This is something we in SCRFU may wish to have here. If enough of you agree I will work to see if we can have it done here. Please let your SCRFU administrators if you’d like to have a similar workshop.

For Immediate Release

January 20, 2009

NYS Rugby Hosts Successful USA Rugby Scrum Camp
Event First of 2009 Game Development Series

SYRACUSE, NY – New York State Rugby hosted a USA Rugby Coach Seminar and Scrum Camp on Saturday, January 17 at Syracuse University. The camp served as the kickoff to NYS Rugby's 2009 Game Development Series.

The scrum camp was attended by 107 coaches and collegiate players.  Bill LeClerc, USA Men's National Team scrum coach, served as the lead presenter at the camp.  Participants gathered in a large-group format for fundamental and theory sessions, and followed with small-group breakouts for implementation and hands-on instruction.  

"We are thrilled with the turnout and active participation for our first event of 2009," said Mike Hodgins, NYS Rugby President.  "NYS Rugby continues to be active in programming for its membership and this USA Rugby Scrum Camp, led by Bill LeClerc, will go a long way to continuing the development of our coaches and players."

Following the camp, feedback from coaches and players was overwhelmingly positive.  Greg Fehrman, Syracuse University women's coach, summarized that feedback by stating, "It was truly an awesome camp.  Bill (LeClerc) was tremendous, enlightening and he brings a great approach to coaching."

John Durant, Univ. at Albany men's coach said, "This scrum camp was a great event.  Bill LeClerc's explanation of using core strength, balance and speed in scrummaging made complete sense and we look forward to implementing it with our squad."

NYS Rugby's 2009 Game Development Series continues with a USA Rugby Coaches Development Program (CDP) Workshop on February 28-March 1.  The CDP Workshop will be held at Shaker High School in the Albany-area suburb of Latham. 

IRB Level I Officiating Training Courses are scheduled for February 28 and March 7.  The February 28 course is scheduled for the Albany area and the March 7 course will be held in the Buffalo area.  Sites for both courses are still to be determined.

The final event of the Game Development Series will be the 2009 Player Development Camp, slated to be held March 7-8 at the Fieldhouse at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, NY.  Now in its fifth year, the PDC will be led by John Williams of the Welsh Rugby Union and George Betzler of USA Rugby.  Annually one of the largest events for NYS Rugby, the Player Camp gives high school athletes an outstanding opportunity to learn from great rugby minds and kickstart their 2009 season.  

For information or registration forms, please visit nysrugby.org. For more information on the USA Rugby Coach Development Program, please visit www.usarugby.org or contact Sadie Thomas at sthomas@....

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
January 19, 2009

Pools Drawn for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (IRB) - The countdown to Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 begins in earnest following the Pool Allocation Draw for the men’s and women’s competitions at The Atlantis hotel in Dubai on Monday, January 19.

Twenty-four men’s teams and, for the first time, 16 women’s team will battle it out to be crowned world champions at Dubai's magnificent new venue ‘The Sevens’ from March 5-7.

The draw was carried out by Bernard Lapasset, the Chairman of Rugby World Cup Limited, with Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group.

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 will feature the first ever women’s competition with 16 teams having come through a competitive qualifying process involving 83 nations across the IRB’s six regions.

England, the top seeds in the women’s competition, will face Japan, Russia and USA in Pool B, while second seeds and Oceania champions Australia are joined in Pool A by Netherlands, France and China.

Women’s draw

Pool A: Australia, Netherlands, France, China
Pool B: England, Japan, Russia, USA
Pool C: Canada, Brazil, Spain, Thailand
Pool D: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Uganda

Defending men’s champions Fiji have been drawn with France, USA and Georgia in Pool B as they attempt to become the first side to successfully defend the Melrose Cup following their success in Hong Kong four years ago.

New Zealand, winners in 2001, are joined in Pool A by Tonga, hosts Arabian Gulf and Italy, while IRB Sevens World Series leaders South Africa find Scotland, Canada and Japan awaiting them in Pool C in Dubai.

Men’s draw

Pool A: New Zealand, Tonga, Arabian Gulf, Italy
Pool B: Fiji, France, USA, Georgia
Pool C: South Africa, Scotland, Canada, Japan
Pool D: Samoa, Australia, Portugal, Ireland
Pool E: England, Kenya, Tunisia, Hong Kong
Pool F: Argentina, Wales, Zimbabwe, Uruguay

The six pool winners and best two runners up will progress to the Melrose Cup quarter finals, the four other runners up and four best sides that finish third in their pool will contest the Plate and the remaining sides the Bowl.

The match schedule will be announced shortly.

Tickets

Tickets are available through the official website, while a range of international travel packages are available to residents in Argentina, Australia, France, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom and the USA through the official travel partner Gullivers Travel via www.gulliverstravel.co.uk.

Tickets are also on sale locally in Dubai through the Emirates Headquarters, the Dnata Travel Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road, at Costa outlets (Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi) and MMI outlets (Al Wasl Road, Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed Road).

Visit http://www.irb.com/rwcsevens/destinationdubai/tickets.html for more information on ticketing, corporate hospitality and travel packages.

This week’s Total Rugby Radio show features a debate on the IRB's campaign for Rugby’s re-inclusion in the Olympic Games and what success would mean for the sport.

Listen to the Olympic debate by visiting http://irb.edgeboss.net/wmedia/irb/radio/total_rugby_radio.wax.

For further information:

Dominic Rumbles, IRB Head of Communications, +353 (0) 86-852-0826, email: dominic.rumbles@...

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

All, Please remember that score reporting is very important for our getting out the free advertising through Al Etherton to newspapers so please make sure you do so by 5 on Sunday evenings. The current list of scores reported by Al is very weak.

Hi guys, hope everyone is well!
   Below is information on a new interactive rugby website created by rugby players. One of my friends, Joe Welch, who is a hooker for the Eagles started this with a few other rugby players. Its going to be a great site to network, find up to date rugby news ( accurate!) and post information...
thanks so much!
sarah sall



Dear Member of the Rugby Community
   
    Do you wish it was easier to keep in touch with teammates, alumni, and fans and to organize club events? Are you dissatisfied with the current coverage of your favorite rugby team in the media? Do you wish you had the ability to contribute articles and information, and a place to discuss all facets of rugby?

    rugbyUNITED.com was created to address all your needs to better your rugby experience and grow the game.
   
    The site is a mecca for all things rugby; driven by user generated content and our moderated forum, we hope to provide the quality and scope of coverage that is only possible with the help and dedication of a motivated community.
   
    The most exciting part of the site is a vast social network that serves as a one-stop organizational tool for clubs and programs to schedule games through interactive matchmaking, share club culture through traditions and songs, provide up-to-date rosters and player profiles, and recruit prospective players..By providing a vast social network that branches all levels of collegiate, club, and youth rugby, as well as outstanding coverage of the world's most dynamic team sport, we endeavor to provide a forum that will grow the game from the smallest level to the highest.

    So invite your friends, your teammates and fans, create your favorite team page and  personal profile, and begin sharing in a real community of people who love the game of rugby as much as you do.

www.rugbyUNITED.com TEAM


Sarah A Sall CMT 610-246-8001 (c) www.georgeandjane.com www.brandywinerugby.org

For Immediate Release
January 15, 2009

USA Rugby Hires National Guard Public Relations Coordinator

BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby has appointed Joanna Hoffmann as its National Guard Public Relations Coordinator.

“This is a great step forward in USA Rugby’s expanded partnership with the National Guard,” CEO and President of Operations Nigel Melville said. “Ms. Hoffmann’s collective rugby and promotional experiences make her an ideal fit for this position.”

The National Guard Public Relations Coordinator’s responsibilities include the promotion of USA Rugby, the National Guard, the National Championship Series and National Team events throughout the country. Under the direction of USA Rugby’s Marketing and Communications directors, the PR Coordinator will work to heighten exposure surrounding USA Rugby and co-branded USAR and National Guard endeavors, across television, radio, Internet and print media.

"Joanna will be a very valuable addition to our National Guard sponsorship fulfillment team. Having a great partner like the National Guard supporting the growth of rugby in the U.S. is a huge asset and requires a talented team to fully activate all of the elements and programs."

Hoffmann brings a wealth of rugby and marketing experience to her new position at USA Rugby. An eight-year veteran of the sport, she captained Milwaukee’s Divine Savior Holy Angels High School to a National Championship in 2004 and went on to a successful athletic career at Ohio State University, where she acted as team captain from 2005-2007 and was named to the USA Rugby All-American Team. Hoffmann also represented the USA in Canada, England and Wales as a member of the Under-19 Women’s National Team from 2001-2004.

Off the pitch, Hoffmann served as a dedicated member of the Ohio State University Sport Club Marketing Task Force, working with the sponsorship and marketing staff to identify and develop partnership opportunities. In addition to excelling in several past sales, marketing and promotional positions, including one with the Major League Soccer team, the Columbus Crew, Hoffmann has most recently been serving as USA Rugby’s Customer Service Coordinator, spearheading the membership card and member benefits initiatives before making the switch to public relations.

“I’m very excited to be offered this opportunity to promote the National Guard and USA Rugby partnership. I look forward to strengthening the relationship between these two great organizations,” Hoffmann said.

Hoffmann made the official transition to her new role at the beginning of 2009.  Among Hoffmann’s first tasks will be promoting the National Guard Kit program and the new National Guard Game of the Week series before the National Championship season kicks into full swing in the spring and summer of 2009.

For more information on USA Rugby and the National Guard Partnership, contact Joanna at jhoffmann@....

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

Cheers, Paul

IRB NAWIRA Info Page – week of January 16th, 2009

2009 Copyright © International Rugby Board 2009

0901015 TJ IRB NAWIRA Info Page – week of January 16th 2009 Page 1 of 1

INFORMATION PAGE

Week of January 16th, 2009

The Concept of the Game Plan

Back to our technical roots this week, and another contribution from colleague Lee

Smith, formerly IRB Development Manager, now Regional Development Manager in the

IRB’s Oceania Region (FORU). This is a new piece by him, with his developing

thoughts on game planning. Thanks again Lee.

How far have we come from sequential play to playing what is in front of you?

Along the continuum between the two will be the whole spectrum of teams. In the

opposite direction is a continuum between the organisation of sequential play and a

team’s ability to play to any pattern in all.

So it is a three-step process:

1. Development of the team to play organised patterned Rugby

2. Ability to adapt that pattern to a sequential pattern beyond set pieces and start

plays

3. Ability of a team to play to what is in front of them.

Each of these implies a different approach to a team’s game plan and the relevance of

this format is the play of opponents.

The framing of the game plan is also based on a continuum with the plan at the

fundamental level being based on the ability of a team to win the ball and retain the ball

to go forward. Players in the development phase will have a limited, but hopefully

expanding game plan.

This expanding game plan will be based on the players’ growing range of individual and

eventually, unit and team skills. It is no less important to have a game plan at this level

to give the players a context within which to play.

By definition, the game plan is what the team is attempting to achieve by their play while

the patterns are how they are going about achieving this. As a result, the game plan is

an important context for player contribution, as it is by knowing what is to be achieved

that the player can have input into how this will take place.

2

Coaches can be driven by the “how”, as it is practical, visible and concrete. It is the

content of any training session, but unless there is a game plan there will be no context

or framework within which the “how” can operate. This is vital in enabling players to

progress along the continuum. Maybe it is a worthwhile discipline for the coach to

define the game plan for his or her own benefit, so he or she has a context.

Conceptually defining a game plan can be difficult because it is a concept or a theme

and, while it provides the context for the patterns that are generated from it, it is likely

that in planning process the reverse may be true, i.e. patterns before game plan. So the

process can be that the coach, or group formulating the way the team is going to play,

just brainstorms all aspects of performance in the game. This will be a mixed list of

items that can be separated into aspects of the game plan, secondly into aspects of the

patterns of play. Often, the game plan content may well be limited and may be

nonexistent. This can be overcome by viewing the patterns, and generating from the

actions contained in the patterns, an overall concept of what the patterns are intending

to achieve.

This will be the game plan.

Developing a Game Plan

So by getting all the information out, the process can be moved forward. Too often the

mental gymnastics of having to decide whether an item is part of the game plan, and

which is part of the patterns of play, frustrates progress. It is better to get something

down and move forward from there.

This doesn’t mean that knowing what you want to achieve should precede how you are

going to achieve it. It is just that the reverse synergy serves the process better.

Once it has been gathered, it is a matter of categorising the information into the

principles of attack and defence, which are both a sequential list of principles that occur

chronologically in a game and an order of priority.

For example, in attack, a team cannot go forward without gaining possession and, in

defence, a team cannot make an effective tackle without going forward.

Synergy is the concept that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

In attack, be aware that reverse synergy applies between going forward and gaining

possession. On the assumption that the team’s forwards are able to win their own ball

at scrum and line-out, the question of the quality of the ball arises. This will largely

depend on what the attack intends doing with the ball. As a result, reverse synergy

applies as the ‘go forward’ determines the details of the gaining of possession.

The most common context for the development of the game plan, beyond the most

basic, are field position and the positioning of the opposition.

3

The basic field position format could be three to four zones down the field, using the

lateral field markings as reference points. The number of zones depends on justifiable

reasons for having each zone. This equally applies the lanes down the field, although

the lines are few and may not be sound reference points. It is up to the coach to identify

lanes that the players understand. The use of both methods is not mutually exclusive

so that a combination of both can be used, once again with good reason for the division.

Playing what is in front of you matters i.e. using the positioning of players as the primary

method of developing the game plan starts at the set pieces.

From the set pieces, scrums and line-outs, the laws of the game groups up to two thirds

of the players in a congested ‘city’ and spreads the remaining one third in the remainder

of the field, which is a sparsely, populated ‘countryside’. In addition, the players, with a

couple of exceptions, are compressed along, what is broadly, a single line across the

field.

The formation creates space across and down the field. Passing and running options

will use the space across the field to find a gap in the defence to go forward, while

kicking options will use the space behind the defence to do the same but with the result

of losing possession.

Equally a defensive game plan, using the principles as a checklist will be developed

from a set piece defining what the plan is aiming to achieve. The secret of a defensive

game plan, as well as the patterns of play, is in maintaining, as much as possible, a

limited, almost generic, game plan in which what is to be achieved is the same from

each situation.

While the attacking game plan based on what the players see in front of them is reactive

and non-prescriptive, the defensive game plan based on the same criteria is different in

a fundamental way. Defence takes place at the following situations – scrums, line-outs,

kick re-starts, rucks, mauls and general play. Each of these have similarities especially

line-outs, scrums, rucks and mauls. This means that many elements of the defensive

game plan can be the same.

The ‘city’ and ‘country’ situation replicates itself once play gets underway. As play is

dynamic, reading the situation and reacting to what is in front takes more time. The

game plan in these situations is based on smaller groupings, numbers and positioning

and, in time, a standard set of game plans for what the team is aiming to achieve in a

limited number of situations.

Examples of these game plans that go beyond the team profile are:

1. Game plans based on weather conditions

2. Game plans after either the team or the opposition have scored

3. Game plans based on the situation in the competition – the need to avoid

relegation, the need to gain promotion, the need to make the play-offs

4

4. Game plans for each opposing team. The pattern to achieve the game plan in

this situation is the tactics for the game. This is based on a change of emphasis

within the existing patterns based on the profile of the opposing team

The advantage of the game plan based on reading the behaviour of the opposition is

that it is less prescriptive so that opponents will have difficulty planning for the game.

Finally, bear in mind that this takes place at a stage when the players have the skills to

react to the options that emerge at the time. This doesn’t mean that this cannot take

place at lesser levels of Rugby, so long as the players have the menu of skills needed

relative to their opponents.

Best wishes to all.

Tom Jones

Regional General Manager

FYI.

All,

Please see attached All American release circulated to coaches of last years TU coaches and AA’s selectors, if you require further information please contact Alex Magleby or myself,

Nigel

------ Forwarded Message
From: Alexander Magleby <alexander.magleby@...>
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:43:07 -0500
To: Rich Pohlidal <Richard.Pohlidal@...>, Ron Bowers <bowers@...>, Jonathan Griffin <Jonathan.Griffin@...>, Rich J Cortez <tez@...>, Jeremy Ognall <Jeremy.Ognall@...>, "Dr. Gregg Jones" <greggajones@...>, Vince Atkinson <vatkinson@...>, Mike Hodgins <mhodgins@...>
Cc: Kevin Battle <coach@...>, Craig Coates <ccoates@...>, Don Ferrell <daf4@...>, "Bill L. Sexton" <wsexton@...>, Curt Huckaby <curthuck@...>, Blake Burdette <blake_burdette@...>, Matt Sherman <msherman@...>, Dan Payne <danielp@...>, John McNamara <john@...>, Kimball Kjar <kimball@...>, Nigel Melville <nmelville@...>
Subject: Player Identification & Development

December 29, 2008

Collegiate Territory Head Coach,

We hope this note finds you well and enjoying the holidays. As we approach the 2009 winter/spring domestic collegiate rugby season we want to begin to identify, track, and develop our elite players for the Men’s Collegiate All Star Championships in Glendale this June.  We hope to provide you as much information as possible to help you to continue to raise and develop the standards of elite collegiate rugby, particularly in areas such as Nutrition, S+C Testing, Player Criteria for Identification, and Player Development.



Nutrition:  Attached you will find 6 documents outlining proper player nutrition.  Please pass along to your players to utilize.  Furthermore, they may wish to visit USA Rugby’s High Performance Nutrition Blog run by Adam Russell at: http://hpnutrition.wordpress.com/

Adam updates his blog weekly with nutritional info and is able to answer questions from players.



Strength and Conditioning:  Last year for the first time standardized testing was implemented across the TU teams. We think this heightened emphasis helped produce increased fitness standards during the tournament which helped escalate the level of play. We aim to improve upon last year's fitness standards. Attached is a strength and conditioning program for you to distribute to elite players in your TU.  Also enclosed is a letter from S+C Coach David Williams outlining this program. Some players may already be on a program through their university, but we want to offer this as an option for those who are not.  

Also attached are strength and conditioning testing protocols that we ask you to administer once again prior to the All-Star Championships. Many of you are already well into this testing process. There is a recording sheet enclosed that should be submitted in the build-up to the tournament. It’s important to note that the recommended fitness scores for each position are base-level thresholds. We anticipate many of your athletes will work to be well above these.

Tests include:

-vertical jump (broad jump as a replacement where needed);

-40-meter sprint;

-beep test (1k shuttle as a replacement where needed).



Identification:  Attached is an HP player criteria document describing what we are looking for in elite-level players.  Essentially, we are not just looking to identify the best rugby players, we are also looking to identify the best athletes with the most potential physically and mentally. When you evaluate a player, please ask yourself how good could he be, not only how good is he now?



Player Tracking:  Please see the attached: "09 All American TU selector and Coach Identifying sheet".  We ask that your staff  submit one of these sheets as completely filled out as possible in your build-up to the All Star Championships. In addition, it can be used to track potential players during the domestic season and thus should be a fluid database.  TU Coaches should liaise with High Performance Managers (TBD in some areas) and TU selectors where possible to build out this sheet throughout the winter/spring season.   



Player Development: Most importantly, we need to prioritize core-skill development of our elite college rugby-athletes. Along with the increased emphasis on nutrition and fitness, we need to put heightened energy on developing the core skills.  This includes, but is not limited to, ball handing, tackling, contact skills/ball placement, lineout footwork/lifting, and kicking. As you prepare your team to win the Championships, tactical schemes and strategies are of course a priority of yours to devise and implement, but we ask that you also concentrate on core skills executed correctly and then done at pace under pressure.

Please let us know when you plan to have camps/training sessions prior to the All Star Championships and we will attempt to make specialist coaches available to you when possible to help develop these core skills.  Please send us an anticipated calendar of events for your side as soon as you are able so that we can try to help supply any additional resources you may need (i.e. coaching specialists, timing gates, etc).

Moreover, in order to help facilitate communication with the players in your TU, we can send you a contact sheet of all the collegiate coaches in your territory and a basic email template (see below) introducing the All-American program to your territory coaches/players. Please let us know if you are interested in this email list. These communications could also include the strength and conditioning and nutrition information that is enclosed in this email.

Thanks very much for your time and continued commitment to identifying and developing rugby players in our country.  This is meant to serve as a guide and we want to do everything we can to work with you to help improve our methods of identifying and developing elite collegiate players.

Please do not hesitate to call.



Best Regards,



Alex Magleby:  All American Head Coach Alexander.magleby@... <mailto:Alexander.magleby@...>  603.229.2792

Dan Payne:  All American Program Director dpayne@... <mailto:dpayne@...>   619.618.5209

Matt Sherman: High Performance Manager  msherman@... <mailto:msherman@...>   415.828.8073





Enclosed:

-2009 TU Coach & Selector Identifying Sheet (to be filled out and updated by TU coaches, by Selectors, and shared with AA staff in the spring and then again leading up to All-Star Championships weekend)

-2009 All-American S&C Testing Recording Sheet (to be updated by TU coaching staffs and shared with AA staff leading up to All-Star Championships weekend)

-2009 AA Testing Description Document

-S&C Cover Letter, from Dave Williams (to be shared with collegiate coaches and players in your TU)

-S&C off-season workout schedule (to be shared with collegiate coaches and players in your TU)

-S&C off-season workout program (to be shared with collegiate coaches and players in your TU)

-HP Player Selection Criteria document (for your information)

-6 x nutrition documents ((to be shared with collegiate coaches and players in your TU): dietary principles, camp guidelines, menu suggestions, stop light nutrition chart, competitive sports nutrition, nutritional goals guidline

_________________________


Dear collegiate coach,
 
This is     head coach of the       territory team.
 
In an effort to cast a wide net to identify the best talent within our territory for the collegiate all star championships in June, we’d like to reach out to all club coaches within the territory to inquire about elite players on your current squad.  We’d ask you to think carefully about who you nominated and think about the following criteria.
 
Athleticism:  Is the player a good player, or also a very good athlete.  We are attempting to find the best athletes in the country and want to identify players who are athletically talented enough to play at the highest international level.  Typically, these players would have been high achievers in other mainstream American sports in high school or in college.  We are looking for players physically big enough, strong enough, and fast enough to play at the highest level.
 
Commitment:  We only want players nominated who are physically and mentally committed enough to put in the hard work and sacrifices to pursue playing rugby at the highest level.  We want players who are coachable and committed to improving in all facets of the game (skill development, tactical knowledge, strength and conditioning, etc.) and are willing to put in the work to achieve results.
 
If your University team has a player or players who meet this criteria, would you please pass on their name, phone number, email, and any background information on them such as (height, weight, position, years playing, achievements in other sports, etc.). Please understand this is only to identify elite athletes, please consider that when nominating a player.
 
Thanks very much for your assistance,
 


 



------ End of Forwarded Message

IRB NAWIRA Info Page – week of January 9th, 2009

2008 Copyright © International Rugby Board 2008

090108 TJ IRB NAWIRA Info Page – week of January 9th 2009 Page 1 of 1

INFORMATION PAGE

Week of January 9th, 2009

Best wishes to all for a great New Year

1 Help support Rugby's Olympic campaign

(From an IRB press release)

The International Rugby Board is asking all Rugby players and supporters to

assist in spreading the message that the sport of Rugby should be included in

the Olympic Games.

The successful re-introduction of Rugby into the Olympic Games is an

objective of the Strategic Plan for the Game as agreed by all Member

Unions.

Watch the IRB’s Olympic Video:

http://www.irb.com/mm/Video/Home/0/RugbyandtheOlympicGamessmall_

6048.wmv

The IRB believes the ideal form of Rugby for Olympic inclusion is Rugby

Sevens which has a proven and very successful record in multi-sports Games

such as the Commonwealth Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will vote on which sports to

include in the Olympic Games in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009.

The key messages that the IRB believe are important and highlight why

Rugby should be in the Olympic Games are:

_ Rugby reinforces the ideals of Olympism, thanks to Rugby’s longstanding

ethos of fair play and friendship

_ Rugby Sevens would reach a new and young audience, including

Rugby’s 3 million players in 116 countries and the tens of millions of

fans worldwide

_ Rugby Sevens does not need a purpose built stadium and would fill the

Olympic Stadium in the first week of competition, adding an additional

vibrant and youthful tone for the Games

2

_ Rugby Sevens would extend the number of potential medal-winning

nations in what would be a true world championship. Countries that

could aspire to Olympic success in Rugby include Fiji, Samoa,

Argentina, South Africa, Kenya and New Zealand.

_ Rugby would increase funds to grow the Olympic Movement, by

attracting new commercial partners and spectators. At the same time

Rugby would enjoy increased funding and access to facilities from

National Olympic Committees as an Olympic sport.

The IRB is providing a lot of information to the IOC on why Rugby should be

reintroduced to the Olympic Games and you can assist Rugby with this

ambition by responding to the IOC's Virtual Olympic Congress.

The IOC is asking the general public all around the world for feedback as its

progresses its plans for the future of the Olympic Games. The IRB believes

that future should include Rugby.

The deadline to give feedback to the IOC's Virtual Olympic Congress on a

specific website - www.2009congress.olympic.org - has now been extended

until 28 February 2009.

For more information, go to:

http://www.irb.com/rugbyandtheolympics/support.html

2 Referee appointments to the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009

Congratulations to our own Dana Teagarden (USA, below left) and Joyce

Henry (Canada, right) on their appointments to Dubai, March 5-7!

3

3 Mark Griffin appointed USA Rugby’s Youth, High School Director

The last 2008 edition of the Information Page outlined the work Mark Griffin

and his Play Rugby, Inc had been doing to grow the game for girls and boys

in underserved urban areas. How appropriate then that Mark was yesterday

named USA Rugby’s Youth, High School Director. Congratulations, Mark,

and good luck to you and the Union on your initiatives.

Best wishes to all.

Tom Jones

Regional General Manager

Cheers, Paul

All, I remind you that if you as an SCRFU member club is visiting a club outside of SCRFU or entertaining a club outside of SCRFU you are required to inform me as Tours Chairman to either have you fill out the forms on the website www.scrfu.org or have me request that you get the approval from the visiting team’s Union that they are in good standing.

Happy New Year!

Cheers, Paul

Click here for information on the 2009 USA Sevens.

Click here for information on the 2009 USA Sevens.

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