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 The Denver Barbarians picked up their first win of the season as they beat previously undefeated Belmont Shore 13-6 in a shortened match. About halfway into the match Belmont Shore hooker Michael Sweet went down with a head injury. He was taken to the local hospital that revealed a concussion. However, he should be fine to play in the coming weeks once he has recovered. The delay for the injury was enough to suspend the match and according to league by-laws the result will stand.
Before the injury it was a kicking showdown between Belmont’s Andy Jackson and Denver’s Max De Achaval. Jackson was the first to get on the board just after the 20th minute mark with his first penalty. Denver would be quick to respond with Marcus Taylor scoring the match’s only try. With De Achaval’s conversion Denver led 7-3. Two more penalties from De Achaval would make it 13-3 before Jackson added his second of the match. Next week Denver will return to Colorado to face Olympic Club while Belmont will also make the trip to the Rockies to face Glendale. 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
On a sweltering Southern California day, the Santa Monica Dolphins hosted the Denver Barbarians in Round 3 of the Pacific Rugby Premiership. The hosts were coming off a solid win over Olympic Club while the guests were surely looking to recover from a loss to SFGG that literally slipped through their hands. On this day, the Dolphins would come away with a surprisingly resounding 45-13 victory.
Despite the result, the day started in ominous fashion as, before the opening whistle, Dolphins starting flyhalf Harry Bennett went down to injury. Already extremely depleted in the backline, Santa Monica turned to veteran Loa Milford as an emergency fill-in. Said Santa Monica Head Coach Greg Commins, “It’s just one of those weeks where we knew we were up against it in the backs due to injury. We had our starting line-up intact but could ill-afford to have anybody go down. When Harry got injured, I was literally looking around to see how we could replace him as I didn’t have a projected reserve at center. Thankfully, Loa showed up to the pitch ready to answer the call. I can’t say enough what he has meant to this club over the past five years…with his professionalism, skill, and versatility. We are truly blessed to have a former international who can sub-in at a moment’s notice.” The ever humble but jocular Milford responded, “I brought my boots just in case something happened. Harry went down about 15 minutes before kick-off. I got the call. It’s nothing new to me. I actually had 5 more minutes than I normally need to get warmed-up.” Things got even more tense for the Dolphins after the kick-off as, at the 2 minute mark, Ken Aseme was penalized for hands-in the ruck inside the defensive 22. Barbos fullback Maximo De Achaval easily slotted the penalty to give the visitors an early 0-3 lead. On the ensuing kick-off, Denver were penalized at the breakdown for leaving their feet, thus giving Santa Monica an attacking line-out inside the attacking zone. The Dolphins drove down to the try line but the Denver defense was stout – holding the hosts at bay and ultimately getting a scrum via a knock-on. A somewhat strange coupling of events followed as, on successive passages of play, Santa Monica were penalized, Denver failed to find touch, Santa Monica scrumhalf Charlie Purdon returned the kick, Denver deflected the ball, and Santa Monica were rewarded with a lineout deep in the attacking zone. Though failing to score on the first attempt and then getting held-up in goal on the second one, the Dolphins finally cracked the Barbos line on the third try. From a scrum on the 5-meter line near the left sideline, 8-man Ken Aseme picked up from the base and ran toward the posts, he offloaded to a crashing Milford, who then found scrumhalf Purdon looping around for a sneaky try near the posts. Lesgrougues easily hit the extras. 7-3 Santa Monica. Denver immediately responded on the kick-off, pinning the Dolphins inside their own 22 and then getting a scrum on the attacking 5-meter. Not to be outdone, Santa Monica displayed some strong goal line defense of their own and eventually turned Denver over in the tackle and then cleared their line. After a few sequences of interplay where the ball changed possession between the 22s, Denver threw a forward pass at midfield. From the scrum, Aseme popped to Purdon moving toward the right side, Purdon chipped over the first line of defense and a hard-charging fullback Alistair Ross collected the bounce and fed flanker Philip Osbourne who touched down near the 15 meter hash. Lesgourgues failed to convert. 12-3 Santa Monica. Good fortune favored the green and black on the next kick-off. The forwards set up a platform near the 10 meter line for Lesgourgues to kick deep but the flyhalf’s attempt was charged down by Denver’s lock. The ball took a fortuitous bounce, landing right into the arms of center Milford, who was already advancing on the kick. Already past the first line of defense, the former Samoa international drew the opposing center, offloaded to Ross, who drew his opposing fullback and offloaded to winger Mitch Raisch. Raisch took it the final 10 meters and scored in virtually the same spot as Osbourne. Again, Lesgourgues missed the conversion. 17-3 Santa Monica. Denver answered back at the 39 minute mark with a kick-for-points from 30 meters out and in front of the posts. Santa Monica spent a long period of time on defense and, though they defended well, ultimately conceded a penalty for not rolling away in the tackle. 17-6 Santa Monica at the half. The second half started with promise as, from the kick, Purdon cleared his 22 and found touch near midfield. Denver missed their lineout and Santa Monica hooker Philip Lydeard toed the ball through. He gave chase but ultimately knocked on at the 5-meter on an attempted pick-up. On the following scrum, the Dolphins secured a tighthead on an outstanding drive from Lydeard and props Chris Baumann and Rob Cleere. 8-man Aseme kept the drive going before picking up from 2 meters out and diving over for the score. Fullback Ross substituted in for Lesgourgues as kicker and handled the extras. 24-6 Santa Monica. The Dolphins scored again after a helter-skelter 3 minute passage of play that saw the ball change possession multiple times. On the telling interchange, from open play Barbos flyhalf Ata Malifa put his hooker through a gap in the midfield. The ball then got out to wing Elliott White-Herzog, who was streaking down the right sideline. Fullback Ross boxed White-Herzog in against the sideline, forcing him to pass back inside to the replacement scrumhalf. Santa Monica lock Zac Winter did an outstanding job of holding the ball up in the tackle and forced a turnover. Aseme picked up from the base of the ruck and popped to Lydeard, who found a crease near the fringe. Malifa chased down the tackle, but not before Lydeard offloaded to lock James Lowrey. The “other” former Samoa international broke a tackle, steamed down the left sideline, and offloaded back inside to Aseme. From the ensuing tackle and ruck, Purdon sniped across the field and found flanker Pat Roberts in the centers. Roberts straight-armed his tackler and offloaded back inside to Purdon, who ran in under the posts. Ross was true again with the conversion. 31-6 Santa Monica. At the 60 minute mark, Commins made wholesale substitutions. Scrumhalf Danny Carpio replaced Lesgourgues and pushed Purdon out to the pivot. Prop Epi Kalemani came on for hooker Philip Lydeard and pushed Baumann into the middle of the front row. Flanker Jabari Zuberi replaced Philip Osbourne. From the restart, Purdon kicked deep and into touch on the Barbos’ side of the field. Denver again failed to connect on the lineout and after a series of fits and restarts, Lowrey crashed over from a driving maul with Kalemani and Roberts in tow. Ross for two more; 38-6 Santa Monica. “I was glad to see James rewarded for all his hardwork on the day,” said Commins. “His deck-work was simply exemplary and he just kept pushing the boys forward. He and Ken…really, the entire pack…showed up today. We certainly needed and got it from them. Also, that try doesn’t happen if we don’t win the tighthead on the previous scrum. Great job by Epi to come on and immediately make his presence felt.” Denver would score their only try of the day on the following kick-off. Santa Monica failed to cleanly field the kick and then were penalized for being offside. Denver went from the lineout and crashed the ball at the midfield. The Dolphins’ defense was slow to cover the fringe and allowed the Barbos scrumhalf to slide around the ruck and touch down. De Achaval hit the extras. 38-13 Santa Monica. The Dolphins seemed to have closed out the scoring against the run of play. From the kick-off, Denver hit the ball up in the midfield through several phases. De Achaval found a crease on the right side, hit the gap and offloaded to his replacement center, who then attempted to connect with White-Herzog; however, a sneaky Charlie Purdon slid into the passing lane, intercepted the ball, and easily ran it in from 50 meters out. Unfortunately for the 9-would-be-10, he apparently didn’t cleanly field the intercept and was called for a knock-on. The final try did eventually come on a classic Ali Ross maneuver. From a Santa Monica scrum at midfield, Roberts (now playing 8-man), popped to scrumhalf Carpio, who connected with Ross along the right sideline. The fullback posted his defender up, broke the tackle, tightrope walked the touch line, and put in a perfectly placed grubber to winger Raisch. Raisch did the rest as he sprinted in under the posts. Center Shawn Lee got in on the scoring by converting the try. 45-13 Santa Monica. Commented Coach Commins: “Coming out of last week’s match, where we got to see Denver play SFGG, we knew we had a tall task in front of us. We knew they had size advantage over us and that we had to play a quick game. We did that successfully, had some breaks go our way early-on, and kept pressing forward. The score line flatters us a bit too much in that Denver were a few hops and passes away from it being a drastically different game. We have a lot to work on but I’m proud of the effort that everyone put in today. I give a huge amount of credit to Loa and Charlie for picking up the slack where Harry’s injury was concerned. I honestly don’t know where we would’ve been had it not been for Loa. Also to the locks – Zac and James – for their tireless workrate. “We still have a lot of work to do, a lot of growing, but every step forward is a step in the right direction.”
Article by Dominic Riebli | Originally published at santamonicarugby.com
Originally published at pacificrugbypremiership.com The Denver Barbarians got their season underway in San Francisco after having a bye in the first week of the season and they nearly started it by knocking off the defending champions. However, a strong team effort from SFGG, particularly in the second half, saw them emerge with a narrow 22-20 come from behind victory.
In a match that featured both teams slugging it out in wet conditions it took awhile for someone to score but it was Denver that was rewarded first when wing Elliott Dillon-Herzog scored just before the 20 minute mark. Fullback Max De Achaval would make the conversion and the Barbarians would led 7-0. Less than 10 minutes later SFGG were able to tie the score as flanker Opeti Okusi crossed over and Volney Rouse converted. Still, it was the Barbarians that would be on the front foot in the half with De Achaval notching a penalty with nine minutes remaining in the half and then at the stroke of halftime to give the Barbarians a 13-7 advantage at the break. The second half saw SFGG regroup and seven minutes in Seamus Kelly would score on his starting debut for the club. Rouse would miss the conversion but would pick a penalty to give SFGG their first lead of the match. Dillon-Herzog would add his second try of the day and De Achaval his third conversion to restore the lead to Denver at 20-15 but a try from Bubba Jones with less than ten minutes remaining and the conversion by Rouse would seal the win for Golden Gate. As SFGG head coach Mark Giacheri noted after the match he was happy with the result but not the way his team played. Despite the loss Denver have to be happy with the effort they put out on the pitch, especially in difficult conditions on the road in their first match of the season. Up next for SFGG is a rematch of last year’s final as Glendale visit Treasure Island. Denver will head to L.A. to face Santa Monica. |
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