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." Come meet Angus Peacock, the new head coach of the Denver Harlequins Rugby Football Club. Current players and old boys alike are welcome. Let's welcome Coach Peacock into the Harlequin family.
Thursday, March 12th, 7-9pm The Irish Rover Pub 54 S. Broadway Denver, CO 80209 http://www.theirishroverpub.com/ (Parking available on street, behind Goodwill, or in the Security Service parking lot) RSVP for this Event on Facebook To the Member Clubs & Teams:
Many of you are aware of the facts relating to the fall season competition in DIII and the confusion surrounding the forfeiture of games under league rules. The facts of the case are as follows: · Glendale forfeited two matches under the direction of their due to the mistaken belief that his players did not want to compete for post-season competition · Glendale forfeited to Queen City and the Denver Harlequins, but not to Northside or Northern Colorado · RMR policies stipulate that two forfeits in a season result in a team’s scores reading as 20-0 forfeits for the remainder of the season · RMR policies were emailed prior to 2013-2014 season but not emailed prior to 2014-2015 season and were not online before both forfeits occurred · Had Glendale forfeited to all 4 teams, it would be in 5th place and Northern Colorado would be in 2nd; Currently, Glendale is in 4th and Northern Colorado is in 3rd Further: · The original D3 schedule consisted of 7 teams, with the Fall season being a play-in to a 4-team round-robin the Spring to qualify for the Frontier Conference playoffs Two teams (Colorado Rush, Littleton Eagles) have effectively dropped out of the league Equitably: · With only 5 teams remaining, no one wishes to leave a club behind for the Spring · With only 5 teams remaining, there is no point in seeing the Fall as a the qualifier for the Spring · Teams want the Fall results to count, but also want to honor elements of the original format · Teams want the Glendale mistake to be accounted for but don’t necessarily want Glendale out of the competition The Rocky Mountain Rugby Union, in weighing the facts of the case, has reached a decision regarding the Men’s Club Division III competition. We propose the following solution: · A hybrid schedule will be enforced, combining the original plan with the practical realities of our existing competition · Glendale’s Fall results will be marked as 20-0 forfeits in accordance with RMR rules · A Rocky Mountain D3 Championship will be held on May 2 · Qualifiers for this championship will be the Spring champion, which recognizes the original value assigned to the Spring season and the other participating team will be the overall champion, which recognizes the flexibility needed for our now-5-team league · If the Spring champion and the overall season champion are the same club, the second-place team from the overall season will participate as the other team in the game. Of course, the Champion will already be determined and will receive the National Playoff bid. (If the Spring Champion and the overall season champion is not the same club, the National Playoff bid will be on the line.) Nevertheless, RMR will present a trophy for that game to be given to the winner. RMR will also award trophies for the D2 season and championship game winners. · Note: Glendale will be eligible for the Rocky Mountain D3 championship if it wins the Spring season The adjusted Division III Fall/overall standings will then be as follows: 1. Queen City, 5-0, 25 PTS 2. Northern Colorado, 4-1, 21 PTS 3. Harlequins, 3-2, 17 PTS 4. Northside, 2-3, 12 PTS 5. Glendale, 1-4, -4 PTS The RMR Executive Committee believes this is the fairest solution to declare a champion—one determined on the field of play with due deference to the rules of the competition. Please let me know if you have any questions. Kind Regards, Rich Cortez Note: The original draft of this letter stated Glendale's record would be 0-5 with -5 PTS. That was an error that did not reflect the Rush's departure from the competition and Glendale's forfeit victory over that side. Press Release Angus Peacock is the founder of Black Dragon Rugby, for the cultivation of rugby athletes in the USA, and head coach of the Denver Harlequins in Colorado. Coach Peacock started a playing journey at the age of 7 in England, which included 15s and 7s for club, country, province, and military representation - both domestically and overseas.
Playing was followed by a coaching career that started in Shanghai as the Director of Rugby for Shanghai RFC 15s, 10s, and 7s men's senior teams, as well as some women's and youth rugby. Coach Peacock is joined by: Mark Price, assistant coach Dave Lausa, backs coach Mark Perle, forwards coach Jim Kunsman, assistant coach
The Denver Harlequins turned in their first 4-try performance of the season in dispatching Boulder Rugby at Denver's Cook Park. Up 22-0 just 22 minutes into the match, the Harlequins were led by the boot of outside center Thomas Oliver, who scored 18 of the Quins 33 points - including an 8th-minute try. Boulder, who came out relatively flat, was able to 12 points in the final 15 minutes to narrow the margin of defeat to 33-17. The victory propels the Harlequins into third place in the Rocky Mountain Division 2 competition, though that position is also a result of having played 6 matches thus far in the season. In a tight race to make the 2015 Rocky Mountain Championship weekend, all teams are still within striking distance of the top 4, with no team that's played 6 matches not having at least 13 league points. For Boulder, the loss sees the club on the outside just looking in, as the team currently sits in 5th. Elsewhere in the Rockies, the Queen City Rams finished their Fall campaign unblemished, defeating the Denver Harlequins' reserve side by a score of 39-10. Despite picking up a yellow card, Flyhalf Scott Trench led the Rams with 17 points, turning in yet another excellent performance. In picking up the win, Queen City now has 8 league points between them and the second-place Harlequins, and puts itself in good position to once again reach the USA Rugby National Round of 32 in May. The Glendale Raptors' third side was also in action, pacing past the Northern Colorado (NoCo) Flamingos, 27-7. It is unlikely that Glendale will reach the Division 3 playoffs after forfeiting their first two matches (for wanting to play more than 23 players), but the win does do damage to the Flamingos' odds of making the postseason. NoCo will need to turn in a strong Spring performance and hope for a hiccup or two from Queen City. In other D3 news, the Northside Marauders picked up a 20-0 forfeit over the Colorado Rush. Men's Division 2 Standings | October 26, 2014 Men's Division 3 Standings | October 26, 2014
The red-hot start to the Colorado Springs Grizzlies’ season finally cooled to a simmer, as the Denver Harlequins traveled downstate and emerged victorious, 15-12. An early, 3rd-minute try from slippery Springs scrumhalf Travis Carrasquillo was not enough to rattle the Harlequins’ resolve, as they responded in form with tries from 8-man Sosefa Vitapa and fullback Kregg Hyer in the 14th and 33rd minutes (respectively). Taking a 12-7 lead into halftime, the Peter Borlase-coached Quins knew they needed to maintain pressure to pick up a much-needed win. A penalty kick (PK) by Thomas Oliver in the 47th minute extended the Denver lead to 15-7, but a bursting try from Grizzly wing Nicholas Rosales brought the Springs within 3 points with 15 minutes to play. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the Harlequins’ defense held firm, and the low-scoring affair reflected both sides’ standing as the top two defenses in the league. Elsewhere in the Rockies, the Gentlemen of Aspen moved into the win column during their third match of the season, with a 38-36 barnburning victory over the Denver Highlanders. The Aspen back-three accounted for 33 of 38 points on the day, and flyhalf Daryl Furlong was sensational in directing his club around the pitch. Despite a 6-try effort from the gutsy Highlanders, the boot of Aspen wing Cyle Bilger appeared to be the difference, as the Gentlemen converted all five of their tries, with Bilger picking up a PK as well. Wiehan Pretorius and Garrett Lincoln also bagged a pair of tries each. The Provo Steelers made their first trip across the mountains this year, falling to the Glendale Raptors’ D2 squad, 52-17. Traveling light, the Steelers displayed much heart in pushing the Raptors around the pitch, particularly dominating in the scrum, but they were unable to overcome the incredible pace and skill of Glendale’s outer backs. For Provo, center combination Misi Tukia (2) and Etu Lavulavu accounted for all three of the Steeler tries, while Glendale’s sensational backline grouping of Rohan Fenton (3 tries), Kleslie Alovili (1 try), Kyle Harris (1 try), and Nathan Fa'amatuainu (1 try, 6 conversions) helped the Raptors put in their first complete performance of the season. In Division 3 action, the Glendale third side raced past the Northside Marauders, a second-year club from the northern Denver suburbs, by a score of 88-0. The Glendale D3 squad had previously forfeited two matches for playing too many players, so the result gets the Raptors back into the hunt for the Rocky Mountain GU’s only D3 playoff spot. Next week will see a massive Division 3 clash between the Denver Harlequins D3 team and the Queen City Rams, as well as an opportunity for Glendale D3 to keep its momentum going against a physical Northern Colorado Flamingos squad. In the final Division 2 match of the Fall, Boulder Rugby will also travel down to Denver for their second encounter of the season with the Denver Harlequins. Boulder won the previous encounter this season, 15-11, and this match will give one club or the other a distinct advantage in securing a spot in the 2015 Rocky Mountain Championship weekend. Held May 2-3, the 2015 Rocky Mountain Championship will involve the top two teams from Division 2 competing for the #1 seed in the Frontier Conference playoffs. The loser of that match will be forced to play the winner of the #3 vs. #4 match (also May 2), on Sunday, May 3, for the right to the #2 seed in the Frontier Conference playoffs. To be held May 16-17, the Frontier Conference playoffs are the de facto USA Rugby Round of 32 and Round of 16 events, with the champion of the event heading into the USA Rugby National Quarter-Finals on May 30. Division 2 Results | October 18, 2014 Colorado Springs Grizzlies 12-15 Denver Harlequins Gentlemen of Aspen 38-36 Denver Highlanders Glendale Raptors D2 52-17 Provo Steelers Division 3 Results | October 18, 2014 Colorado Rush 0(F)-20 Denver Harlequins D3 Glendale Raptors D3 88-0 Northside Marauders Men's Division 2 Standings | October 19, 2014 Men's Division 3 Standings | October 19, 2014 The Rocky Mountain Rugby Union is a geographic union within USA Rugby that encompasses one of the nation's most historic rugby-playing areas. Rocky Mountain member clubs have captured 21 national championships, including 11 at the Men's Senior Club Elite / Division 1 level. Overall, Rocky Mountain teams have appeared in 42 national championship finals since 1979, when USA Rugby first began conducting national championships. The union currently consists of 17 senior men's teams, 4 senior women's teams, 17 collegiate men's teams, and 11 collegiate women's teams.
|
Tocabe - An American Indian Eatery
USA Women's 7s TournamentRocky Mtn. ChallengeDenver 7s TournamentNews by League
Men's Club Division 2 Men's Club Division 3 Men's Club Division 4 Men's College Division 1A Men's College Division 2 Men's Small College Men's/Women's Club 7s Men's/Women's College 7s Pacific Rugby Premiership PRO Rugby North America Women's Club Division 1 Women's Club Division 2 Women's College Division 1 Women's College Division 2 Women's Premier League Other News & Notes
Men's Club All-Stars Men's College All-Stars Men's U20 Program Denver Elite City 7s All-Stars Regional Events RMR Admin News & Notes RMR Hall of Fame USA Rugby Education Clinics USA Rugby National Teams Women's Club All-Stars Women's College All-Stars Social Media News
|