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Written by Jackie Finlan    Friday, 30 September 2011 11:31    PDF Print Write e-mail
Goings-on in Women's DI Club
Clubs - Women's Clubs

Even though the three Women’s DI club teams with 4-0 records haven’t solidified their playoff berths entirely, in all likelihood, ORSU, Glendale and Atlanta will be taking the top seeds out of their respective regions. Teams fighting for second and third place will need to bank those ever-important bonus points this weekend if they hope to put some distance between their competitors.

ORSU (red) overtook first place in CR1 after a big 63-0 win over San Francisco last Sunday. (Mark Gordon Murray photo)

Nowhere is this more important than in CR3, which only has two seeds heading to the Elite 8. Atlanta should repeat as the #1 CR3 seed and #2 seed at nationals. NOVA (2-1, 10 pts) are the favorite to take the other seed, having played the Harlequins to their closest match thus far (23-5 to Atlanta), but Albany (2-1, 10 pts) and Providence (3-1, 14 pts) are hanging in there. All three teams are favored in their matches this weekend as they take on the bottom-ranked teams: NOVA vs Village Lions, Albany vs Boston, Providence vs Philadelphia. Looking at the rest of the league schedule, this weekend is the best chance for all three teams to bank a bonus point.

In CR2, Glendale has all but locked up the #1 seed and #3 seed at the Round of 8. The Raptors take on the winless Denver Black Ice and should bump up their record to 5-0 with the bonus point win. The Austin Valkyries (2-1, 10 pts), Chicago (2-2, 9 pts) and Detroit (2-1 9 pts) are next in line, but the season is certainly not over for Chicago North Shore (1-2, 5 pts). If last year’s third-place finisher can keep the momentum of last week’s 86-0 win over Black Ice going, then they could be heading to Austin in late October.

In order to do that, North Shore has to beat Detroit this weekend. Detroit suffered a big 71-12 loss to Glendale last weekend and will be looking for some redemption. Odds are on the Tradesmen’s side since Detroit will be playing at home.

Austin should hold onto second place with a bonus-point win over St. Louis Saturday, that is if the Sabres actually make it to Texas (St. Louis forfeited its game in Glendale). Chicago has a bye weekend and will use the extra time to prepare for Glendale on Oct. 8.

ORSU took first place in CR1 after last weekend’s two wins over Nor Cal TT and San Francisco. The former Women’s Premier League team was the heavy favorite coming into the DI season and will likely exit the league season with the #1 seed in CR1 and at nationals overall. ORSU will have a nice buildup toward nationals as they play the Mudhens this weekend, then Belmont Shore on Oct. 15, and they should finish with an undefeated record.

CR1 has three seeds total, and Seattle (2-1, 10 pts), Mudhens (2-1, 10 pts) and Belmont Shore (2-0, 8 pts) are all in position to challenge for one of them. Seattle and Mudhens are the favorites to finish second and third respectively, especially since Belmont Shore have yet to play their double-header against the #1 and #2 teams, on the road no less. Belmont should however beat San Francisco this Saturday, and that win would bump the team into third place ahead of the Mudhens, who likely won’t defeat ORSU this weekend.

Seattle finished fourth in the nation last year, and it looked as if they’d have CR1 top honors in 2011, when DI champion San Diego moved to the WPL this season. But ORSU took the Surfers’ spot and so the Breakers must content themselves with second once again. They’ve proven their worth, however, and battled ORSU to a 24-10 loss earlier in the season. They should have an easy go of it this Saturday against the winless Tempe and earn a bonus point in the process.

Saturday, Oct. 1
CR1
Belmont Shore v San Francisco
Mudhens v ORSU
Seattle v Tempe

CR2
Chicago North Shore v Detroit
Black Ice v Glendale
St. Louis v Austin

CR3
Boston v Albany
NOVA v Village Lions
Philadelphia v Providence

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Written by RUGBYMag Staff    Thursday, 29 September 2011 23:01    PDF Print Write e-mail
Canada Names Side to Face New Zealand
Canada - Men

WELLINGTON, Sept. 29, 2011 - Canada's head coach Kieran Crowley has always intended to name his best team in every match of Rugby World Cup 2011.

The time for experiments with the lineup was prior to the World Cup and now Crowley has named a starting 15 with just one change to the lineup that tied Japan in Napier on Tuesday. 

The only player unavailable for selection was James Pritchard, who is recovering from an injury received during a collision with a Japanese player.     

With Pritchard out, Matt Evans earns his second Rugby World Cup cap for Canada, slotting in at starting fullback.

Evans returned to the Canada jersey in Tuesday's game against Japan, his first action since injuring his leg in the opening minutes of Canada's test against U.S.A. in Toronto in August.

With the change, Conor Trainor moves from the bench to starting wing. The rest of Canada's starting lineup remains the same, with some players requiring the pass a fitness test prior to the game, but Crowley full expects all to be healthy for Sunday's game.

"I've said all the way through this tournament, you approach every game in its own right," Crowley said. "It is a Rugby World Cup test match. We're confident in our full squad of 30, but this is what we see as our best for Sunday and I want our best team out there."

Canada's forward pack remains the same as it has for the entire tournament, led by captain Pat Riordan at hooker.

The front row is rounded out by loosehead Hubert Buydens and Jason Marshall, to form the front row that has impressed throughout the tournament. 

The remainder of the tight forwards continue their run with Jebb Sinclair and Jamie Cudmore at lock. Adam Kleeberger, Chauncey O'Toole and Aaron Carpenter remain at loose forward, in a combination that has ran on since Canada's second test against the U.S.A. in August.

Ed Fairhurst leads the backline charge and links with flyhalf Ander Monro, who sparked a late comeback against Japan with a try and clutch penalty goal.

Phil Mackenzie, Trainor and Evans make up the back three, with Ryan Smith and DTH van der Merwe in the centres.

Crowley has opted for a 5:3 split in the reserves, with the changes to the starting lineup meaning a shuffle on the bench as well.

Ryan Hamilton remains as reserve hooker, along with Scott Franklin as reserve prop. Andrew Tiedemann stands to make his Rugby World Cup debut off the bench, as reserve prop, while lock Tyler Hotson and loose forward Nanyak Dala making up the remainder of the forwards reserves.

Scrum half Sean White and Nathan Hirayama are the lone backs reserves.

Canada face the New Zealand All Blacks at Wellington Regional Stadium Sunday at 3:30 p.m. (NZST). Canada currently sits in third place in Pool A with six points, one spot ahead of Tonga in fourth with five points. 

Both Canada and Tonga have one game remaining in Rugby World Cup 2011.

Messages of support for the team can be sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also check out the team's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rugbycanada, or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rugbycanada. Videos of the team's journey at the Rugby World Cup can be found at www.youtube.com/rugcanada.

Canadian side to face New Zealand
1. Hubert Buydens (PRAIRIE WOLF PACK)
2. Pat Riordan (captain) (BC BEARS)
3. Jason Marshall (BC BEARS)
4. Jebb Sinclair (LONDON IRISH)
5. Jamie Cudmore (ASM CLERMONT AUVERGNE)
6. Adam Kleeberger (BC BEARS)
7. Chauncey O'Toole (OSPREYS)
8. Aaron Carpenter (PLYMOUTH ALBION)
9. Ed Fairhurst (UBC OLD BOYS RAVENS)
10. Ander Monro (vice captain) (ONTARIO BLUES)
11. Phil Mackenzie (ESHER)
12. Ryan Smith (PRAIRIE WOLF PACK)
13. DTH van der Merwe (GLASGOW WARRIORS)
14. Conor Trainor (BC BEARS)
15. Matt Evans (UNATTACHED)

Reserves
16. Ryan Hamilton (BC BEARS)
17. Scott Franklin (PRAIRIE WOLF PACK)
18. Andrew Tiedemann (PRAIRIE WOLF PACK)
19. Tyler Hotson (PLYMOUTH ALBION)
20. Nanyak Dala (PRAIRIE WOLF PACK)
21. Sean White (BC BEARS)
22. Nathan Hirayama (BC BEARS)

Head coach - Kieran Crowley
Manager - Rodger Swany

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Written by Alex Goff    Thursday, 29 September 2011 19:15    PDF Print Write e-mail
USA MNT Coach Comparison
National Teams - USA Men

Comparison of USA National Team Coaches since 2000

Duncan Hall 2000-2001
Tom Billups 2001-2005
Peter Thorburn 2006-2007
Scott Johnson 2008 (for purposes of this comparison, we have combined Thorburn and Johnson)
Eddie O’Sullivan 2009-2011


Overall Record


W

L

Pct

Tries/G

Hall

3

9

0.250

1.75

Billups

12

21

0.364

2.8

Thorb/Johnson

4

16

0.200

2.4

O'Sullivan

8

17

0.320

1.7


v. Tier 1

W

L

Pct

Tries/G

Hall

0

5

0.000

1.0

Billups

0

13

0.000

1.9

Thorb/Johnson

0

8

0.000

0.6

O'Sullivan

0

11

0.000

1.0

 

v. Tier 2

W

L

Pct

Tries/G

Hall

3

4

0.429

2.3

Billups

9

7

0.563

3.0

Thorb/Johnson

3

8

0.273

2.7

O'Sullivan

7

6

0.538

2.3

 

v. Tier 3


W

L

Pct

Tries/G

Hall

0

0

-

0.0

Billups

3

1

0.750

5.3

Thorb/Johnson

1

0

1.000

13.0

O'Sullivan

1

0

1.000

2.0

 

 

v. Canada

W

L

Pct

Tries/G

PPG

PAPG

Billups

3

5

0.375

2.1

21.0

24.6

Thorb/Johnson

0

4

0.000

1.5

11.3

41.8

O'Sullivan

1

3

0.250

1.5

14.8

25.5

Hall

1

1

0.500

2.5

22.0

22.0

 

 

 

 

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Written by Alex Goff    Thursday, 29 September 2011 19:42    PDF Print Write e-mail
Undefeateds Look to Stay That Way in NY
Clubs - Men's DI Clubs

Three undefeated teams looks to stay that way this weekend in the MetNY DI club league as Monmouth, New York and Old Blue face off against slightly less fortunate opponents.

Monmouth has exploded with two impressive victories, but will need to face some tougher opponents later in the fall. Old Blue sits at 1-0. The Super League club will play a full DI league schedule and, should they win the league can, like Boston in New England, claim to be champions. But they cannot advance into the playoffs.

And then there’s New York. No bonus points for NY as they play a defense-first game, but they’ve won twice.

Last week they beat a White Plains team that pushed them in last year’s playoffs. Trevor Cassidy played his first game for the club after spending the summer in Cape Town, South Africa playing for Villagers. Cassidy was a welcome addition at No. 8, while lock forward Jamie Boloux produced a Man of the Match performance. Paddy Holman scored on debut and Cassidy also notched a try.

Now New York, which has a bit of a chip on its shoulder, looks ahead to Morris (0-1). No team will admit to looking past any week of games, but the top three have to be thinking about October. On October 15 Monmouth and New York clash, a week later NY takes on Old Blue, and then a week after that Old Blue plays Monmouth. It is those games, certainly, which will decide who is top out of the Big Apple.

LONG ISLAND (0-2) at OLD BLUE (1-0)
WHITE PLAINS (1-1) at MONMOUTH (2-0)
MORRIS (0-1) at NEW YORK (2-0)

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Written by Alex Goff    Thursday, 29 September 2011 19:04    PDF Print Write e-mail
Player Waiver Request Highlights Gray Area
Off The Field - USA Rugby News

St. John’s University senior Anthony Jacoby has been denied a request for an extension of his college eligibility and is appealing the finding with USA Rugby. 

Jacoby is asking for an extra semester of competition because he missed the fall term of 2007 due to military training, which ran from May through October of that year.

According to appeal documents provided to RUGBYMag.com, USA Rugby’s Collegiate Eligibility Committee’s reasoning was two-fold: training is not active duty, and waivers are given for one full year, not partial years.

Jacoby’s release papers are titled “Release or Discharge from Active Duty” and the field titled “Type of Separation” says he received his release from “active duty training.”

That term, “active duty training,” may be at the heart of the discussion, as it seems to fall inside something of a gray area.

During his training, Jacoby was stationed at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and received training in ammunition. He received a National Defense Service Medal and his Army Service Ribbon. He did not play any rugby.

As for the time constraint, sources at USA Rugby indicated the decision might be related to the CIPP cycle. Jacoby was CIPP’d for a year, but is asking only for an extra half year. 

The USA Rugby Eligibility Regulations for Colleges says nothing about a minimum waiver time. There’s a maximum – two years – but nothing that says an extension of less than a year is forbidden.

Players have five years from the time they enroll in college to play college rugby. Military service, church service or mission, and pregnancy are the main stated reasons for extensions to the five years. Players can get extensions for injury or illness, or hardship, but have to show that such an issue prevented them from attending college.

Jacoby has already missed two of his team’s five league games while this remains under appeal.


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