Archive for the ‘High School’ Category

2009 Championship DatesCollege Round of 16 April 17,18 & 19

College Finals May 1 & 2

Men’s Club Playoffs rd of 16 May 16 & 17

HS & U19 Championships May 29, 30, 31

Men’s club finals May 30 & 31

Women’s club TBD

Thought I would send you a report on this past weekends results from the South Florida Select Side U - 20 teams results in the Pittsburgh Challenge Cup . First and foremost Coaches Bill Marts , Don Stramanak and Jeff Oxenrider all should be Congratulated for a job well done. The team finished in second place.
This is the third year that these gentlemen took it upon their own initiative to put a traveling squad together and compete against other upper level teams throughout the country. Because of their respective efforts the very first year drew attention to Florida Youth rugby. The result was some of our athletes were chosen to go to U.S.A. Rugby camps and several have now played for the U-17 ,18 and 19 U.S.A. Junior Eagles Teams respectively, playing both abroad and here in the United States.
Several of our teams have now had players recognized as stand out players and they include , Trojans , Brevard Red Eyes , Naples and now Weston. Those players that have been selected and played at the Junior Eagle level and or recently selected are Cameron Dolan ; Brandon Grey ; Brian Hussey ; Shane Young ; Wes Haughton ; Jamie Penca and recently invited to a camp Alex Tucci.
There have been several others that have been invited to camps to compete at the highest levels. In their ( Florida’s ) inaugural year they placed last , the second year , fourth and this year placed second . Each year with major improvements noted by many.

The Coaches had several practices with the 26 player roster that traveled to Pittsburgh and they gelled as a unit and an observer may have thought that this team had played together as a unit all season long. They all worked well and in unison while they competed for top honors at the tournament. The coaches were able to move players in many positions and each athlete performed well and complimented and supported each other in each game.

South Florida soundly defeated Minnesota in the first game and served as a terrific beginning as that team defeated Florida one year ago in Baltimore. They went on to the second game and demonstrated good sound fundamentals against EPRU ( Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union ) and defeated them which brought the first day to a close with a 2 - 0 record. The second day of competition made it very clear that South Florida needed to win in order to play for a Title match. Florida was matched up against Met New York for the first match of the day which they won before going on to lose a close final to North Carolina.

Players from all the various teams that participated put in an outstanding effort. Those teams were from Trojan Rugby ; North East Nomads ; Weston Rugby ; Jupiter Rugby ; Tampa Bay Pelicans ; North Broward Prep and Naples Bears. Some of the other payers were from F.S.U. ; U.C.F.; Edison College , and F.G.C.U. .

An example of the impact that the tour had on both the players , coaches and fans can be summed up in a letter written by the President of the Delaware Rugby Foundation Jerry Humphrey to the organizer Kurt Mockenhaupt of the Potomac Rugby Foundation when he said ” A special nod, in my opinion , should go to both Florida and Carolina programs. The parental support shown as well as the concentration on solid rugby tradition by these two groups makes me want to do more. I was especially proud to see the Florida team line up to cheer for a fallen opponent on the main field “. Florida displayed both class and great sportsmanship in spite of several obstacles. Each young man had terrific learning lessons and all of the young men showed mature attitudes throughout the tour. Florida Rugby can be proud of their teams !

The effort and experience that the Coaches displayed in their handling of all the details of a traveling side and the demeanor and the appreciation that the players responded with was a terrific example of the strides and gains for Florida Youth Rugby in our short four year history. Each player got to experience a higher level of rugby while others got a sense of what the game has to offer besides playing for their individual teams. The boys bonded and by the end of the tournament one would think that these young men have known each other their entire lives. Each gained a new love for the game and a respect for the athletes that play it. The venue that we played at was the same location that the U.S.A.Rugby held the High School Championships. It was held at the Pittsburgh Harlequins Founders Field. They were tremendous hosts and have awesome facilities. Additionally , our South Florida Select Side U- 20 team was also the first and probably the last Rugby team to ever play and practice on the Pittsburgh Steelers playing field in their home stadium. They also got to tour the facility and experience the players locker rooms as well as the private sky boxes and press rooms. They now know what it is like to play in a stadium that sits in excess of 63,000 fans. They got to run the field , which no other group ever has been privileged to do. The Coaches thank Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive tackle Chris Hoke for giving the Rugby team special access and privileges while visiting. The tour was a complete success and the players that traveled walk away with many terrific memories.

A special thanks to the following for thier support of our tour , Sunshine Supplemental Eductional Services ( Tutoring ) , Larry Fox U.S.A.Rugby Coach , Naples Hammerheads Men’s Rugby Club ; Ft. Lauderdale Men’s club ; Ft. Lauderdale Rugby Foundation ; U.S.A.Rugby South ; Florida Rugby Union ; Trojan Rugby Club ; Naples Bears Rugby Club ; ; Pittsburgh Harlequin Rugby Club and Parents of thier High School team ; Pittsburgh Steeler Football Team , specifically Chris Hoke . All the parents and family members that attended .

 In closing , the coaches Bill Marts , Dave Stamanak , and Jeff Oxenrider deserve big Kudos from the entire state of Florida for their time , effort and energy !! Well done.

Cheers,

Steve –

July 1, 2008 

Greetings TU and LAU Administrators!

 We have recently updated some of our Membership Forms. We will now be accepting electronic request forms for players looking to transfer teams and for those requesting dual roles. Members will be able to assign dual roles at the time of membership, but if they acquire another role later on in the season we can accommodate their changes here. We hope that this shift to electronic request forms will help with our turn around rate and aid us in our communication with member requests. You can view these valuable administrative forms at the following link:

www.usarugby.org/goto/Membership_Forms

Administrative Tip:

Please keep in mind that all individual and club registration will expire on August 31, 2008 and Certificates of Liability Insurance will expire on September 1, 2008. New certificates will need to be issued after this date and will grant coverage from September 1, 2008 - August 31, 2009. Before members submit an electronic request for a certificate, the club must be registered and have at least 15 individuals registered in order to be granted coverage.

Thank you and have a fantastic Fourth of July weekend!

Kristin Richeimer
USA Rugby
Director, Membership Relations

At the AGM yesterday a number of people asked where and when the next coachig courses were. Attached is the latest list from USARU, Remmeber FRU will cover the fee upon getting certified.

If FRU is to try again to host we need at least 20 firm commitments in writing. John Devonport

Greetings all Unions:

The Coach Development Program (CDP) summer season is underway with the first workshops taking place this weekend in Providence, RI. We in the Coach Development Department wanted to take this time to make certain you are all aware of the summer schedule, as well as the deadlines to apply for the fall and spring seasons. Please share this information with all clubs in your union and be sure to post it on your websites. USA Rugby needs your help to spread the word at the local level about coaching workshops. USA Rugby appreciates the work done by TU’s, LAU’s and clubs to help with hosting coaching workshops and improving rugby as a whole.

USA Rugby summer coaching workshop schedule:

Date
Location
Host

July 12-13
Omaha, NE
Westside RFC

July 19-20
San Marcos, TX
TSU Rugby Club

July 26-27
Tulsa, OK
Green Country High School Rugby Council

July 26-27
Washington, DC
Potomac Rugby Union

August 2-3
Chicago, IL
Illinois Youth Rugby

August 9-10
Piscataway, NJ
Rutgers University

August 16-17
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines Rugby Football Club

Two workshops will run concurrently (Developing Rugby Skills and Introducing Rugby) in separate classrooms on the same weekend. The workshops will start at 9:00 AM both days and be finished Saturday at 6:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM.

USA Rugby is currently accepting host applications for fall and spring workshops. The application deadline for fall is July 1st and spring is October 1st. This information can also be found at www.usarugby.org/goto/cdp

IRB Junior World Championship Match Day Two Teams
The teams have been announced for the second day of matches at the inaugural IRB Junior World Championship in Wales on Tuesday, June 10.Following a scintillating opening day of action when New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, Samoa, France, Argentina and hosts Wales recorded victories, attention now turns to the second round of pool matches at the Arms Park in Cardiff, Rodney Parade in Newport, the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham and the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIXTURES AND TEAM INFORMATION.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE MEDIA CENTRE.

Listen LIVE on Total Rugby Radio

Total Rugby, the IRB’s weekly radio show, will be providing full match commentary of the big Pool A clash at the Arms Park between New Zealand and Ireland (kick off 9.10pm local time). The action will be streamed live via the official tournament site.

For more information go to the official IRB Junior World Championship website.

Further Information:

Dominic Rumbles, IRB Communications Manager +353-(0)86-852-0826, email dominic.rumbles@irb.com

Related Items/Links
IRB Junior World Championship website
International Rugby Board website

The IRB Guide toExperimental Law Variations

The IRB has announced that ELV’s will become effective globally on August 1st, 2008. The following are the specific ELV’s:

Law 6 - Match Officials

1. Assistant referees are able to assist the referee in any way that the referee requires.

Law 17 - Maul

2. Remove reference to head and shoulders not being lower than hips.

3. Players are able to defend a maul by pulling it down.

Law 19 - Touch and Lineout

4. If a team puts the ball back into its own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch, there is no gain in ground.

5. A quick throw in may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team’s own goal line.

6. There is no restriction on the number of players from either team who can participate in the lineout.

7. The receiver at the lineout must be 2 metres away from the lineout.

8. The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball must stand in the area between the 5-metre line and the touch line but must be 2 metres away from the 5-metre line.

9. Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in.

10. The lifting of lineout players is permitted.

Law 20 - Scrum

11. Introduction of an offside line 5 meters behind the hindmost feet of the scrum.

12. Identification of scrum half offside lines.

Law 22 - Corner Posts

13. The corner posts are no longer considered to be touch-in-goal except when the ball is grounded against the post.

The IRB is developing a three pronged ELV educational promotion and the basic development & distribution headlines are:

ELV Guide

May 22- English version in PDF circulated to Union CEO’s/ Secretary’s/ IRB licensed Trainers & Educators and Union Coaching & Refereeing contacts

French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese & Russian ELV guides distributed electronically on or before June 6.

The guide has also been uploaded to the IRB Training extranet and website

http://www.irb.com/mm/Document/NewsMedia/0/IRBELVGuideENFINAL_5097.pdf

ELV DVD

Total Rugby produce English version by May 28

Duplication of 18000 English copies delivered to Dublin by June 12

English copies distributed by UPS to English speaking Unions French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese & Russian versions produced on June 3

Duplication of 12000 language versions delivered to Dublin by June 19

Language versions distributed by UPS to relevant Unions

ELV WEBSITE http://www.irb.com/ELVs/

English site live by 6th June

French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese & Russian versions of elv site live by 17th June

The Referee and Laws Committee has consulted with the IRB and submits the following Clarifications:

Pulling Down a Maul

The explanitory notes refer to pulling down an opposing player. The actual wording of the Law simply refers to pulling down a player in the maul. While most of the time a player trying to pull down a maul will do so by grasping an opponent, it is legal to pull down a teammate who is part of the maul.
I cannot emphasize enough that the maul can only be pulled down legally by grasping a player’s torso (shoulders to hips). Any taking out of legs is still illegal and dangerous. The referee must be aware of how the maul is taken down.
Safety of players is one of the major concerns of the IRB. The IRB has undertaken injury surveillance in NZ, Australia and South Africa. The IRB has taken advice from a risk management consultant. The results were such that the risk of injury as a result of the introduction of the ELVs was not increased. This injury surveillance continues. In four years of experimentation at the Cambridge Laws Laboratory under the auspices of the RFU there were no injuries as a result of the pulling down of the maul. The Law was framed around their experiences.
Quick Throw-ins

Although the Law is not clearly worded, the throw-in must reach the five-meter line before being played, regardless of the direction it is thrown. This means that a player cannot throw the ball to a teammate who is standing five meters back, but only one meter from touch.
USA Rugby has adopted a policy that all competitions begun before August 1st will be played under existing Law; this includes the National Club Sevens Championships. At the request of USA Rugby’s Seven’s coach, Al Caravelli, the National Men’s All-Stars 7’s Championship will be played under the ELV’s

.

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All 

Unfortunately Louisiana have been forced to withdraw from this year’s Tournament. In combination with South Carolina’s difficulties with playing on Saturday this means that all games will be played on Sunday and that all games will have 25 minute halves. We will also operate on one field only leaving plenty of room for training.

In addition for those that are bringing a larger squad there will be a second game against Arkansas / Florida / Georgia in the U17 bracket (where there are some 18 year olds playing) that any “spare players” or those that have reduced playing time will be able to participate in. North Carolina will field a B squad including some 15 year olds in this game with a close eye on safety. Please remember that this Tournament is intended to highlight the most talented players for the USA and South Coaches whilst at the same time acting as a Player Development “camp” especially for the younger players.

The revised schedule therefore is as follows:-

Saturday 7th June 2008

Match to be played at 5pm at The Palisades

U19 Girls - North Carolina V Tennessee (35 min halves)

Georgia and North Carolina will utilise the facility for practice.

Sunday 8th June 2008

Match to be played at The Palisades (25 min halves)

9am - U19 - Georgia V South Carolina

10am - U17 - North Carolina V Arkansas / Florida / Georgia

11am - U19 - North Carolina V Georgia

12 noon - U17 - North Carolina B (plus players nominated from other teams) V Arkansas / Florida / Georgia

1pm - U19 - North Carolina V South Carolina

Many thanks again for your support

Jonathan Worrall

Head Coach

Carolina All Stars

For Immediate Release
May 21, 2008

USA Rugby Names the Eagles Squad Competing in the 2008 Barclays Churchill Cup

BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby officially announced today the Eagles squad set to compete in the 2008 Barclays Churchill Cup held throughout Canada and the USA in June.

The Barclays Churchill Cup, an alliance tournament between the rugby unions of England, USA and Canada, is the biggest international rugby tournament in North America.  Six teams will participate in this year’s Barclays Churchill Cup – USA, Canada, England Saxons, Scotland A, Ireland A and Argentina A.

“In terms of development, this tournament is very, very important to us as it gives us the opportunity to play against top players from around the world,” USA Rugby’s CEO and President of Rugby Operations Nigel Melville said. “The way to develop teams is to play against the best players in the world and in this tournament the U.S. play against teams hosting full-time professionals. It is just a great opportunity for our players.”

Entering its sixth year, the Barclays Churchill Cup, which has been held across Canada, California, and England in the past, will feature its pool play matches in Ottawa on June 7, Kingston on June 11, and Toronto on June 14, before teams converge on Chicago for the final day of the tournament on June 21.  The Finals will feature all six international teams in a triple header of final matches at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill.

The U.S. Eagles will be coached by Scott Johnson. Johnson, the Sydney born former fly half/center, who most recently held the Attack Coach position for the Australian National Team, has signed on to a four year contract as the new U.S. Men’s National Team Head Coach and will mark his debut as the head coach for the USA Eagles at the USA’s first match against the England Saxons at 2:30 on June 7 in Ottawa. Johnson will be backed by an experienced U.S. coaching staff of Marty Wiggins (forwards), Adam Friend (backs), Bill LeClerc (scrums) and David Williams (strength/conditioning). 

“This first match should be an interesting test for the U.S. Team,” Melville said. “The Saxons boast a very tough squad with several players possessing a lot of international experience. The U.S. squad also includes a number of players with international experience, in addition to a few fairly new names. We expect it to be another tough match.”

Of the 26 players named to this year’s squad, 16 represented the U.S. in the last Barclays Churchill Cup tournament in England and an impressive 18 were a part of the USA’s 2007 Rugby World Cup squad that went to France.

For more information on the Barclays Churchill Cup, please visit www.barclayschurchillcup.com. For more information on the U.S. Men’s Team, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/mens_eagles. To buy tickets to the USA’s portion of the Churchill Cup visit http://www.ticketmaster.com.

The USA Eagles Squad for the Barclays Churchill Cup:

Forwards:  
Mark Aylor (Life University)

Henry Bloomfield (Belmont Shore)
Todd Clever (Old Mission Beach Athletic Club)

Mark Crick (Potomac Athletic Club)

Saimone Laulaupealu (San Francisco Golden Gate)

Jason Lett (Boston Irish Wolfhounds)

Mike MacDonald (Leeds Carnegie)

Matekitonga Moekiola (Pukekohe - New Zealand)

Alec Parker (Gentlemen of Aspen)

Kort Schubert (Olympic Club)
Chad Slaby (Chicago Lions)

Louis Stanfill (University of Cal - Berkeley)

John Van der Giessen (Denver Barbarians)

Jon Vitale (Chicago Lions)

Ben Weidemer (Belmont Shore)

Backs:            

Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club)

Mike Hercus (IBM - Japan)

Valanese Malifa (Belmont Shore)

Paul Emerick (Newport Gwent Dragons)

Salesi Sika (Beziers - France)

Albert Tuipulotu (Beziers - France)

Vaha Esikia (Las Vegas Blackjacks)

Mike Palefau (Petrarca - Italy)

Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz - France)

Chris Wyles (Old Mission Beach Athletic Club)

Gavin DeBartolo (Eastern Suburbs – Australia)

Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby

For Immediate Release

May 21, 2008

USA Rugby Announces Select XV to Play England Counties at Columbia University

BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby, in partnership with New York’s Old Blue Rugby Club, will host two matches between its Select XV and the England Counties XV on Friday, June 6 and Monday, June 9 at Columbia University’s Baker Field Athletic Complex.

Both matches between the U.S. developmental side and the England Counties XV, the representative flagship of the County and Community game outside the Guinness Premiership, are slated for 7 p.m. (EDT) kickoffs.

England Counties will play the Select XV as part of its three-match North America tour in June, which also features a stop in Canada. This addition to the men’s schedule provides an excellent opportunity for the USA team to cultivate an expanded player pool leading up to the summer competition season. 

“We are obviously delighted to host England, but with the Barclays Churchill Cup being played at a similar time, we need to create a squad to fulfill these fixtures and challenge for NA4 positions in July,” USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations Nigel Melville said.

The player pool for the Select XVs was initially named following the USA Rugby National Guard Senior Men’s National All-Star Championships (NASC) in December. Melville and a panel of U.S. National Team selectors have continued to observe athletes throughout the spring Rugby Super League and Senior Club seasons. The final squad for the New York City matches is soon to be named.

“This is a great chance to take players from the All-Stars event and challenge them at a higher level,” Melville added. “Not only is this a playing opportunity, it’s also a refereeing and coaching opportunity. We intend to take any opportunity that comes our way to improve on every level.”

Admission to the matches on June 6 and 9 is free, but donations will be accepted to support Play Rugby Inc.’s youth development program in NYC. In the week leading up to the USA matches, from May 31 – June 7, Play Rugby USA will host National Rugby Week, featuring free non-contact rugby activities and competitions in nearly 50 schools throughout New York City, with hopes to expand to more cities in the coming years.

The Rugby Week events for girls and boys ages 8 to 14 culminate in the inaugural Mayor’s Cup Rugby Festival, also at Baker Field Athletic Complex from 12-4 p.m. (EDT) on June 7. The event will feature 24 youth teams representing all five boroughs of the city all competing for the Mayor’s Cup, which will be housed in the Sports Museum of America in Lower Manhattan. For more information on Play Rugby USA and the Mayor’s Cup, visit www.playrugbyusa.com.

For more information on the USA Rugby Select XV’s matches, visit www.usarugby.org.

Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby
Ashley Voss | Communications Coordinator | USA Rugby

Link to High School site http://www.quickscores.com/fyru/