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Written by Alex Goff    Wednesday, 26 October 2011 13:47    PDF Print Write e-mail
Exciting Lineup for California 7s
Sevens - Collegiate Sevens

Eight teams are set to compete in the Californis Collegiate 7s this weekend at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

This is the latest in the series of qualification tournaments for the new USA Rugby National Championships, and this one holds the promise of some highly competitive matches.

In Pool A, hosts St. Mary’s take on UC Davis, Santa Clara University and Loyola Marymount. 

Cal v St. Mary's Final? Don't Count on It. Mike Geib photo.St. Mary’s won the Cal Poly 7s in San Luis Obispo, and did so impressively, edging Cal Poly in a close final match. While the Gaels have encountered some injuries from  that tournament, they still bring back some top talent. Garrett Brewer, Bubba Jones, Chad Clark and Mike Haley are all expected to play.

“It's a tough pool,” said St. Mary’s 7s Coach Mark Bass. “The teams are strong and anything can happen in these short periods of play.”

Loyola was also at the Cal Poly tournament. They struggled to win a game, but were competitive in all, and certainly have learned something along the way.

Davis also played in Cal Poly, and led by Garrett Webb and Eric Swiegert, won the Plate after beating Cal Poyl’s 2nds, Sierra College and Long Beach State. They were shut out, however, by UCLA in pool play.

Pool A may be a tough pool, but Pool B seems tougher. University of San Diego can put out a tough side, but they will struggle against Cal, Cal Poly, and San Diego State.

Cal Head Coach Jack Clark has spent years crafting a development and play preparation strategy that concentrates on strength and conditioning in the fall and games in the spring. Clark told RUGBYMag.com last week that he has had to make some adjustments to some players’ preparation this fall, but only the select few who will be playing 7s.

It’s an adjustment, he said, but not a drastic one.

"We acknowledge the difficulty of contesting championships in both forms of the game, but we want the challenge," Clark added in a statement this week. "With the right approach I believe we can be nationally competitive in both sevens in the fall and 15s in the spring. There is really no other choice with so many of our players, now and in the future, wanting to live the Olympic dream."

Cal isn’t invincible. They certainly have to be among the favorites, but without warmup tournaments they could come in gold and be upset. Cal Poly is placed well to sneak up on them. The Mustangs lost their own tournament to St. Mary’s by a hair, and under new Head Coach David Burnett hope to bring their physical, blitzing style to 7s.

And then there’s San Diego State, which was a top four team in the USA 7s CRC in 2010. They’ve graduated a couple of key players since then, but have USA 7s team captain Matt Hawkins as coach.

“We still have a lot to learn about sevens,” said Hawkins. “We have a great mix of youth and experience. I am just really looking to this weekend at an opportunity for some of the guys to step up as leaders and see how they mould together as a team. These guys will all form the core for the 15s season just around the corner and this could be a great opportunity for all of them to buy in and get things figured out early.”

 

California 7s Pools:

Pool A: St. Mary's; UC Davis; Santa Clara; Loyola Marymount

Pool B: University of San Diego; University of California - Berkeley; Cal Poly; San Diego State

 

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Written by Alex Goff    Wednesday, 26 October 2011 12:52    PDF Print Write e-mail
Oxford Blue in Asbun's Sights
RUGBYmag Premier - Profiles and Interviews

Rugby life has taken an English turn for Derek Asbun, as one of the captains who led Cal to a 2011 D1A championship last season is now studying, and playing rugby, at Oxford University.

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Written by Alex Goff    Tuesday, 25 October 2011 19:29    PDF Print Write e-mail
Go-Forward Task Falls to New Group
RUGBYmag Premier - Scouting Reports

Perhaps the biggest change between last year’s USA 7s team and this fall’s  Pan-Am squad is the shift from power to pace.

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Written by RUGBYMag Staff    Wednesday, 26 October 2011 09:45    PDF Print Write e-mail
Women DI Club Top 21 - Oct. 26, 2011
Rankings - Club Rankings

Only days away from the Women’s DI Club quarterfinals, and it’s time for one final ranking before the championships make it official.


Nothing changed within the top five teams who all ended their season with wins. The only suspect game was the 10-6 result that only went ORSU’s way in the waning minutes of the match against Belmont Shore. ORSU traveled lightly to California, but the near-win, as well as the close 23-14 loss to Seattle and 10-5 victory over the Mudhens, inched the Landsharks up a few notches.

Chicago North Shore made the biggest leap on the lineup, as it finished out its season with wins against Austin and St. Louis. The Valkyries secured the #3 CR2 seed to nationals when it beat Detroit 29-15 the week following its North Shore loss.

In CR3, Providence and Albany closed out their seasons with losses against conference leaders Atlanta and NOVA, and dropped a couple spots. The Village Lions rallied with a pair of wins against Philadelphia and Boston to sort out the bottom half of the league.

Stay tuned for previews on the first round of playoffs.

Women DI Club Top 21 – October 26, 2011

1 (1) Glendale (6-0). Finished with the highest point differential, 312.

2 (2) Atlanta (6-0). Defeated Albany 54-0 and Boston 26-10.

3 (3) ORSU (6-0). Defeated Belmont Shore 10-6.

4 (4) NOVA (5-1). Defeated Providence 48-10 and Albany 31-10.

5 (5) Seattle (5-1). Defeated Belmont Shore 23-14 and Nor Cal 27-11.

6 (12) Chicago North Shore (4-2). Defeated Austin 29-5 and St. Louis 54-5.

7 (10) Belmont Shore (4-2). Defeated Mudhens 10-5, lost to Seattle 23-14 and ORSU 10-6.

8 (6) Austin (4-2). Lost to Chicago North Shore 29-5 and defeated Detroit 29-15.

9 (7) Providence (4-2). Lost to NOVA 48-10.

10 (8) Mudhens  (3-3). Lost to Belmont Shore 10-5 and defeated Nor Cal 36-5.

11 (13) Detroit (3-3). Defeated St. Louis 67-0 and lost to Austin 29-15.

12 (9) Chicago (3-3). Lost to Glendale 48-0 and defeated Black Ice 55-10.

13 (11) Albany (3-3). Lost to Atlanta 54-0 and NOVA 31-10.

14 (17) Village Lions (2-4). Defeated Boston 38-28 and Philadelphia 19-10.

15 (14) Nor Cal (2-4). Defeated Tempe 29-5, lost to Seattle 27-11 and Mudhens 36-5.

16 (15) Philadelphia (1-5). Lost to Village Lions 19-10.

17 (18) Tempe (1-5). Lost to Nor Cal 29-5 and defeated San Francisco 41-0.

18 (16) Boston (0-6). Lost to Village Lions 38-28 and Atlanta 26-7.

19 (19) St. Louis (1-5). Lost to Detroit 67-0 and Chicago North Shore 54-5.

20 (20) Black Ice (0-6). Lost to Chicago 55-10.

21 (21) San Francisco (0-6). Lost to Tempe 41-0.

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Written by RUGBYMag Staff    Tuesday, 25 October 2011 16:48    PDF Print Write e-mail
Brown Secures 2nd in Men's Ivy League
Colleges - Men's DI College

Brown flyhalf Zahid Jethani in action. Ed Hagerty photoBrown University secured 2nd in the Ivy League men’s competition after defeating Yale 53-10.

Princeton and Brown came into the weekend tied at 4-2, with both teams having lost to Dartmouth, and Brown also having dropped a decision to Columbia. But the key match was Brown v. Princeton October 16, which Brown won, thus garnering the head-to-head advantage over the Tigers.

Princeton won their final match 75-10 over Columbia, but what Brown needed to do was also win, and get a four-try bonus point. This they did.

Chaney Harrison scored within ten minutes and tries from Dan Levine-Spound, Brent Zajaczkowski and Dow Travers, with James McGinn converting all of them, put Brown safely in bonus-point territory and up 28-5 at halftime.

Matt Leonard, Dan Tonderys, McGinn, Travers and Harrison all added tries in the second half, none of which were converted.

The Brown forward pack was dominant in the scrums and breakdowns, but lock Harrison was exceptionally strong on the day as he and the forwards dominated the try-scoring.

Harrison scored his first from a lineout drive, hooker and co-captain Levine-Spound pounded over from a ruck, and flanker Zajaczkowski chased a clever kick ahead by flyhalf Zahid Jethani to touch down. Zajaczkowski liked the idea so much he copied it, pushing a kick through for center Travers to chase and score.

Early in the second half, scrumhalf Matt Leonard took a quick-tap penalty from five meters out and scored. Yale replied but Brown went on a burst of four unanswered tries to put the match away.

Breaks by fullback Ryan Jones and Travers were finished off by right wing Dan Tonderys, who broke a tackle and lunged over the line. A lineout break from the forwards was quickly reversed with Jethani and center Taylor Peak putting McGinn away.

Then reserve flyhalf Blair Cameron broke through for 40 meters before kicking ahead for Travers, who won the footrace for the try.

The scrum had the final say, as flanker Lachland Stewart broke from the back and fed Harrison for the last try of the match.

 

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