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. Mike Tolkin’s Eagles will prepare for a three-match tour to South America, the Pacific Nations Cup, and the upcoming Rugby World Cup in England and its buildup matches with a spring camp in Sunrise, Fla., Feb. 26 to March 1.
Thirty-three domestic-based athletes, including Todd Clever (unaffiliated) and Mike Petri of New York Athletic Club, as well as two international-based, capped Eagles in Ronnie McLean and John Quill, have been called to assemble at long-time Eagle training venue KICS Facility. John Cullen, Tim Stanfill, Ben Tarr, and Matt Trouville will head to Florida having gained their first test caps last fall in matches against Fiji, New Zealand, Romania, and Tonga. The Eagles’ tour was highlighted by the sold-out crowd of 61,500 at Soldier Fieldin Chicago for the Eagles’ match against the All Blacks. Tolkin and staff, including Assistant Coach Justin Fitzpatrick, held a forwards camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., earlier in February with 20 pool players, which gave the staff time to work with players in specific set piece scenarios. An Eagles Select XV squad will be chosen from this weekend’s camp to play three A-side matches against Uruguay and Argentina Jaguars in South America in April and May. “After a long time apart, our Spring Camp always serves as an opportunity to get the Eagle pool players back on page with how we operate, and it also serves to introduce any new tactics that we’re looking to implement for the upcoming international season,” Tolkin said. “Moreover, it provides a venue for some talented new and younger players to be seen and evaluated for the first time at this level.” Boys High School All-American and AIG Men’s Junior All-American Ben Cima, currently enrolled and playing rugby at University of Maryland, earns his second call to an Eagles camp, with his first coming prior to the Eagles Select XV’s Americas Rugby Championship campaign last October. Eagles November squad member Angus MacLellan and Kutztown University’s Niku Kruger and Mike Lawrenson – the latter now attending Palmer College – also represent the college ranks in the Spring Camp roster. Alec Gletzer of University of California and Kyle Sumsion of Brigham Young University were unavailable for selection. “It is an exciting time as our pool continues to grow in numbers and talent, and both of these factors present our staff with greater opportunity as well as greater challenges,” Tolkin said. While Tolkin welcomes back Toby L’Estrange from an injury sustained in early 2014, the Eagles will be without Adam Siddall, who has retired from international rugby. The fly half started seven of his eight international tests with the Eagles, including his debut against Canada in Edmonton May 25, 2013. His 52 points from eight conversions and 12 penalty goals helped the Eagles to three wins, including a latevictory against Georgia Nov. 16, 2013. Life University graduate and current club standout AJ MacGinty will get his first taste of an Eagles assembly in Florida. The American Rugby Premiership’s leading scorer with 75 points is now eligible to represent the United States at the test level. Danny Barrett, who missed out on the majority of the match against the All Blacks due to an injury sustained in the first few minutes, is one of five Men’s Eagles Sevens representatives at the Spring Camp. Folau Niua of 12 caps and Andrew Durutalo and Zack Test, called upon for the ARC, will travel to Sunrise with Barrett and Maka Unufe. The sevens team is coming off of its first Cup Semifinal of a World Rugby HSBC Sevens World Series leg since 2010 at USA Sevens Valentine’s Day weekend. “The Spring Camp takes on further significance as we look towards selecting players for the development tour to South America in April,” Tolkin said. “The camp is also the starting point for building the Rugby World Cup squad later this summer. There’s quite a lot of competition for spots among the domestic players alone, so the way players go about their business on and off the field, no matter their longevity with the Eagles, will be incredibly important in how they are evaluated by the staff. “I’d like to personally thank the clubs and universities for the use of their players, some during the competitive season, and I would like to thank the Men’s Eagles Sevens program for their cooperation and participation in our camp.” KICS Facility, adjacent to Sawgrass Grand Hotel, affords the players and staff the unique opportunity to walk directly from the hotel to the training field, maximizing the on-field time over the course of the weekend as well as minimizing ground transportation costs. Fort Lauderdale Rugby Club will also support the Eagles with equipment and operational needs during camp. The Eagles Select XV’s matches in South America begin in Montevideo against Uruguay Thursday, April 23, before two against Argentina Jaguars Tuesday, April 28, and Saturday, May 2, in Buenos Aires and Mendoza, respectively. Men's Eagles Spring Camp PLAYER | CLUB/SCHOOL Danny Barrett | Men's Eagles Sevens Chris Baumann | Santa Monica Dolphins / New York Athletic Ben Cima | University of Maryland Todd Clever | Unaffiliated John Cullen | Seattle Saracens Andrew Durutalo | Men's Eagles Sevens Zach Fenoglio | Glendale Raptors Lemoto Filikitonga | Metropolis Rugby Troy Hall | New York Athletic Seamus Kelly | San Francisco Golden Gate / New York Athletic Olive Kilifi | Seattle Saracens Niku Kruger | Kutztown University Ben Landry | Seattle Saracens / Milwaukee Barbarians Mike Lawrenson | Palmer Dragons Toby L'Estrange | New York Athletic Club Chad London | Glendale Raptors Angus MacLellan | Davenport University Al McFarland | New York Athletic AJ MacGinty | Life Running Eagles Ronnie McLean | Ealing Trailfinders Folau Niua | Men's Eagles Sevens Brodie Orth | Glendale Raptors / Boston Rugby Mike Petri | New York Athletic Ben Pinkelman | Denver Barbarians / Colorado State University John Quill | Dolphin Rugby (Ireland) Jope Ravolaca | Seattle Saracens Mike Shepherd | Seattle Saracens Tim Stanfill | Seattle Saracens Shalom Suniula | Seattle Saracens Ben Tarr | Glendale Raptors Zack Test | Men's Eagles Sevens Phil Thiel | Life Rugby Matt Trouville | Seattle Saracens Maka Unufe | Men's Eagles Sevens Nick Wallace | Glendale Raptors Unavailable for selection Alec Gletzer - University of California Kyle Sumsion - Brigham Young University Injured Louis Stanfill - Seattle Saracens Rugby Football Club Men's Eagles Coach Staff | Spring Camp Mike Tolkin - Head Coach Justin Fitzpatrick - Assistant Coach, Forwards Nate Osborne - Assistant Coach, Backs/Attack Phil Bailey - Assistant Coach, Defense Neil McMillan - Strength & Conditioning Coach Chris O'Brien - Assistant Coach/Video Analyst Richard Quincy - Physiotherapist Zach Vyhnanek - Physiotherapist Marc Kowalsky - Doctor Sean Lindersmith - Assistant Manager Tristan Lewis - Team Manager Men's Pacific Rugby Premiership
San Francisco Golden Gate 27-31 Glendale Raptors Santa Monica Dolphins 45-13 Denver Barbarians Men's Club vs. Men's Collegiate Colorado State University 22-19 Boulder Rugby Denver Barbarians D2 40-19 University of Colorado Red Rocks College 16-75 Queen City Rams Men's Collegiate University of Denver 28-5 University of Colorado B Boys' High School Aurora Saracens 30-5 Boulder Rugby Ridgeview Rugby 15-20 Titans Rugby Arizona was deemed the favorite in its top 15 showdown against Colorado State for no reason bigger than the fact the Wildcats were playing at home. It turns out the road team had plans of its own, as the Rams withstood a comeback from the hosts to upset Arizona, 29-21.
Displaying fluid attacking phases, Colorado State jumped out to an early lead on the strength of tries from scrum half Carmine Hernandez and full back Liam Wynne, and eventually went to intermission leading the No. 9 team in D1A Rugby, 19-13. Arizona looked to be the more determined side opening the second half, quickly taking its first lead at 21-19 after a try and penalty goal. However, the Rams never deterred from their gameplan, and fly half Luke Engelhaupt put his team back in front with a successful penalty kick with just eight minutes remaining in the match. Colorado State would go on to score a late try, putting an end to any hopes of a second comeback from Arizona, giving the Rams their biggest win of the season. Squandering a lead on the road to a team ranked ahead of you is a tough pill to swallow, and a situation that might have seen Colorado State board its bus to head back to Fort Collins with a loss in the past. The resilient effort in the desert shows that this year’s Rams team might just be different from teams of years past. “They are sick of being the underdogs, to be honest,” Assistant Coach Ryan Walker said of his team’s refusal to give up. “We are aware of our capabilities and have moved up in the ranks over the years, but when push comes to shove we’ve lost some of the big games. So, we’ve been emphasizing the importance of this game ever since we scheduled it.” Ben Pinkelman, an AIG Men’s Collegiate All-American from a year ago and a player the Eagles coaching staff has high praise for, was once again all over the pitch for the victorious Rams. “He’s definitely a lead-by-example type of payer,” said Walker of his star flanker. “His knowledge of the game is pretty comprehensive, so it doesn’t matter if we’re on defense, attacking, in a lineout or a scrum; he leads from the front and shows the guys what needs to be done.” Even though no play was bigger than Engelhaupt’s three-point boot with less than 10 minutes to play, and Pinkelman was Pinkelman-like, it was prop Jackson Brockway who was awarded Man-of-the-Match recognition from his team. “He was one of the smallest forwards on the field, but when he hits you it feels like a freight train has hit you, and he was leveling guys all day,” Walker mentioned of his front rower’s afternoon.Next up, the Rams host nearby men’s senior side Boulder RFC, where they will continue to iron out wrinkles before picking up the second half of the West Conference season Feb. 21 against New Mexcio. In a top 15 matchup, No. 14 Colorado State will head to Tucson to take on No. 9 Arizona Saturday, Feb. 5. The early-season showdown is important for both schools that have their sights set on the 2015 D1A Rugby Playoffs.
For Arizona, January saw Jekyll-and Hyde-like performances in its two matches. The Wildcats opened 2015 with a stellar 55-5 victory over Santa Clara, but followed up that showing by dropping an egg against a terrific Cal team – 76-0 in favor of the Bears. Saturday’s contest will be the first of two consecutive challenges from the West Conference for Arizona. Next week, Head Coach Sean Duffy’s team heads to Las Vegas to fend off Wyoming as part of the Las Vegas Invitational. The Rams from Fort Collins will not stack up the way Cal does, but are sure to provide heavier resistance than the Broncos were able to offer a few weeks back. Aside from a 60-minute friendly against nearby School of Mines, this will be Colorado State’s first match of 2015 following a successful fall. The Rams went 3-1 over the first portion of its West Conference schedule, with its lone defeat coming against No. 6 Air Force. While the 3-1 record was a nice start, the team was able to climb D1A’s rankings based on the convincing fashion of its league wins – blowouts over Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming by an average of 36 points. Still, Colorado State is lacking a marquee win to its name, and a defeat of Arizona would go a long way to securing its playoff spot for the spring. If the Wildcats can defend their home turf at William David Sitton Field, then the Rams might be feeling a bit of pressure to upset Air Force when the two Rocky Mountain sides meet for a second time this season March 7. One position to keep an eye on this Saturday will be openside flanker. AIG Men’s Collegiate All-American Ben Pinkelman will be wearing No. 7 and captaining Colorado State, while vice-captain Matt Tomasetti will be his opposite and bring a similar skill set to the table as Pinkelman. The last time Pinkelman was on the pitch he was representing USA as a member of the Eagles Select XV at the American Rugby Championship in October. |
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