Training And Education Courses Set Eagles Up For Future Opportunities

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While in residency, the Men’s Sevens took part in T&E career development opportunities offered in conjunction with USA Rugby’s CARE Program
In the fall of 2018, USA Rugby and the US Rugby Players Association announced its Career Advancement, Rugby Enhancement (CARE) Program. This program is designed to prepare current Eagles for careers after playing by connecting them to internships and career development opportunities. Recently the Men’s Sevens were able to take part in some career development opportunities during ‘Education Week’ while at residency.
“This week brings in the coaching component a bit more,” says Scott Novack, Men’s Sevens Program Operations Manager. “There are many players who currently coach in some capacity (either youth or high school teams); and some who think it could be a possible career option after playing.”
“It is the intention behind the CARE program to give players that desire this type of training and education, the opportunity to get it,” Novack added.
Luckily, athletes did not need to disrupt their regular training schedule to take part in the courses. Kenny Forehand, the Training & Education Director, and his team met the players where they were to conduct the sessions.
“In the morning, we had a regular training session. Afterward, players had the option to attend the specific modules they were hoping to complete. Trainging and Education courses available this week was a strength and conditioning course, a level 200 coaching course, and a level 300 coaching course.”
“It was great to work with the group as they approached the courses in a very professional manner and we were able to design some of the training to their particular situations,” Forehand noted.
“The players accepted the challenges we put out there for them including information on how to deal with referees. Jamie McGregor presented a session on how to communicate better with referees and how to train captains to do it also,” Forehand continued.
Novack added that these courses not only aid each athlete for life after playing but also aids them while they play.
“It ties into our current program anyways,” Novack noted. “Education like this helps our players learn the nuances of coaching and provides them with a better understand of what Mike Friday, Jon Hood, and Brian Green do,” Novack added.
“The Training and Education component of the CARE programs really gets into the rugby development part. For our players that haven’t coached before, they can be introduced to it, and those who have coached before can further advance themselves.”
“Because of this, education week – in conjunction with the CARE program – is a great opportunity and experience that truly gives the athletes enthusiasm for what they want to do beyond their playing career,” added Novack.
“All in all a very positive week of training and we look forward to working with the other athletes in the coming months,” Forehand concluded.
All Eagles have the option to take part in the CARE program and will have a similar ‘education week’ opportunities at a time that is appropriate for their seasons’ schedule. For more information about the CARE program, Click Here
Interested in providing internships and career development opportunities to a National Team Athlete? Fill out the CARE program application or Contact Yvonne Parkhurst, USA Rugby High-Performance Team Services Manager directly via email yparkhurst@usa.rugby or by phone 303.539.0300 x138.

WPL Round-up Week 8

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Week eight of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) saw three teams clinch semifinal berths to the national championship (Nov. 1-3, Glendale, Colo.). Life West and Glendale will represent the West Conference in the trophy bracket, while East Conference’s Atlanta will take its first trip to the final four since 2014. The second berth out of the East is still very much in contention.
Twin Cities traveled to Atlanta and stayed within a converted try of the home team through the first half. Scrumhalf Rachel Lentsch scored a brace of tries, while wing Danica Mooney-Jones added a conversion and penalty kick for 15 first-half points. The Harlequins then broke it open in the second stanza and held the Amazons scoreless in the 62-15 decision.
“Huge credit to the Amazons for coming out of the gate fast and putting us under a lot of pressure defensively with the speed of their play. We missed some defensive assignments and were missing tackles, which put us down in our end,” Atlanta head coach Ros Chou praised Twin Cities for converting those opportunities into points. “However, our team stays calm and continued to chip away and put points on the board. Our team has consistently been composed throughout 80 minutes and we have outscored our opponents in the second half in every game this season so far – including our loss to Beantown. So, we know that finishing a game is a strength of ours, and there’s no need to panic when it’s close or we’re behind at the half.”
Mo Compito, Cortney Kuehl, Kelli Smith and Lara Gartner scored two tries apiece, and Megan Rom added the ninth. Corinne Heavner kicked 17 points on seven conversions and a penalty. There’s a league-wide break coming this weekend as the USA 15s pool assembles in advance of the November tour, and then Atlanta enjoys its bye week for an extended recuperation period.
“We want to finish out the season really strong,” Chou looked toward the Oct. 26 match against Chicago North Shore. “[We] know North Shore will bring their physicality down to Atlanta and it’s our final challenge before nationals.”

WATCH ATLANTA VS TWIN CITIES REPLAY

North Shore hosted New York and stayed within striking distance the first 40 despite two yellow cards. The visitors pulled away in the second half and banked a 38-12 bonus-point win to remain in contention for that second East Conference seed to the national semifinals.
“We’ve been trying out different combinations to find our strongest squad and I think we pretty much have it now. The players have been patient and trusting our selections as we build toward finding our true strength as a team,” New York head coach Tiff Faaee explained. “The win against Chicago was much needed. We are still not quite where I know we can be, but we will use this week to build again and work on cohesion now that we have an idea of who can play where for our current set-up.”
Wing Sarah Levy finished five tries for New York, and prop Naomi Batzer added the sixth for the 24-year-old’s first WPL score. Gianna Solomon converted four. Jessica Ventrillo and Bridget Kapinus scored Chicago North Shore’s tries, and Nicole Fisch added the extras.

WATCH NEW YORK VS CHICAGO REPLAY

In San Francisco, Life West shut out San Diego for 75 minutes, until Hunter Griendling hit the third dropgoal of the WPL season (Heavner kicked two in week seven). The Surfers followed with a Nicole Burr try and Megan Foster conversion, but the game ended with a Sara Parsons try and Hali Deters conversion: 59-10 to Life West.
“We showed what we are capable of when we get things right,” Life West Director of Rugby Adriaan Ferris explained. “By our own standards we hadn’t been playing well over the last few weeks and we demanded a better effort from one another against San Diego. Refocusing on playing a simplified version of our game plan helped with clarity in attack, and we turned up with the right attitude on defense.
“We had a couple of position changes in the backline that created some energy and a different approach. This appeared to work,” Ferris noted the nine-try performance against the defending national champion. “Sara Parsons led the team expertly at flyhalf and earned the Player of the Match honor for her game management and individual performance.”
Parsons and outside center Leti Hingano scored two tries apiece, while Hope Rogers, Elona Williams, Amy Naber Bonte, Neariah Persinger and Nikki Kenyon added one apiece. Hingano kicked four conversions and Deters added three.

WATCH LIFE WEST VS SAN DIEGO REPLAY

Glendale and Berkeley faced each other on the turf pitch outside Infinity Park, where the USA Women 7s team was busy winning the opening leg of the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. The Merlins held the All Blues to a try in each half (Ros Okpara, Matilda Kocaj) and won 57-12.
“We feel like we’re getting used to our attack and being able to put the pieces together,” said Farmer, who doubled as pitch-side security inside Infinity Park during the 7s tournament. “We’ve got all these young kids that have come in and – as the old person on the team – it’s sort of invigorating. … We’ve got Gabby [Cantorna] and Mack [Hawkins] in the middle now and directing traffic, and they’ve gotten comfortable, and we’ve gotten comfortable playing with them. When they’re firing it just opens everything up for us.”
With the semifinal berth confirmed, Glendale has the option to rest some bodies and play with less pressure. But Farmer placed value on the final two league games as opportunities to build confidence and continue to build toward nationals.
“Since the first game, it’s just been up for us, and so we’re pretty excited about that,” the No. 8 said. “We’re still going to push it. We think that we’ve got a lot more to give, and so we’re not going to settle for [Saturday]. It was a good win for us but we think there’s a lot of potential so we’re going to keep pushing for it.”

WATCH GLENDALE VS BERKELEY REPLAY

ROUND 9 MATCHES: LEAGUE-WIDE BYE

2019 WPL Expert Picks – Week 8

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The Women’s Premier League competition has just three weeks left of the regular season, with the East and West’s top teams, Atlanta (+11 points) & Life West (+7 points), sitting temporarily comfortable atop their respective conferences. Atlanta & Life West may be ahead by a substantial margin on points, but it’s anyone’s game to steal each 2nd place standing, with three weeks to play. Expect the first weekend of October to provide thrills and chills as teams come out victorious while gaining much needed points, along with those who come away empty handed.

EAST

Kicking things off in the East are Top of the Conference table, Atlanta (5-1) hosting the visiting 2nd place Twin Cities Amazons (3-3). In their previous matchup in Minnesota (August 31st), there was a concern with Atlanta lasting the full 80 minutes due to only being able to travel with 17 players. With this obstacle in their way, they still came away with the victory, 45-22. The previous matchup, is a true testament to this Harlequins side who have battled each challenge, and have five consecutive wins to show for it. Twin Cities will be looking to not only avenge their earlier season loss to Atlanta, but also to rebound from last week’s close 2-point defeat to Beantown. With this great match between the 1st & 2nd pace conference teams, Twin Cities will be intending on throwing the ‘kitchen sink’ at Atlanta in hopes of toppling their rivals.

The other matchup in the East is the Sunday game with Chicago North Shore (1-4) hosting New York Rugby (2-3). The last time these teams faced-off was in Week 3, where New York came away with the convincing win. Chicago is riding a 4-game losing streak, after winning their first contest against Twin Cities. The North Shore club, in the last four matches, has scored a total of 32 points, only 1 point more than their first match’s total. Expect this fiery team to use their home field advantage to gain a much needed win, along with increasing points in the standings. New York had faced a tough opponent in Atlanta last week and lost 12-51, but are looking to turn to their other cheek this week and face a Chicago squad who is hungry for win #2.

WEST

Within the first contest of the West, the San Diego Surfers (2-3) will be traveling up the coast to face-off against, Top-of-the-Table, Life West Gladiatrix (5-1). These two teams recently met on September 7th in San Diego, but the Gladiatrix had taken the wind out of the Surfers’ sails with an impressive 40-16 victory. After last week’s 58-0 win against ORSU, San Diego is tuned-in to rematch Life West and steal a victory on the road, just as their challengers had done a month ago. The Gladiatrix on the other hand have been less consistent since losing to Glendale two weeks ago. It was especially apparent when they had only beat Berkeley by 1 point in their previous match, and scoring 15 points on the entire day. This matchup can be a sneaky outcome for the Surfers, but we’ll have to see if they can outlast a formidable Gladiatrix side.

The Match of the Week will include the Glendale Merlins (4-1) hosting the Berkeley All-Blues (3-3) in this Western battle for 2nd place within the conference. At first look, Glendale clearly has the superior record to Berkeley, but if you were to look closer, the Merlins are only +1 in total table points over the All-Blues. This game, with the potential of a bonus point either way, could seriously affect the remainder of the year for both clubs. The other reason this match is deemed the most notable of the week is because of the incredibly close score that occurred last time these clubs met. Glendale had squeezed by with 2-point victory on the road in the Bay Area, and the Merlins understand the potential of this All-Blues club that only lost to Life West by 1-point the previous week. Either expect a defensive battle or an absolute barn-burner in this battle for West’s 2nd best.

  HOME   AWAY
Oct 5th Atlanta Harlequins 2:00 pm EDT Twin Cities Amazons
  Life West Gladiatrix 1:00 pm PDT San Diego Surfers
  Glendale Merlins 7:00 pm MDT Berkeley All Blues
Oct 6th Chicago North Shore 12:00 pm CDT New York Rugby
Bye-Week: Beantown RFC & ORSU

Club 6 Pack Preview: October 5-6

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Women’s DI – Midwest: Boston Rugby vs Raleigh Venom
Starting off this week’s Club 6 Pack Preview, is a Midwestern battle between two teams who are very familiar with one another throughout the years. The Raleigh Venom, established in 2002, are a USA Rugby Women’s Division I team that competes within the Midwest union and finished #3 nationally in 2016, and #2 nationally in 2017 and 2018. The Raleigh Rattlesnakes, launched their first season in 2007 with a U-19 league, in hopes of promoting interest and knowledge of the sport within our local youth. Our youth program now consists of boys and girls teams starting at age 4 and running through competitive high school programs.
The Boston Women’s Rugby side is an established club fostering the spirit of rugby on and off the pitch for over 40 years. Founded in 1976, the Boston Women’s Rugby Football Club was formed, making it the oldest independent women’s club in Boston. Since then, they have captured the New England Rugby Club Championship titles for both 15s and 7s, and have represented the Northeast at the national level. BWRFC has renewed itself as a national level contender with significant coaching changes and a recent influx of young talent.
The Boston Women’s Rugby Football Club promotes teamwork, leadership, discipline, and physical activity both on and off the pitch. Their athletes span a variety of backgrounds and careers, such as lawyers, nurses, engineers, students, and accountants. Players contribute to the community through philanthropic events each season, from coaching youth rugby to volunteering at local charity races.
Men’s DI – Midwest: Metropolis Rugby vs Milwaukee Barbarians
Metropolis Rugby has been having a great start to the season thus far having a 3-1 record, with their only loss having a 3-point differential to the powerhouse Kansas City Blues. The club will be looking to get back on track by facing the (so-far) winless Milwaukee Barbarians (0-3). A staunch defensive presence has helped Metropolis stop their previous opponents, which the Barbarians will be aiming to reverse their attacking trend and put up a good-showing against one of the top sides in their competition.
Joseph Birdsall, the head coach for Milwaukee Barbarians chimed in how his club is taking in the 2019 season with Metro as their next obstacle. “The Barbarians are underdogs every week and playing away at Metropolis this week is no exception. Metro is lethal with ball in hand and [we] need to limit errors throughout the match to stay competitive. Every match is a real test against the highest level players in the country.”
Birdsall continued, “Last week, Wesley White of Austin Herd and Lindenwood fame created exciting rugby moments for the Barbarians in Saint Louis. This week, the Barbarians are focused on winning key matchups against the NOLA contingent of Metro: Jared Abt v Kavika Peniata in the front row, Anthony Sims v Ekapatelisio Veamatahau at 8 and Alex Mross v Joeli Tikoisuva on the edge. Both sides are very familiar with their strengths across the pitch so it should be a great match.”
Women’s DII – Carolinas-Georgia: Charleston Hurricanes vs Savannah Shamrocks
With the Carolinas-Georgia competition recently in full-swing, the Hurricanes (1-1) will host the Shamrocks (1-0), in a cross-conference showdown that will provide its fans plenty of passionate play. The Savannah Shamrocks are proud in their experienced coaching and support staff, along with a strong membership network and partnerships with local businesses for support which have greatly helped the club in recent years. They are excited in traveling to Charleston in taking on the Hurricanes. The Shamrocks will be hoping for their luck against this enthusiastic coastal club that have, in recent years, not only increased their club size, but also their success.
The president of the Charleston Hurricanes club, Claire Cox, mentioned the history and development of their club within the sport and community, in recent years. “The Charleston Hurricanes Women’s Rugby Football Club was founded in 2003 with the same goals we have today: promote the sport of rugby in the south, increase women’s participation in the sport and represent the fine city of Charleston, South Carolina. When we first started, we did not have enough players to field a 15’s side and so we teamed up with the Savannah Shamrocks every year to play full games. Four years ago, that partnership helped develop two full sides of women’s rugby teams. Since then, an intense rivalry has developed on the pitch, and the same players remain friends for the social afterwards. This match will be as powerful as the founding players who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into this game.“
Kate Lyker, the head coach of the Savannah Shamrocks is excited for the upcoming game, and the growth of her club since the beginning of the season. “Any match against the Charleston Hurricanes is always a fun one. Last year was our first year back in the matrix playing them, but we have played numerous friendlies against them. It is a hard-fought game each time and things seem to come together for us. We lost some experienced girls over the summer, so I am looking forward to seeing some of our girls step up into new roles and our new girls experience their first match. We have been putting in a lot of work at practice and I hope that we will be able to show that on the pitch. It will be an excellent match and cannot wait to see the continued growth on both sides.”
Men’s DII – Pacific Northwest: Tacoma Nomads vs Boise United
The 1-1 Tacoma Nomads will be hosting the (tied for) top-of-the-table 1-0 Boise United club, which had almost eclipsed the century mark in their previous week’s contest. Although Tacoma’s attack should not be reckoned with either, with their side putting up 64 points in their first two games against solid Pacific NW challengers. According to Tacoma Nomad’s website, “Over 40 years ago a group of players founded the Tacoma Rugby Club. Today, our club consists of three ever expanding programs for men, women, and youth. Our greater community includes: an active Old Boys organization, a long list of dedicated sponsors, local rugby enthusiasts, and our player’s families. Everyone involved plays a key role in keeping the spirit of rugby alive in Tacoma!“
With the Boise side keen in accepting the road challenge, Tripper Povar, president of the Boise United club, mentioned much of the club’s success due to the hard work and skill of his teammates. “The 2018-2019 Pacific Northwest (D2) Champions, Boise United Men’s RFC will head up to the Seattle area in efforts to fend off a talented Tacoma Nomads team. The Nomads, who have grown in numbers and skill, shook up the conference early this fall by beating a strong ORSU team in Portland “on the farm”. Tacoma will be looking to return to form against Boise United to defend their home ground.
Povar continued, “Boise United will be relying heavily on its core of returning players lead by Captains Taylor Thomas (Backs) and Zundel Molifua (Forwards) to set the tempo this Saturday. Boise will also be expecting a lot from a few key playmakers such as Skyler Larsen, Senituli Taufoou and Vidal Davis. Boise coaches expect a strong battle upfront from Tacoma – a team that is known for having a big, ferocious and mobile forward pack. This should be a good test of dexterity for players on both sides with the numbers 1 through 8 on their backs. Be on the lookout for Boise United’s reupholstered backline which was built for the modern game.”
Women’s DIII – NERFU: Amoskeag Rugby vs North Shore
This great division 3 matchup, will take place on Amoskeag (2-0) home-turf with a valiant and passionate North Shore (2-1) side. North Shore currently leads the conference in points, 1 above Amoskeag, which the victor of this game will come away with a much needed win and points moving forward in the competition. Andy Ryan, Head Coach for Amoskeag, had this to say about his club’s chances against North Shore, and its repercussions. “In an emerging Division III competition in the northeast, Amoskeag Women’s Rugby prepare to take on one of their toughest opponents of the season, North Shore Women’s Rugby. Both teams were dropped from the Division II conference to the newly formed Division III conference this season, leaving them fighting for the opportunity to advance back to Division II. The match this weekend may be the most important to secure a Division II spot for next fall.“
The Amoskeag and North Shore women’s teams have a historic rivalry that has them competing for a lead spot each year. Last fall, Amoskeag took the win over North Shore in the Division II league match. In a hard-fought game at the NERFU Rugby Cup this past May, North Shore narrowly defeated Amoskeag. Coach Ryan with Amoskeag continues, “The Amoskeag women expect strong competition from their rival each time they hit the pitch. North Shore typically plays a forward central game that can be difficult to defend, however, [we] have prepared well and looks forward to continuing dominance in league matches. With the match-up this weekend, our club intends to set the record straight.”
“I respect North Shore for their determined play,” said Ryan. “We have been training to neutralize their threats, especially around the ruck. Our ladies have been working hard all season on fitness with a focus on individual and team defense. I’m confident that our game plan along with solid leadership on the field will see us come out on top.”
Amoskeag forwards captain Jami Almonte also noted, “Our team has been putting in some serious work this season in order to establish ourselves in the top of this new division. Not only has our skill level and fitness improved immensely with each passing week, but the heart and dedication on and off the field is our gold star. These girls work hard and fight through every match like it’s their last, as a unified team. Almonte continued, “To me, Amoskeag is really special, because win or lose (although losing is not in the plan), we are there for each other and keep our positive attitudes and good sportsmanship until the end. We can’t wait to face off against North Shore, yet again, for a hard hitting and intense match!”
North Shore, realizing the importance of this match, is extremely keen in taking their challenger head-on and not backing down for the entire 80 minutes of play. Kali Vozeh, captain stated, “Saturday’s game is very critical for us. We’ve played Amoskeag for years, and they’ve consistently been close games. A few years ago at the NERFU tournament, we played [them] in the finals, losing just 3-0. That’s the type of hard fought match you remember vividly and drives you in your next contest. We’re striving to prove ourselves as a Division III powerhouse, with hopes to move to Division II next year, and this game is an important step. While we have a few key injuries, but we feel confident that we can bring home the win with our dynamic and strong squad.“
Men’s DIV – Midwest: Chicago Silverbacks vs Kenosha Mammoths
This spirited matchup between the Chicago and Kenosha sides will be a great division 4 contest with plenty of dedicated and wistful supporters and players alike. The Chicago Silverbacks are an incredibly giving club in that they aim at creating positive change within one of the most financially and crime burdened section of the city. The program offers both athletic mentoring, as well as leadership development opportunities, relationships with positive role models and the ability for local youth to connect with their community in a way that promotes an active lifestyle and a constructive, inclusive culture.
Kenosha’s President/Coach/Current player John Slupik, and also Coach/Current player Joey Giorno, had this collective statement about their match versus the Silverbacks of Chicago. “The match-up for this week’s game is going to define the [Kenosha] Mammoths. Unfortunately, last year’s match we lost 55-50, and our defeat came from an impressive comeback from the Silverbacks. This year we trained and conditioned with the goal to not let up. Us losing a winnable game due to fatigue, injuries, and a shallow roster, put a vision in our eyes to win. This season is going to solidify us and our club not to be reckoned with. With a lot of the older guys stepping away, and with limited players to pull from, a winning season will give us something to move forward with.“

Clayton Miller - Chicago Lions

Club Exclusive: New Chicago Lions Field Brings Opportunity To The Club And The Community

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A dream five years in the making came into fruition on September 21st, when the Chicago Lions played their first matches on their brand new purpose-built home venue, the J. Tyke Nollman Field at the Lions for Hope Sports Complex.
Founded in 1964, the Lions have been a staple in the Chicago rugby scene and major players in the Midwest Rugby Union. For this fall season, the Lions are contenders in two men’s divisions (DI and DII) and in women’s Division I. For the last ten years, the club played its home games in the North Lawndale neighborhood, on the west side of Chicago, and the team always wanted to have a rugby facility to call a permanent home.
“The initial vision was to build a single grass field with a clubhouse,” head coach Dave Clancy said. “With the size of the parcel and the needs of the community for safe, usable facilities, the vision changed to two artificial turf fields, a more expansive building that will have multiple uses, and a dome to allow for year-round use in Chicago weather.
In 2014, in conjunction with our 50th anniversary, we started a capital campaign to raise money to buy the field in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago we were then playing on,” Clancy added. “Fortunately, in 2015, another, bigger piece of land in the same area became available and we formalized a partnership with Chicago Hope Academy to buy the eight-acre parcel that we now call home.”
In conjunction with the Chicago Hope Academy, a private, inner-city high school, the Chicago Lions raised nearly €3.64 million to buy the land and build the field. No corporate or other sponsors were sought during this initial phase of development, but the upcoming capital campaign for the remaining phases of the project will focus on corporate and institutional sponsors.
The field is full regulation size (100 meters by 70 meters) with ten-meter deep endzones. The committee and design team went with artificial turf made by Limonta with Ecotherm as the infill as opposed to the usual rubber seen in most fields. The posts are 32 feet high and temporary containers adjacent to the pitch serve as bathrooms, locker rooms, and storage. The stands on the east side of the field hold approximately 150 fans for game day.
The Lions are not done though. “There are three more phases which depend on funding,” Clancy stated. “We are about to start the capital campaign for €7.55 million. Our plan is to build a second artificial turf field and put a seasonal dome for year-round use, and a multipurpose building that will have locker rooms, concessions, meeting rooms, offices, stands, and a viewing area. The phasing of the project will be dependent on the capital campaign and the objectives of the contributors.”
The field is not just a permanent home for the Lions, but an effort to improve the community. According to the Lions for Hope website, “The Chicago Lions believe that athletics and sports are a proactive solution to the problems youth face in the Near West Side of Chicago. In order to make this solution a reality, a safe place must be provided to learn and play, as well as providing after- school programs in which to participate on a daily basis. The Chicago Lions will use sport to engage community youth and serve as an outlet to provide social and emotional learning experiences while breaking down barriers to encourage positive participation and engagement. Using physical activity, communities can creatively challenge the minds and the bodies of young people.”

J. Tyke Nollman Field at the Lions for Hope Sports Complex

Under that premise, the Lions’ goal is to develop relationships in the community to grow the game. “Instead of focusing just on the Lions and Hope, we expanded our vision to help improve the North Lawndale and East Garfield Park communities. For example, the Noble Network of schools has eight boys and eight girls high school rugby teams in the area but lacks sufficient quality facilities for training and games. We anticipate Noble will become a significant tenant at the facility. We are in the process of identifying other local organizations with similar needs that we can partner with,” Clancy said.
With Phase 2 complete, Saturday, September 21, 2019 was the inaugural opening day of the J. Tyke Nollman Field at the Lions for Hope Sports Complex and a historic event for rugby in Chicago. With over 500 people in attendance throughout the day, the festivities began at 9:00 am with games for Rookie Rugby and middle school kids. The high schoolers were next followed by each of the club teams taking the pitch.
The women’s DI side was first to play on the new field against the Minnesota Valkyries. The teams exchanged blows throughout the game and the Lions found themselves in a 12-5 hole late in the match. As the clock ticked closer to 80 minutes, Aurora Macek dotted the ball down between the posts and Kelley Hirt tied it up soon after. Minnesota attempted a last-minute offensive but the ball was kicked into touch ending the match in a 12-12 draw.
Next on the pitch was the men’s DII side in a test versus the division-leading Wisconsin Rugby Club. The Lions matched Wisconsin run for run and kick for kick and they left it all on the field. After being down for a considerable part of the match, the Lions tied it up at 22 all with less than 20 minutes to go. The teams fought passionately until the end when Wisconsin kicked a penalty for the 25-22 win at the horn.
In the finale, the men’s DI club hosted their cross-town rival, the Chicago Griffins. The Lions were clicking on all cylinders and racked up a 17-0 lead in the first 20 minutes. Penalty trouble allowed the Griffins back into the game but once back to full strength, the Lions powered forward for the 39-13 victory. A fitting end to a great day of Chicago rugby. Praise for the facility and play on the field was abundant and an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with the founder of Hope, Bob Muzikowski, the alderman, and hopefully, the mayor, will be held in October.
“Players, fans, and alumni were all impressed with the field,” Clancy added. “The alumni that had been waiting for this for years were very emotional and positive. Opposing teams all noted that the field itself was of the highest quality. Many fans commented on the fact that facility allowed for concessions, apparel sales, space to host a post-match with opposing teams, and just in general, allowed for our community to gather together, watch rugby, and spend time together.”
With the planned improvements, the Lions hope to host future local, regional and national championships or tournaments starting in the spring of 2020. Chicago has already considered bidding on the opportunity to bring events such as a Midwest 7s qualifier, Midwest championship events, and Big 10 rugby games and championships to the J. Tyke Nollman Field.
Lastly, the Chicago Lions take enormous pride in the namesake of the pitch. “The field is named after J. Tyke Nollman. Tyke played in the 1970s, was president for six years, and was recently inducted into the USA Rugby Hall of Fame. Tyke was the driving force behind the initial capital campaign to buy the land and also created a matching program up to €364036.80. While Tyke did not ask for anything to be named after him, his fellow Lions proposed to the board to have the field named after him. Unfortunately, Tyke passed away in 2015. His wife, Jane, attended the opening of the field yesterday and said Tyke would have been very impressed with what we have accomplished so far.”
For more information about the Lions for Hope Sports Complex and how to contribute, please visit https://www.lionsforhopesc.org/.

2019 Women’s Premier League Championship Location And Dates Announced

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  • Infinity Park Turf Field in Glendale, CO to host 2019 WPL Championship Weekend
  • Comment from Former Eagle and current Glendale Merlin Coach, Jamie Burke
  • Comment from USA Women’s National Team Head Coach, Rob Cain
  • Comment from James Wilber, USAR Senior Events Manager

The 2019 Women’s Premier Championship Series will commence November 1st-3rd at the Infinity Park Turf Field in Glendale, CO. (1055 S Cherry St, Denver, CO 80246)
Jamie Burke, former Women’s USA Eagle, current assistant coach for the Women’s National Team and Glendale Merlins had this to say about the eventual championship weekend. “The competition has been fierce this fall with the East coast seeing all teams having wins and all teams having losses and the West Coast seeing multiple tight score lines that went down to the wire. That’s the type of exciting rugby we want the WPL to represent. It is exciting to be hosting nationals at Glendale’s Infinity Park rugby complex this fall and we’re excited to showcase the best in women’s rugby. We’re really looking to make it the pinnacle event for domestic rugby with the WPL representing but also incorporating D1 Elite programs into the weekend so that those high caliber collegiate athletes can see what the potential next steps for their rugby career.”
Infinity Park has previously hosted the championship weekend before, and the continuous opportunity to host this tournament, others like it, would not be possible if it weren’t for the stellar efforts of the WPL, its clubs and their high performance referee team. In combination with the world class support offered by RugbyTown USA’s staff and the city of Glendale, November’s contest is shaping up to be something special.
Rob Cain, the USA Women’s National team head coach, will be attending the event in Glendale and had a statement regarding the overall season, its players, the competition, and the championship weekend. “It’s been great to see the players in their club environments and seeing so many hotly contested games throughout the season. The level of rugby has evolved from last year and it’s been great to see so many players putting their hand up for international selection.” Cain added, “I am very excited to not only see the culmination of the season but also the level of rugby, collisions and tries continuing to showcase the talent we have throughout the league. For the club fans I am sure there will be lots of nail biting but for the neutral there will be Lots of high pace exciting rugby to watch , and I look forward to seeing this event unfold in person.”
James Wilber, Senior Events Manager at USA Rugby wanted to highlight the growth of the game, especially within the WPL and its potential in coming years. “Entering its second decade, the WPL continues to be a standard bearer for elite, nationwide competition. USA Rugby is excited and eager to return to RugbyTown USA this November as this storied competition lays down another exclamation point at Infinity Park, one we hope reverberates across the game with the 2021 World Cup on the horizon.”
For those teams seeking a run at the Championship title this year, they will surely have to run through a gauntlet of hungry and dedicated clubs in the upcoming months. The level of play this year in the WPL has been nothing short of incredibly competitive, with each team taking and giving its fair share of passion and effort to achieve the grandest goal. This Fall’s exciting Championship series will etch the eventual champion into WPL’s legendary status for the remainder of time.
FloRugby will be once again, proud to provide end to end coverage of all matches of the playoff and championship weekend, to all nationwide fans and supporters. Tune-in for all the games, come time of the championship in November.

WPL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET INFORMATION 

2019 WPL Expert Picks – Week 7

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Spirited matches in the East battle, while the West is on edge
Week 7 of the Women’s Premier League is heating up for a showcase of the East’s top teams facing-off, while the West might be up for debate as the newly-defeated Life West travel to the Bay Area in their clash with conference rival Berkeley.

WEST

San Diego (1-3) will host West rival, ORSU (0-5), in a matchup where the Surfers are in need to catch up on points after their previous bye week. ORSU will be determined in holding San Diego down and coming out with their first win on the season. ORSU had improved week over week in the match point differential, but no game on the road is easy, especially when they are facing a hungry Surfers team. The match will be played at Robb Athletic Field in San Diego, CA with the weather looking beautiful as ever for this near oceanside matchup.
Berkeley All-Blues (3-2) will be hosting the 1st place (by point total) Life West (4-1) club in San Francisco, CA. The All-Blues will be looking to avenge their 16 point loss to the Gladiatrix from earlier in the season. Having home advantage in this league is a very important aspect in helping secure a win, but Berkeley will have their hands full with a Life West squad looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season to Glendale (4-1). These two very talented squads will be having an all-out war in battling for playoff contention and championship glory. Keep your eye on this matchup, because any outcome in this league is possible on any given day.

EAST

Twin Cities (3-2) will be hosting Beantown (2-3) in their second matchup of the 2019 season. Twin Cities had previously stole the last victory on Beantown’s home turf, 22-12, and the Boston side will be looking to do the same to ‘even the score’. The Amazons are currently #2 in the East, but a potential loss to Beantown would certainly shakeup the entire conference, and playoff picture. BRFC is still in the race, but will need a convincing win for momentum moving forward into Week 8. This staunch Amazons side will be looking to keep their place in 2nd, or potentially better if Atlanta ends up losing their battle.
The final match of the weekend will have the conference’s top squad, Atlanta (4-1), face off against #3 New York (2-2). New York is still in the playoff hunt, but will need an impressive win against their division’s hottest team. The Harlequins have been backed by the equal quality of their attack and defense, but New York will have fresh legs for this matchup, due to last week’s bye. Count this as the Match of the Week, as these two very good sides clash for Eastern supremacy.
Teams on Bye-Week: Glendale Merlins & Chicago North Shore

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6 Pack Club Preview: September 28-29

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Women’s DI – Frontier Red River: Austin Valkyries vs Black Ice Rugby
The next game to watch on our list will be a reunion game of sorts where the Denver Black Ice Women’s side will travel down to the Republic of Texas and face-off against the Austin Valkyries. These are both spirited and storied clubs that have provided plenty of rugby talent throughout the years and will be an incredibly competitive match.
Austin Valkyries Captain Brittany McGhee had this to say about the upcoming weekend, “The match against Denver Black Ice will be a new yet familiar experience for the team. While we’ve played them before, it’s been a number of years since we’ve gone head to head against and we have many new players since that last encounter. McGhee stresses the importance of a Valkyrie victory, “This match-up will be important to us for a couple of different reasons: It’s our opening cup match and could be indicative of the energy we carry into the rest of the season and we’ve never beaten them. This time last year, we were slow out of the gates with 2 early losses and nearly missed getting to continue into post season. This season, the clubs focus has been to handle the immediate threat by playing ‘Valks’ ball and not worrying about anything else. With our CR opening up, we have more immediate threats than we’ve historical had, and Black Ice will be the first obstacle we’ll have to overcome.”
Although Captain Brittany McGhee is understanding of last year’s potential woes, she adds, “Thankfully, may of our core players are returning last year and we are hoping to kick off with how we ended things last year. We played some of the best rugby our club has ever seen towards the end, and our plan is to continue playing at that same level in this opening match. Overall, I think it’ll be a good battle.”
Black Ice Rugby Captain Lin Hill has this to state about her team’s energy and hopes moving forward against Austin, “We’re very excited to travel to Austin this weekend! The few times we’ve gone up against them, it’s always been a battle from start to finish. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve played Austin, so we’re not exactly sure what to expect. But that will give us the opportunity to really focus on our game and executing what we’ve been working on. We’ve had the past few weeks to analyze and learn from our match against Glendale earlier in September. Our forwards have put a lot of work on our set pieces and our back line continuity is looking great.”
Men’s DII – Mid-America: Wichita Barbarians at St. Louis Royal Ramblers
If there was a Division 2 ‘royalty’ game, it would certainly be awarded to these Kingly clubs. Brent Zluticky, the Wichita club president had this to mention of the impending matchup, “For the past 5-6 years, our two clubs have been among the premier men’s clubs in their respective divisions across the United States. And within that time frame, there have been 2 national championships won between us, multiple final four appearances, and a handful of Frontier Region championships. This match will be an epic early season test.”
From what it seems on paper, this will be a clash of the titans type of matchup that will surely cause ripple effects throughout their respective seasons, and quite possibly the rest of the conference. Josh West, the Wichita team captain added in, “Playing Saint Louis is a big test for us every year; we reflect and measure ourselves according to this game. Saint Louis always has athletes in the back-line and tough forwards that combine well for a good structure in attack and defense. Our job this weekend is to make sure we are disciplined and know our assignments. We always relish the chance to play the Ramblers—they have a history of winning, yet so do we.”
If there’s anything a rugger would know, would be that last season is gone and that whatever matchup is in front of you will determine the success and embodiment of the club’s culture. Head Coach for the Barbarians, Paul Enegren, has that exact mindset and is excited for his club’s chances against the Ramblers. “This year we have implemented some new offensive philosophies, as well as moving some players to different positions, kind of pushing the envelope, and ready to see the plan in action. The team came back from the summer in great physical shape, and the boys are hungry to go deep into the playoffs this year. With 95% of our players returning, the continuity will be keen enough to give St. Louis a great match.”
On the other side of the field, Colin Heath & Steve Mckinstry, both coaches for the St. Louis Royal Ramblers had this to mention of their club and the upcoming game against the Barbarians. “This weekend’s match up between the newly merged St Louis Royal Rambler RC and the Wichita Barbarians will be our first Division-2 test for our club, following a convincing 43-15 D3 win last weekend against the KC Blues D3.” The coaches continue by stating, “The Royal Ramblers are a merger between the St Louis Ramblers, the second oldest club in the USA, and the St Louis Royals, 2017 National Champions, with the goal of becoming a real rugby force in St Louis. The Royals’ players are familiar with Wichita, having played them 3 times last spring and are very familiar with their strengths across all positions and long bench. The introduction of new players to our D2 squad will hopefully provide the edge we need to turn the tables on Wichita and provide the depth and increased talent pool that was lacking in last year’s match ups.
Men’s DII – Rocky Mountain: Denver Barbarians at Denver Misfits
In the Greater Denver area, there is a great rivalry forming between the Barbarians and Misfits. Both clubs are coming off a successful season over .500 win percentage. The last time these two clubs faced off in 2018, the Barbarians took the victory lap around town after a 50-15 score. This will be the Misfits first time playing in the Rocky Mountain Division 1 after their uptrend from the previous year. Although the Misfits are the “new club on the block”, the Barbarians will have intentions of showing them how the top division shows up. This battle of the Mile High City will also take place at Infinity Park Turf Field, just outside of the MLR Glendale Raptors stadium. The Rocky Mountain opener will include the Barbarians taking the “Home” title, while the Misfits will be aiming to steal the game from under their noses. Expect a large, local, and rowdy crowd to be in full swinging support of their respective team.
Women’s DII – Midwest East: Cincinnati Kelts at Grand Rapids Rugby
Heading into the Midwest, these lionesses will battle for momentum moving into the peak of Autumn and hopeful playoff contention. Cincinnati Kelts president, Nicole “Netti” Yannetti, is particularly excited to see how her club will perform against the Rapids. “[Our] Women’s side have been working hard in the off season to prepare for the 2019-2020 15s season. We have consistently made it to playoffs over the last few years, the farthest being the final 8 in the 2017-2018 season. This match-up means a lot as we don’t know what to expect from Grand Rapids. They are new to our division and we haven’t played them a lot in the last few years. This will be a good test to play someone new and see where we stack up. Every match is a learning experience and we look forward to continuing to improve as the season progresses.”
Concurring on the Grand Rapids side, Captain Madison LaDouce, is also excited with her club’s growth and improvement, along with this awesome weekend matchup. “The Growlers are looking forward to a great match against the Cincinnati Kelts. We know that they are a strong team and we have been working on our defensive game because our offense has been working so well. I’m excited to see what our backline will be able to accomplish this match since they have been working so hard and have been able to pull off some great plays. This should be a great match for our forwards as well.”
LaDouce continues with, “In our last game, the forwards were able to come together and work as a unit, and I am anticipating for this to happen right away at the match on Saturday. Also, we have returning players who are playing positions they have never done before, and this match will be great for them to embrace that new position and really understand it. For this match, we will be having a good amount of leaders on the pitch, such as Molly Magen, Jessica Supplee, and Stephanie Armstrong who will all help our team be successful.”
Men’s DIII – Midwest South: Queen City Rugby at Columbus Castaways
With the ever-growing Midwest competition, the clubs are surely more apt to finish their seasons ahead of their divisional rivals. One of these strong matchus to look forward watching is the Queen City RFC vs. Columbus Castaways. Queen City Captain Jason Tinch is keeping his chin raised high for the upcoming battle. “Coming off of last season where our first match against the Castaways was 57-0, we have a debt we owe ourselves to be more competitive and show that we deserve to be in this league. Since August 2018, we’ve grown the depth of our team through coaching current players and our recruiting ability to be the 4-0 as we stand today. In the Spring of 2019, we made great strides with our team, going 9-3 and placing 4th in the social division of Savannah’s Shamrock rugby tournament, to be where we are this Fall.”
Tinch continues by praising his club’s competition, “This Saturday’s match to us will dictate who will lead the Midwest Men’s D3 South division in the playoffs in November. This will be an incredibly tough match-up for us as we have nothing but respect for the hard-hitting Castaways. However, we have a lot of talent in our back line and pack as we proved just a few weeks ago in delivering the first league loss to Louisville since 2017. This Saturday is a great opportunity to prove to ourselves and the Midwest we are a championship-caliber team. Either way this Saturday will be a nail-biter of a match.”
Castaways President John Wesley chimed in on his club’s plan for the remainder of the season, along with alluding to the fact that one of these clubs will come out with their first loss of the season. “Anytime you have two undefeated teams meeting up in league play there is a ton at stake. Both the Castaways and Queen City want to keep that zero in the loss column and take one step closer to winning the league. We are taking every game one week at a time and this game is no different. The Castaways plan to play good fundamental rugby and work together as a unit. Saturday will be a battle and we are looking forward to the challenge.”
Women’s DIII – Mid-Atlantic North: Lehigh Valley Rugby at Wilmington
In a Division 3 clash, Lehigh Valley will travel to Newark, DE to take on Wilmington. Both of these clubs are currently looking to get on the right track to a successful season attempting to eclipse the .500 win/loss ratio. Lehigh is especially looking to rebound after a winless season in 2018/19. Wilmington RFC is beginning their D3 tenure with a matchup that is much needed for momentum moving forward into the season. This new club to the division will be hungry for early success in proving themselves to the conference. Home-field advantage for Wilmington may be the very thing they need to move onto the next week with the wind at their back and hopeful sunshine in their sight.
Melissa Marlin, Wilmington Club’s representative had this to say about her team, their season, and this weekend’s match. “After some friendly matches last fall and spring and a few summer tournaments, the Wilmington Rugby women are excited to enter a new level of competition. We’ve grown a lot over the past year adding both players with previous experience and a lot of women completely new to the sport (many of whom are picking it up fast and showing some real promise on the field).
She continues, “Our match against Lehigh this weekend will be our third match of the season. We been struggling with injuries lately, but we’ve got a solid group of women lined up for Saturday. About half of our line-up has been playing for less than one year, and some have only been playing for a few weeks. What we lack in experience, we make up for in motivation and optimism. Having no previous seasons to compare against, we can really only go up from here. Each game, regardless of the outcome, is a great learning experience for us. We’re ready to take on Lehigh and hopefully start making a name for ourselves.”

Club Rugby Recap: Weekend Of September 21/22

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The second full week of fall club rugby had its sixth geographic region join the competition as the South began its fall schedule. Along with the Atlantic North, Frontier, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest, there were nearly 150 matches this past weekend.

ATLANTIC NORTH

Men’s

The third week of action in the American Rugby Premiership saw the red and white “Winged Foot” nab its second win and the mean green Running Eagles dispatch Old Blue in a low-scoring affair. With a flurry of yellow cards showing a need for better discipline from both clubs, NYAC handled Mystic River with a converted score at the final whistle to push the scoreline to 27-3. As for Life’s 15-8 victory over Old Blue, Zander Van Schalkwyk and Sam Cowley combined for a 10-0 lead in the first ten minutes and the defense held back the New York attack until the last minutes for its second win.
In men’s DII in New England, the Mystic Barbarians avenged last year’s playoff loss to Newport, beating them 38-20 to maintain sole possession of first and South Shore dominated a struggling Portland club, 89-7, to hold onto second place in the standings. Last year’s top-finisher in DIII, the Boston Maccabi, made a statement by eclipsing the century mark against Burlington, 114-0, while previously winless Old Gold showed some parity in the middle of the division as it bested the previously-undefeated Charles River in a close match, 24-21.
Finally in DIV, Monadnock continued on its winning ways by blasting the Boston Ironsides, 75-7, and dedicated the game to a fan of Wolfpack Nation, Jariah, who is battling Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. With the league’s #1 and #2 point-scorers on their club, Freedom rebounded from last week’s close loss, to double up Black River, 61-26, and “drawing a line in the sand” halfway through the season of NERFU’s DIV contenders and pretenders.
In the Empire, Buffalo Rugby Club and the Fairfield Yankees remained undefeated and tied atop of the men’s DII table as both won on the road. In a showdown with New Haven, Buffalo dominated the Old Black, 49-3, and was led by a 24-point effort from flyhalf Simon Honig (try, five conversions, and three penalties). Fairfield’s match against the New York Rugby Club was neck and neck for most of the test until the Yankees locked up the 33-18 win as Matt Leonard scored his second try and impact sub, Filimoni Botitu, added one of his own.
In the DIII Atlantic, Greenwich moved to the top of the group with a comprehensive 64-14 win over White Plains and Morris continued to dominate in New Jersey as they are rebuilding after an off year in 2018 with a 70-5 drubbing of Princeton AC. In NYC, Brooklyn stayed undefeated defeating the Village Lions, 46-7, and with a 27-27 tie against Lansdowne, Old Blue DIII remained in hot pursuit of Brooklyn. Finally, in Upstate, Rochester Aardvarks slipped by Buffalo, 15-5, and KenTon was relentless running in 11 tries in a 73-12 win over Southtowns. This coming Saturday, the Aardvarks travel to KenTon in an intriguing match-up for first place.

Women’s

Monmouth (3-0) is the only undefeated team in the DII Empire GU, but Brooklyn (52-7 vs. Union), Morris (66-0 vs. Long Island), Uticuse (28-0 vs. Danbury) and Village Lions (31-5 vs. New Haven) picked up bonus-point wins on the weekend. Leading scorers included Morris inside center Emma Ferraro and Brooklyn wing Margaret Ewen, who scored four and five tries apiece.
In DII New England, attention focused on Worcester vs. Portland, a match that featured several lead changes and a single-digit decision. The Shamrocks went up early through Ashley Walker and then Portland responded with three-straight tries. Worcester matched the output with consecutive scores from Walker, Laura Hetherman and Laurin Harvey, before Portland surged again. A final converted try afforded the 31-24 win to the Shamrocks. In other results, Albany beat Charles River 50-5, and Providence forfeited to Burlington due to numbers.
In New England’s Division III, South Shore won its first-ever league match: 40-29 over Seacoast.
“The girls are tough,” South Shore coach Paul Lenaghan said. “We went ahead two tries and then allowed them to score three tries in a row. We spent most of the second half trying to regain the lead and with 11 minutes to go, we were ahead by two and then won by 11.
“Oh my goodness,” Lenaghan laughed as he recalled the team’s reaction to its first league win. “For those 6-7 players who have been showing up to practice for years, in the rain, in the winter, with no team – for them to experience playing in a jersey with 15 players, to experience winning, to score and have 14 other players congratulate you – you can’t buy that. They were absolutely hyper.”

FRONTIER

Men’s

While the Rocky Mountains were idle for the Aspen Ruggerfest, Mid-America GU kicked off the fall with three DIII men’s matches. The results included a blowout, and draw, and a shutout. In its first game after the merger of the St. Louis Royals and the St. Louis Ramblers, the Royal Ramblers took out the Kansas City Blues, 43-15. The last two matches saw the long rivalry between St. Louis Hornets and Columbia Outlaws end in a 20-20 hard-fought draw and Springfield score 11 tries by nine players for a dominating 69-0 victory against the St. Louis Mercenaries.

MID-ATLANTIC

Men’s

After a last second victory over Rocky Gorge last Saturday, Schuylkill River kept up the momentum a 77-5 win over Pittsburgh to retain the Pelly Cup. Cesar Da Fonseca and John Ramirez each logged hat tricks and last weekend’s hero, Brian Keown, notched 18 points. Rebounding from week one’s loss, Rocky Gorge took out its frustrations on Baltimore-Chesapeake, 42-28, and NOVA fell into a 0-2 hole after 32-31 loss to the Washington Irish. Lastly, the Potomac Exiles joined Schuylkill in the unbeaten ranks with a 29-10 triumph over the Norfolk Blues.
Men’s DII opened its first weekend of play with five games in the Capital and EPRU. The Richmond Lions began its season with a 33-31 defeat of Washington in the South division while in the North, Doylestown, Old Gaelic, and Philadelphia-Whitemarsh, scored over thirty points in victory. Lastly, South Jersey celebrated its 50th club anniversary with a 35-21 win versus Phoenixville White Horse.
The much-anticipated men’s DIII clash between the Northeast Philadelphia Irish and Media lived up to the hype and ultimately ended in a 22-22 draw. Media trailed 22-10 with less than ten minutes after the Irish’s Raekwon Caswell scored in the 70th minute. Media responded with barrage of forward play resulting in a Drew Butkus try. The conversion failed, but Media was right back on attack with the man advantage after an Irish player was binned. The forwards took control and Butkus scored a second try at the horn, but the tie would depend on the subsequent kick from the corner. Ryan Gregory redeemed himself by slotting the conversion for the draw.
Elsewhere in DIII, Reading upset Wilkes-Barre, 31-24, in the North; Severn River, the Washington Irish, and West Potomac remained undefeated in the Central; and Virginia Beach kept its foot on the gas with a 26-5 win over Norfolk in the South. In DIV, North Bay’s slim 36-24 victory over West Potomac sent its record to 2-0 and the Washington Renegades and Loudoun improved to 1-1 with wins.

Women’s

Division II produced three lopsided victories, while Division III saw more parity. Severn River improved to 2-0 with a 65-12 win over Northeast Philadelphia. Of the nine players who scored tries, only outside center Alyson McCarty doubled up. Flyhalf Katharine Walston was influential in undefeated Doylestown’s 41-5 win over Norfolk, logging three tries, while scrumhalf Samantha Tretter led Phoenixville in its 66-21 win over Chesapeake with four tries. See full results.
“We have a lot of returning players but we also have been playing around with positions and versatility, so there is a bit of a learning curve out there for some of us,” Doylestown captain Grayce Fjeld explained. “Our defense looked fairly good overall and our fullback, Cait Rycek, was able to stop just about everyone that broke the line.”
DIII Wilmington trailed York & Lancaster by only four points with seven minutes left in regulation, but then a scoring spree produced a 48-27 win to the Pennsylvania squad. Flanker Kelsey Miller and wing Colleen Herbert had multi-try days. Philadelphia led South Jersey until the 30th minute, and then a Jamie Lynn Fortuna penalty kick changed the lead for good. Outside center Jenelle Fuller scored four tries in the 34-21 win, while Philly’s Rebecca Silver accounted for 16 points. See full North results. In the South pool, Frederick and NOVA were tied 17-all at halftime, but the former pulled away with second-half tries from Morgan Howell, Alicia Wojcik and Lacy Ames, who also kicked the extras: 36-17 the final. See full South results.

MIDWEST

Men’s

Culminating a monumental effort that began in 2015, the Chicago Lions christened the new Jay “Tyke” Nollman Field at the Lions for Hope Sports Complex with three games on Saturday. The men’s DI side started the day by tripling cross-town rival, the Chicago Griffins, 39-13, and was followed by the women’s DI club tying Metropolis, 12-12. The DII squad finished the party with an unfortunate loss to Wisconsin on a penalty with no time left, 25-22.
The Lions’ victory moves them into second place of the men’s DI East division behind the Detroit Tradesmen, who crushed Columbus 54-12. In the West division, Metropolis and the Kansas City Blues stayed perfect with decisive wins over Columbus and Palmer. The match to watch this Saturday is battle for first as the Blues host Metropolis. The Minneapolis side has not lost to Kansas City since 2016 and the Blues are itching to prove themselves against the best of the division.
Wisconsin’s DII victory over the Lions keeps the Madison club undefeated joining Green Bay at the top of the West division. In the East, the Chicago Blaze is in first with a 32-24 win over Lincoln Park, the Cleveland Crusaders are in second with a forfeit against the South Side Irish, and the Pittsburgh Forge land in third after tying Indianapolis, 26-26.
Like last Saturday, the Midwest DIII was extremely busy with 22 games across five divisions. The highlights of the weekend were the Peoria Pigs’ and Fox Valley Maoris’ blowouts in the Chicago Area to stay undefeated; the Cleveland Crusaders, Cleveland Rovers, and Presque Isle Scallywags each scoring over 40 points in the East; the Omaha Goats defeating Des Moines 19-13 in Iowa; the St. Cloud Bottom Feeders and the St. Paul Jazz Pigs remain unbeaten with a pair of shutouts in Minnesota; Fort Wayne beating Michigan 100-0 in the North; the Columbus Castaways and Queen City win to stay perfect in the South; and Oconowomoc, Fond du Lac Wolfpac, and the Milwaukee Barbarians emerging victorious in Wisconsin.

Women’s

Metropolis and Chicago Lions are both 2-0-1 in Division I, playing to a 12-12 draw last Saturday. Defense featured in the first half, which nearly evolved without a score, until Stephanie Alliev broke free for a Valkyries try right before the half. Whitney Swenson converted for the 7-0 lead, and then approximately 10 minutes after the break, No. 8 Katherine Weber scored for a 12-0 edge. In the final 15 minutes, Devon Gold set up Rachel Grecky for a score and No. 8 Aurora Macek picked from the scrum for the second try. Kelley Hirt’s conversion was good, and there the game ended. On the other side of the bracket, Detroit beat Wisconsin 24-3.
Division II was all lopsided results. The three East Gold victors – Buffalo, North Buffalo and Pittsburgh Forge – outscored their opponents 185-10. East Green’s Fort Wayne beat Grand Rapids 38-7, while Columbus beat Dayton 74-5. In the West, Palmer College and Twin Cities combined to outscore the Chicago Sirens and Minneapolis Menagerie, respectively, 132-7. The closest game across the region occurred between Oconomowoc and County Will Morrigans: 29-5 to the Wisconsin side.
“We were very excited to come out of it with our first league match win in team history,” enthused Oconomowoc captain Katie McNeil. “We have been building all year for our first opportunity to play in the D2 league this season. … We are so proud of the way our ladies worked together as a team, and we are having a lot of fun playing rugby together.”

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Men’s

The Pacific Northwest men’s DII began its season on Saturday. The Boise United crushed the ValleY Kangaroos, 95-7; however, the match between the Portland Pigs and the Eastside Tsunami was cancelled. DIII entered its third week of play and the Budd Bay Buffaloes, the Portland Pigs, the Eugene Stags and Boise United led the way this weekend with victories.

Women’s

In the Pacific Northwest GU, Bend picked up another win, defeating South Sound 29-10, and Eugene downed Boise United 60-3. Portland held ORSU to one score in its 29-5 win. See full results.

SOUTH

Men’s

With the other regions of the South not starting until next week, the True South men’s DIII began its fall season on Saturday. Chattanooga got the ball rolling with a 42-17 road win against the Nashville Grizzlies. The only other test was a rematch of last spring’s True South Championship Semifinal between Huntsville and the Memphis Blues. The Blues failed to defend its home turf as Huntsville exacted its revenge winning the opening match.

Women’s

For much of this DII Carolinas/Georgia GU game, Augusta and Charleston stayed win a single digit of each other. Augusta scrumhalf Owen Crosland was lethal for Augusta, accounting for 18 points (2T, 4C), and helping the Georgia side to a 33-27 win.

WPL Round-up Week 6

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Week Six of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) marked the first round of rematches, and three of the teams that took defeat in round one won on the weekend.
The weekend began in San Francisco, and the Glendale vs. Life West match set a tenacious tone for the second half of the season. The game featured comebacks, sways of momentum, and was tied for approximately 20 minutes. In the end, the Merlins held on for a 31-29 victory and some valuable recompense.
“It was more of a mental thing for us,” Glendale head coach Luke Gross said of the significance of Saturday’s game. “I think we’ve had some team issues that we needed to sort out and today showed the ladies that team always trumps an individual’s ability … and we need to be a team to beat a solid team like Life West. It was a big growing moment for us. We weren’t worried about the win or loss because our standings wouldn’t change but we won in multiple ways today, which is great.”
The Merlins ran out to a 17-point lead in the opening 25 minutes. Good defensive pressure set up a penalty opportunity for McKenzie Hawkins 10 minutes in, and the inside center was good for those three points and another four conversions on the day. A scrum penalty allowed No. 8 Carmen Farmer to go quickly into a readjusting defense and link with wing Kaitlyn Broughton for the day’s first try. An errant lineout saw the Merlins pack consolidate into a driving maul, and then Carly Waters and Farmer broke free for more meters. Play went sideline to sideline before finishing in the hands of speedy Beatriz Amaral.
Life West got the boost it was looking for as fullback Leti Hingano turned the attack up-field for a line-break and try, and Hope Rogers, setting up on the wing, rumbled into the try zone just before the half: 17-10 Glendale. It took two minutes into the second half to even things up, as Elizabeth Cairns timed the pass to wing Neariah Persinger for solid gains along the sideline. The recycle moved back to the middle of the pitch, where Amy Naber Bonte darted through for the try, which Hingano converted: 17-all.
A 20-minute slugfest followed, and then the final 15 minutes produced four tries from Glendale’s Jenny Kronish and Amandine Chatelier, and Life West’s Persinger and Rogers. Hingano added a conversion to end the scoring, and Glendale banked the 31-29 win. Both teams earned bonus points for tries, and the Gladiatrix got another standings point for the close loss.

WATCH GLENDALE VS LIFE WEST REPLAY

On the other side of the WPL West, Berkeley traveled to ORSU for a 34-7 win. All Blues head coach João Moura was pleased with the defense’s uptick in discipline, committing fewer penalties and keeping within its system. On attack, he praised the squad’s ability to play loose, produce fast ball and for sticking to its attacking strategy.
“We will keep on working on our breakdown area, even though we’re improving but still not enough to the level we want to play at,” Moura added.
Bulou Mataitoga scored in the first minute of the match, and then the Jesters responded shortly afterward with a Claire Lundy score and Emma Richie conversion. The home side held the 7-5 lead for another 10 minutes, until Mataitoga dotted down again and Maggie Simpson followed. Kristen Siano added a conversion for the 17-7 lead into the break. Berkeley replicated the effort in the second half, sending Simpson, Kedra Davis and Katy Augustyn away for tries, and Sam Miller kicked a conversion.

WATCH BERKELEY VS ORSU REPLAY

In the WPL East, those teams that lost their season openers on the road won their respective rematches at home. Atlanta hosted Beantown, and until the 30th minute, only Rosanna Wright had scored for the 5-0 Beantown edge.
“The first 20 minutes saw us under tremendous pressure, spending most of that time down in our half and Beantown with possession,” Atlanta head coach Ros Chou explained. “We were lucky to hold them just to five points, but when we started to launch more effectively, we started to turn the ball over and get the chance to have ball in hand. Once we did that, and played our style of rugby with pace, we started to see a shift in the momentum of the game.”
Chou called out Lara Gartner, Karen Faget, Karissa Lacy and Marcel Nelson, whose consistency and work rate on defense set up opportunities for explosive teammates like Kelli Smith, Cortney Kuehl and Megan Rom.
“Bridget Kahele gives us width on attack, and she’s a ferocious defender,” Chou added. “One try was just head’s up play on the short side, as she attacked around the fringe to freeze the near interior defenders, and skipped a pass out to the touch line to Karissa Lacy hitting on at pace.”
Smith, Lacy and Nelson scored in the first half, and Corinne Heavner’s two conversions provided a 19-5 halftime lead. Quins’ Mo Compito and Beantown’s Kathryn Treder dotted down in the second half (Heavner and Tatjana Toeldte added conversions) for the 26-12 scoreline, but then Heavener’s penalty made it a three-score game. Smith added a second try in the final 10 minutes for the 34-12 win.

WATCH ATLANTA VS BEANTOWN REPLAY

Twin Cities moved past the dormant New York into second place in the WPL East standings and tightened up the point differential with a 56-17 win over visiting Chicago North Shore. The Amazons scored 35 unanswered points in the first half, as flyhalf Katana Howard, wing Danica Mooney-Jones, wing Kelsey Coley (2) and No. 8 Katie Johnson scored tries. Mooney-Jones was perfect on first-half conversions and ended the day with 21 points.
Chicago North Shore snapped the shutout in minute 52, when lock Anna Cohen-Price scored, and added two late scores through No. 8 Kadie Sanford and flyhalf Rose Dibalsamo. Inside center Nicole Fisch kicked the conversion for the visitors’ 17 points. In between, the Amazons put fullback Kaelene Lundstrum, lock Shaena Sparrow and flanker Katrina Anderson into the try zone for the league’s biggest win on the weekend.

WATCH TWIN CITIES VS CHICAGO REPLAY

WEEK 7 MATCHES

Life West (4-1) @ Berkeley (3-2)
ORSU (0-5) @ San Diego (1-3)
Atlanta (4-1) @ New York (2-2)
Beantown (2-3) @ Twin Cities (3-2)