Saturday, May 31, 2014

WGR State 7's Standings

The first-annual WGR State 7's Championship is now history.

The Standings:
Varsity
1 Catholic Memorial
2 Oak Creek
3 Vernon
4 Kettle Moraine
5 Brookfield

JV
It was an all Fox-Valley final as Fond Du Lac faced Appleton.
1 Appleton
2 Fond Du Lac
3,4,5 Waiting reports .. We hope to have full score reports soon!

Congrats to all the participants and especially tournament director, Neil Greintjes for all his work, and league treasurer and concession tent operator Maggie Perdzock. It was a beautiful day.

7's in Brookfield NOW

Perfect day for some 7's Rugby. Stop by the historic first-annual WGR State 7's Championship JV begins @9am. Varsity begins @12pm Brookfield Soccer Complex N212 N4935 Weyer Rd Menomonee Falls

Friday, May 30, 2014

CRC Update

In Friday's pool play at the CRC 7's High School Challenge in Philadelphia, DSHA lost their first two matches, before rebounding with a win in their third match. Traveling light after a string of bad luck and injuries, DSHA chose to defend their title and develop younger players nonetheless. Missing four all-state players and their vaunted midfield combination, Beth Pokorny (acl injury #10), Maggie Brennan (#12), and Jenny Bay (#7, acl) were all out heading in to the event. Tierra Henry, who was absolutely phenomonel in their 3rd place victory at nationals over Kent, was injured early on in their first 7's match, creating another challenge. Full scores and playoff picture coming soon from our field reporter ....

Scores from around town

Lots of rugby and 7's especially this weekend. 

In addition to the WGR State 7's, DSHA is in Philadelphia for the College Rugby Championship (CRC) High School Challenge.  Some have looked on this event as an unofficial 7's National HS Championship.  After defeating Fallbrook last year, DSHA looks for their second consecutive title.

DSHA's matches begin Friday morning and conclude with the championship played in 18,000 seat PPL park during the Collegiate 7's Championshp on Sunday.  Some teams competing will be all-star teams, like the NJ Blaze, while others are individual clubs or schools.  There is little, if any, standard for many of the summer 7's tournaments and one wonders if it is time for separate divisions for all-star programs and another for teams.   The CRC itself features college teams, not all-star teams.

You can catch the CRC Collegiate games on NBC this weekend, Saturday from 2-330pm and Sunday from 5-6pm.  Check it out; the college games are just awesome to watch.

Most other girls rugby conferences are also wrapping up their seasons.  Some scores and finishers below from around town:

Ohio State Championships:
Take place this weekend.  In a surprise, Lakewood lost in the semifinals for the first time, perhaps ever.  St Joe's plays Hudson.

State Final:  St Joseph's Academy v Hudson

State Semifinals:  Lakewood 17  Hudson 18;  St Joe's 51  Parma 0

Indiana State Championships:
State Finals:  North Central v Warsaw

State Semis:  Warsaw 24 Penn 12;  North Central 40 Brownsburg 0

Rugby Pennsylvania State Championsips:
State Final:  Doylestown 13  Downington 12

Rugby Utah

State Final:  Orem Girls Rugby v Viper Girls Rugby

State Finals:  Orem 27 Snow Canton 5; Viper 25 Herriman 22

Rugby Oregon
State Finals:  Grant 52  Lady Barbarians 10

Grant finished an undefeated season.  They had defeated the Lady Barbarians early in their season 35-0.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WGR State 7's Schedule Saturday May 31st, 2014

Saturday marks the first-ever WGR State 7's Tournament to be played at the Brookfield Soccer Complex, outdoor fields located at:
N212N4935 WEYER RD,
MENOMONEE FALL WI 53051
 
JV 7s State
Pool 1:  Brookfield, Muskego, Appleton
Pool 2:  Oak Creek, Fond Du Lac, Kettle Moraine

9:00 Oak Creek vs KM 
9:20am Bruisers vs Muskego 
9:40 KM vs Fond du lac  
10:00 Appleton vs Muskego 
10:20 Fond du Lac vs Oak Creek 
10:40 Bruisers vs Appleton
6th 5th place 11:00am
4th 3rd place 11:20
2nd 1st place 11:40

Varsity 7's  
CMHS
Oak Creek
Brookfield
Vernon
Kettle Moraine 

 
Round 1 12:00pm 1vs 4, 12:20 2 vs 3
Round 2 12:40 3 vs 1, 1:00 4 vs 5
Round 3 1:20 5vs3. 1:40 1vs2
Round 4 2:00pm 2 vs 5, 2:20 3 vs 4
Round 5 2:40 4 vs 2, 3:00 5 vs 1

PARKING is $5/car and limited in availability.  Please carpool is possible.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Facing Giants


Last weekend two Wisconsin girls rugby teams took on the challenge of competing against the other best teams from around the U.S.A.  It’s always a special mix of style and teams.  One of the highlights for the Lady Crusaders was their first-ever match against a mostly Polynesian American girls team from Danville, California.   Our other Wisconsin team, the Dashers of DSHA, had to play both Danville and the Sacremento Amazons, another Polynesian team, on the first day of the tournament.  

The Danville Lady Oaks began their match with Memorial with a “Haka” just prior to kickoff.  A traditional form of Polynesian war-dance, it is a a warrior’s challenge, but also a sign of respect and a great honor for an opponent to face up against a Haka.

Danville’s Haka was led by their senior Cpt., #9 Fina Toeta.  She squared off against fellow High School All-American Julie Else, in a contrast of styles and strengths.

Four Memorial girls, all under 100lbs, faced off in the CMH front row from left to right: Elli Metz, Myra Dillett, Julie Else, and, and Becky Calhoun, with their teammates in arms behind them.

Of course, in keeping with true rugby tradition, all the girls from both teams fast became friends immediately following one of the best matches ever played by Memorial, and what one collegiate head coach their scouting ended up calling “the most exciting game of the tournament.”





 

 
 

 
 

 

Monday, May 26, 2014

All National Championship Tournament Team

Four Wisconsin girls were named to the division one all-tournament team at the National Championship last weekend.

Players were selected by coaches from the USA Rugby All-American team who were watching all the games in person over the weekend.

Congratulations to these talented, deserving young women.

Forwards:
Liz Bellis (Catholic Memorial)
Taylor Brag Brock (Divine Savior Holy Angels)
Maggie Wesolowski (Catholic Memorial)

Backs:
Rebecca Haight (Catholic Memorial)

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Appleton 10s Results


Saturday May 17th was a great day for Rugby in Appleton.  The inaugural Appleton 10s was a success. Making the trip up was Fond Du Lac, Oak Creek, Vernon, Muskego, and Kettle Moraine. Congratulations to Kettle Moraine who won the Championship by beating Oak Creek in the final.  Appleton would like to thank all who participated.

Scores:
Kettle Moraine 15  Vernon 10
Oak Creek 20  Appleton 10
Kettle Moraine 42 Muskego 5
Oak Creek 22 Fondy 10
Appleton 25 Muskego 0
Vernon 10  Fondy 0
Appleton 25 Fondy 5
Vernon 36 Muskego 5
Kettle Moraine 27 Oak Creek 15
Appleton (W)  Muskego







Tuesday, May 20, 2014

The Final

     The Fallbrook Warriors won their fourth consecutive National Championship Sunday in one of the more exciting, back-and-forth finals in years.  Their 27-17 victory over the Sacramento Amazons was a great match and a contrast in styles.   The level of skill and physicality was more like something you see in Super 15 matches.  Truely special; the coaches and players involved on both sides continue to take girls high school rugby to an incredible level.  On to the match ... although we apologize for not getting all the names and scoring sequences; but our staff time has to be dedicated to WGR development :)

     The Amazon's came out running hard.  Fallbrook's tackling was brave and smart as they repeatedly took the bigger ballcarriers to the ground with low, driving tackles.  The Zon's dominated possession early and the Warriors, uncharacteristically made a few mistakes like missing a kick to touch (or was it intentional ?!), that contributed to the Zon's early push.  Sacramento's flyhalf was dynamic all-game long and the length on her miss pass, kept the defense on their toes, since she could hit a hole hard and committ defenders or get the ball out wide equally well.  That multiplicity was key in putting pressure back on Fallbrook's pressure defense.  The Zons #12 was also devastating with ball in hand.  Yet, the Warrior's #10, junior Richelle Stephens, slight, strong, and skillfull,  put in a brave performance defensively as she never backed down ... continuing to come up hard on defense with some momentum on her side.  She needed it.  When she started to get more and more ball she used it well, especially mixing in a loop play with her centers.  Stephens getting double touches really kept the Zon's moving, and tiring on defense.  Fallbrook was brilliant again in their simplicity, committment to tackling, and execution.

     The Zon's got up 10-3 in the first half, but the Warriors choice for 3 points helped them hang on after two tries were let in, and it kept the game a one score game.   Some Zons started walking.  Fallbrook didn't.  Fallbrook started to get more and more possession and continued to support each other effectively, and they began to work their offense and put up some more points.   A huge run from freshman fullback Lilly Durbin was one of the highlights of the second half as she got the corner and turned on her jets, tight-rope-walking the touch line, and made three defenders miss tackles with her dancing feet, balance, and strength.

   Fallbrook got up, and took a lead they wouldn't relinquish.  But the Zons surged back again with several punishing runs.  They finished a try to narrow the gap to ten points, but time had run out and the champions had repeated, again.

    It's tough to pick a lady of the match for this one.  It might have to be Fallbrook's flyhalf, but the committment of their entire team defensively in the face of a huge size disadvantage was heroic.  Fallbrook's six, Michelle Navarro, was dynamic with ball in hand and a fierce tackler.  She was just awesome.  Hooker Johni Durban, perhaps playing her last game, looked fitter and faster than ever and packed a huge punch.   Their team shows how size is not the most important; it's skills, fitness, physicality, and decision making. 
     Then there were the Zons all across the board too.  Their scrumhalf's passing was tight, their midfield powerful and dynamic.   They too were as fit, skilled with ball in hand, and dynamic in attack all over the pitch, as any Zons team we've seen.  With their size advantage coupled with such good ball skills, they'll always be a contender and a tough team to get by.

You can, hopefullt, watch the game here when the hosts get around to uploading it:
www.rugbychampionships.org

Monday, May 19, 2014

Girls National Championship Full Scores Report

Girls National Championship Tournament

Division One Final:
Fallbrook 27-17 Sacramento Amazons
3rd: DSHA 27-17 Kent (OT)
5th Danville 17-5 Catholic Memorial
7th: St. Joseph's 25-15 North Bay

Division Two Final:
Pleasanton 25-3 Morris
3rd: West End 17-5 Kingston
5th Cheshire 32-0 State College
7th: New York 5-0 Berkshire

Division One QFs
Kent 15-10 Catholic Memorial
Fallbrook 57-0 North Bay
DSHA 22-12 Danville
Amazons 19-12 St. Joseph's

SemiFinals
Fallbrook 22-3 Kent
Amazons 20-5 DSHA

Cons. SFs
Catholic Memorial 45-14 North Bay
Danville 17  St Joseph's 0 (unconfirmed)

Division Two QFs
Pleasanton 83-0 State College
Kingston 50-0 Berkshire
Morris 27-7 Cheshire
West End 33-0 New York

SFs
Pleasanton 48-0 Kingston
Morris over West End

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Girls Nationals 2014Scores

Sunday
Championship     Fallbrook v Amazons

3rd Place   DSHA v Kent

5th Place  Catholic Memorial v Danville

7th Place. St Joseph's v North Bay


D2 Championship
Pleasanton v


D1 results
Semifinals
DSHA 5 Amazons 20
The hard charging Amazons knocked off the Dashers in the rematch of their quarterfinal from a year ago.  It was a bruising encounter against a huge Amazon squad.
On a bad dump tackle, DSHA flyhalf Beth Pokorny suffered a serious knee injury in the first half, forcing a reshuffled backline.  The Dashers also lost flanker Kayla Pavela to injury along the way.  Despite several nice linebreaks from the speedy and skilled Dashers in the second half, the Dashers couldn't complete the comeback.

Fallbrook 24 Kent 3
Kent played their tight game well and almost pulled off the upset.  Two plays held up in the tryzone killed off Kent's chance to put in. The big scores they needed.   Fallbrook continued to face all challengers and keep them out of their tryzone. Consolation Catholic Memorial 44 North bay 14 Danville over St Joe's First round St Joes 10 Amazons 17 Kent 15 Catholic Memorial 10 Dsha over Danville FallbRook 57 north Bay 0

Thursday, May 15, 2014

National Tournament Info

Tournament info can be found here
http://www.rugbychampionships.org/


Games will be viewable online here, shortly after they conclude:
http://www.rugbychampionships.org/2014-d-1-games

The Tournament program can be viewed here as well:
http://www.rugbychampionships.org/Nationals%20Program%20v3.pdf

 

Girls National Championship Preview

A quick nationals preview, since the other media outlets haven't really reported on the specifics of any team, other than predictions.  Here's our office staffs take on the big weekend:

Division 1
1 Fallbrook (SoCal1) vs North Bay (East1)
     Fallbrook, although they graduated last year two of the most influential players in their program in #7 Megan Pinson and their #9, they have an upperclassmen laden team and are clearly the #1 ranked team  going in.   With seniors at 1,2,3,13,12, a flanker, and a junior standout at #10 in Richelle Stephens, they also mix in exciting young talent in freshman Lily Durbin at #15.   Casey Karl and Jeannine Garcia in the centers have played a lot of rugby together.  They are also famous for their conditioning which makes them a challenge to overcome in a 3-game tournament.   Rumors continue to circle about the health of standout Johni Durbin at hooker, but with their team athleticism and experience they will be tough for anyone to knock off regardless.

     North Bay,MD comes in unknown to some teams outside the East Coast, but they have a lot of good wins on their resume.  They have 17 upperclassmen.  Teams with upperclassmen confidence always do well in sports.  They defeated two teams in the D2 nationals bracket:  West end, Va 31-7 and Morris, NJ, 15-7 so they emerged as the #1 from the East Coast. North Bay also lost a tough match to St Joe's in March at the DC Ruggerfest.  A quick recap from their coach of that match, gives you an idea of how tight the teams 4-8 may be this year:

"We lost to St Joe's in the final 17-7.  This was a very competitive match.  In a cold messy match where we were missing two of our starters due to Sunday obligations, the score was 10-7 until the final seconds when they scored a converted try."


2 DSHA v 7 Danville

This is the other match we're pretty confidant in predicting the favorite will clearly win. DSHA has won impressively in every match they've played this spring, defeating Armstrong handily, in addition to Lakewood 46-0, and Catholic Memorial in the Midwest Final. Their fitness and depth is exceptional. Word on the street is they could have a b-side almost entirely filled with upperclassmen, and indeed their JV team once again played in the final of the Midwest 2nd Division championship.  The return of Tierra Henry, who was invited to the All-American camp last year, but was injured last spring and this fall, was an extra boost to a great team.
    Known by coaches everywhere for their impresive skills, ballhandling, and strong ballcarrying, they run a dynamic-professional style team.

Danville has been one of those fast-rising programs loaded with talent and good coaching. Finishing second in the tough NorCal conference, as mentioned earlier, earned them a well-deserved return trip to the National Championship. They may be banged up after a grueling NorCal final weekend, but they have an All-American at scrumhalf who returned from last year and bring an exciting game of speed and power, especially with the exceptional speed of their young fullback.

#3 Sacramento Amazons vs 6 St Joseph's Academy

     The Amazons are more experienced and senior laden then some have mentioned elsewhere, with 11 seniors.  They've also won their state title in NorCal in a region that probably has more quality teams than any other in the country.  The top three teams from Nor Cal are all competing at Nationals and deservedly so.
The results of their state tournament reflect this:
Saturday
Amazons 22 v Danville 12
Amazons 22 v Pleasanton 12
Danville 27 v Pleasanton 14

Sunday- Championship Match (35 min halves)
Amazons 41 v Danville 10

While all three were comeptitive, it's the teams that can emerge from Saturday stronger on Sunday that win this National Tournament and the Amazons have shown they can do it.  They have to be considered a title contender.

     St Joseph's Academy is an all-girls Catholic school in the Cleveland area.  With 50 some players and a strong core of upperclassmen, they've been building the last few years.  They seem to have taken another step up this season as they traveled outside Ohio to play better competition and came out Champions of the DC Ruggerfest, where they defeated the aforementioned North Bay along with several others.  They also did well at the Midwest Championships defeated a much stronger Plainfield, Illinois 10-0 before losing to Catholic Memorial for the third year in a row, in a much closer match than prior years 5-12.  They then defeated arch-rival Lakewood 17-14 in the 3rd Place title match.   A very physical side, with a lot of speed to boot, they match up as well as anyone can with the Amazons.  They have a strong bench and used it well at tournaments; they entered a full jv side at Midwest in order to build depth.  Pity they are missing some starters due to Prom weekend at their school, but if anyone has the depth to continue to compete, it's SJA.

#4 Catholic Memorial vs Kent #5

     The 4 v 5 game in any good tournament should be too close to call and this year's is no exception.  whoever losses could very well still end up winning two matches at the event.
   Two veteran teams who travel alot to improve their level of play face off:  While Kent graduated two All-Americans at #10 and #13, they reloaded and appear to have returning last year's fullback, who was outstanding in that role last year as well.  They won another state championship.  Their only conference loss wasn't really a loss as a miscommunication on a game time led to them acruing a forfeit against a team they would normally have defeated.  
   Their scores at the March 17th pre-season Fullerton Tournament are revealing only in that that's where they were two months ago.  They are always a tough out and can beat anyone on a given day, given their knack for keeping scores low and games tight, especially since they are known lately for not flinging the ball around much and focusing on defense and kicking.
   While traveling light they took on the best on the West Coast on March 17th:
3rd Fullerton 24. Kent 0
Semis
Kent 0 Pleasanton 8
Pool Play
Kent 8. Fullerton 5

    Catholic Memorial, the Waukesha school that only draws players from its 325 girls, continues to find success in their travels.  Some convinving wins at the St Louis Ruggerfest saw they defeat the Tennessee Storm twice, in addition to their third straight Midwest final.  They also addded a win against formerly top-ten ranked Armstrong, MN 39-5 in a shortened game.   They have 8 seniors, with two playing on scholarship at Quinnipiac University and one playing at Norwich next year, and should prove competitive again.  



2 DSHA (MW1)
3 Amazons (NorCal1)
4 Catholic Memorial (MW2)
5 Kent (PNW1)
6 St Joseph’s Academy (MW3)
7 Danville (NorCal2)
8 North Bay (East1)

Division 2
1 Pleasanton (NorCal3)
2 West End (Va)
3 Morris (NJ)
4 Berkshire United (Conn)
5 Kingston (NY)
6 Cheshire (Ct)
7 New York RC (NY)
8 State College (

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Oak Creek 10's

This past Saturday the Oak Creek girls hosted the first of what we hope will be an annual 10's Festival. Participants included DSHA, Brookfield, Vernon, Appleton, Muskego and Oak Creek from Wisconsin and our out-of-town guests from  Minnesota.  

The new format was part of a revised Spring season schedule that features a series of 7's and 10's festivals in addition to regularly scheduled 15's matches. This new format helps new teams in the league gain experience even if clubs are still small and growing while still offering an exciting competitive format for more established clubs.  

All and all it was a great day of rugby.

Scores:
DSHA 20, Brookfield 0; Oak Creek 30, Muskego 0;
Vernon 29, Appleton 17;
DSHA 15, Muskego 0;
Hopkins 23, Brookfield 10;
Oak Creek 22, Vernon 17;
Hopkins 17, Appleton 0;
DSHA 32, Vernon 10;
Brookfield (W), Muskego;
Oak Creek 17, Hopkins 14;
Appleton (W), Hopkins/Oak Creek

PICTURES:










Sunday, May 11, 2014

2014 Girls National Championship Seeds announced

The 2014 Girls High School National Championship Tournament will be held this weekend at Taconic High School in Pittsfield, Mass. Hosted by the Berkshire United rugby program and tournament director David Colli, opening ceremonies begin Friday May 16th @6:30pm.

The full schedule and field info can be found online: http://www.rugbychampionships.org/

Division 1
1 Fallbrook (SoCal1)
2 DSHA (MW1)
3 Amazons (NorCal1)
4 Catholic Memorial (MW2)
5 Kent (PNW1)
6 St Joseph’s Academy (MW3)
7 Danville (NorCal2)
8 North Bay (East1)

Division 2
1 Pleasanton (NorCal3)
2 West End (Va)
3 Morris (NJ)
4 Berkshire United (Conn)
5 Kingston (NY)
6 Cheshire (Ct)
7 New York RC (NY)
8 State College (Pa)

Friday, May 9, 2014

Oak Creek 10s Sat May 10th

On Saturday, May 10, Oak Creek will be hosting a first-ever 10s tournament for high school girls rugby that involves teams from the Fox Valley (Appleton) and the Milwaukee Metro area. 
Matches will be played at Oak Creek High School, with  half of the matches held in the football stadium.
340 E. Puetz Road, Oak Creek, WI
Some notes for spectators and players:
·        Enter the parking lot (immediately east of the high school) from Puetz Road.
·        Matches will be held simultaneously on both the football stadium (turf) and football practice fields (grass.
·        Teams can set up camp on the grassy areas inside the football stadium, or can stake out a section of the bleachers on the west side of the stadium.
·        Warm-ups can be held in the open space to the east and south of the football stadium. If one of the playing fields is free, you may also use it for warm-up.
·        Bathrooms are located in the building on the northwest corner of the stadium.
·        Our parents will sell Gatorade, hot dogs, coffee, and other items for a small cost during the matches.
·        Each team will have 3 20-minute matches, at least one of which will be played on the grass field, and at least one of which will be played on the turf.
·        Open subs will be allowed in all matches, unless both coaches in a match agree to a different substitution rule. The goal is to give smaller teams flexibility, and to allow younger players more time on the field.
·        At the conclusion of each game, each team will award one player from the opposing team an MVP/Player of the Game medal, which I’ll distribute at the field. This doesn’t need to be awarded to the team’s most skilled player (it certainly can be), but can be also given for sportsmanship, effort, or some other outstanding
·        Athletico will have a trainer on-site from 9:30 – 2:00. The nearest hospital is Wheaton Franciscan – Franklin (10101 S. 27th Street, Franklin, WI 53132. Phone: 414-325-4700). The hospital is located approximately 4 miles southwest of the field.
·        If we can keep the fields – especially the stadium – clean, it is appreciated. This is the first time we’ve used school facilities for rugby, and I’d like to leave a good impression. Garbage cans will be placed near the fields.
·        If you have any questions or concerns in advance or on the day of the matches, please contact Coach Kurth:    c.kurth@ocfsd.org
 
Brackets tentatively, although there may be some changes due to Fond Du Lac dropping out.
 
Bracket 1:
Brookfield vs DSHA jv  10am Stadium
Vernon v Appleton 1030 Stadium
 
Bracket 2
Oak Creek v Muskego 10am
Hopkins, MN v TBD 1030am

Thursday, May 8, 2014

New Zealand All-Blacks at Soldier Field

USA Rugby will hold a joint press conference with the New Zealand Rugby Union on May 13th.   It is widely rumored that they will announce a major international rugby test match between the USA and the New Zealand men's national team, commonly called "The All-Blacks"

The match will reportedly be held at Soldier Field in Chicago on November 1st, 2014.   Soldier Field holds 61,500 spectators.  To all the Packer fans here, it's a familiar place as the home of our old rivals, The Chicago Bears.

The combination of a beautiful fall day, the legendary atmosphere of Chicago's football stadium, and the #1 ranked team in the world, with their inspiring attacking rugby, could be a landmark event for rugby in America.

The WGR offices are already abuzz with plans to fill a few busses of coaches, players, parents, and supporters.






A note on Soldier Field, from www.soldierfield.net

"It was known as one of the great venues during the "Golden Age of Sports" and one of Chicago's most famous landmarks. Crowds in excess of 100,000 were commonplace, marked by several memorable events including the 1926 Army-Navy game and the epic 1927 Jack Dempsey/Gene Tunney heavyweight rematch featuring the controversial "long count".

In 1944, 150,000 spectators attended a wartime visit by President Franklin Roosevelt and thousands turned out to hear evangelist Billy Graham in 1962.

Soldier Field is also the birthplace of the first Special Olympic Games in 1968. College and Professional football, rock concerts, festivals, rodeos, stock-car races, and even a skiing/toboggan event have called Soldier Field home.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Waukesha Starts Middle School Tackle Rugby

Waukesha Youth Tag and Tackle Rugby Informational Meeting
THURSDAY MAY 22nd, 6pm-7pm
1900 Aviation Drive,
Waukesha, WI 53188

These programs are open to boys AND GIRLS, with the tag program being co-ed and the tackle program gender-specific

Tag rugby has been thriving in Wisconsin and we are taking the next step to develop rugby in Wisconsin. We will be starting tackle rugby at the Junior HS level, and possibly at the grade school level if we can generate enough interest. To maximize numbers, we will start as a single program this summer and then hopefully expand to multiple sites next year.

The program will be run by Dominic Crotty, Neil Davies, and myself. Neil is a Welshman who has played rugby since childhood, has coached youth rugby overseas, and is now coaching his son in tag rugby. Dominic is a former Irish international 15s and 7s rugby player who now conveniently resides in Wisconsin, has coached youth rugby, and hopes to further develop rugby for his kids to play.

The program will begin in mid-June with 2 practices a week. If there are enough players, we may play exhibition matches at local 7s tournaments. Practice location to be determined, but most likely in Brookfield or Waukesha where our coaches are based. 

Please note, that there are several tag programs throughout the metro Milwaukee area, and Dan Zeroth (President of the Wisconsin Tag Rugby Association) can provide you with information for the tag program closest to you.

 
Thanks,

Joe Cunningham
Waukesha Youth Rugby programs


Saturday, May 3, 2014

2nd Annual Crusader Cup

Special thanks to our referee crew: Jenn, Dan, and Tom for reffing all day long!

The first 7's event of 2014 is history. Looking forward to the State 7's Championship tournament May 31st at the Brookfield Soccer Complex's outdoor fields.

Varsity Crusader Cup
Oak Creek 0 Catholic Memorial 46
Brookfield 32 Muskego 0
Catholic Memorial 32 Vernon 0
Oak Creek 29 Brookfield 7
Catholic Memorial 51 Brookfield 0
Oak Creek 26 Vernon 15
Brookfield 12 Vernon 17

Catholic Memorial 3-0
Oak Creek 2-1
Vernon 1-2
Brookfield 1-3

JV Crusader Cup
Catholic Memorial 34 Oak Creek 0
Muskego 12 Brookfield 5
Cathoilc Memorial 24 Fond Du Lac 0
Oak Creek 10 Catholic Memorial 5 (1 half, in place of Brookfield forfeiting their match)
Fond Du lac 25 Muskego 5
Oak Creek 10 Fond Du Lac 10
Catholic memorial 39 Muskego 0
Fond Du Lac Brookfield
Oak Creek Muskego

Crusader Cup

Great day at Crusder Cup.  Lots of fun by all.  CMH takes home the Varsity cup.  Details to follow.  And now .ore action from the JV squads to follow.

Crusader Cup live!

Live action from the 2nd annual Crusader Cup Rugby Sevens!  Brookfield advancing the ball against Oak Creek.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Serevi Camp May 24th


Waisele Serevi is the Michael Jordan of 7's rugby.  He played for Fiji through the age of 40 and is regarded as the best 7's player of all time.  It was Asinate Serevi, playing #13 for the Kent, Wa. team, who helped defeat DSHA at last year's National tournament in Racine with several huge plays and an intercept try.


Waisele is bringing his rugby camp to Wisconsin.  For anyone interested, more info is below. Wisconsin has subsidized the camp ... it normally costs at least $100 to attend, but they are offering it for $50.  A lot of USA Rugby coaches are involved as well, and they are always scouting for players.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Wisc All-Star Calendar


Here are the other dates for the WGR select side:

May 4th - Tryout Minooka Noon-4pm

June 1st - Practice - Minooka 1-4pm

June 6th - Practice - Minooka 6-8pm

June 7th - Scrimmage in Chicago against IL All Stars
June 12th - Practice Minooka 6-8pm
June 13th - Early afternoon depart for Elkhart, team training in Indiana June 14th - Midwest Tournament in Elkhart IN
June 15th - Finish Midwest Tournament head home to WI

Our Facebook site is Wisconsin U-19/U-17 Womens Select Side.
 
If anyone has any questions or concerns please let me know.  I know a few schools may have some issues with graduation but I can discuss that on an individual basis.  Remember besides being able to represent WI, at the Midwest tournament there will be selectors

Coach Jeff Noe