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Written by Jackie Finlan
Friday, 03 June 2011 19:49 |
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CRC Women's Pool A Overview |
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Sevens -
Collegiate Sevens
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On a beautiful day at Drexel University's Vidas Athletic Complex, eight women's teams from the eastern seaboard battled through pool play of the USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship. Pool A, which consisted of Penn State, Virginia, Brown and Temple, yielded some fantastic games, which are summarized below and detailed in full in subsequent reports.
![alt src=http://www.rugbymag.com/images/stories/tournaments/lisa%20henneman_marvin%20dangerfield.jpg]() |
| PSU's Lisa Henneman vs UVA's Steph Chubb. (Marvin Dangerfield) |
Heading into the competition, Penn State was the favorite in pool A, and they certainly looked to fulfill expectations during the first two rounds of play. The stars we expected to see perform, did. Lisa Henneman made some seriously bone-crunching tackles that kept the crowd animated and never went to ground with fewer than three defenders attempting to bring her down. Sadie Anderson was as sharp as ever and kept the offense flowing from side to side, often linking up with Henneman for either player's multiple breakaways down the sideline.
The team downed Temple (34-0) then Virginia (26-7) in the first two rounds of play, but UVA posed a bigger threat than the score indicates. It exposed some vulnerability in the Penn State armor, and Brown, which was winless heading into the final round, had nothing to lose against the DI national finalist. In the penultimate match of the day, Brown put together an incredible performance that saw the Elite 8 team hold onto a 12-10 win. Certainly the shocker of the day.
Next in line was Virginia, which ended with a 2-1 record after defeating Brown 17-5 to kick off the day's competition, losing to Penn State, then rallying with a 27-0 victory over Temple. UVA played to expectations, and their first half against Penn State was stellar, yielding a 5-0 deficit after the first seven minutes. Sharlyn Carter had a stellar day and showcased her exceptional breakaway speed. Erica Cavanaugh, though drawn to contact, found enough space to run in her share of tries. Stephanie Chubb at flyhalf also did well to keep the ball spinning.
Temple and Brown both finished with one win on the day, and when they played each other, the underdog prevailed. The match was an example that "any given day" reigns in sevens, and today was Temple's. After being shutout by Penn State in its opening game, Temple finally got to play some offense in its second match against Brown. Deadlocked at half, a surreptitious kick landed right in wing Sarah Link's arms and the speedster raced about 70 meters for the lone try, which Rachel Bandura converted from the sideline, 7-0 and the win.
Every team won today and knows that it has the potential to win Sunday, when the women's teams continue competition inside PPL Park. Since there are only eight teams in the competition, they all advance to Sunday's quarterfinals. Teams played with their lineups some, rested some legs, etc., without huge ramifications. Sunday, however, is a different story, and PPL Park can be assured a good show.
Stay tuned for detailed match reports.
USA 7s Women's Collegiate Championship
Pool A
Penn State 34-0 Temple
Penn State 26-7 Virginia
Virginia 17-5 Brown
Virginia 27-0 Temple
Temple 7-0 Brown
Brown 12-10 Penn State
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Written by Pat Clifton
Friday, 03 June 2011 19:45 |
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CRC 2011 Pool D |
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Sevens -
Collegiate Sevens
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 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 Staff
Sunday, 05 June 2011 14:23 |
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CRC Women Scores & Standings |
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Sevens -
Collegiate Sevens
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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 A | W | L | Pf | Pa | Pd | Pts | | Penn State | 2 | 1 | 70 | 19 | 51 | 7 | | Virginia | 2 | 1 | 51 | 31 | 20 | 7 | | Brown | 1 | 2 | 17 | 32 | -15 | 5 | | Temple | 1 | 2 | 5 | 61 | -56 | 5 |
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| | Pool B | W | L | Pf | Pa | Pd | Pts | | Army | 3 | 0 | 56 | 20 | 36 | 9 | | Princeton | 1 | 2 | 43 | 48 | -5 | 5 | | Navy | 1 | 2 | 37 | 43 | -6 | 5 | | North Carolina | 1 | 2 | 29 | 54 | -15 | 5 |
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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release
Friday, 03 June 2011 15:01 |
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Canterbury Official Ball of CRC |
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Sevens -
Collegiate Sevens
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 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 |
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CRC 2011 Pool C |
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Sevens -
Collegiate Sevens
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 In 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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