Almost every men's and women's club competition has opened their doors to the Spring 2020 campaign and season, with the exception of one or two Mountain or Midwest contests. With great weather across the country this Groundhog weekend, let's cross our fingers the little guy won't be able to see his shadow. With the recent resurgence of the new club rugby season, plenty of teams have settled in their 2020 goals and will be aiming to accomplish them.
Women's D1 - Red River: Dallas Harlequins vs Houston Athletic
Within the first matchup of the 6 pack, let us crack open this cold one to see what Division 1 women's rugby has in store for us. Competing in the heart of Dallas Fort Worth since 1971, the Dallas Harlequins are an official International Affiliate of the London Harlequins with clubs including: Men's Divisions 1 & 2, U23, and 7s, Women's Division 1 and 7s, Boys' High School, and Gentlemen sides. The Houston Athletic Rugby Club was founded in 1998, and since that time the club has been competing in Rugby Union XVs and Rugby 7s as a proud member of the Texas Rugby Union.
In a regional rivalry, the Dallas Harlequins will take on the Houston Athletic Club in an inter-state clash. In recent years, Houston has had Dallas' number for the last 6 head-to-head matchups, dating back to the 2016/17 season. This year the Red River D1 conference has grown from three to six clubs with the addition of Rocky Mountain club sides. As Houston comes into the 2020 season as defending conference champs, they will have their sights set on continuing that success against the Harlequins of Dallas.
USA Eagle Nick James brings her sHARCs team up to Dallas this weekend to face the Quins in the Red River Women's Division 1 conference. With the sHARCs sitting in second and Dallas in third it looks to be an exciting match up. Says James, "We're looking forward to getting out and playing after the long break. The team is ready and looking forward to a strong challenge in the quins offer.'
Tight Head Prop James also brings along six other starters from the Senior Texas All-Star team: Barbie Blair, Kiana Curl, Sasha Pedjase, Hailey Rebar, Bonnie Richardson and Leslie Schroeder, along with Madi Brantley and Nadira Smith from the College All-Star team. With a star studded team it promises to be an entertaining match similar to previous seasons. Kick off is at noon at Glencoe Park.
Men's D2 - Red River: West Houston Lions vs Fort Worth Rugby
Onto the second preview of the week, we'll stay within the state of Texas with another inter-state rivalry matchup between the D2 clubs, West Houston Lions and Fort Worth RFC. The West Houston Rugby Club has been competing in senior-level men's rugby since 2006, and have expanded to include youth and high school divisions in 2017. Serving the greater West Houston region, the club aims to provide a single, coordinated and integrated Rugby development program that addresses the needs of all players and coaches at every level of the game, while simultaneously instilling the unique club ethos and beliefs of West Houston Rugby Club and the values of Rugby as a whole. The WHRFC is currently 0-2 on the 2020 season, and will set their sights on Fort Worth in attaining their first victory of the season, while on the road as the visiting club.
On the other side of the pitch, the Fort Worth Rugby Football Club was founded in 1971 to bring an oval ball outpost to the West Fork of the Trinity River. Since its founding the club has stayed true to the values of the city it represents: hard-work, honesty, and substance. "The expectation is to lay it on the line for your teammates, take it on the chin when it doesn’t go your way, and become a better team, player, and person for it. We haven’t always come out on-top over the years, but we’ve put in the work to do our share of winning and hoisted plenty of beers to celebrate", according to their club's mission statement on their website. Fort Worth is currently on top of the conference table with a 3-0 record, but only 2 points ahead of the 2nd place Austin Blacks D2 side.
Head Coach of Fort Worth Rugby, TeShay Flowers, mentioned what the club is focusing on this upcoming week and challenges they will face to overcome. "We're excited and focused on the game against West Houston. This is our biggest game of the year because it is the next one or our schedule. That sounds cliché but this season is so condensed, you have take care of what is in front of you. With so many games against so many good programs in such a short time, our depth will definitely be tested. We will be short 6 starters on Saturday, so the "next man up' mantra is true. Flowers continued, "As part of the [Houston] SaberCats System, we know that our opponents will be well coached, have access to resources/knowledge, and will be extremely deep in roster. But, we have a scrappy bunch of guys that leave it all on the field. So what ever ragtag group we put out, we will try to make a game of it.'
Women's D2 - Pacific Northwest: San Jose Seahawks vs Sacramento Amazons
For the third preview, will be a clash of dedicated women's sides in the Sacramento Amazons, defending D2 national champions, and the San Jose Seahawks. The San Jose Seahawks Rugby Football Club fields Men’s D2 & D3 sides and a Women's side in the Northern California Rugby Football Union, and have a strong and passionate club following since the 1970's. On the other side of the pitch, the Amazons were established in 2003 as an extension of the High School Sacramento Amazons Rugby Team, that was established in 2001.
For the upcoming match, the defending divisional national champions will be looking to avenge their previous week's loss to the Berkeley All Blues D2 side. The loss was only by 7 points, earning the Amazons a bonus point in the defeat. This is uncharted territory for the Sacramento side who were undefeated last season, but this loss will most likely light a passionate fire under them moving forward.
The Seahawks had a very different season in 2018/19 compared to the Amazons, with only two victories throughout their regular season. Even though with this previous record, they still finished the year half way up the the conference table. San Jose has started the new year with unfortunate back-to-back losses, and they, along with the Amazons, will be vying for their first victory of 2020.
Men's D2 - South: Memphis Blues vs New Orleans Rugby
As the second half of the previews begin, we'll take a trip down South to spotlight the Memphis Blues and New Orleans RFC D2 matchup, for both clubs' first match of the 2020 season. With NOLA being the new club on the block (within the conference) they will be looking forward to this battle with the Blues. The New Orleans Rugby Football Club was created in 1973 by a group of college teammates who wanted to pursue their sport at a different level, and hoped to pass on the joy of the game and camaraderie of its culture to their children. A generation later, the club has earned recognition as a top regional team and national contender. The club won the Division II USA Rugby national championship in 2011, the Division III national championship in 2012 and in Division I landed berths in the national final four in 2013 and the national championship round in 2014.
Regarding this weekend's matchup, James Rehkopf, President of NOLA RFC had this statement about the two sides. "We’ve played Memphis twice in the past two years, and in 2018, we traveled to Tennessee for a matrix match on a cold rainy day and were beat 7-22. Last year, Memphis came to NOLA for a friendly and we returned the favor with a 98-0 win. Last year’s result may have been a big win, but there’s a big difference between friendlies and matrix road matches so we’re preparing for their best side. Like many of the True South teams, Memphis is usually a forward heavy team that likes to use their power to advance the ball methodically, creating a battle of attrition. New Orleans, on the other hand, has historically been a backs dominant team, looking for space on the edge and explosive scoring opportunities. This year, however, our team is fairly balanced. We have a really strong forward pack and some crafty playmakers in the backline.'
Rehkopf continued, "The 2020 season will be the first time in a while that we have had two sides, D2 and D3, entered into matrix play, so we’re really excited to see how our club comes together. With the addition of a fresh cadre of recruits and MLR players to fill in all the new matches, there’s a lot of new names on the roster. Our goal is to win National Championships, and we believe that starts with strong club culture and work ethic. We have been molding our club culture and preparing to win for a few years now, so the boys are eager to prove themselves in our first D2 match of the season. One thing is for sure, whether the match is played in the Home of the Blues or the Home of Jazz, there’s always a good time to be had and the social never disappoints.'
On the other side of the pitch, the Memphis Blues will be looking to rebound from their 2-4 record in the 2019 season, and will have their heads held high in confidence rolling into the new opportunities to improve. The Memphis Blues are a Division II rugby club competing in the True South Geographic Union. Founded in 1997, they recently were the 2015-2016 True South Rugby Championships Semifinalists.
Rob Reetz, the VP of the Memphis Blues is excited for the upcoming matchup with NOLA and had this to mention. "This weekend’s matchup is not only important for seeding but also to get the handful of rookies and guys in new positions, time on the pitch to sort out some issues, and gain the confidence needed. There’s no better test for us than to go against Nola; Their club is top notch and we’ve seen first hand how lethal their back play can be when they’re firing on all cylinders. We can’t take any plays off against these guys, they can make you pay in every aspect of the game, if you get content or lazy.'
Reetz concluded his statement, "I think our captains have done an outstanding job, getting everyone to buy into the process and zero in their attention to the task at hand. I’m excited to see our guys get back on the pitch because we have a great blend of experienced players, promising new faces, and I can’t wait to see what the season holds for both clubs.'
Women's D3 - Pacific Southwest: Pasadena Rugby vs Las Vegas Slots
In the second to last spotlight, we'll travel westward to the Southern California coast where Pasadena WRFC will host the Las Vegas Slots WRFC in a SoCal conference D2 clash. The Slots of Vegas are off to a hot start by defeating Belmont Shore 83-0 in their first match, and will be vying in continuing that momentum in this weekend's match versus Pasadena. On the other side of the pitch, PWRFC also has a huge win under their belts, defeating Fullerton by 84-0. About their history, the Pasadena Rugby Football Club was founded in 1971 by former Japanese national scrum-half Kei Takarabe with the merging of the Warlords and Crown City Rugby Football Clubs. For over 30 years, the Club has maintained a strong rugby tradition in the highly competitive Southern California Rugby Football Union and has seen several of its players move on to play for select sides including the USA Eagles national team.
Catrin Turner, the Las Vegas Slots co-captain, delivered this quote regarding her excitement regarding the upcoming rivalry match, which has also been deemed by her teammates as 'blossoming in the back line while being such an asset the team'.
“The match up we have against Pasadena this weekend is crucial. Starting the season off with an away game to our biggest rivals last year will not only give insight to what our opponents are like but it will set the tone for the rest of our season. That being said, I am extremely excited to see the work we did over preseason pay off. Our biggest motivation comes from our losses and failures, not our successes. As a team we are not looking to advance individually and have star players, we want to train together, play together and succeed together.”
The next quote is from their team captain from last season and current club president, Kate Capistran. “The Las Vegas Slots and Pasadena see each other multiple times each season because we are both dedicated competitors who make it far into postseason. Although we always hope to come out on top, we know a match against Pasadena is anyone’s game. Pasadena Women’s Rugby make the Las Vegas Slots better rugby players. They challenge our knowledge and skills, contest our rucks hard, pressure us defensively and push us to our limits. I look forward to playing Pasadena because I know I will take something away from the match and remember it for the next time we meet.”
Men's D3 - South: Headhunters Rugby vs Chattanooga Rugby
Int he final highlighted matchup will conclude with the Headhunter RFC of Clarksville, TN taking on Chattanooga RFC in the Southern D3 clash of two of Tennessee's proudest clubs. The Headhunters are currently 3-0 on the season thus far, and will play Chattanooga in the first of two matches this season. Last year, Headhunters had swept CRFC in both of their games, and will be looking to continue that momentum.
Regards to Chattanooga, the club is currently 2-1 on the season, and are only 5 points behind Headhunters in the conference standings. Chattanooga Rugby is committed to fielding a championship team and to the community and our surrounding areas through our charity work and youth development. Their success this year is already heaps ahead of last season, 1-5 record, and with this turnaround, the team will have high hopes for the upcoming matchup.
Chris Peterson , Coach of the Headhunters had this to say about their current season and upcoming anticipated matchup. "This Saturday, February 1st, the Clarksville Headhunters will take on the Chattanooga Lions at Liberty Park in Clarksville, TN. The Headhunters are undefeated so far this season having played three games in the fall against Memphis, Huntsville, and the Nashville Grizzlies. The Headhunters greatly look forward to further pushing the headhunters style of play, especially the extra aggressive form of defense that the club fully embodies: First ten hits set the tone for each match and the must be your hardest.'
Peterson continued, "If the Headhunters bring home the win this weekend it will validate their position at the top of the division and set them up for an undefeated season. The Headhunters have been training hard this season with the goal of making it back to the True South Championships where they were sadly defeated last year by Pensacola. This year, the Headhunters intend to take first in the True South, whom they intend to represent in Knoxville this summer.'
