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Sep 10, 2009

WPL Competition Gains Momentum in Week 2


Notice the shout-out below to YSC from USA Rugby!



Competition Gains Momentum in Week 2

BOULDER, Colo. – The Women’s Premier League kicked off to a flying start on Sunday, Sept. 6. In the Red Conference, the Berkeley All-Blues and the Twin Cities Amazons jumpstarted their seasons with bonus point wins, while Beantown and Keystone were equally victorious over in the Blue Conference.

The Berkeley All-Blues started their 2009 Women’s Premier League campaign on a high note, shutting out their hosts, the Minnesota Valkyries 38-0 in week one. The All-Blues will host the Twin Cities Amazons on San Francisco’s Treasure Island in week two while the Valkyries venture West to seek redemption versus Oregon Sports Union (ORSU) on Sunday.

ORSU looks to erase the memory of its narrow loss to the Twin Cities Amazons in week one when it hosts the Valkyries this weekend. After trailing by just five points at halftime, ORSU was first to strike off a try from flanker Lindsay Babb in the second half to even the tally at 15 all.

The Amazons soon countered with three unanswered tries and ORSU made a late surge to pull within striking distance with four minutes left, but a win was not to be, with the score held at 32-27 in the Minnesota team’s favor at the whistle.

Over in the Blue Conference, Beantown and New York got off to an even start and went to the benches tied at 5-5 with 40 minutes gone. However, a 21-point second half for the Boston team sent New York packing for the Big Apple with a 26-10 loss. New York winger Vanesha McGee put down both of her team’s tries. New York will now host Philadelphia club Keystone at Randall’s Island on Sunday afternoon.

After leading the DC Furies 10-0 in the first half, Keystone ran rampant in the second to come away with a convincing 38-8 bonus point victory. Ines Rodriguez led the scoring charge for Keystone with 18 points. The Furies now look to shake their first week loss as they travel to Boston to face Beantown in week 2.

RESULTS from WEEK 1 (Saturday, September 6):

Berkeley All-Blues 38, Minnesota Valkyries 0

Twin Cities Amazons 32, ORSU 27
Beantown 26, New York 10
Keystone 38, Washington DC Furies 8

RED CONFERENCE
1. Berkeley All-Blues
4. Minnesota Valkyries
5. Twin Cities Amazons
8. Oregon Sports Union (ORSU)

UP NEXT – Sunday, September 13:


Minnesota Valkyries at ORSU

KICKOFF: 10 a.m. (PST)

2565 SW Ek Road, West Linn, Ore.

Twin Cities Amazons at Berkeley All-Blues

KICKOFF: 10 a.m. (PST)

Gaelic Football Field

Treasure Island, San Francisco, Calif.

BLUE CONFERENCE
2. New York
3. Beantown
6. Keystone
7. Washington Furies

UP NEXT – Sunday, September 13:

Washington DC Furies at Beantown

KICKOFF: 11 a.m. (EST)

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Keystone at New York

KICKOFF: 2 p.m. (EST)

Randall’s Island Field 74

Stay tuned for regular WPL updates from USA Rugby as the season progresses. For more information on the Women’s Premiere League visit www.usarugby.org or http://womenspremierleaguerugby.blogspot.com/.

The WPL is also pleased to partner with YourScrumhalfConnection to bring extensive additional coverage of the league to its fans. Please visit YSC at http://yourscrumhalfconnection.com/.




Sep 9, 2009

USA Rugby Division 1 Club Women's Rugby Standings

Gathering the information for the Division 1 Club Women's games is not proving very easy and so I have put together what I can find.


Thanks to YSC Intern Angelique for providing the CR1 info and the info from CR3 can be found on their blog here.

Feel free to let me know if any standings are incorrect as some of this is guess work. It looks like CR1 & CR3 are doing "league matches" and then the best teams according to their point system will represent at the Playoffs. CR2 is a little more complicated as the old West teams (Glendale, Austin, Black Ice and Sabres) are required to play 3 league matches and then will meet for a Central Region Tournament with Chicago and Chicago Northshore in a few weeks to determine their seeds for Playoffs.

UPDATE 9/16: I confirmed with Alex last night that the committee will NOT be choosing the seeds this year (possibly next year they will): "The chair of the Competitions Committee just confirmed that as this is the first year of the new playoff structure for the Women's Division 1 Club competition, the current bracket with four seeds from each of the three CRs is appropriate. The CC will look at the results from this year's playoffs and adjust seeding allocation appropriately."

Competitive Region 1 (Pacific & Southern California)
Competitive Region 2 (West & Midwest)
Competitive Region 3 (Mid Atlantic, Northeast & South)
USA Rugby D1 Playoffs - Oct 24-25 - Acton, MA
USA Rugby D1 Championships - Nov 6-8 - San Francisco, CA

Sep 8, 2009

Pumpkinfest Rugby Tournament 2009


The Philadelphia Women's Rugby Football Club (PWRFC) is thrilled to host their 25th Annual Pumpkinfest Tournament this weekend, September 12 and 13, at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia, PA. This year there are 15 senior teams, 10 college teams, and 4 high school teams participating in the tournament. 46 games are scheduled over the weekend, including PWRFC's first league match of the fall. The PWRFC - Atlanta match will be a highlight of the tournament, and kicks off at 10:30 am on Saturday.

PWRFC is also happy to host two special educational events in conjunction with the tournament. USA Rugby's 2nd Annual Women's Referee Development Camp is participating and staffing a lot of our games. The first camp, held at Pumpkinfest 2008, focused on basic principles of refereeing, which this year's camp will focus on how to progress as a referee. The camp includes both classroom sessions and practical experience with real-time feedback.

PWRFC is also hosting, in conjunction with the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union and USA Rugby's Coach Development Department, the Luke Gross Extended Lineout Workshop. Two sessions of this 4 hour workshop geared towards coaches are being held. Luke Gross, a veteran Eagle lock and lineout specialist, will also be in attendance at the tournament on Saturday for a meet and greet.

More information is available on the tournament website at http://www.pwrfc.org/pumpkin2009.html or via email to pumpkinfest@pwrfc.org.

USA Rugby Hosts 2nd Annual Women’s Referee Development Camp, Lineout Workshop at Upcoming PumpkinFest Tournament

from USA Rugby:
BOULDER, Colo. - USA Rugby is pleased to announce that it will be hosting its 2nd Annual Women’s Referee Development Camp and a Luke Gross extended Lineout Workshop, September 11-13, 2009.

The camp and clinics will be held in conjunction with the PumpkinFest Tournament, held September 12-13 at Pennypack Park in Philadelphia and hosted by the Philadelphia Women’s Rugby Club. Over 30 rugby teams are looking to attend PumpkinFest this year, including teams from the surrounding high schools, colleges and clubs.

While the focus of last year’s Women’s Referee Camp was on the basic principles of refereeing, this year’s camp will focus on how to progress as a referee.

“The response to last year’s camp and the feedback received from both referees and the teams demonstrated the need to support the expanding numbers of women referees,” said Referee Development Director Ed Todd. “The PumpkinFest Tournament has provided an excellent environment for the identification and development of some very good performers with tremendous potential and they will get the chance to work with some of the top trainers in the country.”

Participants will take part in classroom sessions that will run all day on Friday, September 11, and will include presentations by National Panel Referee Manager Richard Every, USA Rugby Lineout Specialist Luke Gross, National Panel Referee Coach Jem McDowall, National Panel Referee Chris Henshall, National Evaluator Peter Simpson and Territorial Evaluator Kat Todd-Schwartz.

On Saturday and Sunday, participants will get to practice what was learned on Friday by refereeing games at the tournament

“We are very excited about the upcoming camp,” said Match Official Administrator Jennifer Gray. “We have some new faces attending the event this year and a great group of mentors who are lending their time and expertise to provide one-on-one feedback throughout the weekend.”

Electronic copies of all presentation materials will be made available after the camp on the Best Practice and Resource Materials section of the Referee Development website at www.usarugby.org/goto/referees.

In addition, the Coach Development Department is excited to bring to the tournament Lineout Specialist Luke Gross, who will be holding two extended Lineout Workshops for coaches throughout the weekend of PumpkinFest.

Luke Gross’ Workshop will focus on helping coaches to better coach the lineout safely and effectively; to understand the fundamentals of throwing, lifting and jumping; and to better learn basic offensive and defensive lineout strategies.

This four hour extended workshop will be a practical coaching workshop, allowing coaches the opportunity to actually coach players under the guidance of Luke Gross. Participating coaches will receive 5 USA Rugby continuing education credits for participation.

There are two separate sessions: Session one will be on Friday evening, 4-8 p.m., and is held in conjunction with the Philadelphia Women's Rugby Club’s PumpkinFest Tournament and participants are encouraged to make an early trip to Philadelphia for this session.

Session two will be held on Sunday in cooperation with the Wilmington Rugby Club. Specific workshop locations are currently being finalized and will be posted at http://www.epru.org, and communicated via email to all registered participants.

To pre-register for either of the workshops or for more information, contact lrosen@usarugby.org Please include in the subject of your email : Luke Gross Lineout Workshop: September 11 or Luke Gross Lineout Workshop: September 13. You will receive a tentative confirmation with payment details. Workshop spots are available on a first come-first serve basis. Payment must be received by September 1, 2009 to guarantee participation. For more information or to host a lineout clinic in your area contact Coach Development Manager Mollie McCarthy mmccarthy@usarugby.org

For more information on USA Rugby, or to find out how to become involved in officiating or coaching the game in your area, check out www.usarugby.org.

WPL Spotlight: Coach Jan Rutkowski and Player Kelly Seary from Beantown

This is the second of several spotlights that is being done by YSC so that we can all gain a bit more insight into each teams respective coaching staff and key players. Read below for more info on Beantown!

Coach Interview: Jan Rutkowski

YSC: What team do you coach and how long have you been coaching?
Beantown: Beantown RFC. I’ve been the head coach since 2004. I previously assisted the team from 1999-2003.

YSC: What year was your club established and who established it?
Beantown: 1976 – by KO Onufry, Madeline Mackles and a bunch of other women who were friends, family and fans of a local men’s team. They decided they would rather play than watch. The story goes that this bunch of women formed 2 teams so they’d have someone to play against. This was born Beantown and Boston.

YSC: Is there a specific style of play that your trying to instill in your team? As a coach do you have a specific area of expertise (ie: forwards, backs, kicking, scrumhalves etc.)?
Beantown: We are focusing on getting the basic right. We want to achieve balance in our attack, not be predictable and continue to evolve our game.

YSC: What are you doing as a coach to involve your local community in the newly formed WPL?
Beantown: I have not done anything – I have been focused on coaching the team.

YSC: What are your expectations for the WPL?
Beantown: I am not really sure. For me personally, I am thinking of this as being a “professional” league. Recognizing, of course, that it’s not – but it is the highest level of women’s club play, so I will treat it as such. We will see, just like everybody else.

YSC: What specific preparations, training camps etc, will your team be participating in to prepare for their upcoming WPL games?
Beantown: We have done nothing different than we have in past Nationals seasons. We’ve practiced through the month of August – treating it somewhat like a training camp. We are as ready as we can be at this point, though we will surely improve as the season goes on.

YSC: Throughout the season, how will you continue to keep your team on the top of their game?
Beantown: We will carefully monitor our performance and make adjustments as needed. We intend to use our off weekends wisely, working on those areas in need of improvement.

YSC: Where do you see the WPL in 5 years? 10?
Beantown: I always hated this question in a job interview. I’ve never been able to answer it in that context, and can’t in this one either.

YSC: If you could send a message to all of your alumni and fans, what would it say?
Beantown: Come out and watch. We hope that come November, we will be the champions of the WPL! Then you can say you supported us along the way.

Player Interview: Kelly Seary

Name: Kelly Seary
Nickname: Serious or just Seary
Height/Weight: 5'5", 125lbs
Birthplace: Lachute, Quebec
Current Team: Beantown RFC
How long have you played for your current team? Since the fall of 2001.
Past teams? Radcliffe Rugby throughout college; Laurentian Regional High School
Primary Position: Flyhalf
Secondary Position: Wing, fullback
Occupation: Manager at Harvard Medical School
Superstition/Pre-game Ritual? I always call heads on a coin toss.
When I retire from rugby I will... Try to find another athletic pursuit, and will likely stay involved with rugby either as a coach or ref.
If I had a private jet I would... Sell it and use the money towards something more meaningful.
Who do you predict will be in the final for the 2016 Women's 7s Olympics Games? USA vs New Zealand

WPL Match Reports/Coach & Player Interviews

10/19/2009: Week 5 Match Reports
10/27/2009: Week 5 Videos
10/27/2009: Week 6 Match Reports

Rugby Video Monday: Austin Valkyries vs Texas A&M University - Sep 5, 2009

I know its really not Monday but I wanted to make sure all the WPL posts were up for at least a day...so Rugby Video Monday is one day late this week!

After not raining in Austin for over 60 days...the clouds opened up and poured over Austin the night before and during this game. The game was clean but the field conditions definitely were a factor for both teams.

Thanks to Karla for videotaping this match and a BIG thank you to A&M for playing us so early into their season.


Final Score: Austin 48 Texas A&M 0

Austin vs Texas A&M - Sep 5, 2009 from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.


Other Rugby Video Mondays:
8/31/2009: Full NASCs Results and Archived Video?
8/24/2009: USA vs France & England vs Canada Archived Videos
8/19/2009: Nations Cup Rugby - England vs South Africa & USA vs Canada TODAY!
8/10/2009: Nations Cup Video LIVE!
8/3/2009: Rugby Video Monday: ESPY Awards Highlights 1995 Rugby World Cup and Nelson Mandela

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

Sep 7, 2009

WPL Week 1 Match Reports

I have decided to combine all the match reports into one blog post so they are below! Each week I will rotate the posts so each YSC Intern is at the top. Thanks!

YSC would like to welcome new YSC Intern Garrett Hoffman to the blog! Garrett will be covering the Amazons and their journey through the WPL. Read below for the first match report covering the Twin City Amazons and ORSU.


WPL Match Report: Twin City Amazons vs ORSU - Sep 6, 2009 By: Garrett Hoffman

With their first premiership win under their belts, the Twin Cities Amazons rejoice, celebrate and relax in the afternoon sun in Eagan, Minnesota. Their victory over ORSU, however, was anything but easy to attain. The strong and agile ORSU players hit the pitch hard, scoring their first try within the first five minutes. The Amazons answered quickly with a solid run off of a line out ending in a try scored by outside center Lynelle Kugler making the score 5-5. The Amazons came back hard after their first try. Veteran scrumhalf Rebecca Radtke fed the forwards the ball which allowed them to drive into the try zone resulting in a diving score by Radtke to make the score 10-5. ORSU answered with a solid back line run tying the game up with minutes left in the first half. The Amazons forwards would not give up and dominated the ORSU pack, driving 20 meters to the try zone. Prop Rachel Maas ended the drive with a diving try in the closing seconds of the first half making the score 15-10.

ORSU began the second half much like the first, hitting the pitch hard and scoring quickly with a run by their #6 tying the game at 15. In a brilliant substitution by Amazon Coach Roger Bruggemeyer, powerhouse Jenny “Mamma” Kruger came in at flanker. Kruger scored immediately giving the Amazons the lead once again. In the 57th minute of the match, Radtke again picked the ball out of a ruck and flew into the try zone making the score 25-15. At this point, the Amazons looked strong and energetic while the ORSU players were struggling to keep up. With 20 minutes left in the match the Amazons made another brilliant run. Radtke picked the ball out of a ruck and tossed it to Kingzett who hit Kruger screaming through a gap. After a difficult tackle by an ORSU player Kruger tossed the ball to Kingzett who got the ball to Nicole Benjamin leading to another Amazon try. Flyhalf Sylvia Braaten made the conversion making the score 32-15. With 15 minutes left in the match, ORSU picked up their speed and scored two quick tries and one conversion which left the Amazons stunned and frustrated. In the end however, the Amazons kept their heads, held back their opposition and left the pitch with a hard-earned win over ORSU 32-27.

Welcome to YSC Intern Jenny Menke! She will be bringing us coverage for the Minnesota Valkyries and their games during the WPL. See below for her first post covering the Valkyries vs Berkeley.

Minnesota Valkyries Home Opener Against Berkeley All-Blues
By: Jenny Menke

The Minnesota Valkyries first Women’s Premier League match was held Sunday at Columbia Heights in Minneapolis against the Berkeley All-Blues. The Valkyries opened strongly against their opponents, attacking the All-Blues’ deep into their own half and setting up Christy Ringgenberg for the penalty kick opportunity. Ringgenberg missed her kick, pushing the Valks back again and opening up for Berkeley’s attack. At half, the score lay at 0-19 with the All-Blues scoring three tries and two conversions.

Unable to respond to Berkeley’s speed on the outside, the Valkyries gave up three more tries and finished the game 0-38. Minnesota, never a team to give up in a game, displayed ferocious tenacity and heart during the last ten minutes of the game, stopping Berkeley’s pack from advancing over the try line. Accolades are given to the Valkyrie reserves who entered the game: Sarah Walsh and Sarah Chobot came in at half, inspiring a forward attack that put Berkeley on its back foot. Tracy Call made a number of try-saving tackles on the sideline, allowing her support time to arrive and control the attack. Meredith Mrachek and Rachel McCabe, both new to the pack, proved they will bring strength to the squad.

The Minnesota Valkyries next take on ORSU in Portland on September 13.

Minnesota Roster
1. Libby Berg
2. Laura Gill
3. Jen Triemstra
4. Jenny Menke
5. Garnet Towne
6. Gabe Fidelman
7. Kristin Zdanczewicz
8. Angie Heifort
9. Katy Hertel
10. Mel Kanuk
11. Dez Markovich
12. Kristy Lear
13. Lauren Felton
14. Sarah Reuter
15. Christy Ringgenberg
16. Rachel McCabe (for 3 at 76)
17. Sarah Walsh (for 8 at half)
18. Sarah Chobot (for 6 at half)
19. Sarah Roehl (for 4 at 72)
20. Tracy Call (for 14 at 28)
21. Justina DeBruzzi
22. Meredith Mrachek (for 2 at 56)

Welcome to YSC Intern Becca Fritz! She will be bringing us coverage for Beantown and their games during the WPL. See below for her first post covering Beantown vs New York.

Beantown Hosts New York in their
First Women's Premiership Game
By: Becca Fritz

It was a different kind of morning, it wasn't just a normal Beantown, New York game, it was the first Beantown, New York Women's Premier League match and everyone felt the difference. The excitement in the air was actually palpable covering the field with a blanket of anxious-anticipation. From the sidelines, I got the treat of being able to watch the two starting sides suit up and take the field behind Dana Teagarden, who is inarguably the best female ref in the United States. The sheer presence of the amazing talent before me left this U-19'er completely starstruck.

The game started with New York kicking off to begin a super physical game, with each advance quickly followed by breakdowns and turnovers every few yards. The first half of the game was played mostly in Beantown's half of the field, testing their defensive skills, which up until about minute eleven held strong. It was then that New York's crazy fast number fourteen, Vanesha McGee made her first breakaway of the game off the back of a set piece only to be taken down by Beantown Flyhalf, Kelly Seary at the 15m line.

Much to the dismay of the Beantown bench, the game remained in Beantown's half for the rest of the first quarter. Just past the twenty minute mark, New York's McGee made her second breakaway, dodging Beantown's last line of defense and scoring the first try of the game. Beantown, hungry for a win, evened the game up not five minutes after the restart. Beantown's Scrumhalf, Kittery Wagner picked up a lose ball and quickly dished it off to number two, Emily Jones who carried it a good ten meters before making a quick pass off to fullback Katie Dowty to tie the game. The rest of the half finished with breakdown after breakdown with no significant yardage gained for either side. The half ended with a yellow card given to Town's inside-center Emilie Bydwell for holding.

At the start of the second half fresh legs were added to both sides but the intensity of the first half was beginning to take a toll on both teams with a series of minutes taken for various reasons. Beantown's outside center, Amy Daniels capitalized on the fatigue and scored off a breakaway with the first conversion of the game made by Emily Jones. McGee followed up with her second, and NY's final try of the game, with no conversion made. For the rest of the half, Beantown remained in New York's half. About twenty minutes in, to bring Beantown ahead by another five points, Fullback Katie Dowty made her second try of the game which was also converted making the score 19-10.

The last try of the game was made about thirty-five minutes into the second half by Beantown's former sin-binner, Emilie Bydwell. The fourth try of the game gave Beantown the extra point in the over all standings and the conversion brought Beantown to the final score of twenty-six, a sixteen point lead over New York.

Beantown will meet the D.C. Furies at home, next Sunday.

Photos from Beantown vs New York available here.

Thanks to YSC Intern Ashley for her continued work with this blog, this week she brings us the writeup from Keystone's first WPL match against the DC Furies. Look for her match report each week as she reports on the Keystone rugby team.

Keystone Women Won their WPL Season
Opener Against the DC Furies
By: Ashley Nesby

Keystone women won their WPL season opener against the DC Furies, 38-8 Sunday. However, the score does not reflect the physical battle waged by the Furies. From the first whistle, their physicality outmatched that of Keystone. They were winning rucks and were the primary keepers of possession for the first 15 minutes of the match.

Albeit, the Furies had the ball in hand, they were not able to break the gain line. Keystone soon capitalized on this by matching and beating the Furies’ intensity and physicality with their forward pack, allowing them to win clean ball and giving their backs great opportunities to execute their plays.

While the score reached into the upper 30’s, it was evident from both sides, that their team chemistry and timing had been affected by the early start of the season, missing players, team cohesion etc. Both were plagued with dropped balls, misread plays and simple mistakes.

The difference was Keystone was able to recover and make up for the mishaps and mishandles by sticking to their game plan and reading their opponents weaknesses and exploiting them.
That combined with the skill level of both their forward pack and their backs allowed them run away with the game. It is certain that both teams will be looking to clean up their play in preparation for next week’s matches. Keystone will face New York at their home pitch on Randall’s Island.

Scored:
Ines Rodriguez
Rashida Stamps
Kim Magrini
Jen Sinkler (2)

Coversions:
Ines Rodriguez (5)

Penality Kick:
Ines Rodriguez

WPL Match Reports/Coach & Player Interviews

10/19/2009: Week 5 Match Reports
10/27/2009: Week 5 Videos
10/27/2009: Week 6 Match Reports

WPL - Women's Premier League Master Page

Welcome to the WPL main page, here you will find all the scores, schedule, match reports & player/coach interviews. Come back here often as it will be updated daily!



WPL Match Reports/Coach & Player Interviews

10/19/2009: Week 5 Match Reports
10/27/2009: Week 5 Videos
10/27/2009: Week 6 Match Reports

Sep 3, 2009

WPL Player Profile: Coach Pete Steinberg and Player Rashida Stamps

This is the first of several spotlights that is being done by YSC so that we can gain a bit more insight into each teams respective coaching staff. Also there will be player spotlights coming as well from each team! Read below for a bit more insight into the coaching staff of Keystone Rugby!

Coach Profile: Pete Steinberg

YSC: What team in the WPL do you coach and how long have you been coaching them?
Keystone: The coaches for Keystone are Peter Steinberg, Peter Baggetta and Chris Ryan. Total coaching experience is greater than 50 years (I started very young!).

YSC: What year was your club established and who established it?
Keystone: Club was founded 7 years ago by local players looking for a competitive environment to play rugby.

YSC: Is there a specific style of play that your trying to instill in your team?
Keystone: We are looking to play a flexible style, but it will be based on playing a fast paced game.

YSC: As a coach do you have a specific area of expertise (ie: forwards, backs, kicking, scrumhalves etc.)?
Keystone: The responsibilities will split this way Peter Steinberg (Attack/Lineouts), Peter Baggetta (Defense/Scrums), Chris Ryan (Skill development/Back attack)

YSC: What are you doing as a coach to involve your local community in the newly formed WPL?
Keystone: We have a good relationship with our local community that provide us the fields and we hope to offer summer youth camps next year. This year we plan to hold skill clinics for the local community. We already held a kicking clinic with a professional coach from Australia.

YSC: What are your expectations for the WPL?
Keystone: We don't really have any. This is a trial year for us and what happens this year will help us determine whether we want to continue in the future.

YSC: What specific preparations, training camps etc, will your team be participating in to prepare for their upcoming WPL games?
Keystone: The games start too early for us to be well prepared for our games. We have had a one day training camp for the team, but the start of the season needs to be pushed back. We were heavily effected with the All-Star 7s tournament.

YSC: Throughout the season, how will you continue to keep your team on the top of their game?
Keystone: We will target games that we want to win and cycle towards them. This means cycling our training and our practice program with that in mind.

YSC: Where do you see the WPL in 5 years? 10?
Keystone: It will be interesting to see if it lasts beyond one year. Next year the World Cup players will probably not be playing, and the extensive travel that is required is already effecting players ability to commit. This will make it tough on the WPL teams to be able to get players of the quality that makes the WPL worthwhile.

YSC: If you could send a message to all of your alumni and fans, what would it say?
Keystone: Come watch us play!

Player Profile: Rashida Stamps (posted here)

WPL Match Reports/Coach & Player Interviews

10/19/2009: Week 5 Match Reports
10/27/2009: Week 5 Videos
10/27/2009: Week 6 Match Reports

Sep 2, 2009

September Free Rugby Raffle: RugbyDept Raffle EVERY Monday, Wednesday and Friday in September!

As another way to celebrate one year of free giveaways at Your Scrumhalf Connection, our partner and sponsor RugbyDept has donated a whole bunch of awesome RugbyDept gear! For the month of September we will be giving away an item every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

The raffles will all be taking place via the Your Scrumhalf Connection Facebook Fan Page so make sure you are a fan! To enter simply add a comment to the post...it is that simple!

How to Enter
To enter the raffle view all the entries here and then simply comment on the picture of the item you would like to win! You can enter for as many items as you would like, but you can only win one item so bid on the item you really want! If you have won a raffle before you are not eligible to win for a year. If you have any questions or concerns please email Wendy at wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

List of Items for Raffle (list is NOT in any particular order)
RugbyDept Essence V Ball - posted 9/21/2009
RugbyDept Red Fitted Hat - posted 9/11/2009
RugbyDept Tshirt - Small Black - posted 9/7/2009
RugbyDept Jersey #6 - Youth Red - posted 9/28/2009
RugbyDept Jersey (No Number) - Large Red - posted 9/2/2009

Sep 1, 2009

Preview of Teams in the USA Rugby Women's Premier League (WPL)

YSC Intern Ashley has put together a GREAT preview of the newly formed WPL league. Thanks to Ashley for her continued work with YSC!

The newly-formed Women’s Premier League gets underway with the first games being played Sunday, September 6. The WPL is comprised of 8 teams which have been chosen by ranking the finish order from the previous three National Championships as well as the clubs’ interest in participation.

The 8 teams have been broken down into two conferences with four teams in each. Each team will play six conference games, one home and one away, against the remaining teams in their conference.

The WPL season will occur during the fall- the same time as the regular women’s club season, with the National Championship being held November 6-8. Teams will be seeded based on the results of their conference play. The top four teams will compete for the Cup and the bottom four for the Bowl.

Seeding and promotion of teams into the WPL will be decided at the end of the season, in hopes of providing an incentive for other teams to want to be included in the league.

Blue Conference
Beantown
Keystone
New York
Washington DC Furies

Red Conference
Berkeley All Blues
Minnesota Valkyries
Twin Cities Amazons
ORSU

Who: Beantown
Coach: Jan Rutkowski
TU: NRU
Founded: 1976
About: Boston-based Beantown RFC is one of the best teams in the Northeast. They have been to the National Championship Tournament 20+ times since 1980, placing 3rd in 2008. Beantown boasts six players on the current Eagles roster, the most from any team: Mari Wallace, Melanie Denham, Emilie Bydwell, Amy Daniels, Jamie Burke, Kit Wagner and Sharon Blaney.

Who: Keystone
Coach: Pete Steinberg
TU: NRU
Founded: 2001
About: Keystone was formed by a group of seven women who dreamed of creating a top-notch rugby club in the Philadelphia area. Even though the team is only 8 years old, they quickly transformed themselves into one of the best in the country. Since 2005, Keystone has played in the USA Rugby National Championship Tournament, placing 5th in both 2007 and 2008. Contributing to their success are the many players on the team with years of both national and international experience, including current Eagle, Kim Magrini.

Who: New York
Coach: Ryan Dunnett (thanks to Anonymous in the comments)
TU: NRU
Founded: Joined NYRFC in 1997
About: New York has proven itself to be a very strong contender for many years. NYRFC has been to the last 10 National Championship Tournaments, placing in the top 3 since 2002. New York has 3 players on the National squad including, Lara Vivolo, Phaidra Knight and Vanesha McGee.

Who: DC Furies
TU: MARFU
Founded: 1978
About: The Furies boast a roster of 30+ including current Eagle Brenna Costello. In last year’s National Championship tournament, the Furies lost the Plate Consolation match to the Amazons, with a score of 24-14. There’s not doubt they will be looking to improve upon last year’s results.

Who: Berkeley All Blues
Coach: Alex Williams
TU: Pacific (*thanks to Rachel for her correction!)
Founded: 1978
About: This team has become accustomed to winning it all, as they have been crowned National Champs twelve times. The latest being last year with their 25-17 over New York. As with most teams in the WPL, they also have many skillful players who allow them to continue to dominate. Some of which include Eagles Stephanie Bruce, Nathalie Marchino, Blair Groefsema, Ashley English and Victoria Folayan (thanks to Anonymous in the comments).

Who: Minnesota Valkyries
Coach: Barb Fugate
TU: Midwest
About: In recent years, the Valkyries have emerged as quite a contender finishing in the top 5 of the last 5 National Championship Tournaments. They have continued to move their way up and with players like Jenny Menke, Kristin Zdanczewicz, Melanie Kanuk and Christy Ringgenburg, all current Eagles, it can only be assumed that they’ll continue to do so.

Who: Twin City Amazons
Coach: Roger Bruggemeyer
TU: Midwest
Founded: 1982
About: In addition to the players being committed to the sport of rugby, their administration has shown a love for the sport as well. Head coach Bruggemeyer held the position of national coaching instructor and coach for the Midwest Select Side team and former player Anne Barry was once the president of USA Rugby. The Amazons are no stranger to the National Championship tournament and will undoubtedly do their best to make yet another run at it this year. This team recently aquired Eagle Lynelle Kuglar as she made the move to a WPL team (thanks to Anonymous in the comments for this tip).

Who: ORSU
Coach: Jarred Power
TU: Pacific
Founded: 1994
About: The ORSU women are the only senior-level women’s team from Oregon. In order to facilitate an environment that allows for all players of differing skill levels to participate, ORSU will field two squads: the WPL side and a D1 side who will compete in regional D1 level matches. Currently, ORSU has one Eagle on its roster- Beckett Royce. (*Correction from Angelique: OR.S.U has recently gained a second USA Eagles player Ashley Kmiecik, formerly of the Emerald City Mudhens.)

WPL Match Reports/Coach & Player Interviews

10/19/2009: Week 5 Match Reports
10/27/2009: Week 5 Videos
10/27/2009: Week 6 Match Reports


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