The sixth rugby weekend of 2020 rolled in with 66 matches across four regions in 19 divisions. Big scores, huge defeats, and surprising outcomes littered the club rugby landscape in the Pacific South, Pacific North, Red River, and South.
PACIFIC RUGBY PREMIERSHIP
Men's
The second week of the Pacific Rugby Premiership showed there is plenty of parity in the four-team league. After falling to OMBAC in a tight five-point loss, Belmont Shore took out its frustration on Life West to the tune of 73-24 in a rematch of last year’s final. Belmont crossed the whitewash nine times with outside center Sione Masoe scoring a hat trick. Flyhalf Andrew Jackson was on fire outscoring the Gladiators all by himself with four penalties and eight conversions.
“We controlled possession for multiple phases, which we looked at from last week,” Belmont Shore head coach Ray Egan said. “We also were more aggressive in our line speed on defense which created turnovers which we exploited very well. The catalyst was our set piece and offload game. We got great gain line advantage which was lacking from last week.”
In the second match, the venue shifted to the desert where the Glendale Merlins clashed against OMBAC in Las Vegas, Nev. It was a neck and neck game with neither team feeling safe at any time in the match. The Merlins took the early lead, OMBAC added a little spice, but Glendale was up 22-14 at the half. It was back and forth in the second half with each team claiming the lead, but Lole Veimau’s try off a maul in the 75th minute proved to be the game-winner, 35-32.
“Once again, our defense stepped up big time in the end there,” OMBAC head coach Tai Tuisamoa said. “Glendale came out the gate and put points on the board in the first 20 minutes of the game and we found ourselves behind… The second half was back and forth and it took 80 minutes to come away with the victory. I couldn’t be prouder of how my boys kept fighting and sticking with it even when things didn’t go our way. We were able to make some crucial plays defensively that gave us opportunities to score just enough points at the end to seal the game.”
PACIFIC NORTH
Men's
After the top side team lost in the PRP, Life West DII barely survived for a 38-36 win over Santa Rosa in NorCal. Down by 21 with five minutes left, Santa Rosa mounted a furious rally scoring three times, but only converted two of them. Time ran out on Rosa before it could complete the comeback. In the two other DII matches, the Old Gaels beat Google 55-23 despite down seven starters and Olympic Club is 2-0 after a 33-14 win over San Jose.
As for the DII frontrunner, SFGG blanked Vacaville 55-0 for its fourth victory of the season and second shutout in as many weeks. “Big keys were the defensive speed that created turnovers and the transition into attack and ball movement,” head coach Neil Foote said. “Vacaville had some handy players and showed great willingness to attack but the SFGG had speed across the field. The attack was off the back of some solid set piece work and we saw some great ball movement from sideline to sideline, and fantastic tries from deep in our own territory.”
Remarking on the joy he has seen in his players, Foote said, “The lads look like they are thoroughly enjoying playing back in the community and more connected to the local club competition coaches are doing a great job. We got to celebrate an enjoyable day honoring our military and also saw our DIII side with an impressive victory over Fresno (60-20).”
Speaking of DIII, Berkeley and San Joaquin-Stanislaus are tied for second in the NorCal Yellow Division after Saturday’s results. In Berkeley’s 69-19 win, four players scored a pair of tries and Berkeley president Derek Sagehorn praised his club’s competitiveness in the game. “In our prior two matches, we had fallen off in the second half. We challenged our guys to end the game with the same intensity of the first minute. Our mission this season has been to develop our offensive shape in a way where everyone is encouraged to pass and catch. It’s a work in progress, but it’s a lot more fun way to play rugby.” Berkeley’s biggest early test of the season is Saturday against undefeated B.A. Baracus.
PACIFIC SOUTH
Men's
The marquee match of DII was the San Diego Old Aztecs’ 38-22 win over the previously undefeated Oceanside Chiefs. The Old Aztecs burst out to a 28-3 halftime lead and held on for the victory. Fullback James Niblock led all scorers with 18 points and Blair Morris brought tremendous energy on both sides of the ball in the pack.
“In the first half, we got off to a good start scoring four converted tries through patience, good continuity, and high intensity,” San Diego head coach Jarrod Faul said. “[After halftime,] we lacked the accuracy, cohesion, and work rate that ultimately led to mistakes that Oceanside was able to convert into points. A tough and physical encounter against a quality side as expected.”
Taking over first in Group A is Ventura County who clipped the Las Vegas Irish on the road, 42-19. Jarett Balter and Dakota Reistad shared the man of the match honors as Balter ran with strength, speed, and aggression and Reistad was lethal with his boot connecting on four conversions and three penalties.
Head coach Schalk Erasmus indicated that Ventura is coming together as a unit and needs to sharpen its skills to make a deep run this season. “We have a lot of new players and are still getting used to each other. Our main focus is doing the little things right. Ball possession is key and we try to maintain our possession for as long as possible. We are also focused on being patient in our approach and building phases. We have a lot of individual talent in our squad but what makes us successful is that we play together as a team. These guys play for each other and we are a brotherhood that functions well as a unit.'
The fifth week of play in Arizona DIII saw some definition in the eight-team division. Phoenix beat Scottsdale 33-20 to take solid foothold at the top of the Blue conference, while in Tucson, Red Mountain lost big to the Magpies, 52-31. This is their second loss in a row after dropping to NAU last weekend. The Landsharks’ 92-5 dismantling of Old Pueblo puts NAU on top of the Red conference with Tucson and Red Mountain fighting for second place. With Tucson heading up to NAU on Saturday, this makes a critical game for all teams in the Red conference.
USA Rugby caught up with NAU head coach Matt Fahy to talk about his team’s season so far. “The core of our backline (#9, #10, #12, #13) is really starting to click, so they were dangerous on Saturday, scoring several tries themselves and also setting up other backs for tries. We have been really fortunate this season to have a balance of experienced players and dynamic young players. Veteran players in the backs (flyhalf Mark Cox and center Ryan "Pickles' Patterson) and in the forwards (flanker and prop E.B. Odeh) have really stepped up their leadership during training and in matches, keeping younger players organized and motivated.”
In SoCal DIII, Eagle Rock is in the driver’s seat at 6-0 and leads the league with 298 points and an overwhelming point differential of +209. This dominance was on display against Back Bay where it drowned the Sharks, 66-7. “We have great backs and we maximize our success by getting the ball to them and letting them run wide,” forwards coach Geoff Kischuk said. “We also look to attack deep to spread the opponents’ defense which then also creates space for forwards to attack up narrow channels. We are also emphasizing defense and our points allowed have been dropping. Add to that taking care of set play and we believe we can sustain and even improve on our successful start.”
Santa Barbara is only five standing points behind in second place after besting Fullerton 45-24. North County remains in third with a 33-27 road win versus Santa Monica and Huntington Beach leapfrogged Kern County for fourth with a 37-34 edging against Ventura County.
Lastly in DIV, the Dead Rabbits crushed division leader South Bay Stingrays, 91-14. Riverside takes over first with a forfeit by Temecula and the Dead Rabbits and South Bay are deadlocked in second place.
Women's
DI Santa Monica played its first two league games at home and took competitive losses to San Diego (38-22) and Tempe (40-33). Last weekend, the Dolphins made their first road trip of the spring and banked a 31-7 victory against the Surfers. Santa Monica put up two early tries through Nina Poloukhine (who also kicked three conversions on the day) and Megan Gaedje before San Diego responded with a converted try, but another Poloukhine try gave the visitors a 19-7 lead into the break. Gaedje and Pouloukhine scored tries in quick succession and the defense stepped up for a second-half shutout.
In Division III, San Fernando Valley and Fullerton traded scores throughout the entirety of the match and were tied on two occasions. The final try, however, went against the pattern and San Fernando logged a deceptively more comfortable victory, 31-17. The victors scored through wing Lizamarie Alvarez, who ended the day with three tries, scrumhalf Michelle Chan and flyhalf Korinna Fite, who also added a conversion (Hosna Qasmei and Evelin Avila kicked the other two). Fullerton sent Shea Bancher, Evelin Moreno and Montana Moore into the try zone, while Acacia Person tacked on two points.
Also in DIII, Northern Arizona traveled to Riverside and beat the newcomer 54-26, marking the LadySharks’ first win of the season. Phoenix still leads the league at 3-0 and will face Fullerton this weekend and San Fernando Valley a month later on March 21.
RED RIVER
Men's
It was a banner day for the Austin Blacks as all three divisions swept the competition by a combined score of 186-51. With all three squads playing at home, DI beat the Dallas Harlequins 34-12, DII toppled undefeated Fort Worth 42-36, and DIII reached the century mark against Corpus Christi, 110-3.
Dissecting the games, head coach Tane Jericevich said, “There was a narrowed focus this week throughout all three sides to rectify ongoing mistakes from previous weeks and put three solid performances in with all sides. DII had a blowout win versus Corpus, DII was in a tough fought match, but with a good first half and some positive reinforcements at halftime, the second half gave us the edge to run away with it… DI had a tough opponent with Dallas, who was much improved from the previous meeting. They were aggressive on defense and made it hard for us to break them down. With a bit of patience though, we were able to breach the line and be composed enough to finish things off.”
In the DII South/Central, H.U.R.T. and Woodlands stayed in first and second. H.U.R.T. took out cross-town rivals H.A.R.C. 45-28 and the Woodlands picked up a forfeit from San Marcos.
All three division leaders in DIII prevailed on Saturday. In addition to the Blacks’ dominance, Grand Prairie and H.U.R.T. DIII continued their rampages through the league. Houston United defeated Bay Area 50-17 and the Mavericks scored more than 80 points for the third time with an 82-19 win against Dallas.
“Our team was able to win because of our preparation,” Grand Prairie president Anthony St. Amant said. “We focus on fitness and game plan execution every training. Training are often harder than the game, but when game day comes, we harvest the fruits of our labor. The biggest key to our success this season has been the club culture we’ve worked hard to cultivate. From the coaches to the players, we share a growth mindset and trust one another both on and off the field. Our coach and players in leadership roles have worked hard to create a family-like atmosphere and it is a great thing to be a part of.”
With a little over a month left before the playoffs, the remaining clubs are jockeying for position. The Austin Huns and the Other Rugby Club picked up wins in the Central, Shreveport beat the Harlequins in the North, and the Houston Arrows and Woodlands triumphed in the South.
Women's
The DII Texas teams have been active early in the new year, and thus, that’s where the attention focused. Little Rock officially kicked off its season on Dec. 14 and played Dallas Athletic to a 19-10 win, and then went dormant until last weekend. The Arkansas team traveled to Austin, which was undefeated in 2020.
Little Rock started quickly, putting Zenobia Bowman and Tara Coffelt away for first-quarter tries. Austin took advantage of some opportunities in the third quarter and was rewarded with tries from Bailey Allmon and Brenda Ramirez, but otherwise it was all Little Rock. Maddison Roncketto, Sarah Gilo-Sahut, Kristina Hickmon (2) and Abby Vestal (who also kicked the conversions) scored for a 43-14 lead through 70 minutes. The final 10 minutes saw a flurry of action, with Austin No. 8 Erika Persil scoring twice, and Roncketto dotting down a second try. With Zoe Hunter’s conversions, the game ended 48-28 in Little Rock’s favor.
Also in DIII, Bay Area won its third game of the season, shutting out McAllen 71-0. Fullback Stephanie Wood led on points scored, accounting for 26 on two tries and eight conversions. Center Veronica Houck scored three tries, while locks Lauren Patterson and Heather Mount, flanker Randa Medows, scrumhalf Elizabeth Clementi, flyhalf Jennafer Mc Entee and wing Cassidy LeBlanc added a try apiece.
In Division I, the Dallas Harlequins forfeited their match to Austin.
SOUTH
Men's
With the top seed in the Florida DII South division at stake, Boca Raton’s man of the match Michael Oliver scored a hat trick to secure a 22-19 comeback victory against the Miami Tridents. By splitting their head-to-heads and defeating all the other teams in the division, Boca Raton and Miami will advance to the Premier Elite playoffs to determine the state champion.
Reflecting on the tight win, Boca Raton head coach Eyal Hakim said, “We had a great defensive effort from everyone who stepped on the pitch. In attack, we had great ball movement to find space. The boys really kept to our system and the cohesion is showing with their play.”
In the only North Division game, Orlando’s Michael Garner scored a converted try as time expired to tie Tampa 33-33. A home win for Naples on Saturday over Orlando would clinch the top seed in the Premier Elite for them, leaving Tampa and Orlando to fight for the second seed. Orlando currently has a three-point lead over Tampa, who have a game in hand.
In the Carolinas DII, Charlotte began its 2020 campaign with a decisive 45-12 win over Raleigh and Greenville beat Asheville 17-12 at home.
Down in DIII, Cape Fear started its new year with a bang by tripling up Clayton 74-24. It was a total team effort and team president Bob Bogen summed it up saying, “Cape Fear demolished a game Clayton Bootlegger team, yesterday. Clayton's insistence on running from all areas of the pitch cost them early and often. No. 8, and man of the match, Tommy McCrimmon, who was everywhere on defense, put his stamp on the game with a bullocking run to the try line.”
Women's
Florida’s Division II continues to thrill, as two single-digit decisions resulted. League-leading Tampa Bay was the only undefeated team heading into last weekend and traveled to Orlando for a rematch of the teams’ season opener – a Jan. 18 game that went 12-5 in the Krewe’s favor. The visitors took a 12-0 lead through Marie Anceaux’s and Sam Black’s tries and Robyn Oliveri’s conversion, and then Orlando responded with three-straight scores to overtake the lead. Giovanna Medell, Jimaida Arrieta Nieves and Erin Emanuel, who also kicked the extras, scored tries for a 17-12 lead after 35 minutes.
Oliveri’s try evened up the scoreboard at 17, and there it stood until minute 55, when Shontavia House and Agnes Fuerst scored in close proximity to each other: 27-17 to Orlando. In the final 10 minutes, Black was able to cross for Krewe and Oliveri’s conversion drew Tampa Bay to within three, but that was the last of the scoring: 27-24 to Orlando. On the other side of the competition, Fort Miami led Jacksonville until minute 75 before the Sinners punched in one more try and engineered the game’s lone lead change.
Tries from No. 8 Brie Cokos and fullback Jonelle Francois, and two Madison Militello conversions gave Fort Miami a 14-0 lead through the 50th minutes, and then the Sinners answered through Rachael Stabbert and Erica Long. Keina Crawford’s conversions tied it up at 14. As the final 10 minutes approached, Crawford added a penalty to put Fort Miami up by three, but then scrumhalf Zoe Eprile crossed the line in the final five minutes for the lead change and 19-17 victory to Jacksonville.
