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Written by Pat Clifton    Friday, 03 June 2011 19:45    PDF Print Write e-mail
CRC 2011 Pool D
Sevens - Collegiate Sevens

Who will win: Arizona
The Wildcats are the only Pool D team who competed in the 2010 CRC. While that doesn't guarantee them victory, it does mean they've played under the bright lights and in front of the big crowd and cameras before. They should have less jitters.

They should also have more playmakers. In Peter Tiberio, Arizona has the only player in the entire competition who's played for the 7s Eagles this year. Tiberio is a pre-tournament favorite to win tourney MVP. Arizona also has Brett Thompson, who's focusing full time on rugby now after leaving the Wildcat football team, and Michael Getzler, an all-conference performer in the CPD.

Who will challenge them: Good Question
Since Oklahoma, Texas and Temple did not play in the 2010 CRC, we know less about what they're capable of. The Longhorns were in Las Vegas at the CRC Qualifier, and they had a good showing, going 5-1. But none of the teams they beat are in the CRC. They will be out-athleted by both OU and Arizona, but Texas has been working on 7s longer and more consistently than any of the three teams not nicknamed the Wildcats.

Oklahoma has more across-the-board talent. Kelton Miller and Arryn Wilkinson are legit. Both will standout. Former Sooner wide receiver Zac Givens should be pretty fun to watch, too. Those three would not look out of place in a Cal, Arizona or Utah uniform, so that's why OU is probably the second-best team in this Pool.

But the best overall player in this pool, not necessarily in 7s, is Temple's Gareth Jones. He spent the last semester doing an internship in Ireland and playing for Young Munster. He will be an Eagle, 7s and/or 15s, and he's a Philly-area native playing for the hometown team.

Schedule:
12:10 Arizona vs. Temple
12:32 Oklahoma vs. Texas
Arizona will calmly ride Temple's wave of emotion the first couple minutes, and Arizona will prove to be too deep, fast and experienced, but Gareth Jones will turn heads with some broken tackles and piercing runs. The Red River Rivalry will be the first big rivalry of the day. Texas can stay in the game with good execution and ball movement, but once OU gets its hands on the pill, the Sooners will score.

3:16 Temple vs. Texas
3:38 Arizona vs. Oklahoma
Temple and Texas is a toss up. Texas has worked too hard and too long preparing for this single event, but Gareth Jones is a competitor, and the hometown team will be eager to draw some cheers. The second game is a barnburner. It's the pool decider, but the Wildcats are simply too fast.

5:30 Arizona vs. Texas
7:30 Oklahoma vs. Temple
If Arizona is 2-1, this could be a trap game, especially if the Longhorns are still searching for their first win. The first half is a tight contest, but Arizona wakes up and takes it in the second. If OU is 1-1, they could be caught in apathy here. The four-hour wait to play the night's final game is a sleeping pill, but Oklahoma should be too deep to lose here, as long as they don't fall asleep at the wagon wheel (get it?).

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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release    Friday, 03 June 2011 15:01    PDF Print Write e-mail
Canterbury Official Ball of CRC
Sevens - Collegiate Sevens

Canterbury of New Zealand, maker of official rugby products and a full collection of lifestyle wear is proud to announce their role as the official apparel sponsor and ball supplier for the USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship.  Canterbury is also sponsoring the Canterbury Combine, a platform for high-performance college coaches to discover high school rugby talent.

The 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship (www.usasevenscrc.com) brings together sixteen men’s and eight women’s college teams for two days of rugby competition.  The event will take place June 4th and 5th at Philadelphia’s PPL Park.

In addition to the Collegiate Championship play, high school rugby players in attendance are invited to demonstrate their aptitude through the Canterbury Combine, the first ever of its kind for the sport of rugby in the United States.  Players will be scored for their performance through a variety of drills and the results will be sent to over 40 high-performance college coaches.

Canterbury of New Zealand has provided all game balls for the Championship and has outfitted several of the teams participating in the event, including Boston College, Central Washington University, Penn State, Temple, LSU, Utah and Texas.  Canterbury also supplies uniforms to two of the premier women’s teams in the country—Penn State and Brown, both competing in the women’s bracket.  In addition, Canterbury has provided apparel for the USA Sevens event staff.

The Sevens style of rugby features seven players versus the traditional Rugby Union fifteen.  Sevens is a faster, more scoring-driven form of rugby that is now recognized as an Olympic sport, set to make its debut at the 2016 ceremonies.

 

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Friday, 03 June 2011 12:41    PDF Print Write e-mail
CRC 2011 Pool C
Sevens - Collegiate Sevens

CWU are 7s winners already. Ian Muir photoIn our pool predictions for the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championships at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., we look at a real pick 'em group. 

Pool C

Who will win: Central Washington
 This is clearly the most competitive pool in the CRC. All four teams are capable of winning all of their pool games, but the key for CWU isn’t so much the players, although Kellen Gordon, Tim Stanfill, Ryan Hamilton, Chris Harriage, Matt Lobe et al are all very good players; it’s their teamwork. As much as any team in this competition, they have honed their 7s game.

Who will challenge them: Well, everyone else. Navy has looked the best so far, having had a little bit more time to practice 7s than Army, and boasting a team of some significant physical power. Head Coach Mike Coyner has a youngish squad, but that’s OK. The Alex Lee and Evan Rose-led UNC team will be a surprise at some point, while Army has been working on 7s skills all season.

Clearly for Army the key is Ben Leaatigaga and Will Holder. If they get space (that is, if their teammates don’t run sideways too long before passing the ball off) then they can be mighty dangerous.

Schedule:
 11:26 Navy v. North Carolina
11:48 Army v. Central Washington
As we’ve said in other predictions, the first game can be a shocker, but it’s not this game that is actually the key for most. Central Washington should be more polished at this point and will be favored to win, as is, to a lesser extent, Navy.

1:38 Army v. North Carolina
2:54 Central Washington v. Navy
A huge clash for Central as they wade through a tough pool, but we like Army and CWU here.

5:02 Army v. Navy
7:02 Central Washington v. North Carolina
Well you can’t fault the CRC organizers for creating drama. Likely Army and Navy will play each other with a quarterfinal place on the line. This will be one of the most compelling, physical, and exciting games of the day. We can’t pick a winner, but it will be a confrontation that’s for sure.

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Written by RUGBYMag Staff    Sunday, 05 June 2011 14:23    PDF Print Write e-mail
CRC Women Scores & Standings
Sevens - Collegiate Sevens

Scores from Pool Play at the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championships, Women's Bracket

Sunday June 5 at PPL Park
Quarterfinals
Penn State 12-0 North Carolina
Virginia 12-10 Navy
Temple 14-10 Princeton
Army 27-0 Brown

Semifinals
Penn State 26-5 Temple
Army 19-0 Virginia

FINAL
Army 14-5 Penn State


Friday, June 3 at Drexel University

Pool A
Penn State 34-0 Temple
Virginia 17-5 Brown
Penn State 26-7 Virginia
Temple 5-0 Brown
Virginia 27-0 Temple
Brown 12-10 Penn State


Pool B
Army 24-5 Princeton
Navy 22-5 North Carolina
Princeton 21-5 Navy
Army 15-5 North Carolina
North Carolina 19-17 Princeton
Army 17-10 Navy


Pool AWLPfPaPdPts
Penn State217019517
Virginia215131207
Brown121732-155
Temple12561-565







Pool BWLPfPaPdPts
Army305620369
Princeton124348-55
Navy123743-65
North Carolina122954-155


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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release    Friday, 03 June 2011 11:17    PDF Print Write e-mail
Eagles Lineup for Saxons Clash
National Teams - USA Men

NORTHAMPTON, England – The USA Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, has named his line-up for the Churchill Cup opener against the England Saxons at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday June 4.  Kickoff is at 12 p.m. ET and will be shown LIVE online at www.universalsports.com and on tape delay on Universal Sports at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.

“We are looking forward to the first game of the 2011 Churchill Cup. As it has been our first Eagles assembly since last November, we have been training twice a day since our arrival to make the most of out time together," said O’Sullivan.

The Eagles will be captained by experienced scrumhalf Mike Petri, who pairs up with his New York Athletic Club (NYAC) teammate, Troy Hall at flyhalf.  O’Sullivan will be looking for Hall to marshal the backline, with the talented playmaker slotting in for veteran Nese Malifa. In the centers, Junior Sifa is partnered with Tai Enosa, who is one of seven players to join the squad after the recent HSBC Sevens World Series.

The Eagles will have a very fast backline with wings Mile Pulu and Colin Hawley working together with Mike Palefau at fullback. Palefau has had an outstanding season with the Utah Warriors and will certainly be one of the players to watch.

In the forwards, the hard-working Eric Fry starts at prop alongside Will Johnson. The latter – who plays at London Irish – will be very used to the English conditions. Following an excellent Super League season for Life, Phil Thief will get a start at hooker.

Scott LaValla is set to start at lock, with the Trinity College captain having recently signed a contract with one of the top French clubs, Stade Francais. John van der Giessen returns from his cheek injury to partner LaValla in the second row.

The flankers are Pat Danahy and Daniel LaProvette, who also faced each other in the exciting Super League final. JJ Gagiano completes the pack at eight man.

Chris Biller (hooker), Shawn Pittman (prop), Louis Stanfill (flank) and Inaki Basauri (flank) make up the forward reserves. The backline replacements include brothers Roland (flyhalf) and Andrew Suniula (center) and Tim Usasz (scrumhalf).

"The team to face the Saxons reflects the fact that we need this tournament to continue as part of our preparations for RWC. It is an opportunity for a number of players, who have limited experience with the Eagles up until now, to test themselves in what will be a very tough environment against a strong Saxons side," said O’Sullivan.

The Eagles starting team will feature six players; Palefau, Pulu, Sifa, Hall, Johnston and LaPrevotte, that did not take part in the November tour last year.

The USA kick-off against the England Saxons at 5 p.m. local time.

USA EAGLES TO FACE ENGLAND SAXONS

15 Mike Palefau (Utah Warriors)

14 Mile Pulu (San Francisco Golden Gate)

13 Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore)

12 Junior Sifa (Nottingham RFC)

11 Colin Hawley (Olympic Club)

10 Troy Hall (New York Athletic Club)

9 Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club, captain)

1 Eric Fry (Las Vegas Blackjacks)

2 Phil Thiel (Life University)

3 Will Johnson (London Irish)

4 John van der Giessen (Utah Warriors)

5 Scott LaValla (Stade Francais)

6 Pat Danahy (Life University)

7 Danny LaPrevotte (San Francisco Golden Gate)

8 JJ Gagiano (Univ. of Cape Town)


Reserves:

16 Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate)

17 Shawn Pittman (London Welsh)

18 Louis Stanfill (Mogliano)

19 Inaki Basauri (L' Aquila)

20 Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC)

21 Roland Suniula (Boston Rugby)

22 Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)


USA EAGLES STAFF

Eddie O’Sullivan (Head Coach), Dave Hodges (Forwards Coach & Technical Analyst), Matt Sherman (Backs Coach), Mike Tolkin (Defensive Coach), Dan Payne (Skills Coach), Fiore Screnci (Scrum Coach), Chris O’Brien (Kicking Coach), David Williams (Strength & Conditioning), Tristan Lewis (Team Manager), Alex Garibay (Physio), Dennis Greenhill (Physio), Sarah Sall (Masseuse), Pat McNair (Doctor, June 1 to 9) David Schneider (Doctor, June 9 to 18)

CHURCHILL CUP SCHEDULE | ENGLAND

June 4, 2011: USA vs. England Saxons (Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton)

June 8, 2011: USA vs. Tonga (Moseley Road, Surrey)

June 18, 2011: Elimination Match (Sixways, Worcester)

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