Wednesday, March 11
Men's College Division 1A Colorado 17-17 Wyoming Saturday, March 14 Pacific Rugby Premiership Denver Barbarians 42-39 Old Mission Beach Athletic Glendale Raptors 51-31 Olympic Club Rugby Men's College Division 1A Colorado State 59-21 Colorado Men's Club Division 2 Boulder Rugby 29-15 Glendale Raptors D2 Denver Harlequins 24-10 Denver Highlanders Men's Club Division 3 Glendale Raptors D3 18-12 Northern Colorado Flamingos Men's Club & College Friendlies Olympic Club Rugby II 34-22 Queen City Rams Boulder Rugby d. Northside Marauders Women's Club & College Friendlies Colorado 27-15 Boulder Babes Glendale Raptors II 42-17 Denver Black Ice Sunday, March 15 Men's College Division 1A Air Force 61-19 Wyoming Colorado State 59-21 Colorado Saturday, March 7
Pacific Rugby Premiership Glendale Raptors 35-21 Denver Barbarians Women's Premier League Friendly Glendale Raptors 51-17 Twin Cities Amazons Men's College Division 1A Colorado 31-5 New Mexico Colorado State 34-5 Air Force Men's Club Division 2 Denver Barbarians D2 33-29 Glendale Raptors D2 Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Champions Cup Semi-Finals New Mexico Highlands 73-5 Western State Colorado School of Mines 31-22 Denver Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Challenge Cup Semi-Finals Northern Colorado 50-14 Colorado - Colorado Springs Red Rocks 31-10 Colorado Mesa Men's Club & College Friendlies Queen City Rams NR Denver Highlanders (scrimmage also played with Glendale) Denver Harlequins vs. Northern Colorado Flamingos Colorado Springs Grizzlies 54-5 Northside Marauders Colorado College 43-0 Colorado State - Pubelo Women's Club & College Friendlies Glendale Raptors II 29-14 Colorado State Sunday, March 8 Women's Club Division 1 Twin Cities Amazons 36-15 Denver Black Ice Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Champions Cup Final New Mexico Highlands 46-27 Colorado School of Mines Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Challenge Cup Final Northern Colorado 41-20 Red Rocks Women's Club & College Friendlies Colorado College vs. Red Rocks This weekend brings a host of high-quality rugby to the Rocky Mountains, including a rematch of the 2014 WPL Championship and the always-scintillating local derby between the Glendale Raptors and Denver Barbarians at Glendale's Infinity Park stadium.
In November 2014, the Glendale Raptors (women) defeated the reigning (2013) WPL champions, the Twin Cities Amazons, in a classic match at Life University's Championship Rugby Field in Marietta, Georgia. Down 10-8 at halftime, the Raptors stormed back with the guidance of WPL MVP Hannah Stolba to eke out a 16-15 victory that was only secure when an Amazons' conversion attempt fell short with one minute remaining. This weekend's friendly rematch will serve as the stadium opener at 1:00 PM. Following that match, the 2014 PRP Finalist Glendale Raptors men's squad will take on the historic local powerhouse Denver Barbarians at 3:00 PM. Matches between these sides are usually the best men's rugby matches each year in Colorado. This year, Glendale and Denver enter the match sitting 2nd and 6th (respectively), after each squad struggled early on the road. With momentum now behind them, and fewer trips to California remaining, each side is capable of ending the weekend in the PRP's top two with a victory. Elsewhere in the Rockies, the Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference playoffs will take place at Infinity Park South and the University of Denver, and the premier division of men's collegiate rugby, Division 1A, resumes with high-profile matches between New Mexico and Colorado, as well as Colorado State and Air Force. Be sure to check out these matches live to support your local rugby community! Saturday, March 7 Pacific Rugby Premiership 3:00 PM - Infinity Park | Glendale Raptors vs. Denver Barbarians Women's Premier League Friendly 1:00 PM - Infinity Park | Glendale Raptors vs. Twin Cities Amazons Men's College Division 1A 1:00 PM - University Field | New Mexico vs. Colorado 1:00 PM - Colorado State Rugby Field | Colorado State vs. Air Force Men's Club Division 2 1:00 PM - Infinity Park South | Glendale Raptors D2 vs. Denver Barbarians D2 Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Champions Cup Semi-Finals 3:00 PM - Infinity Park South | New Mexico Highlands vs. Western State 4:30 PM - Infinity Park South | Denver vs. Colorado School of Mines Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Challenge Cup Semi-Finals 6:00 PM - University of Denver Rugby Field | Colorado - Colorado Springs vs. Northern Colorado 7:30 PM - University of Denver Rugby Field | Colorado Mesa vs. Red Rocks Men's Club & College Friendlies 9:00 AM - Infinity Park South | Queen City Rams vs. Denver Highlanders 3:30 PM - Parkfield Lake Park | Denver Harlequins vs. Northern Colorado Flamingos 4:30 PM - Williams Field | Northside Marauders vs. Colorado Springs Grizzlies 7:00 PM - Washburn Stadium | Colorado College vs. Colorado State - Pubelo Women's Club & College Friendlies 11:00 AM - Infinity Park South | Glendale Raptors II vs. Colorado State Sunday, March 8 Women's Club Division 1 1:00 PM - Dick's Sporting Goods Park #8 | Denver Black Ice vs. Chicago North Shore Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Champions Cup Final 10:00 AM - University of Denver Rugby Field | TBD vs. TBD Men's Small College (NSCRO) Frontier Conference Playoffs - Challenge Cup Final 12:00 PM - University of Denver Rugby Field| TBD vs. TBD Women's Club & College Friendlies 1:00 PM - Red Rocks Rugby Field | Colorado College vs. Red Rocks After snowstorms derailed the first two weeks of the spring portion of West Conference play, March 7 will finally see the Eastern Rockies clubs take the pitch. The sunshine couldn’t arrive at a better time as No. 11 Colorado State seeks revenge against No. 7 Air Force Saturday.
It’s likely that both the Rams and Zoomies would have preferred to reopen conference play against a lesser opponent, but it’s not like either team hasn’t played competitive rugby in 2015. Air Force was able to break a good sweat at the Las Vegas Invitational, while Colorado State earned its best win of the season in February – a 29-21 victory over Arizona. “Getting that big win in our first game [of 2015] has the guys feeling ready,” said Colorado State Assistant Coach Ryan Walker. The Rams lost out on opportunities to face New Mexico and Wyoming the past two weeks, while the Zoomies are equally disappointed to have postponed a conference match and cancel a trip to Provo, Utah, to earn quality minutes against BYU. Still, Colorado State doesn’t see any reason to come out sluggish against Air Force. “It hasn’t been ideal having our games canceled, but that’s been the only thing to negatively effect us,” Walker said. “We’re pretty fortunate to have some state-of-the-art facilities at Colorado State where we can practice indoors when the weather is bad.” Those indoor training sessions will have to have been productive for the Rams to challenge Air Force tomorrow. Back in September, the Zoomies welcomed Colorado State to the Academy and promptly picked them apart – 57-24. The 33-point loss is the only blemish on the Rams’ record. Colorado State fly half Lance Eberhard was forced to leave the pitch within the match’s first five minutes for an injury substitute, and his replacement at No. 10 didn’t last much longer before picking up an injury of his own. Even at full strength, the Rams have a few aspects of their game they will need to improve upon to upset the cadets at Infinity Park. “Physicality and aggression are two of the biggest things,” Walker suggested. “Air Force is guaranteed to be in shape and they’re always going to be physical. They’ve got everything going for them, so at the very least we have to match their physicality.” After postponing two trips to Colorado for conference matches the past couple of weeks, New Mexico hosts the Buffaloes tomorrow. The Lobos are seeking their first conference win of the season, while No. 19 Colorado is at full strength after dealing with an uncommon amount of injuries throughout the fall. Last month, two Team Buckley members proved that blood, sweat and tears are a way of life during an Air Force rugby competition.
2nd Lt. James MacAndrew, 2nd Space Warning Squadron mission crew commander, and Senior Airman Theodore Szarzynski, 233rd Space Group systems administrator, both played for the Air Force Aces rugby team during the Las Vegas Invitational rugby tournament. The Air Force sent two teams to the competition; the Air Force Aces and the Elites. Szarzynski started playing at Eastern Connecticut State University. They day he quit playing soccer the rugby coach approached him and offered him a position on the team. He told him to bring his cleats and get a mouth guard and he could be a part of the team. After learning the sport, he ended up loving it and becoming a talented player. "It's so much different than any other sport," Szarzynski said. "There's so much more to it. You move around so much and you need to be able to cover all aspects of the game at all times. It took years to become even remotely good." MacAndrew played football growing up and has always been into sports. When he was at the U.S. Air Force Academy he was on the football team for two years and the track team for four, which then lead him to rugby. "I'm from Texas, so I was born and bred to play football," MacAndrew said. MacAndrew first tried rugby at the Academy, but considers himself to still be learning the game. "It's a lot of skill and a lot of strategy," he said. "You're constantly learning and constantly running around. You have to know everyone's position and yours and how that affects the game." Both rugby players were opened up to the idea of the Air Force team by coworkers and fellow Team Buckley members. Szarsynski also plays for the Denver Harlequins, a local rugby team. A member of one of his rival teams is a guardsman in Colorado and suggested that he try out for the Air Force team. After making the team, both Airmen felt excited and proud, they said. The Air Force team is made up of roughly 70 members who will participate in games and competitions based on whoever is available. Meeting up in Las Vegas, Nevada, MacAndrew and Szarsynski only had one week with the other players to practice and unite as a team. "Bringing everyone together just for a week is really tough," MacAndrew said. "It's also really neat because everyone can bring different aspects to the game from their experiences." "You have to be very flexible and adapt to the coaches strategy," he added. "It's not easy." MacAndrew and Szarsynski both played on one of the two Air Force teams at the tournament. The Airmen agreed that the tournament went well for both teams. The Aces made it to the quarterfinals and the other Air Force team made it to the semifinals. Combined, the teams finished with a 5-5 record. "From where we started day one, to how we played in the tournament, was night and day," Szarzynski said. "Being able to play competitively against the other teams was very rewarding." There may not be many D1A matchups this weekend involving two teams at or near the top of their conference’s standings, but there are plenty of teams that currently sit in the middle of the pack and need wins to get into a conference championship conversation.
Big Ten Universities Undefeated Michigan hosts Michigan State Friday night. The Wolverines have looked sharp out of the gates and are surely the favorites, but you cannot count out Sparty in a rivalry match. Minnesota has to be feeling good about its 2-0 start, but Saturday’s match against Ohio State should be its toughest test yet. The Buckeyes need a win to get their season back on track, while a Gopher victory will garner the attention of the rest of the Big Ten Universities teams. Rugby East It was relatively known heading into the season that the three newcomers to Rugby East would struggle against the four teams that previously occupied the conference. Up to this point, nothing has happened on the pitch to lead anyone to believe anything different. So, Buffalo and Iona should really be up against it when they play Penn State and Army, respectively. The one match out of the East that could stay close for a full 80 minutes is St. Bonaventure’s visit to Wheeling Jesuit. After playing Army tough, the Bonnies were blown out by Penn State, 81-5. If St. Bonaventure can compete at the level it did against West Point then it could pull off the upset against Jesuit. Kutztown is the type of program that does not like to take a weekend off, and they have shown that by scheduling tough nonconference opponents outside of its Rugby East schedule. This week the Golden Bears have Maryland, one of the better teams out of the Atlantic Coast Rugby League and home to the Cima brothers – AIG Men’s Collegiate All-American Matias and MJAA and BHSAA star Ben. Red River No D1A game has more intrigue this week than Texas versus Oklahoma. Not only does the match represent one of the best rivalries in all of college sports, but the Longhorns and Sooners look to be the top two sides out of the Red River this fall. Check out D1A’s full preview of the Red River Rivalry. Texas Tech gets its first chance to hit someone in an opposing color when Baylor comes to town Saturday. After a solid 15s season last spring, Baylor has been a minor disappointment in the early going this fall. It is not that the Bears’ 0-2 record is something to hang their heads about – both losses came against quality sides in Oklahoma and Texas – but it’s the fashion in which they have dropped those games. Baylor has been outscored 105-25 in its first two Red River matches. Still, this game is anyone’s to win. West Air Force looks to be the class of the West so far, so Colorado will have to up its game in order to give the Zoomies a challenge. Of course, Air Force must have been flying high after an emotional victory over Navy last Friday, so if there is any letdown on their end, the Buffs could capitalize at home. Wyoming was disappointed to settle for a tie last week against the Buffaloes. A win against Colorado State should alleviate that disappointment, and the Cowboys have a good shot on Saturday as the Ram will be without stud flanker Ben Pinkelman who is in Canada representing the Eagles Select XV in Canada at the 2014 Americas Rugby Championship. D1A Independent squad Arizona will field a developmental side to play the West’s New Mexico. Several key players for the Wildcats will be in California competing at the West Coast 7s and a spot in USA Rugby’s 2015 College 7s National Championship. The match could be a tight one, as New Mexico is young and inexperienced, while Arizona will be suiting up a side made up almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores. Mid-South Nobody out of the Mid-South is afraid of a challenge. That is why Davenport is playing former conference foe Arkansas State and Lindenwood is playing Life’s Elite Training Group – a side combining the senior club team and undergrad team. Davenport will no doubt play with a spirited intensity, especially because it is a Friday night homecoming match, but it may not be enough to pull off the upset against the Red Wolves. Arkansas State impressed in a lopsided win over Glendale a few weeks back, plus Davenport will be without All-American prop Angus MacLellan who, like Pinkelman, is playing with the Eagles Selects. Lindenwood has already beat three quality senior club sides, including Glendale, but Life’s Elite Training Group should present them the most problems. The Lions can matchup athletically with any team in the country – college or club – but coaches Tui Osborne and Dan Payne will have their side technically prepared in ways few coaches can. Even with half of the West Conference schedule being played out in the fall, Air Force’s most important match of the semester is the battle of the Shea Cup against Navy, which took place this past Friday. To the thrill of the home crowd at the Terrazzo on the Air Force Academy campus, the Zoomies refused to relinquish the Shea Cup by overtaking a powerful Navy squad, 38-26.
The rivalry between Air Force and Navy is one of the very best in college rugby, and the importance of the annual encounter has only increased since the creation of the Shea Cup. Named after Lt. Col. Kevin Shea, who had ties to both the Air Force and Navy rugby programs and lost his life serving his country in Iraq in 2004, the Shea Cup will remain in Colorado Springs following Air Force’s 12-point win. Loose forwards Garrett Jameson and Greg Search combined for four tries to lead the Air Force attack. The win moves the Zoomies to 3-0 and pushed the first-place team out of the West to No. 7 in D1A’s Top 20. Air Force’s women’s side made it a complete sweet of the Naval Academy on the weekend with a decisive 47-22 win. For the men, Air Force’s next challenge comes way of an afternoon trip to Boulder to face reigning West Champion Colorado Oct. 11. |
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