Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

I thought this was interesting, found it on digg.com and here is the actual webpage address.

http://mashable.com/2007/08/01/firefox-downloads/

So this weekend is a referee course in San Marcos and a few of us are going. And in preparation the head referee guy in the Texas Rugby Union sent out this awesome rugby link:

http://www.sareferees.co.za/home/

The best part of the website for me was the video clips that show a controversial call and then there is an explanation below. It also has information about what referees are chosen for matches, you can ask questions of the referees and referee news.

It seems to be a good resource, but of course there is always the IRB website that has plenty of resources as well:

http://www.irb.com/training/index.html - Education and Training
http://www.irb.com/lawregulations/index.html - Laws and Regulations

I have a copy of the Rugby Laws always in my bag and often open it up to read a section and/or familiarize myself with the rugby laws. There are so many rules and so many gray areas, I find it fascinating. The best rule I ever found (I have yet to use it) has been the "mark" call. I love it! I want to use it so badly in a game, but of course it would have to be the right time and the right situation. I love it when they use it in international matches...weird I know!

Hi Wendy,

Just picked up on your blog and that you have loads of readers. You may like to share our Fun quiz with the chance of winning World Cup tickets in Wales and Scotland, or play just for fun. We also do write ups on rugby sites and you may feel in the mood to have a write up, if you do drop me a line with details of how and why you started plus when and anything else you would like in the article.

Here is a link to the quiz have a go yourself.
http://www.rugby15.co.uk/rugby.html

Best Regards,
Peter
Rugby15.co.uk

Peter,

Thanks for the email and I will definitely write a small blurb in the next few days, things are a little crazy here...but I will try to get around it! Meanwhile, hopefully you will get some hits from this post.

Wendy

PALMERSTON NORTH, New Zealand -- The USA U-23 Women's National Team fell to the Manawatu Women NPC on Saturday, July 28 at the Massey University Sport & Rugby Institute in Palmerston North. With a final score of 34-3, this second match of the team's New Zealand tour demonstrated the physical intensity of the game and the rugby style played in New Zealand.

"We came over to learn the hard lessons and Manawatu provided them," Head Coach Barb Fugate said. "We will see how the players respond by raising their physical pressure in contact and improving their ability to attack while under pressure."

The young USA squad was overcome by the Manawatu Women, who scored six tries, with two of those converted. The U-23's points resulted from a penalty kick in the first half by fullback Kirsten Ahrendt (Dartmouth), making the final score 34-3.

The team will spend a couple of days training in Palmerston North before heading to Auckland for their tour-concluding match on Saturday, August 4. The U-23 coaching staff will be joined by New Zealand Rugby development officers, including Farah Palmer, former New Zealand Black Ferns captain.

Penalty kick: Kirsten Ahrendt

Staff:
Barb Fugate, head coach
Martha Daines, assistant coach
Susan Whitwell, assistant coach
Annemarie Henning, program manager
Teresa Tucker, team manager
Nicole Titmas, athletic trainer

Corpus Christi 7s - July 28, 2007

Saturday dawned early with SUN! If you haven't heard about the Central Texas weather, this wouldn't sound very exciting. Basically it has rained 40 days and 40 nights here, all the rivers are over flowing and we have flood watches almost every day. So the fact that is actually was sunny all day in Corpus is pretty crazy.

Traci, Shalay, Amy B and I had camped out Friday night on the beach right across from where the tournament would be played the next day. We drove down late Friday night and put our tents up in the dark. The mosquito's mistakenly thought we were a HUGE feast and pretty much ate us alive. It was late so we decided to put the tents up and hit the sack. We slept for a few hours and then were jolted awake when it started raining again, it rained like a monsoon for probably about two hours...and if you have ever slept in a tent when it is raining that hard, you know it is hard to sleep.

So I decided I couldn't sleep anymore and I got out of the tent. The sand was so saturated that it was pooling and creating random lakes all over the beach. A HUGE lake that was about 20 feet by 10 feet had developed right by Shalay and Amy's tent...the moonlight bouncing off the rippling water was amazing.

At this point everyone was awake because Jake was bounding around in the tent like a crazy dog because he wanted to be outside with me. So we all woke up and then the feast began again...so we decided to drive to a gas station and get some serious bug spray this time. We also picked up some snack and headed back to the camp site. We still weren't tired so we decided to take a walk along the ocean and check things out. Arming ourselves with bug spray and snacks we braved the elements. The DEET in the deep woods bug spray must have worked because the walk was very comfortable and beautiful!

Here's a video of Jake chasing a ghost crab on the beach...he was very intrigued but scared of the white/transparent crab.

Hey all, I will be away ALL weekend as I am braving the Tropical Depression and heading south to Corpus Christi 7s. Maybe I will update from my phone, but I doubt it...I'm taking the weekend off!

Look forward to Satiated Beavers Team 2 in Corpus Christi updates and updates from my teammates at Cape Cod on Monday (GO SATIATED BEAVERS...we are at two events!!). Also the U23s play again in New Zealand, so lots of blogging to be done on Monday!

Have a great weekend and be safe!

WE

USA Under U23 start NZ Tour With Win

by USA Rugby

So on Tuesday at 7s practice we were doing some defensive work for the new rookies we have picked up this summer. At first Bags had us doing just a small grid, similar to the one you often see used for 2 V 1. Basically your have two lines stand right next to each other and one is offense and the other is defense.

She would call 1 or 2 and that determined the type of defensive work you would be doing. If she called the number 1 your would be doing a close in type tackle where the defense is often setup and ready for you. Usually the grid is only a few feet wide and is super small.

If she called number 2 your were given a bit more freedom and this was simulating the defense not totally being setup and you have a bit more space for creating.

At first we simply talked about using the sideline as your ally (the last man) and using out of bounds to your advantage. Bags also pointed out that using the sideline is great, but you have to use it appropriately. Meaning that you mark your defensive player on their inside shoulder and this forces them to work outwards. If you get overzealous and mark their outside shoulder they can read that and simply cut in on you. Then you have wasted the sideline as an advantage.

The drill was going great, but we noticed that some of the newer players were either over committing or under committing. So I decided to share a theory that Julie McCoy taught us the first year I played West 7s select side. I thought it was an excellent theory and have used it many times in a game.

Ice, Sub and & Super Pressure

These three theories can be used all one or used independently of each other. Be imaginative!

Ice- This is the first step of the whole defensive theory: Imagine your team has just scrummed and is running a back play where the fly half kicks the ball into the other team's territory. As a team you must advance with haste in your channels and once the player with the ball is located, you must ice. Basically this means settle, get together in a straight line, impenetrable and working together. It does not mean settle as in sit back on your heels and let the action pass you by...it means more to attack on defense once you have settled your team together.

This tactic is often used on kickoffs as well, your team must first tackle the opponent with the ball. Then organizing yourselves to attack on defense to get the ball back commences.

Sub- This step of the defensive process is best if I describe it in a situation: Imagine your team is kicking off and you are the "sniper" or "attacker" for your team. This sniper is usually one of your best tacklers and pretty quick. Their whole job is to make a great tackle with speed, agility and accuracy. Basically they are in charge of putting the fear in the other team from the very first hit of the game. So where does the Ice part come in? (*granted, not all teams use a sniper, so imagine this scenario in a few different ways if that helps)

Ice means approaching the situation with speed, agility and accuracy but at the last minute breaking down and pausing. We are not talking about pausing and stopping all your momentum. This theory is that you access where your opponent is, how high they are, if they are going to put a move on you...etc ALL in the split second before you lay the girl out.

This skill takes plenty of practice because if you take too long and reach the realm of hesitation you will be side stepped and out played in an instant. If you attack to quickly you also risk the embarrassment of overshooting your target. So practice is a must!

Super- This technique in the process if best described as a suppressing attack. This would most often be used in a one on one situation or where someone is chasing down a kick. It is just what is sounds like, a super attack at full speed and full force. You have all seen it when a fullback gets laid out right as they catch the ball by a speedy opponent. This is the same theory, you zero in on the target and without hesitation take care of the problem.

If you were to use all these theories together it would best be described using a kickoff again. Your team chases down the kick in a super defense, closing down all their opportunities. Then you move to a sub defense where you are seeing what lay they are running, if the play is stopped then you simply run an ice defense where you are settled and poised to attack.

I am not an expert of these theories, but have used them often and have found them valuable to pass on to other players. I explained them to the best of my ability and tried to make them applicable to certain situations. Let me know how I did!

-So I found this today...this guy believes that rugby is rubbish...what is he thinking? Before I say more, read it for yourself:

Over a century ago a schoolboy picked up a football and ran away holding it. Unfortunately he was never caught and punished. Worse, the sport of rugby was born. Now English eyes have turned to the six nations championships.

Questions will be asked about drift defences, whether Johnny Wilkinson’s return from the dead was helped by the fact he looks like a zombie, and why on earth they couldn’t find a round ball to play with. The real and only question will be dodged. The only point of interest in the entire history of rugby has never been debated: Was that schoolboy in the box when he first picked up the football and so was it a penalty or not?

The middle classes have taken a foul and called it a sport. It doesn’t change anything. They can say they have an official world cup and should be an Olympic sport but it doesn’t matter to me. The world cup final doesn’t count; it should have been abandoned after five minutes for persistent handball. It wasn’t a contest, just a game of football gone wrong.

What makes the presence of rugby worse is rugger buggers lording it over football and sniffing over little things like diving. They constantly claim Rugby is a better sport because there’s no diving like in football. NEWSFLASH… that’s because it’s a different sport. There are no illegal wheel arches in the premiership but that doesn’t mean football is a better sport than formula one. It just is.

If rugby wants to boast about a lack of cheating then maybe it should get some rules. Well understandable ones, not like the strange ones they stop the game for every five seconds (which apparently don’t involve cheating, just one fat guy prepared to risk breaking another fat guy’s neck in order to win a scrum.) Rugby types are happy to sneer at Wayne Rooney’s outbreak of happy stamping at the world cup but ignore the fact that if he’d done that on a rugby field they’d all have simply yelled, “Great rucking rooners”. He’d fit right in and a few collapsed scrummages might improve his looks.

In conclusion I suggest we retaliate. Get a few mates together and join a rugby team. First game, one of you goes long and into the traditional centre forward’s position, then the others get the ball and hoof it forwards to him under the posts. He scores. When the egg chasers complain about offside or something tell them it’s not a foul but instead the invention of a much better, cleaner sport. Call it football.

- Wow, all hail football. What a freaking idiot and a waste of space. I was looking at some more of his articles and it appears that he doesn't like anything but football. I could go on here and talk about how football is hardly a sport, but I won't do that. It shouldn't be about stripping down one sport and boasting another. It's about the sports we love and that there truly is a sport out there for everyone.

Some athletes play ping pong, and after watching those guys pound the ball while standing off the table at about 10 paces, I am impressed! Some athletes choose to bowl and watching them hit strike after strike with perfection is pretty amazing! Even stranger, some athletes choose to race cars in Nascar, while some people would claim that it isn't a sport at all. But have you ever seen an overweight Nascar driver? They have to be in pristine shape to do 600 laps in one day.

Basically I think it should be to each their own, and leave the boasting over which sport is better alone. It will never be proven...and will never be settled.

However the great thing about rugby is that truly ANYONE can play. You have never played sports before? No problem, we will teach you, train you and drink a beer with you afterwards. The best parts of rugby are the community, family and that everyone can do it. Not many sports can boast that can they?

Even better, rugby is one of the only sports that women are on the same playing field. We have the same rules, same positions, do the same training drills and we TACKLE like men. If you have never watched a rugby match, I would watch a women's match and then a men's match. You will see some differences, but they are slight at most. The beauty and elegance of rugby can be seen on both territories.

And I am sure most of you have seen this video, but here is "football" or soccer vs. rugby, can you tell a difference?

Whew, sorry I have been missing so long! I got my Harry Potter book Saturday afternoon and I have been busy reading and reading and reading! I read it in 2 days, because I don't like to just sit there and read through the whole book. I like to read a few hundred pages and then digest for a few hours and then I can't wait any longer, so I pick it up again.

How was your weekend? Mine was fabulous! Saturday morning I attended a Firefighter Recruiting Expo. Basically a 4 hour event where we learned all about firefighting and did a few or the events firefighters do. We arrived at 9am and had some breakfast, they chatted at us for a few minutes and then we headed outside.

Outside there were three different firefighting trucks. An Engine, Ladder and Special Operations unit...and we learned about all the different tools they carry, if they carry water, hoses etc. We also got to meet three different crews and a probie (a cadet that has made it through academy, but is not a Firefighter yet). It was awesome and very exciting!

Then we did a few of the firefighting CPATS (the physical test you take to get into the Academy). This included the forcible entry and the hose drag. The forcible entry is a sledgehammer to a door or duplicating that in a test form. So after 6 or 7 hits the buzzer goes off and you have finished that part of the exam. The hose drag was the best part of it for me...you drag the 3 inch hose 75m and then go 90 degrees around a barrel. At the point you run 25 more meters and drop to one knee, from there you have to drag another 75m of hose to you.

As I watched the girls (it was an all girl class) finish the hose drag I was astonished at how many of them were struggling. Granted for my small frame I was one of the bigger girls there, how funny is that? And also by no means is it an easy feat, but I thrive on these sorts of things! Give me a challenge! So after I finished the forcible entry drill...oh WAIT! I forgot to tell you that we are wearing 50 extra pounds on all these drills. The weight is to simulate the Air Pac and the other tools, clothing etc we would be carrying as a firefighter.

Anyways, the hose drag was way easier than I thought. The probie even commented that I wasn't breathing hard after I finished. It seems to me that rugby training would go hand in hand with firefighting. So we find out October 1st if there is going to be an academy and then the 6 month long process begins. I am so excited for this opportunity.

As for fitness this weekend, I kind of fell off the wagon. Friday I did a short trail run and did some Corssfit style push ups and pull ups. I bought myself a new pull up bar so I am excited to start using that again! Saturday, I did the firefighting expo and then read Harry Potter. Sunday is a rest day...and Monday I cleaned the house from top to bottom! I know that isn't considered fitness, but I try to do it a faster pace and make sure I carry the vacuum room to room and stuff like that.

Let's see what is going on in the rugby world!

• Check it out! Over 10,000 visitors since I started my blog last year! Thanks!
  
  
• Cape Cod Tournament - July 27-28, 2007
  This year's theme is: Super heroes and villains! Start putting your costumes together and brainstorming your skit ideas!
  
  Any questions or comments about the Cape Cod 7s Tournament, please contact Jenn Jones @ nurugger21@comcast.net
  
  Club Competitive: New York, Pink Dresses, NRU Senior, NOVA 1, Midwest Thunderbirds, BWRFC A,
  
  Club Social: UConn Alumni, Satiated Beavers, Charles River, Bull Moose Reunion Team, Bull Moose I, Bull Moose II, Seacoast A, Seacoast B, Hartford Roses, Shamshock Rugby, Dirty Thirties, Middlesex Barbarians, NOVA 2, Radcliffe, Your Mother, Scrubs, Turboprops, Northeastern, Portland, Providence A, Providence B, Springfield, BWRFC B, Union College Alumni,
  
  Collegiate: UConn, The Goonies, Boston College, Keene State, Holy Cross, Boston College, BU Justice League, Williams Hamburglars
  
  
• War of the Roses - September 29, 2007
  Norman, OK
  
  More Info: Contact Head Coach Tracy Curtis
  
  
• University of Dallas Alumni Create Non-profit Organization
  Former student athletes of the University of Dallas (UD) in Irving, Texas, have established the GRAA - Groundhog Rugby Alumni Association, a 501 (c) (3) organization to promote the advancement of collegiate rugby and educate the public about collegiate rugby. The GRAA has started a fundraising effort to support a European playing tour for UD undergraduates in March 2008.
  
  The concept of such an organization was the brainchild of the team coach, Bob MacNab, which occurred several years ago when alumni fundraising efforts
  yielded significant results. "We had so many former student-athletes returning to the yearly Alumni vs Undergraduate friendly match raising money to fund the undergraduate team, it was only the natural next step to channel these efforts to achieve a greater good," explained MacNab.
  
  This coming year will mark the 25th Anniversary of the University of Dallas Rugby Football Club. In March 2008, the undergraduate student athletes,
  alumni, coach and others will travel abroad to both England and Ireland to compete in an international rugby tour.
  
  "We are thrilled to receive our non-profit status and believe in our mission to advance and generate greater awareness of college rugby," added GRAA president Bill Moser. "It's the perfect combination, the club will have the opportunity to compete at an international level and the GRAA can promote collegiate rugby."
  
  The GRAA will be conducting fundraising efforts to make the tour possible. Anyone can make a donation and contributions are tax-deductible and are only for the benefit of current student athletes. Alumni participating in the event are paying their own way and will not benefit from the GRAA contributions.
  
  For more information contact Bill Demers at 214-986-4353 or billdemers@hotmail.com
  
  
• Midnight Sevens - July 22, 2007
  
  Another perfect summer evening welcomed the return of the Old Blue Midnight 7s to New York City. Hosted by Old Blue, the Midnight Sevens began at dusk on Saturday and went until just after 1am Sunday, when the spotlights illuminating the West Village field near Ground Zero were lost.
  
  Twenty-one men’s and women’s teams from across Met NY played at Pier 40, Old Blue’s turf field located on top of the Hudson River and nicknamed, ‘The Bullpen’. The double pitch format allowed for a carnival- like atmosphere, where local ruggers socialized, caught up with one another and watched each and every match in the contained courtyard. The mood was also livened by the beat of music filling the huge courtyard all night during the matches.
  
  Since the lights went dark before the women’s final could be played, both the Village Lions I Women and the Hudson Valley Women were crowned co-champions. On the Men’s side, host Old Blue bested Rutgers 19-5 in a shortened final.
  
  Also receiving trophies for individual achievement were: Tournament MVPs Alison Hinke from the Village Lions and James Greenwood from Old Blue. The Outstanding Ref trophy went to Glenn Miller.
  
  Old Blue 2007 Midnight 7s results:
  
  5 SUNY New Paltz v. North Jersey 36
  28 Old Blue v.Village Lions I 12
  7 NYRC v. Landsdowne (Dead Rabbits) 12
  42 Joe's College Buddies v. Wyld Stallyns 0
  14 Suffolk Bull Moose v. Stony Brook University 10
  10 Montclair v. Village Lions II 0
  26 Rutgers Rugby v. Essex County (NoJo X Side) 7
  12 NY Americans v. NY Japanese RFC 19
  31 Village Lions I Women v. Suffolk Bull Moose Women 0
  20 Hudson Valley Women v. SNY Women's Rugby Club Women 0
  33 Old Blue v. Stony Brook University 5
  5 NY Americans v. Montclair 31
  24 Village Lions II v. Wyld Stallyns 0
  19 NYRC v. NoJo 0
  31 NY Japanese RFC v. Essex County (NoJo X Side) 7
  40 Suffolk Bull Moose v. SUNY New Paltz 0
  12 Rutgers v. Joes College Buddies 10
  15 Hudson Valley Rebels Women v. Village Lions II Women 0
  0 Landsdowne (Dead Rabbits) v. Village Lions I 27
  0 NYRC v. Old Blue 29
  10 SNY Women's Rugby Club v. Suffolk Bull Moose Women 5
  7 Montclair v. NoJo 15
  5 NY Americans v. Landsdowne (Dead Rabbits) 29
  5 Stony Brook University v. Joe's College Buddies 40
  0 Wyld Stallyns v. Rutgers 29
  19 Village Lions I v. NY Japanese RFC 0
  29 Suffolk Bullmoose v. Village Lions II 12
  22 Essex v. New Paltz 24
  33 Village Lions I Women v Hudson Valley Women 12
  15 Suffolk Bullmoose Women v. Village Lions II Women 10
  
  Semifinals
  29 Old Blues v. Joes College Buddies 0
  5 Suffolk v. Rutgers 34
  28 Village Lions I Women v. Southern NY Women 0
  15 Hudson Valley Women v. Village Lions II Women 0 *
  
  Finals
  19 Old Blue v. Rutgers 5 *
  Village Lions I Women v. Hudson Valley Women *
  
  * shortened/not played due to loss of lights after 1am
  
  
• USA U23 Team in New Zealand
  Haven't seen any updates yet, I asked a few players to blog, but they weren't interested...hopefully we will get some updates soon!
  
  The team will begin the tour with a match against Burnside Rugby Football Club Women's Team in Christchurch on Wednesday, July 25. The second match will be in Palmerston North against the Manawatu Club on Saturday, July 28. The New Zealand tour will conclude with a final game in Auckland on August 4.
  
  Good luck ladies!