Rodriguez
118. Lisa Rowe
119. Jan Rutkowski
120. Karen Ryan*
121. Myra Sandquist*
122. Diane Schnapp
123. Jill Schooler*
124. Cathy Seabaugh
125. S.S. Shaw
126. Jennifer Sikora
127. Jen Sinkler
128. Justine Sleezer Bremmel
129. M.A. Sorensen
130. Laurie Spicer-Bourdon
131. Pat Standley
132. Katie Stewart
133. Mary Sullivan
134. Val Sullivan
135. Clare Sup
136. Terese Taylor
137. Julie Thompson*
138. Garnet Towne
139. Chris Trucano
140. Tricia Turton*
141. Bex Wallison
142. Keenya Warner
143. Lisa Weix
144. Amy Westerman
145. Morgan Whitehead*
146. Alex Williams
147. Shelly Wilson

Friends of Eagles
*Contact information needed!! Please contact us with other coach/manager/staff names that we have missed!

1. Kevin O'Brien
2. Anne Barry
3. Jane Tierney
4. Joe Kelly
5. Frank Boivert*
6. Chris Leach*
7. Jami Jordan
8. Katie Peterson
9. Sara Shouse
10. Anna Holzhauer*

UPDATE (6/21): The scores for this Tournament were posted moments after the games ended. If you would like Tournament scores posted LIVE, email me at scrumhalfconnection@gmail.com for more details.

I am still working on editing these videos so they are pretty and less jerky, but I wanted to get them up as quickly as possible for the die-hard fans out there!

And yes the first two videos are QUITE shaky because I had just finished playing and hadn't eaten...I braved starvation and the risk of passing out to bring you these videos! :)

Look for more videos next week because my brother will be taping all the women's matches at Dallas 7s this weekend. Summer rugby adventures are continuing on here at YSC!

**For final scores and writeup of the 2009 NASCs, go here.

Pacific vs NRU - USA Rugby 15's NASC Senior Championships from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

Pacific vs NRU - USA Rugby 15's NASC Senior Championships

Great game, I missed the last 15 minutes because my battery ran out...final score Pacifc 36 NRU 5.

MARFU vs Midwest - USA Rugby 15's NASC Senior Championships from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

MARFU vs Midwest - USA Rugby 15's NASC Senior Championships

Collegiate All Americans vs USA Rugby South Women from Todd Lowe on Vimeo.

This is the video from the USA Rugby Senior Women NASCs (ITTs) All Star 15s Championships played in Little Rock, Arkansas on Sunday, May 31 2009.

The South squad scored first in this match. The All Americans never scored in the first half.

The Collegiate All American squad turned up the heat in the second half and scored 31 unanswered points for a final of 31-5.

The video has not yet been edited but will be in the coming week to remove camera person errors, etc. The video will be uploaded back to this same link. I will also get up the first and second halves in HD soon as well (those will of course have separate links).

West vs So Cal - USA Rugby 15's NASC Senior Championships from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.

West vs So Cal - USA Rugby 15's NASC Senior Championships

Good game but low scoring...West wins 3-0 with a penalty kick in the 28th minute.

The first 15 minutes or so was missed due to the camera operator having to run some errands. Thanks for taping Charles!!!

Want to know right away when I upload new rugby videos to my Vimeo Channel? Simply subscribe to the Scrumhalf Connection channel here.

**The Girl and I just bought our ticket for this event and we are SO excited!!

Along with the USA WNT vs Canada, I also just heard that earlier in the day (thanks Mary G.!)that the Women's U19 International LAU Rugby tournament will be taking place as well on June 27, 2009! More info on that tournament is below. ALSO there is a 7s tournament that the Glendale Women's Rugby team is hosting, all that info is below...

USA Rugby and the Women's National Team cordially invite you to watch as the Eagles take on Canada on June 27th, 2009 at Glendale, Colorado's, Infinity Park! (6 P.M. MST)

You won't want to miss this international test match packed with action, athleticism, amazing ticket deals and an opportunity to see your favorite Eagles represent the USA!

Be there to watch women's rugby at its best and take advantage of the incredible offers below.

Just $15 per ticket or buy 11 tickets for the price of 10. Children under 12 get in free! CLICK HERE to purchase tickets now!

Check out this post to see the selected USA and USA A sides for the matches.

* An opportunity to watch an incredible match up between the USA and Canada
* A chance to bring your daughter or son to watch the amazing female athletes of representing the USA in women's rugby
* A chance to visit one of the nation's finest rugby stadiums
* Unbeatable ticket discounts for you, the family or your team!
* Every ticket sold goes to benefit the Women Eagles!

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW!

Also, the WNT is sponsoring the opportunity to win some great prizes at the match and anyone can enter to win.

GRAND PRIZE: $200 travel voucher to help cover airfare to Denver to watch the match, 2 VIP passes, a USA jersey signed by the team and a photo op with the the Eagles!
FIRST PRIZE: A USA signed jersey and photo op with the team
SECOND PRIZE: An official match ball signed by the Eagles and photo op with the team
THIRD PRIZE: An official match ball signed by the team

Teams - Manitoba, Washington, Oregon, Northern Califoria, Minnesota, and Colorado

Two pool (3 teams per pool) - 2 games on Sat and one full length game on Sun. Sunday's games will be played on the Infinity Park stadium pitch.

The National U19 Girls LAU (Local Area Union) tournament is an event that has teams from all of the country traveling to play once a year. Wisconsin, Oregon, California, and even a team from Canada. The girls that make up this team are the best of their area and compete for pride as well as a look from the National U20 Team coaches.

Glendale is excited to have this tournament running around the CanAm game. This is a great opportunity for these young players to see the Senior Side National Team compete in their home land.

Glendale, Colorado- The Glendale Raptors Women’s Rugby Club will be hosting a Women’s 7’s tournament the weekend of June 27, 2009. The tournament will be held at Joseph Cook Park in Denver with an entry fee of $50 for each team. All teams are guaranteed a minimum of three games and interested parties can email Laura Hertel at hertellmh@hotmail for more information.

This is the Glendale Women Raptor’s first year of competition in Women’s 7’s rugby, which is played with seven players instead of the standard fifteen. The game is quicker and faster paced than a standard Rugby match. The rules are altered to match the shorter game which consists of two 7-minute halves rather than the 40 minute halves of a customary Rugby match.

Back at work early this morning after a great weekend in Little Rock for NASCs! I was able to tape a portion of all the games and will be working hard this week to get the videos up for your viewing soon!

Photos from the event will also be available at ShootingTheGap.com soon and also from Todd Lowe here.

In case you missed it via Twitter, Facebook or on the blog, here are the scores from the weekend (thanks to The Girl for updating the blog!):

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

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

I had a great time and met a lot of great ruggers this weekend, thanks for your support of YSC! Have a great week everyone!

Go here to read Ashley's preview of the weekend!

from USA Rugby:

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (report from Match Commissioner, Martin Gardner) – The Pacific Coast stole the title from defending champions the Northeast when the USA Rugby Women’s All-Star 15s Championships wrapped up at the Little Rock Rugby Complex on Sunday afternoon.

Playing before a large crowd, both teams looked set to make this a grand final and with just 6 minutes into the game Pacific #7 (Beckett Royce) was over for a try out wide to the right, to take an early 5-0 lead. Following the restart, the Northeast forced a turnover and mounted an attack. With eight minutes played, the game was tied 5-5 following a try by Northeast #14 (Vanesha McGee)

This seemed to energize the Pacific team, who took the game to the Northeast with further tries in the 13th and 25th minutes to lead 17 – 5 at the half.

In the second half both teams made some adjustments, but the Pacific team enjoyed the better chances and finished with tries in the 51st, 57th and 74th minute to round out the game as the ultimate winners with a final score of 36 – 5.

MVP of the tournament was the Pacific #15 Ashley English, who had a storming weekend of defending and entering the line on attack with great effect.

Earlier was the Tier A relegation match between Mid-Atlantic (MARFU) and the Midwest. Both teams were ready for this one and it took 20 minutes for MARFU to open the scoring and take a 5 -0 lead, another 16 minutes of back and forth play until the Midwest created an opening and pushed in a try, converted to lead at the half 7 – 5.

From the kick off again both teams defense dominated until the Midwest got a penalty in front of the posts to extend their lead to 10-5, even with two players in the Sin Bin. With one player back and just three minutes played from the restart, the Midwest got in for a try, and extended their lead to go ahead 15-5 in the 61st minute.

From the restart the MW fielded the ball and set up a flowing play combining forwards and backs to score again to make the score MW 22 - MARFU 5, which remained the final score.

TIER B

Sunday saw the start of the finals with the Tier B consolation match kicking off under clear blue skies at the Little Rock Rugby Complex. The field had been cut on the off day and had dried from Friday so a faster, surer surface promised some flowing rugby.

Cal kicked off against the West team, and at the half the West lead by a 28th minute penalty, 3-0. In the second half both sides mounted attacks but both defenses were resolute and the final score, despite So Cal’s final drive ended at 3-0 to the West.

Next up the South took on the USA All-American Collegiate team, and both teams looked motivated as they took the field. The All American’s came out attacking from the whistle, a strong South defense resulted in a turn over and the South put together a flowing move to score in the 8th minute to lead 5 – 0. The score remained 5-0 at the half with both sides creating chances but failing to score due to some great tackling by both teams.

From the second half whistle the All Americans unleashed a running attack and with just one minute played, led 7-5. The South team was not going to take that and immediately upped their game and mounted attack after attack interspersed with great defense.

The All-American squad was equally resolute and 20 minutes passed before the South created the chance, a break by the #10 sliced through the centers and they looked certain to score in the corner, but the final pass was bobbled and recovered by the AA wing who took it 99 meters to score under the posts and the lead was 14 – 5. This broke the South’s hearts if not their backs and the final score was All Americans 31 to the South 5, with the All American squad winning Tier B.

TIER A
1st/2nd – Pacific 36, Northeast 5
3rd/4th – Midwest 22, Mid-Atlantic 5

TIER 2
5th/6th – USA Collegiate All-Americans 31, South 5
7th/8th – West 3, So Cal 0