Click here for information on the 2009 USA Sevens.

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Dana, Congratulations for being the only American referee selected to do duty at the Dubai Sevens. SCRFU and USAR are so proud for this accolade to recognize you as a top referee in the World!

Cheers, Paul

For Immediate Release
November 13, 2008

2008 USA Rugby Award Winners Honored in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY - The winners of World Rugby Shop’s 2008 USA Rugby Coach of the Year, Men’s Player of the Year and Women’s Player of the Year were honored last weekend during halftime of the USA Eagles/Uruguay match at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Presented by World Rugby Shop, the USA Rugby Awards were meant to recognize volunteers, coaches and players that help ‘Inspire America to Fall in Love with Rugby’ everyday.  While performance on the pitch was a factor in the decision making process, other qualities like dedication, sacrifice, and giving back to the game of rugby in the U.S. were paramount in deciding the winners of these awards.

“Nigel Melville and Dave Voth had the foresight to bring this project to us and we’re delighted that they did,” World Rugby Shop CEO Bernard Frei said. “It is an honor to be involved. When you consider that over 300 different players and coaches were nominated for the USA Rugby awards it makes you appreciate just how special Christy, John and Todd are. These are the best of the best and it is a privilege to be involved in recognizing them.”

USA Rugby’s CEO and President of Operations, Nigel Melville agreed, adding, “I don't usually get excited about awards, as there are so many people that do such wonderful things across the game, singling out one or two people is always a challenge. On this occasion though, the awards went to three people who make a tremendous commitment to the game of rugby in their particular field. John, Christy and Todd accept their awards on behalf of all those who make such a valuable contribution to the game and it is well deserved.”

2008 USA Rugby Coach of the Year

John “Chin” Klein was the recipient of this year’s award for his outstanding performance on and off the field. As coach of the Divine Savior Holy Angels High School Girls team in Milwaukee, Wisc., John has been with the team for over 11 years and has brought home five national titles in that time.  In addition to his on field exploits, he has managed to serve as an outstanding role model and mentor for all of the players on his team.

2008 USA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year

Todd Clever received this year’s award for his remarkable efforts in captaining and representing his country.  The 2008 award winner started playing rugby when he was 14 years old and most recently has been playing for both the USA National 15s and Sevens Team. Todd has consistently proven himself to be one of the most outstanding Eagles players. In addition to captaining the Eagles, Todd has recently signed a professional contract for the Xerox Lions in South Africa.  His remarkable on-field achievements coupled with his dedication to and leadership of the USA national team has earned him this well deserved honor.

2008 USA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year

Christy McFarland, formerly Stelzer until her recent marriage, is this year’s winner and a perfect example of the dedication and honor of the game that these awards sought to identify and reward.  A graduate of Illinois State University, Christy recently captained the team on the field as an all-star player and was president of the team off the field.  Her commitment to her team and the game as a whole won her accolades from coaches, players and administrators from across the country.

USA RUGBY, founded in 1975, is the national governing body for rugby and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization is responsible for the development of boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club rugby programs, as well as the nation’s rugby coaches, referees, administrators and all of its national teams that represent the U.S. in international competitions. As part of this development, USA Rugby hosts a number of courses, clinics, National Championship events and international matches throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.usarugby.org.

World Rugby Shop is a full service rugby supplier that caters to all levels of teams, players and coaches in the US and around the world. World Rugby Shop is also a proud sponsor and supporter of USA Rugby.  To see the full line of products and services offered, please visit www.WorldRugbyShop.com. 

Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby
Sara John | Director of Communications | USA Rugby
2500 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 200 | Boulder CO 80302
W: 303.539.0300 x101 | C: 719.310.2606 | Fax: 303-539-0311

Get your tickets for the Eagles in Salt Lake today! 

Let’s all celebrate the success of the Hawaiian Gardens’ Ernie Vargas and his program!

His example is amazing to me and hopefully to you as well.

The 2008 Youth Conference on the Game: A Weekend to Learn, Play and Honor

By Ashley Voss, USA Rugby

Standing in the gymnasium of the Glendale Event Center early Sunday morning, a chorus of laughter reverberated off the walls as the squeaks of hurried athletic shoes echoed throughout the room.

Without looking, the casual passerby would have thought they were overhearing a raucous game of pickup basketball, a herd of pre-teens running rampant, crying out to their teammates to pass them the ball: "I'm open! Over here!"

Sudden silence fell over the room as the neon yellow and blue World Rugby Shop ball soared through the air, hitting the hands of the waiting receiver, who gripped the ball with two hands before hurriedly diving over the makeshift try line painted across the wooden tiles.

Cheers rang out, ushering in a wave of high fives and fist pumps before a shrill whistle cut the celebration to an abrupt halt.

"Remember instructors, we want to do our best to discourage diving over the try-line when playing Rookie Rugby indoors.  We want to prevent injuries in any way possible and gym floors are not the most forgiving.  Make sure to tell them to simply touch the ball down across the line with both hands. OK, let's go again," said USA Rugby Youth Manager Katie Wurst, before giving a quick blow of the whistle to resume play.

Game on.

Upon further inspection, this was not the average weekend play date at the community gym, but rather day two of the Rookie Rugby Trainer Accreditation process, which was just one part of the action-packed 2008 Youth Conference on the Game agenda, held December 5-7 at Infinity Park.

Over the course of the three-day conference, more than 100 youth and high school coaches and administrators gathered among their peers to take in a series of presentations ranging in subject matter from State-Based Rugby Organizations (SBROs) to safety in the scrum and tackle to developing all-star athletes and administering a league.

The wide range of topics provided a little something for all in attendance – some first-time participants and others three-year veterans of the annual conference launched in 2006. More importantly, the event gave them an opportunity to network with others in similar positions and exchange ideas and best practices, each taking away their own unique set of tools to benefit their respective programs moving forward, with special emphasis on the newly launched Rookie Rugby program.

First Time Around
First-year attendee Thomas Van Trees, who joined his father Mark in representing Florida Flag Rugby at the conference, found great benefits in listening to the diverse range of speakers. The Van Trees family has worked hard to utilize the core characteristics of Rookie Rugby in combating childhood obesity among the Florida youth and aims to grow their program in 2009.

"I had a great weekend. The most important thing was hearing about how different people approach situations within their programs. You kind of get stuck in your ways – but you hear from people spanning from California to New York and learn about so many different pathways you can try and new ways of going about teaching children new things," the younger Van Trees said.

Likewise, fellow conference newcomer, Glendale Youth Rugby Coordinator Jenna Anderson took away a plethora of great ideas from long-time members of the youth rugby community that she can implement in her own programs.

Anderson, a veteran of the college club system at Illinois State University and former Women's National Team age-grade participant, is relatively new to the youth rugby community and gained valuable insight from the variety of presentation subject matter.

"The topics were great because you had a choice between the dual tracks and if one didn't necessarily correlate with your role in youth rugby, you could attend an alternate presentation. I found all the presentations highly relevant and the speakers were great," Anderson said. "The Positive Coaching Alliance workshop and the Physical Education Business Model presentation by Mark Van Trees were especially helpful regarding the proper follow-up after visiting area schools."

Honoring their Own
On Saturday night, December 6, Youth Conference participants took a break from workshops to recognize the honorable achievements of two of their peers: Ernie Vargas of the Hawaiian Gardens Rugby program and from Gonzaga High School, Lee Kelly.

Vargas, a soft-spoken gang prevention coordinator from the small Los Angeles area city of Hawaiian Gardens, was awarded the World Rugby Shop Award for Community Service for his active role in introducing a group of troubled adolescents to the game of rugby, diverting their intended pathway from the streets and possible gang life to the opportunities that can be found on a rugby pitch.

Initially, Vargas’ intention had nothing to do with rugby. He was simply looking for an alternative outlet for middle and high school students who were bored in the flag football off-season. But the kids fell in love with the sport and since starting up the initial program of 16 kids two years ago, Vargas' rugby teams have now grown to 50 athletes that compete on both boy's and girls' sides around Southern California.

"These kids just love the game and they're learning. They're not the most disciplined team and I'm not the most experienced coach, but what I've learned about rugby is that it brings kids together like no other sport and it builds a bond that I think will last forever," Vargas said, proudly sporting his Hawaiian Gardens Eagles emblem on his shirt during his emotional acceptance speech.

"I want to tell you how excited I am to be invited here – there is so much I've already learned. I'm just so honored to be among you as a guest because I've had a chance to interact with you and talk with you and learn a few things. I've got a lot of notes to take back with me,” Vargas added.

Also recognized was Lee Kelly, Head Rugby Coach at Gonzaga High School, which was recently named in the top 20 sports high schools in the nation by Sports Illustrated magazine, due in special part to its successful rugby program. Kelly was also recently inducted to the Gonzaga High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his dedication to the sport of rugby.

Introducing Rookie Rugby
In addition to the long list of qualified presenters from across the country, an integral portion of this year's Youth Conference on the Game was the Rookie Rugby Accreditation course put on by USA Rugby staff members. Day one introduced participants to the administrative side of the non-contact game and ushered in a practical session on day two that gave participants an opportunity to get the blood pumping and stretch their legs.

"The Rookie Rugby gym session was just awesome. It was great to play and get a chance to feel like kids again. We're all coaches and administrators and deal more with the technical aspects of the game, so it was good to take a break and get back to the basics," said third year participant Tony Mattacchione, Jesuit High School Head Coach.

Led by USA Rugby Youth Manager Katie Wurst and Coach Development Officer Sadie Thomas, coaches and administrators were given the chance to experience first-hand the progression of Rookie Rugby activities, which take newcomers through the basic skills of running, passing and tagging and build into an eventual game of touch rugby.

"I love the Rookie Rugby program – it's going to be fantastic and will be a great way to get more kids involved with the game at an earlier age," said JR LaPierre, Executive Director of Colorado Youth Rugby, following the conclusion of the conference. "Over the course of the weekend you could just feel the excitement building among the participants.  My colleagues and I are rejuvenated and ready to go home and put these new ideas into action."

Glendale's Jenna Anderson shared LaPierre's enthusiasm for the Rookie Rugby activities: "I've been using the Rookie Rugby games for awhile and have had extremely positive feedback with it. I'll continue to teach my teammates and coaches the basics of Rookie Rugby so we are able to build off of this great foundation and run our own programs to benefit Glendale Rugby and ultimately all of Colorado Youth Rugby."

Three years strong…and still growing
As USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville wrapped up the 2008 Conference on Sunday afternoon, he gave a special thanks to Youth Manager Katie Wurst for organizing a great event for all who attended.

Met by an appreciative round of applause, Wurst rose and gave only a modest nod, a wave and a "thank you" to her supporters. Although drained from the past three days of non-stop rugby, she couldn't help but smile when talking about the Youth Conference.

"Overall, I think the weekend went really well. Every year, we try to make changes to improve the selection of topics and the subject matter gets a bit more in-depth, which is certainly a testament to the constant growth of the game. I am confident we will continue to raise the bar building into next year's conference. "

And her colleagues certainly agreed that her hard work had paid off.

In his second year at the conference, World Rugby Shop's Brad Kilpatrick, who was on-hand both to honor Ernie Vargas and as an active participant, was blown away by the phenomenal increase in numbers across the youth and high school game and impressed by the participation goals set for the coming year.

"I can't overstate the importance of the annual Youth Conference on the Game – it's through events like this that we can work to lay the foundations and build the future of our sport.  This is a great way for us to get involved with the game, grow the game, and become actively involved in the youth community," Kilpatrick said.

"It's hands down one of my favorite events of the year. Katie (Wurst) does a great job of putting together a dynamic schedule that carries beneficial takeaway value for all of the participants,” he added

Building on the momentum of the conference, the general attitude of attendees as they left the conference room for the final time last weekend was positive, and the masses were clearly embracing the changes afoot in the USA Rugby youth and high school community.

"The first time we came together in 2006, those in attendance were wondering what USA Rugby had done for us. It's been interesting to see how the philosophies have evolved. Those who have been here for the last three years can see big changes in the way the community operates," added Jesuit’s Mattacchione, as he was headed out.

 "I think it's greatly beneficial that we get to interact with representatives from the National Office staff – not a lot of members can say the same about their sports organizations,” he added. 

Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby
Sara John | Director of Communications | USA Rugby
2500 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 200 | Boulder CO 80302
W: 303.539.0300 x101 | C: 719.310.2606 | Fax: 303-539-0311

For Immediate Release
December 6, 2008

U.S. Goes 0-2 on Final Day of South Africa Sevens

GEORGE, South Africa – After flourishing during the first day of competition at the Emirates Airline South Africa Sevens event, the U.S. Men’s Sevens Team just couldn’t find similar success on the second day, falling to New Zealand and Portugal, and cutting short its hopes of securing another piece of hardware on Saturday in George, South Africa.

The Eagles were able to secure four IRB Sevens World Series points, however, with their pool play achievements yesterday. Unfortunately, the U.S. Team met the fierce New Zealand side in its first Cup quarterfinals match this morning and found itself on the losing side of the score line, falling 36-7 to the defending champions.

“Except for a couple of mistakes here and there, these guys did a phenomenal job this weekend,” U.S. Sevens Coach Al Caravelli said. “We implemented a couple of new things, both offensively and defensively and it was great to see the team adjust to something new so quickly. We will definitely use this experience as a springboard to launch from down the road.

“We also were able to play a full game, as you can see by our match against Australia and Georgia, yesterday,” Caravelli added. “Our matches against South Africa and New Zealand were really tough and both opponents made us pay for our mistakes, but once we work on that - our mental toughness and focus – we will be able to compete with anyone.”

The U.S. Eagles made three crucial mistakes that New Zealand turned into three critical tries, and even though the USA’s Justin Boyd was able to put one down over the line just before half, New Zealand was too experienced to let the U.S. get any real foothold.

The U.S. then went on to face Portugal in the Plate semifinals. Portugal was also on fire yesterday, but lost to Argentina in its own Cup quarterfinals match this morning. Portugal would continue to impress, however, scoring four tries against the U.S. side, before Mark Bokhoven was able to put the U.S. on the board in the 13^th minute. The Eagles were not able to do much at that point and Portugal walked away with a 24-7 victory over the Americans.

“We didn’t end the tournament the way we wanted,” Caravelli said. “We think we are still a better team than that, but we beat Australia for the first time ever and walked away with IRB points and we are very, very pleased with that.”

South Africa would end up winning their home Sevens Cup title for the first time, coming from behind in a thrilling final to beat defending champions New Zealand, 12-7. With this victory, South Africa also sealed successive IRB Sevens World Series Cup titles for the first time and open up a 12-point lead in the early season standings. After superb victories in both Dubai and George, Paul Treu's side has a maximum 40 points in the World Series, ahead of New Zealand at 28 and England and Fiji at 24.

Most Teams will now disperse for the holidays, only to come back early in the New Year to prepare for the second set of IRB Sevens World Series events in Wellington, New Zealand and San Diego, Calif. in early February.

“This tournament was key in helping us identify who is ready to go to the next set of IRB Sevens tournaments,” Caravelli finished. “Those tournaments in early 2009 will be very crucial for the team, since it will most likely be the same side heading to the IRB’s 2009 RWC Sevens.”

For more information on the U.S. Men’s Sevens Team, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/mens_sevens. For more information on the IRB Sevens World Series, visit www.irbsevens.com.

IRB South Africa Sevens

Day 2 Results

France 26, Georgia 14 

Kenya 19, Scotland 15 

Wales 26, Zimbabwe 24 

Australia 33, Tunisia 21 

New Zealand 36, USA 7 

Argentina 28, Portugal 19

Fiji 19, Samoa 12

South Africa 17, England 12 

Scotland 17, Georgia 12

Zimbabwe 40, Tunisia 5 

France 19, Kenya 14 

Australia 22, Wales 19

Portugal 24, USA 7

England 20, Samoa 19

New Zealand 26, Argentina 5 

South Africa 21, Fiji 7

Zimbabwe 26, Scotland 0 - Final Shield

France 21, Australia 12 - Final Bowl

England 24, Portugal 7 - Final Plate

South Africa 12, New Zealand 7 - Final Cup

Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby
Sara John | Director of Communications | USA Rugby
2500 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 200 | Boulder CO 80302
W: 303.539.0300 x101 | C: 719.310.2606 | Fax: 303-539-0311

Minette, I have copied various SCRFU Groups to help you get the info you seek. I also advise you to go to www.scrfu.org to access the various clubs in SCRFU that may be of interest to you and you can find info on their schedules and where they play.

I hope this helps.

Cheers, Paul

From: MINETTE BONNER [mailto:rnmbf@...]
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 5:17 PM
To: Paul D. Ganey
Subject: Re: [SCRFUpub] FW: [american_rugby-news] U.S. Defeats Australia, Georgia to Clinch Spot in Cup Quarterfinals