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By RugbyMag.com staff
Point Loma, CA – Five divisions of women’s rugby – ranging from international age grade to collegiate – convened in Point Loma, Calif., to play in the 27th annual Champagne Classic. Nineteen teams made the trek south for what is usually warmer, drier weather, including two Rugby Canada national and six clubs that played in four different national championships (and three national finals) last year.
The Canadian teams arrived in San Diego last Tuesday, and staff used the six days together to whittle down its player pools. The U20s found worth opponents in the Competitive Club division, winning against San Francisco Fog (5-0) and dropping a 13-5 match to Belmont Shore during pool play. The Canadians dropped its quarterfinal match to Stanford before eventually beating host San Diego for the consolation final.
“Two years ago, the U20s brought two teams to the Classic,” tournament director Kirstin Hartos said, “and they found the tournament really valuable since they can’t play rugby this time of year in Canada, except maybe in British Columbia, because the days are short and cold.”
Unfortunately, the rain moved in Saturday night and stayed throughout Sunday. Stanford had to forfeit the Competitive Club final to Berkeley due to 4 p.m. flights back to northern California, but according to Hartos, no one seemed to mind.
“We were at a new venue this year and only had use of two fields,” she explained. “Games started at 7:30 a.m., and they were long days. The final would have been the teams’ fifth game, in the rain.”
In the collegiate division, the Canadian U18s had its way with Utah State (46-0) and Claremont College (58-0) during pool play, while UC San Diego won its pool with wins over Utah Valley (30-5) and the Blackdoodles (43-0). The Canadians posted a lopsided victory over UCSD for the title.
The Canadian teams brought a more competitive edge to this year’s tournament, which usually has a more social feel since it’s in the non-league spring season. “But it was great to have them here,” Hartos said of the visitors. “It’s always interesting to face different styles of play and observe teams you never see.”
Also mixing up the roster was first-timer Santa Monica, a DII team that played at nationals last year. 2009 marked the first year that Southern California sent a team to the DII championship, and the young club represented the union well with an 8th-place finish.
“They had a strong weekend and went 1-1 against Tempe and Berkeley in pool play,” Hartos noted. “They were nervous about playing Berkeley, which plays two divisions above them, but they held the All Blues to two tries in the second half and scored one. They’re making a name for themselves, and it was nice to see from a young club.”
As for the host and reigning DI champion, the Surfers used the weekend to get its ballooning roster some decent playing time.
“We’ve been getting 30-35 players to practice,” president Hartos said. “Sometimes your goal is to win a tournament, and other times you have to ask what else you can get out of the competition. A few teams – including Berkeley, which was missing some Eagles and experiencing some turnover – went with the latter mentality.”
Social or not, the Champagne Classic is one of the longest running women’s tournaments in the country and is becoming a stepping stone for international careers.
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