The Men’s clubs in DIII East Pool 1 aren’t overanalyzing the competition in preparation for the Round of 16 coming up this weekend. Fort Bragg (N.C.), Virginia, Syracuse and the Cincinnati Kelts are trying to keep things simple in their preparation and focusing on their own strengths instead of their opponents’.

Captain Augie Dominguez looks to spread the ball against Gainesville.    (Photo courtesy of Cecil Wolberton)

“Our approach this year has been not to worry about the other teams’ strengths and weaknesses, but to focus on our game and doing the basics well,” Ft. Bragg Captain Agustin Dominguez said. “We feel that if we concentrate on what we need to do as opposed to trying to change tactics depending on the team we play, that we would be better off and be able to get more continuity.”

Bragg is the fifth seed in the East and will face Virginia in the first round. The North Carolina club went undefeated in the spring, beating Gainesville and Columbus/Benning in the USA Rugby South Finals.

The team includes some military personnel and as a result the team’s starting XV is different almost every week and establishing continuity can be difficult, according to Dominguez. But it does have its benefits. “Because of the demands of the military, we know that we are typically in better condition than most teams and can wear them down if we are patient,” he said.

“This is why we focus on the basics and try to set a mindset where we play hard and are doing the simple things right,” Dominguez said. “Keeping things simple allows us to have some sort of continuity in our game despite have a different starting lineup every game. The constant state of controlled aggression will wear the other team down, causing them to make more mistakes that we can capitalize on as the game goes on.”

Virginia only lost one game in the regular season and that was to DI Norfolk Blues. In the regional playoffs, the team took down Blacksburg in the Mid-Atlantic semifinals but fell to Old Gaelic (Pa.), 26-24. The loss in the final was still enough to earn the Mid-Atlantic second seed and fourth overall.

Last year, Virginia made it to the semifinals of the national tournament, losing to Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (Calif.) by 17 points.

Dominguez believes that the athleticism on his team will be the difference between the two sides. “Where we can really make a difference is in the loose when we are creating quick recycles and getting our players into space,” he added.

In the other game in the pool, Syracuse, who are ranked eighth, have to compete against first-seeded Cincinnati Kelts. But team President Dan Sanderson stated that his side won’t be intimidated. “I'm sure they are all very talented having made it this far, and expecting stiff opposition,” he said. “That being said we are not afraid of any opponent and we have been focusing our attention on our own preparation.”

Syracuse has practiced in the rain a lot the past few months and so if the conditions on Saturday call for it they will be ready.

According to Sanderson, the Chargers’ defense will impact the game most. “Defense wins championships and that has been the goal for 25-plus years of Syracuse Charger Rugby. We aim to achieve that in 2011,” he added.

The Kelts won the Midwest championships and are ranked first overall in DIII East. They’ll look to take that momentum into the Round of 16 and hope to capitalize on the high ranking.

Syracuse plays Cincinnati first at 10 a.m., followed by Bragg vs. Virginia at 11:45 in Manassas Park, Va. on Saturday. The winners will go on to play in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

This is a reprint of a GoffonRugby Column published on RUGBYMag.com January 10, 2011. We repost it now because we think it's relevant. - AG

One of the driving tenets of how rugby should be operated in the United States is driven by the idea that we play rugby because it’s fun.

We don’t play as a job. Many would like to win a national championship, but that’s not necessarily why we play. We play because we want to play.

That might sound simplistic bit it is an ideal that should be at the heart of any decisions made by committees, officers, and unions.

So I was very pleased to see USA Rugby South and USA Rugby’s Competitions Committee figure out what to do about the South DI club competition. The league had just started last fall with four clubs, when two dropped out. With teams mandated to have at least six league games leading to the postseason, a two-team league would be hard-pressed to get the job done.

But USA Rugby South kept working at it. Charlotte, newly out of the Super League, looked like they wanted to be back in South DI, and so from there a plan was put together that allowed three teams to play each other twice, and incorporate games with Life University and Raleigh into the season.

The Competitions Committee saw the plan for what it was – lemonade out of lemons … perhaps not the sweetest lemonade, but a serviceable drink nonetheless. The Committee, chaired by Alan Sharpley, understood that this plan allowed the players who wanted to play DI to do that. Two of the three teams will have to go on the road four out of their six games. That’s too bad, but in the end the plan didn’t force players to sit idle because of action from an unrelated club.

Now I understand Boca Raton isn’t happy because of a seeding plan that penalizes the South for a playoff no-show in 2009. Fine, feel free to complain about that. But this decision gives me the opportunity to say:

When we create competitions, we need to find ways to allow players and teams to compete. That’s why we’re here.

This is why I am in favor of liberal rules for Super League players who want to play DI. Tighter restrictions on such players only serve to keep bubble players (those who get sub time in the RSL) from playing more rugby.

We have rules for how a season should be – a minimum number of games played in a regular season. But those rules are set forth to stop a DI team from being the only game in town in a region, and not having to beat anyone to make the playoffs.

The rule is NOT designed to keep teams on the sidelines. It was applied, and adjusted, correctly here.

So congrats to the Competitions Committee for doing the right thing. And I would like to see other bodies think along the same lines: teams behind in their dues might need some help or advice, rather than a benching (might); players who appear in four Super League games, all as a late-game sub, shouldn’t be prevented from playing DI; and top players in age-grade and college, should be allowed to play club in their offseason.

We exist, remember, to encourage the playing of rugby.

Or, to quote Santana: Let the children play.