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Written by Alex Goff
Friday, 24 May 2013 13:35 |
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USA v Canada Head to Head |
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National Teams -
USA Men
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Canada v. USA Head-to-Head. Can this predict the game? RUGBYMag.com looks at each position, plus a few other aspects of the game, and tries to get a handle on who will win this always hotly-contested match.
Take away the dark years of 2006-2008, when Canada were clearly better, this game is usually very close.
Scores from 2003-2005 and 2009-2012 are as follows:
USA 16 Canada 11
USA 35 Canada 20
USA 20 Canada 23
USA 29 Canada 32
USA 26 Canada 30
USA 20 Canada 19
USA 12 Canada 6
USA 18 Canada 41
USA 22 Canada 28
USA 7 Canada 27
USA 25 Canada 28
| USA |
Notes
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Canada |
| 1 |
Shawn Pittman |
Buydens and Marshall are big, strong former football players, and Barkwill is a terrific defender and good in the set piece. Pittman and Fry are improving in tight and very good in the open field, and Fenoglio will be under pressure to perform in set piece. Edge: USA _________
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1 |
Hubert Buydens |
| 2 |
Zach Fenoglio |
2 |
Ray Barkwill |
| 3 |
Eric Fry |
3 |
Jason Marshall |
| 4 |
Brian Doyle |
Beukeboom and Hotson are both powerful, physical second rows. They are not unlike Stanfill in the way they play. The game-changer might well be Doyle, who is the tallest of the locks and could mess up the lineouts. Edge: USA
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| 4 |
Brett Beukeboom |
| 5 |
Louis Stanfill |
5 |
Tyler Hotson |
| 6 |
John Quill |
Quill got kudos from Clever for his ornery play. Dahl knows how to battle, and proved it against Romania last November. Clever is a true international superstar. However, if Tyler Ardron isn't a superstar now, he will be soon. He is huge, and can run and pass like a back. Moonlight is a classic mobile flanker, and Carpenter, despite his short stature, seems to always punish the USA. Even
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6 |
Tyler Ardron |
| 7 |
Peter Dahl |
7 |
John Moonlight |
| 8 |
Todd Clever |
8 |
Aaron Carpenter |
| 9 |
Robbie Shaw |
Sean White and Harry Jones are fit, smart, and skilled. Shaw and L'Estrange are a combination Canada has not seen, and that could help them. Edge: USA
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9 |
Sean White |
| 10 |
Toby L'Estrange |
10 |
Harry Jones |
| 11 |
James Paterson |
These are two very different units. Paris and Hearn run over people, and do it really well. They are strong passers, as well. Paterson likes to get around players, and Hume is a sidestepping freak. It's a study in contrasts. We'll go with the battlers. Edge: Canada
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11 |
Taylor Paris |
| 14 |
Luke Hume |
14 |
Ciaran Hearn |
| 12 |
Andrew Suniula |
This will be a massive battle between two midfields that need to get their teams go-forward. Questions remains whether Suniula and Hall can shore up the defense sufficiently. In 2012 Canada foiled the USA by attacking the channel between 10 and 12. Will L'Estrange and Suniula be able to defend that channel this time? Edge: Canada
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12 |
Patrick Parfrey |
| 13 |
Troy Hall |
13 |
Nick Blevins |
| 15 |
Adam Sidall |
Both guys are more often flyhalves. Siddall is going to be the USA goalkicker, which is partly why he's there. Braid is there because he has good hands and is an aggressive attacker. Siddall, in his first cap, may or may not be as aggressive. Edge: Canada
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15 |
Connor Braid |
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| Bench |
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Bench |
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| 16 |
Tom Coolican |
Strangely, while we seem to rate the Canadian backs over the USA backs, the USA backs bench is stronger than the Canada backs bench. Nanyak Dala is the quintessential impact sub for Canada. Both teams have some young guys on the bench, but the USA has a bit more experience. Edge: USA
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16 |
Ryan Hamilton |
| 17 |
Phil Thiel |
17 |
Andrew Tiedemann |
| 18 |
Nick Wallace |
18 |
Doug Wooldridge |
| 19 |
Graham Harriman |
19 |
Jon Phelan |
| 20 |
Liam Murphy |
20 |
Cam Pierce |
| 21 |
Chris Saint |
21 |
Nanyak Dala |
| 22 |
Seamus Kelly |
22 |
Phil Mack |
| 23 |
Blaine Scully |
23 |
Liam Underwood |
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Scrum |
The USA scrum is getting better, but to say they win this aspect of the game yet is premature. Edge: Canada
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Lineout |
The only question on the Eagles lineout is whether Fenoglio can throw as well as Chris Biller has been throwing. Edge: USA
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Goalkicking |
Neither team has their #1 guy on the squad. Even
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Team Defense |
You have to go with history here. Canada has won too many games against the USA on defensive breakdowns. Edge: Canada
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Team Offense |
The USA is probably the more exciting offensive team. Of course, they have to execute:. Edge: USA
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Intangibles |
Canada playing at home. Edge: Canada
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If you use this scouting report to predict the score, you will come up with a tie.
And it may well be that close. It certainly will come down to one error, or one deficiency. Last year, the difference was closing the defensive gap in the interior backline, and the failure to cover the wing on one clearance kick. That was enough to give Canada a 28-25 victory. What will it be this year?
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Written by Danielle Bessette
Friday, 24 May 2013 13:27 |
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Morris Girls Win NJ |
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School Age -
Girls
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Under Saturday’s threatening skies, the Morris Lady Lions U19 Rugby team defeated nationally-ranked Elizabeth High School Rugby team to win the first ever official New Jersey State Girls Rugby Championship hosted by Rutgers University Rugby. In front of a crowd of over three hundred spectators at the Busch Campus Athletic Complex, the young and fast Morris team was able to focus play on their fast back line and overcome Elizabeth’s powerhouse forward-oriented game.
Elizabeth struck first, four minutes into the game, touching down for 5 points. The next 15 minutes of play were full of nervous energy and small mistakes by both teams; neither team was able to move the ball far from the center of the field. But in the 23rd minute, with help from her centers, Tess Feury scored a try. Feury’s conversion attempt failed, and the game was tied 5-5. Less than 3 minutes later, Morris scored. After missing another difficult conversion, Morris held a 10-5 lead.
The remainder of the game was a classic duel of styles with Morris seeking to get the ball out to the backs, and Elizabeth’s forwards keeping the ball in hand and repeatedly crashing into the smaller Morris pack. By halftime, the score was tied 10-10.
The second half kicked off with both teams feeling the pressure of the tie score. The opening minutes of play were intense and energetic as both teams traded midfield possession several times. In the 12th minute Morris scored a try and successful conversion giving them a 17-10 lead.
Just three minutes later, Elizabeth was in possession of the ball and in control of the midfield. While trying to give their forwards a moment’s rest, they sent the ball out to their backline, where Feury cherry-picked the ball in flight and sprinted 60 meters through open space to score her third try under the posts. Feury made the conversion and Morris went ahead 24-10.
Elizabeth refocused on their forward-oriented game plan. In the 18th minute Elizabeth’s Lenahj Graham punched through the Morris defense for a try, bringing the score to 24-15.
With just minutes to play, the score 29-20, the exhausted Morris forwards did all they could to slow the powerhouse Elizabeth attack. Nadiyah Marrow of Morristown led by example with exemplary goal-line defense while exhorting her team to focus on not allowing any more points. Elizabeth earned two last-minute 5-meter scrums but was unable to get the ball through. The game ended with a final score of 29-20 in favor of Morris. It was a game well played by both sides that produced no injuries and no sanctions for foul play.
It was a tremendous win for a young Morris side that includes five middle school athletes: Sharkey, Nagie, Stumpf, J. Cowan, and Svaasand, and injured player Meghan Martin. Roxbury High School senior and team captain Maura Smith received the player of the game honors for her on-field leadership.
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Written by Danielle Bessette
Friday, 24 May 2013 13:10 |
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Grant Girls Win Oregon at Final Whistle |
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School Age -
Girls
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Grant upset Canby in the final of the Rugby Oregon HS girls championship this past weekend in a thriller.
The game was filled with excitement from start to finish, with Grant sealing the deal in the last minute with a try.
This is the Grant girls’ fifth year as a team, but only their first year competing DI. According to coach Eric Zimmerman, it was the older, more experienced girls who have been playing in the local All-Star program that stepped it up this season, bringing an intensity and knowledge to the game that inspired and educated the younger girls on the team.
The key player this game was standout senior Emily Richardson. She converted every try, even from tough angles, and was clutch in her final game. Teammates and co-captains Courtney Kawamoto and Ana Kalamasoni were also essential to the victory, leading the team throughout the match.
Canby was a tough opponent; they were disciplined, committing very few penalties, but could not hold out Grant at the last.
“I attribute the success of this season to a great group of girls who are always working together and encouraging each other,” said Zimmerman.
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Written by Danielle Bessette
Friday, 24 May 2013 13:11 |
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Union County Downs Charlotte for NC Boys Title |
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School Age -
Boys
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The 9th-ranked Union County Lions downed the #10 Charlotte Tigers 22-17 in a tight North Carolina state High School Boys Championship game this past weekend at the UNCG Stadium.
This was a first-time win for Union against a team that has two state titles.
The Tigers burst onto the field, playing strong with their sights set and taking an early 14-point lead. But by halftime, the Lions refocused and scored twice to close to 14-10.
The game remained tight for the remainder of the game. With the Tigers up two points over Union and two minutes to go, the Union County ran multiple phases inside the Charlotte 22, and finally punched it in against a strong Tigers defense. Final score 22-17.
The Lions close out the season with a 14-2 record and a State Championship despite losing three of their fastest players in the weeks closing on the championship.
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Written by Karen Fong
Friday, 24 May 2013 12:01 |
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College Apps: How Coaches Can Help Players Get Into College, Part II - P |
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RUGBYmag Premier -
Premier Content
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Last month I began a series of articles highlighting ways youth rugby coaches can help their players prepare for college. The first six items addressed included:
1. Set perspective – Emphasize “student first, athlete second”
2. Set team minimum grade requirement, 2.0 or better (3.0 preferable)
3. Talk about college
4. Require that players complete a four-year high school course plan
5. Take your team on college visits
6. Team community service In this month’s article, I will finish this series of ways a youth coach can help players get to college. 7. Teach Communication & Organization Skills There is nothing that can kill a student’s chances of acceptance or recruitment faster than having poor communication and/or organization skills. It is common for students to send e-mails riddled with misspellings or too casual in tone to an admissions officer or coach . Prevent these errors with small steps like asking players to e-mail or text you using proper grammar. New York Rugby Club’s U19 program headed by Molly Dengler holds various workshops for her players related to college planning. I particularly enjoyed one workshop I attended where players were asked to write the same message (asking someone for help) to three different people: a friend, an adult they knew, an adult they did not know. This is a great example of how one rugby team taught its players how to differentiate between communication styles ranging from casual to formal. In terms of organization skills, I always encourage coaches to require their players to use a planner, which should include all practice and game times, along with homework deadlines and other personal items. At the college level, no one will be looking over their shoulders to make sure homework is completed or that they arrive to training on time. Occasionally, ask to see their planners and reiterate the value of time management and prioritizing. It is best to begin building these habits now. 8. Sports Resume-Building Many programs (especially varsity or fully funded programs) now ask prospective players to fill out a questionnaire. Start having players build a sports resume as early as their freshman year and ask them to update it annually. This will make things much easier for them when they decide to begin contacting coaches later on. Many college teams may ask for things like a Beep Test Score, a 40-meter sprint time or a max bench or squat. To make it easier for their players, a coach may set up a time during one practice to get these statistics for their resume. 9. Require players to sign up for a SAT or ACT their junior year The majority of colleges and universities require a student to take either an SAT Reasoning Test or an ACT (with Writing) in order to be eligible to apply. Many students who don’t hear about college at home or school may not realize they have to take these tests and wind up removing themselves from the college game at no fault of their own. I encourage you to remind your junior players to make sure they take at least one of the tests during their junior year. Please see my previous articles on standardized testing for more info. These test companies offer fee waivers for students who cannot afford to take these tests. More info at the links below:
SAT Registration - http://www.collegeboard.org/
http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-fee-waivers
ACT Registration - http://www.actstudent.org/
http://www.actstudent.org/faq/feewaiver.html
Good luck and always go forward!
I know College Admissions. I know Rugby. I’d like to get to know You. Call today for a consultation and let me help you get into your top choice college.
Karen Fong Donoghue,
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, 310-497-0619 cell
www.facebook.com/TheCollegeTry
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