In another exciting upcoming weekend of USA Club Rugby, we will be focusing primarily West of the Mississippi River. Don't worry rugby community, we will be balancing out the range of other conferences in the following weeks as more clubs in the South, Frontier, Red River, and Carolinas/Georgia will be in full swing! On the plus side, some historical rivalries and matchups are spotlighted in this week's 6 Pack preview. Grab some snacks, pull up a chair, and choose your beverage of choice for an awesome Saturday and Sunday of amateur American rugby.
Women's D1 - Pacific South: Belmont Shore Rugby vs Tempe Ninjas
In the opening match of the 6 Pack preview, we'll check in on Belmont Shore vs Tempe Ninjas women's clubs, who will be playing each other for the second time this season already, with the Ninjas coming out on top last. The mission of Tempe WRC is to rise to the next level of competition in the women’s division through hard-work, dedication, and an ever growing passion for the sport of rugby. The club culture consists of a competitive attitude and focus, cultural diversity, body acceptance and most importantly, team camaraderie.
Cari Pick, Tempe Rugby Co-Captain, mentions what the upcoming match means for the club, and what potential repercussions may cause for the future. "As our season continues with our match against Belmont Shore this Saturday, we hope to maintain our winning streak and gain the momentum we need to carry us through to Nationals. Our goal for this match is to put the strong foundation of fundamentals that we have been building, plus our new offensive strategy, into effect to be the most successful team we can be. Our goal for this season is to make it to the National competition and represent SCRFU as a competitive division on the national stage."
Unfortunately for Belmont Shore WRFC, they have yet to record a win thus far in the 2020 campaign, but what they may lack in the win column, they make up for their community efforts of growing the game and doing their part.
According to their website; Their mission is to provide women with a competitive and social outlet. They strive to do our part in the community by volunteering for beach cleanups, donating items, working with youth, and offering services at various events. We also work hand-in-hand with the Belmont Shore Men's team. Building and maintaining a strong relationship with the community is one of their top priorities.
In recent years, the Landsharks have continued to make their mark on Southern California rugby. They have been finalists in 22 out of 30 major tournaments they have entered in California and Arizona and the club’s members have pulled in eleven MVP awards at major tournaments, toured New Zealand, and played for the U.S. Eagles in the 1990 inaugural Rugby World Cup. The Landsharks are currently working their way back to the National title. The Belmont side consists of 24-30 women between the ages of 18 and 51 with an average experience level of six years.
Men's D2 - Pacific North: Vacaville Old Dogs vs Diablo Olde Gaels
Up next, continuing on the West Coast, an age "Olde' rivalry between two Northern California men's clubs will take place in Vacaville, CA. Starting with the visitors, Diablo Olde Gaels, their team representative discusses individual players that are quintessential to their success.
"This Saturday is a key Division 2 matchup with at stake is a possible play-off spot in either the Cal Cup, or ARC1 play-off picture. The Olde Gaels RFC, are co-coached by former USA Eagle Roy Helu and Jon Straka. To counter Vacaville's talented flyhalf are the Olde Gaels' co-captains, flyhalf Canon Marin and Austen Middleton, joined by four of their fellow St. Mary's of Cal collegiate teammates. Jeff Dominguez at scrum half and former basketball player, striker Jordan Fulcher, capable of scoring hat tricks are just a few of the Olde Gaels weapons. Plus perhaps the fastest man on the field, Nathan Wagner, who can counter attack from anywhere on the field, offers multiple attack possibilities."
The rep continues with their strategy to take on the Old Dogs of Vacaville, "Beside the collegiate players base, Olde Gaels draw from the local high school programs of Lamorinda, Danville Oaks and De La Salle. The squad focus is on playing opportunistic attack and defense by reading the opposition. The Olde Gaels will look for any break down to swing the ball to their backs or inject the ball to their forwards."
In last year's bout, the Gaels had defeated the Old Dogs 53-33 at home, and will be aiming in repeating that success. On the other side of the pitch, the Old Dogs will by vying for the bragging rights of the year, and will have their sights set on a home-field win.
For Vacaville RFC, coached by Christopher Motes, former Cal Berkeley rugby player, the team has an experienced side of players from the local high school and colleges in Northern California. The side is led by the very capable Matt Hensley, St. Mary's of Cal, at captain and the flyhalf position. Hensley, will read the field and either distribute the ball or look for an open seem in the defense and kick for space. The squad is known for solid play on attack and defense, which could spring their backs to keep the defense honest.
Chris Motes, Head Coach Vacaville Rugby Club, had this to say regarding the upcoming test versus their old rivals, and what they must do to secure a victory. "We are looking forward to this weekend’s match to see how we handle adversity. We had a tough loss last week against a top level team in SF Golden Gate. All of our matches are a challenge as a small market club. Our club make-up is younger athletes. We’ll ask of them to bring some grit and a high work rate to this week’s contest and hope to see positive results.'
Women's D3 - Carolinas-Georgia: Charleston Hurricanes vs Camp Lejeune Maniacs
For the third spotlighted matchup of the upcoming weekend, we'll fly over to the East Coast int he women's division, where the Charleston Hurricanes challenge Camp LeJeune maniacs at home. Charleston is currently tied in record with their opponents (1-2), but are 4 points ahead of the Maniacs in the standings. This upcoming test will be crucial for conference standings half way through their 2020 campaign.
According to their website; The Charleston Hurricanes Women's Rugby Football Club was founded in 2001. The goals of our club are to promote the sport of rugby in the south, increase women's participation in the sport and represent the fine city of Charleston, South Carolina. As their team has slowly grown in number and strength, they are constantly reminded of the conservative nature of women in the south and the challenges this presents to developing a full team of aggressive, tackling, thrill seeking ladies. We all put our hearts, souls, and bodies into this sport and we consider our teammates more like family than friends.
It continues; Service to our community is an important part of our team mentality. Over the years, we have worked with Habitat for Humanity, Girls Rock Charleston, Lowcountry AIDs Services, We Are Family, Inc. and countless other non-profits to ensure our community stays vibrant and welcoming to all. "Saturday's a rugby day, but that doesn't stop us from playing hard together on the other days too!'
On the other side of the pitch, Camp Lejeune Maniacs have, for the last 40 years or so, have represented the Marines and sailors serving on base by competing in the USA Rugby Carolina Geographic Union Division III. Their players grow mentally, morally and physically exhibiting respect and teamwork through competition. They are active in the local community through affiliation with organizations like VFW Post 9133 and the North Carolina Adopt a Highway program. Back in 2006 the team, made up of active-duty service members from Camp Lejeune's various commands, qualified for the regional playoffs.
This will be the first head-to-head matchup between the two clubs within the regular season, according to our CMS database. With unfamiliarity between the two styles, this should be exciting to see who will improve their record after the final whistle.
Men's D3 - Southwest: El Paso Scorpions vs Albuquerque Aardvarks
Up next, well take our sights to the Texas-New Mexico rivalry which has withstood a 50 years history between the two clubs. The El Paso Scorpions will host the Albuquerque Aardvarks in each of the club's first test of two within the 2020 campaign. There is no love lost (on the pitch) between the sides, and will be ready for battle to decide this "ancient' rivalry. In last year's two bouts, the Scorpions had stung the Aardvarks coming away with two victories, both home and away.
Daniel Hernandez, President of the El Paso Scorpions, reflects on the rivalry and the upcoming matchup, in what it means for the conference and the club. "The El Paso Scorpions have almost a 50-year history of playing the Aardvarks. In what has always been a physical battle between the two dominating teams, this Saturday looks to be no different. This offseason a number of the Scorpions went and played international Division 1 rugby and have come back with a lot of experience that they have shared with the team.'
Hernandez continued, "In addition to that accomplishment, the Scorpions are returning the vast majority of the squad that has led them to back to back Rio Grande Union Champs. We are looking forward to kicking off this season with our game against the Aardvarks and we are beyond ecstatic to be receiving national attention from USA Rugby. As an added bonus, the El Paso Scorpions have partnered with the El Paso Herald Post to have all of our games (both home and away) live streamed and broadcasted with professional commentary on the Herald Posts Facebook page - (https://www.facebook.com/elpasoheraldpost/) and their website - (https://elpasoheraldpost.com/), which we average 200k viewers per season. We hope to see those numbers grow this season as we return to our Pitch in Anthony, TX. See you on the Pitch! Feel the Sting!'
On the other side of the pitch, the Albuquerque Aardvarks have been within national news themselves taking the Club Rugby atmosphere by storm through their stellar social media presence. Although this is a strength of the club, undoubtedly, they have also bolstered international talent with experience from countries such as Wales, Kenya, and Canada.
Coach Wyelin Gosset, is enthusiastic in his club and their chances against the El Paso side, which has never been a boring match in his memory. "This is a true age old battle of New Mexico versus Texas each state thinks they have better food, each state thinks they’re tougher, and each thinks they are better at rugby. This is always a very passionate matchup that the teams take personally and we probably don’t get along because of how similar we are we both like to run hard and we both like contact. We also pride ourselves in our local rugby communities being superior.'
Coach Gosset continued, "We have been playing each other since the early 80s or late 70s and there’s a lot of bad blood and there’s a lot of good memories. this is probably going to be our biggest test of the season and it’s good that we get to kick off early with this. It’s a battle of the Rio Grande River."
Women's D3 - Pacific South: Phoenix Women's Rugby vs Fullerton Wolfpack
In the second to last preview of the weekend, we'll continue Westward back to the Pacific South where Phoenix WRFC hosts the Fullerton Wolfpack WRFC. Despite their new status as a club, Phoenix has most impressively won in the first three of their club's tests so far this season. Fullerton WRFC are currently middle of the standings, but have a close defeat under their belt which could have improved their standings. This will be the lone head-to-head matchup between these two clubs in 2020, and should be a great one to witness if you're in the area.
Jessica Carpenter, Phoenix Backs Captain, mentions their mindset as a club in the upcoming conference clash. "We have started off our first season as an extremely strong team. This game is crucial because another win would help our club stand out among the rest. The only way we are going to do that is to perform at the highest standard every game. Our main goal this season is to ensure the stability of our brand new team so that we can continue to grow this club for years to come.'
Continuing within Phoenix's club, Stefanee Sherman, Phoenix Forwards Captain, adds to her co-captain's thoughts; "I think the biggest thing for our team to remember going into each game is how new we are as a team. We have anywhere from experienced players to brand new rugby players, which each player offers a different perspective. At every practice our girls give 110% and these past few weeks gave us some time to focus in on the skills that needed the most work. Everyone’s ready to get back to playing another exciting game. Our team plays at it's best when we communicate and just have a good time and that’s what we try to do heading into each and every game.'
Piggybacking on her player's comments, Head Coach Kelsea Thompson, reflects on Fullerton as an opponent and what they must concentrate on to continue the winning streak. "Phoenix is looking forward to hosting a highly competitive contest against Fullerton Women this Saturday, especially knowing they have a strong defensive line. Having the last 2 weeks off, Phoenix is coming in head-strong and ready to battle. Losing two important players this weekend, our main focus heading into this match is playing a smart, clean game and utilizing every player on the field. At the end of the day, as long as everyone remembers the basics, comes with a positive attitude and holds onto the ball, then we should have an exciting match!'
On the other side of the pitch, Fullerton WRFC Head Coach, Patricia "Ace' Shagam, discussed the importance of the impending battle and what it means for their club on the whole. "The upcoming match in Phoenix is pivotal to our season, as it marks our 2nd league game and will determine if we are a 1-1 team or a 0-2 team. As a coach, I am always concerned about being light with numbers, and we will be missing some of our key players in Cristina Garcia, Jessica Salud, Juliette Bioche, Nataline Nguyen, Katie Hernandez and Madison Mounga."
Shagam finishes with, "I am very happy to have a full 15 players rostered up and ready to go, and we plan to show the same level of improvement in our skills as we have demonstrated each time we have played against very strong sides by both Pasadena and San Fernando. Despite the possibly wet conditions, I am confident the Wolfpack will be playing incredibly well and this will be our best rugby yet!'
Men's D2 - Frontier: Little Rock Stormers vs Tulsa Rugby
In the final test of the preview, we finish within the Frontier conference to spotlight the Little Rock Stormers hosting the Tulsa RFC in Little Rock, AR. Between the two sides, they have competed feverishly throughout the years and are excited in their first of two head-to-head matches of the 2020 season. In last year's two bouts, the Stormers defeated Tulsa in both home and away matches to end as conference champions.
The Little Rock Stormers Men's team takes on an old rival this weekend in their first matrix match of the Spring 2020 season. "I'm excited to be back coaching Little Rock Men's Rugby after five years away. It's whole a new group of talent mixed in with our veterans, and I'm very excited to see what they can do against a tough Tulsa team,' says Coach Donna Thomas. Little Rock Rugby Men's Captain, Andrew "Silky' Winters, is ready to hit the ground running this weekend and kick off the Spring Season. "It's always exciting to play Tulsa, especially for the first game of Spring Season. They've been our main rival since my time with the Stormers, and this game is always a great test for us to measure ourselves to see where improvements may lie for the rest of the season,' says Winters.
Regarding Tulsa RFC, their representative unfortunately did not reach back, but we are happy to highlight their history and mission as a club
Tulsa RFC was established in 1974 and is now part of the Texas Rugby Union. In addition to its athletic success, TRFC fosters a community of diversity, respect, and discipline. Among many things, the club prides itself on its openness and ability to bring people of differing backgrounds and experiences together.
The Tulsa Rugby Football Club endeavors to play, develop, support, and promote the sport of rugby at all age levels: Men, Women, and Youth. TRFC will assist players in reaching their full potential both on and off the field. TRFC strives to teach the values and traditions of rugby as well as develop a functioning partnership with the community. In their early history, Tulsa generally dominated the union in terms of won-lost records, championships, representatives on the union side, and members in the union administration. As many as three of their players have advanced to play for the Men's XVs Eagles.
