standing-Dustin Dunbar,DJ,Seabass,DK,TJ,Joanna,Jon,Gary,TooTall,Robbie,Danny,Richie,Imad,John,Nick,Tighlman,Cris Yun,knelling Keven Doyle,Kyle,Jersey,Ben,OJ,Micmac,Rocco,Brian Doyle,Norway
Tribe before KO v Radford

The match v two time National Champion Collegiate Div II was fought with courage to the end. Kinda like Davey Crockett at the Alamo.

We demonstrated lots of character and competitive will today. We raised our game as we progressed through the first half. Early part of the second half was fine. Outstanding defensive performances from Kang,OJ,Jersey,and Doyle. Norway and Alex teamed up in the early part of the second half for some powerful offensive rugby. We have lots of work ahead for us. Winning ways in Div II are never gifted but earned with hard work. Keep digging Boys; we will be rewarded. Scrumdown

Rocco drives the ball up the pitch at Rosecroft Raceway

This was a valiant two days of rugby v U.Mass,Slippery Rock,and George Washington. Alas,the scorelines were disappointing but the performance,committment,and competitive will was in abundance. The fields were narrow and soft which was not ideal conditions for our pacy and quick standard of play. The big boys ruled this weekend. Standout performance by Doyle at fly. It was his first appearance at fly on the A side in a very competitive situation. Doyle was cool,superb kicks,directed the backline like a veteran. Captain Chris Yun was titanic;cannot ask for a better captain as a leader and player. RJ is beginning to emerge as a dominate forward with ball in hand or in support. Rocco looked very strong. Imad was consistently hostile and violent. Also,thank you Imad for keeping us organized. Thank you Dr.Ben for keeping the first aid kit and water plentiful. Thank you Dustin for playing while suffering greatly with flu. Special thanks to WM olboys Andy,Kyle,Kelly,and Joe for supporting our side with their play. Thank you to our subs Cambell,Morgan,Stuart,TooTall,and TJ for contributing and not complaining about meager playtime. No club can make it with 15 starters. Your time will come.

Imad up for the ball v UMass

Captain's log

Solid rugby this weekend guys.

In our first game against UMass we played a clean flowing game, but had trouble stopping their scrum. We needed some more support for our centers who were taking it in. I believe the final score was 12-6?

In the second game against Slippery Rock we got beaten by a bunch of Pennsylvania football players. We got sucked into playing their game, and could not distribute the ball to our back-line well. Rocco came in second half and put some fire into the team, but it came too late to pull off a win. No idea what the score was.

The final game was by far our best. We dominated GW for 35 minutes of a 40 minute game, and simply failed to finish while in the 10 meter line. I believe we won every single scrum but one, and even managed to wheel one. I was also extremely pleased with the forwards who really stepped up their support of the backline with Jong, Jersey, and Reynolds(who knew?) providing a little extra lethality on the wings. It helped having a flanker at Outside center who was always the first to the ruck whenever either a wing or the inside center went down. That will be something we should continue to work on, as it helped us maintain ball possession in situations where we had lost it in our previous two games.

It was some shitty fields, with the lack of proper lines making otherwise excellent referees calling some questionable decisions, but that's something we just have to play through. The biggest lessons we need to take away is this: we are a talented team, and we CAN compete with the best, but we need to make it count when we drive down into their 10. One clean phase.

Also, dumb rookie mistakes dominated all three matches, with players offsides on kicks and hands in the rucks. I blame noone for this, it is simply the result of us fielding a young inexperienced side. We don't have enough games for everyone to learn on the pitch though, so it is your own responsibility to watch rugby on your own. It is pretty easy to watch online, and I know some good links have been sent out over the listserv in the past. And rookies, even with your dumbass mistakes, and your retarded emails, as a whole, yall are the best freshman class I've ever seen. Keep it up, and keep coming out.

FINAL NOTES: we decided to move practice to TOMORROW, TUESDAY. We also are considering having a rugby team pancake eating contest this Wednesday. It would be through Pi-Hop, the Pi Phi fundraiser. Cost would be 5 dollars, for all the IHop pancakes you can eat (yes, IHop is donating the batter). Tickets are actually 4 dollars, so that extra dollar you pay will go to the winner of the contest. So if we get 20 guys to do this, the winner makes 20 bucks. Email me if you want do this. It will be Wednesday, sometime between 5 and 7.

PRACTICE TOMORROW! TODAY IS CANCELLED!

Love you all, Yun

Quote of the Weekend: Yun: "so what'd you think about the game?" Jersey: "I dunno... I thought.... We did.... Pretty good."

We had the first match v CNU. We lost. We were rusty and way too peaceable. Had not played a match in 4 weeks. Let's forget this one.

Our second match v VCU was close and hard fought. Really gratified how we continued to raise our game. By the end of the match we were playing like champions. Morgan and Stewart had break out performances;we can expect more fine contributions from these players in the future. DK looked good at fly mixing up well aimed kicks and running to good effect. Gary Lin had some amazing runs. Doyle was poised at fullback. Imad continues to be a dominating forward in the loose and lineouts. OJ and Jersey continue to lead the club with intensity and great defense. Thank you,ol boys, Kelly and Sarge for your support today.

Let's get back to work and finish our season in fine form.

We retired to the College Delly for a few. Raised a toast to our fallen ruggers,Alex Reyno and Mark Ludvigsen. Today was a good rugby day.
Captain MicMac is attended to by adoring lady minions. Head pillow provided by Hammer

We started weak but ended strong. As the minutes turned over our decision making,defense,confidence,and will to compete flourished. Dustin ran hard and tackled hard,spectacular interception for 60 meter run. Norway raised his game to new heights making fine decisions under pressure and making a lot of tackles. OJ is always in high gear. Imad responded in the second half with an epic performance dominating in the loose,making tackles,lineouts,and generally cracking heads. Jersey Joe was everywhere on the pitch. Stephan took the ball into contact with absolute confidence for easy ruck by his mates. We had a chance to close the gap in second half. We created opportunities. Yet, we were slow adapting to ref interpretation of law. Slow getting back on penalty marks. We need to have greater respect for our field position. Its OK to risk possession for territory. Your coach accepts repsonsibility for our poor defense in the early stages which we could not overcome. We will focus on team defense and fun tackle games. Good defense starts with a plan we all subscribe too and ends with each player taking personal responsibility for making his tackles. We have all the will and talent to play defense. We need to be at a full boil on the start of play.

B side match started with awsome string of possessions. We were so close to punching it end. DK and Kang teamed up for 50 meter try. DK was looking at 3 defenders. Chips over. Kang flies in for the touchdown. Hans looked very confident with the ball. Scrummaging was over the top. Didn't hurt having two Norfolk Blues props in our pack. Backline continued to improve and looked more confident as the match progressed. Kevin looked great as our lineout catcher.

Kevin takes ball in lineout

more from Captain Hans Leonard The ebb and flow of the second game was dictated by penalties, scrums, and lineouts. The opposition wanted to play a with a strait-ahead style.It was certainly a sad day for running, fluid rugby--but not a sad day for us. Thanks to all of the Norfolk Blues players that we borrowed. We at one time had a total of 4: Chip the prop, another prop from some commonwealth nation, an outside center that seemed to know Morgan Rountree, and a fullback. We managed to play the first half largely on ODU's side of the field and repeatedly made it down to the five meter line before being stopped. ODU, despite being outplayed in virtually all facets of the game, managed to capitalize on two Tribe miscues and scamper in for tries. One was a bobbled pass as our backline was attempting to run an overlap out of our 22--which was a good decision--and the other was the old ball being rocket-launched out the back end of our scrum. Its worth mentioning that they never actually scored on our defense. The half ended in a thoroughly disappointing scoreline: ODU 14 - W&M 0 The second half saw the Tribe continue to slowly march the ball down field by taking advantage of penalties and some tactical kicking. Hans tapped and went on a penalty from just five meters out, but was utterly mauled. However, he hadn't taken it from the proper mark so the tribe were awarded a second chance. Ball in hand from the previous misadventure and catching several ODU players STILL outside their try line he gave it a second chance and this time managed to twist in. This lead to allegations of Hans being "a greedy bastard" but I'm sure he didn't care. WM 5 - ODU 14 The second score was not long after. With the backs playing the ball wide to the left, the wing went into contact with space on the outside and a quick ruck in support. Doyle was right there to spin it out and continue the attack. As the defense rushed up hard to nullify our brief overlap, DK saw space and punched a hard 40 meter kick through their line. He and Matt Kang gave chase and after a considerable amount of "scrummaging" Kang ended up on top of the ball in the try zone for our second try of the day. Final score: WM 10 - ODU 14. Overall highlights included Kevin Macwhorter's excellent performance on lineouts (no doubt helped by Chip's 9 for 10 day at throwing the ball in strait), Our scrum which never lost a putin and caused several turnovers (with Law school Ed hooking), Our penalty defense which was never caught napping, our defense which refused to be sucked in and shifted well from side to side, Doyle's solid play keeping things orderly, and a decent penalty-kicking performance. Too-tall remained extremely tall throughout (Told you I would get you in there buddy). Congratulations to DJ who got 6 stitches in his first game. Tribe B side Feb 21,2009,click on image for larger view

OJ,DK,Nick

OJ is lifted off the pitch by crack Tribe First Aid Rescuers,fully trained and certified,of course

Dustin on the run,James and Jersey in support
Courtesy Paul Hemerlein,buy prints

This was a tough match. Hard fought to the end. The Hampton Sidney Boys were well stocked with their football players on break from the football grind. Large and strong. Gave away 20 to 40 lbs to a man in the pack. To the credit of the pack and the backline we had a wealth of possession at the the tackle. Dustin,Jersey,Micmac,Eric,OJ,Drew to name a few were at the breakdown with instant support,good rucks and mauls. We created enough possession that the opportunities presented themselves. Jersey picked up off a quick ruck for a 30 meter try. Doyle was at the breakdown for a quick step and try.

Our bacline was jammed by an aggressive defense. We will find ways to spread the defense north to south and east to west. Simply put. Deeper and wider alignment. More kicks over the defensive bacline. Flawless ball handling.

We can be proud of this effort. Did not expect Hampton Sidney to be so strong. We could have lost this match. Our will and intensity was abundant; keep up the work. We have the talent and desire for an epic spring campaign.

By the way, MVP to Hans Leonard in second match.

Courtesy Paul Hemerlein,buy prints

more commentary by Hans Leonard, B-Side Captain,Graduate Chair

Both sides being thoroughly worn down by the "A side" match, the captains decided the second match of the day would be of the sevens variety. I'll be honest, play was brutish, nasty, and short until Hans Leonard came on with mere seconds left in the first half. Then the manna began to rain from heaven. Catching the defense entirely too flat fifteen meters from their goal line, Leonard chipped a penalty kick over their line and touched it down in the try zone. First half W&M 5 - Hampton Sydney 0 W&M took the second half kickoff the length of the field after Ivan flipped it softly to Hans around the right side, who promptly drew three defenders before finding Drew Laskowski on the overlap. Laskowski advanced the ball a good 40 meters before passing inside back to Leonard who finished the job. The rest of the half was played on the Sydney side of the field, but William and Mary went scoreless for the next several minutes. Possibly because they were tired from going up hill both halves? Let the pundits decide. In the end, it didn't matter. Once again Leonard found the magic boot--holding off two defenders with his left hand before unleashing a marvelous cross kick to the speedy winger Matt Kang. Kang then broke two tackles and outran one very fat opposition player to touch down under the posts. Final score: W&M 17 - Sydney 0 Man of the match went to Kang, after I saw that the honorific came with a mandatory gulp of aristocrat rum and lost interest. Oh yeah, and the other guys played great too. I guess. Well Ivan did. Definitely.

Your Captain,

Hans Leonard

Christmas 7s,Dec 6,2008

Remarkable performance. We fielded two sides for this tourney. We made it to the consolation final in the RED Bracket coming away with a fine victory vs Hyde School, a private school in DC with a national reputation for producing fine 7 a side rugby.

Really gratified how we adjusted to the loss of Chris Yun,Hammer,and Gary Lin,three of our best 7s types and continued to improve all day. First match was a loss to VCU that we could have easily won,we were still waking up. Handled Hampton Sydney with aplomb in second match advancing to final. Our third match vs Hyde School was a culmination of all our work running up to this tourney. Dustin made some devastating finishing runs. Hank at srumhalf created some fine opportunities for himself. Han Leonard was dominate in contact with the ball. Norway was the playmaker. Making consistent forays into the defense with some nice breaks and creating opportunity for our support. Jersey Joe in defense and attack was titanic. Imad and Sarge in the BLUE bracket showed outstanding ability to absorb contact and make the ball available.

Special thanks to IMAD for all the hard work organizing our sides and to Chris for all his leadership and coaching.

Feel good Boys; you earned it.

Ace your exams,have a great Christmas. See ya early spring rested,fit,and eager to play hard for The Tribe. Respectfully,Cary

Oct 25th,2008 v University of Richmond Tribe Rugby, Following our Alumni v. B-Side match, Tribe Rugby took on the University of Richmond last Saturday afternoon. The Tribe showed complete dominance on this day, proving that their hard work was stronger than their hard luck. After an impressive series of rucks and open play pops, Rocco touched down a try on the weak side of the ruck. There were many opportunities for more trys but penalties such as not releasing the ball prevented an even more lopsided final score. The backs got into the mix when Hawk set up Sherman for a nice try towards the end of the first 40 minutes. Half - Tribe 10 - U of R 0 This season Tribe Rugby has been a story of two halves. But not Saturday. The club came out with the same intensity and smart play that was exemplified in the first half. Instead of giving Richmond hope with a let down, the Tribe finished them off in fine fashion. After a strong possession Dustin broke free and following a lengthy run touched down a try, which Doyle converted. On the ensuing kick- off, our Club set up a great ruck that sucked the Spiders in that resulted in an overlap that the back line took advantage of. Hammer broke free for another try, which Doyle converted. It was teamwork that characterized this day with cohesive play between the backs and the forwards. This was a fitting end to a frustrating season. It was amazing to have such a strong preformance with the ruggers of old spectating. On a side-note, the backs showed great resiliency with using only one sub, Corwin, due to Hawk's injury. On behalf of Tribe Rugby, William Hammer Backs Captain

Dustin cruises in for touchdown v Richmond Hammer on the run,Doyle in support

Tribe Rugby,

The first half v ODU on Oct 18th,2008 was at times as sloppy as the weather. Each club traded threatening advances but knock ons, forward passes, and other violations ruled the majority of the first 40 minutes. Danny Kong played well at fullback and scored off of a counter attack coupled with a great chip kick. Even though we gave good effort in the first half, our execution is still lacking. Coach Ball was astute at halftime saying that we were lucky to have the lead...5-0. The first 10 minutes of the second half were devastating. ODU came out with more intensity and scored 3 quick tries. Once again we were unable to play a strong 80 minutes on Saturday. However we fought back strong with exciting fast-paced rugby. Gary, and Yun completed the Asian Invasion Hat Trick. It was encouraging to see our highest point tally this year. Our lapse in effort was the story of the day. ODU 22 - WM 17

Respectfully, William Hammer

P.S. It was nice to see our fallen (other) Captain return to the pitch. Strong match Dardar.

ODU @ WM Oct 18,2008 This match had it all. Was absolutely proud of the possession skills shown by the pack. We enjoyed plenty of possession as the pack swarmed in numbers all day over the ball. This pattern of excellence was constant through out the match. Our total team tackles was in the low 30's, which reflects the wealth of possession that we enjoyed in the loose. Alas, our lineouts were not consistent and our scrummagging is not confident or stable which really affected our momentum. We had a chance to win this match in the second half. Highlight in offense was our multiple possessions during loose play,setting up quick possession,so the backline could set up faster than their defense, the ball was through our hands to the left for the TRY by Gary. That try was classic Tribe Rugby. We do that more often. We could dominate. Nobody can play that style but us. We just have to duplicate it more often. We must recognize MicMac for putting on some big hits in the first half, OJ's competitive spirit,Hawk's defense,and Chris Yun's ever present enterprise. Tackle count below (to get the credit for this you must make a solo tackle and get your opponent on the ground before help arrives):

Sam

Hawk  9
Chris 6
MicMac 5
Dustin 4
Everyone else was  3 or less.  Wish I could have recorded the rucks. We were awsome there. 

From Captain Hammer

This past Saturday JMU came to IM Pitch to square off with Tribe Rugby. The first 10 minutes of the match looked very promising as the Club managed to keep the ball behind JMU's 22 - knocking on the door for points. JMU strong defense did not break.

Then the Dukes went on the offensive. With the Tribe on their heels penalties were committed around their 22 which resulted in 6 points off kicks. Then the Madison pack along with their wily #10 executed some strong runs for tries, even an embarrassing run back after a kickoff. The Tribe trailed at the half 22-0 (approx.)

The Tribe showed character for the first time this season in the second half. Despite some bumps and bruises Christen and Guido played strong to the last whistle. The Tribe was able to capitalize on Madison's less then inspiring play. William and Mary looked worthy of Division II in the second half on Saturday. Hawk's "grubbing" try was uplifting just before the final whistle. Tribe 5 - JMU 27/30? Who cares. They whipped the Tribe RFC in the first half but it looks like the Tribe is here to stay in Division II.

William Hammer
Senior Winger
Backs Captain

From Coach Kennedy

Outstanding effort. The forwards started the match with some prolonged possession. Held the ball in their half for nearly 10 minutes. Chris Yun got the ball upfield with the kicks. Our scrummaging in the early go was fragile but as the match progressed we gained the advantage. Aggression and desire was superior. Their big forwards could not stay with us. Alas, our offense in the backline did not take consistent form. We had some good runs nevertheless. Greg,Hawk,Hammer,and Dan were noteworthy. Our second half was clearly better than our first. Hawk ripped off an epic try. He has done this before in seasons gone with the wind.

We tackled with passion and will. Tackle count was spread more evenly amoung the players than last week,thank you! Tackle count below. We have the foundation of good possession. Its time to take advantage of that possession and put that rock in the try zone.

I really like the way we have responded to adversity in the last three hard fought rugby matchs. WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN. Continue to work hard. We will be rewarded.

Individaul Tackle Count Oct 4th

Hawk 9
Jersey Joe 9
Drew 6
OJ 5
Chris 5
Norway 5
Everyone else was 4 or below. Two players had no solo tackles

I felt like we were The Texans at the Alamo. There ain't no easy way out. So we fought to the last man.

Sam and Norway close in
Finished the match with honor. Harder the matches;the stronger we will become.

OJ had a phenomenal game at flanker leading the club with over 20 tackles. During one goaline defense,OJ made three tackles in a row,workrate off the chart! Jersey Joe contributed with some mighty defense. Sam came on the second half showing outstanding range covering the kicks and making the tackles. Norway played well at fly and did plenty of rucking too.

Best thing was that the team stuck together in both matches and represented their team and College with pride and hardwork.***Tackle stats below. The solo tackle count is generally shouldered by your loose forward,scrumhalf,and centers. We got remarkable production from our flankers OJ and Jersey Joe. Some of our mates,5 players that will go unnamed, did not get credit for a single solo tackle in the A side match?? Successful defense,for example, means your fullback did not have to make many solo/try saving tackles. So a low tackle count from your fullback can be a good thing. Respectfully,Cary

Kevin goes up for the ball

OJ 21
Jersey Joe 17
Drew 8
Sam 7 (played only one half)
Hammer 6 (played only 20 minutes)
Norway 6
All other players logged 5 or less tackles.

OK,lets just get it out and over with. We got clubbed. To the credit of Mary Wash, they had a lethal flyhalf, a huge hard running center,and a speedy winger. Welcome to Division II collegiate rugby. We are in the midst of a rugby crucible this fall. We will respond,we will get harder,stronger,and wiser. Never underestimate our ability to get better.

I really like the way we adjusted and stopped Mary Wash up the middle in the second half. Greg and Hawk were there with the big stops and some fine runs. Lin scored a beauty off a chip kick from Sel. OJ was heroic with the hard contact stuff. Yun played his ass off. Our forwards started the match with some fine disciplined rucking. As fatigue begin to show late in the first half we were upright and surrendered our early dominance. Best way to fight fatigue, get lower,go forward!

Lin

Hammer

We showed courage and will. We have all the elements to be great. Personal tackle and ruck stats below:

Notes: Most tackle production should be coming from our flankers,scrumhalf,and hooker and then the centers. As you can see our tackle stats are wildly out of balance. We must have more tackle production from our loose forwards. We placed way too much burden on the backline to make the stops. Tackles:

Hammer 18 
Yun 15
OJ 13
Hawk 10
Greg 7 (played 2nd half)
Rocco 6
Remaing players were under 5 tackles.

First and second player to the tackle in offense and defense: Note,as you can see, Yun beat the forwards to the breakdown and was forced to ruck way too much!

Yun 10
Rocco 10 (played only one half)
Moses 10
OJ 9
Dalton 6 (played only one half)
Mic Mack 6 (played only one half)

Everyone else was one or two at the breakdown 5 or less times.

We had an unexpected practice - match this evening in Newport News. During our stretching I was inspired by the look in many players eyes, and then our intensity was frozen by a training session.

During our A-Side 10 minute live session, big Hans Leonard with a heads-up burst after a penalty touched it down following our lengthy possession in the motley's 22m line. A-Side 6-0 (no conversion allowed)

The B-team, out experienced and out weighed, produced a strong effort against mostly the men of Newport News. The TriBe showed strong tackling behind Jersey Joe's "Kelly Ginley" like effort. The B team looked encouraging. They played 2 10 minute halves and lost 18-0. That old wily scrum half had game.

Man of the Match: Daniel "Diddy Kong" Charbonnet Honorable Mention: Jersey (guido) Joe

Respectfully submitted,Hawk

March 26th,2008 by Hammer Match Summary, sorry for the tardiness: Navy - 53 W&M - 27? The pitch was wide and short we surmised. It was about 43 degrees with strong winds and a a little of precipitation. We came out of the blocks with penalties, knock-ons, and etc. Navy was fit, disciplined and on pace. Their 8 man and unbound forwards made strong runs off of rucks and mauls. Their #13 and wings/fullbacks were effective offensively and defensively. Our line-outs and scrum held, but our open play was weak. The backs rarely received good ball. Navy played their wings back deep, but we were unable to capitalize on the overlap. Our tackles, rucks, and ball carrying were high and Navy took advanatge. Our forwards had a beautiful march of mauls down the field for Chris Scott to eventually touch down a try. Coffey Converts? An errant pace from the Navy Fullback resulted in a quick recovery and try by William Hammer just before half. Coffey Converts? 27? - 14? Ginley adds two tries (according to him). Doyle/Ginley paired for a nice score off of a ruck around the 2m line. I guess were Ginely's were not converted? But Coffey did added 3 (7 total) from a penalty. Ginley also made 7 tackles on kick-offs alone. He won my Jeep's mobile social "Man of the Match". He will be missed. Thank all your parents that came out. We had a great contingent of Tribe Fans. We will learn a lot from this experience. Posted Feb 23rd by Captain Hammer Mates, 1. Game Tape will help my weak short term memory. And my biased stance. Kickoff:1:15 Coffey kicked for three. Richmond responds with Outside Center breaks a 50 yd run for 5. Conversion Failed. Richmond scrum had their way on this 40 degree foggy day. Wheeling and Pushing us around. Richmond tackled well. Coffey for three off of Richmond penalty. 6-5...Forward driven response from Richmond - 10-6...Fantastic Drop Goal - Bobby Coffey...and especially unexpected from me at Inside Center...Like I am preparing for the ball in my hands not through the Uprights (right term?) Half Richmond 10 Coffey 9 - Bobby "Latte, Expresso, Mocha" Coffey Man of the Match. His punts in the first half took unlucky bounces for the Tribe. Richmond rallied downhill in the second half. They held a Tribe Pack attack from within the 22...To no avail...The Tribe went Try-Less today. The score fails me...27?-9.. We shared in a big circle around the Rock. 60 minutes of B Side Match. We got off to a decent lead. Points by Genovese, Zulu Try by Spencer. I played Fullback and I definitely let a Try through - I feel your pain Yun. Hows the line go.."Fullback...Because I Get Fucked" I think Richmond pulled ahead. B Pack - Run Lower Backs - Hang tough Buff said that we need to increase our Rugby Knowledge and I agree. Andy and Hans we need you at practice at least to help advise us. It was good competition and we played Tough. We CAN play Division II Rugby! Prove it, Hammer Note: CIPP Register Today! Hank and Andy CIPPed in the knick of time this morning. Sorry so long.

Drew goes up for the ball

Congratulations on finishing the season! As individuals our conditioning and strength improved fantastically. This was due in large part to the emphasis we placed on off season training at the end of the Fall Season and a persistant effort in our practices this season to run intervals. Because these two paid off in our individual game we were able to, with John Swaddle's guidance, play a style of rugby that is suited to our endurance and our rucking ability- varying the area of pod attacks, stretching defenders thin and marching down the field. Our pack specifically and dramatically improved. In both the Princeton and the Mary Washington Game, they dominated scrums that were larger than them. The fact that so many guys new to rugby were able to put such a technically versatile pack together speaks volume to the commitment of our new players- Christian Dustin, James and Drew among them. Petro's dominance as a runner and in a ruck will be sorely missed. Donny scored his first try this season, and still owes us a zulu. Despite his absence at the Cherry Blossom tournament, Buff is an anchor at lock. Kelly is a terror on the flank. Trevor uses his body as a missile, and with any luck will be healthy by September. Our back line has nothing but potential. The Andy/Chris connection is gratifyingly reliable; Chris gets good ball and Andy distributes it. Greg and Hank are beginning to vary their lines of attack and to look for support, with practice this combination will run over, around and through any back line we play. Despite the fact that we have a surplus of wingers, any number of them are capable players often making tackles and rucks far beyond what their size might suggest- to wit, Brian, Spencer, Devin and Skance. With this team we went to the 41st Cherry Blossom Tournameny, we played Yale B side and Lost 9-12 in horrible conditions. There was snow on the ground and a morbid chill in the air. In this match the weather was our largest foe. After the snow had melted we returned to play James Madison, and beat them 13-12 with a dramatic penalty drop kick made by Andy (golden toe) on the last play of the game. Sunday morning, we did not have our full side because of Easter, thus we forfeited to George Washington University. We did, however borrow several players from Virginia Tech, and gave GW a very phycial game. We lost 7-3, however, this game was contested the entire time, rucks were especially phycial and we were able to force turnovers. Both JMU and GW were teams that were much larger than we were. When we played our pod game, marching down the field we succeeded, especially against James Madison. This tournament featured a number of people in the pack out of their typical positions. Specificaly, Sarge and Josh stepped up and propped steadily, and admirably for us. Spencer hooked in the GW game. Law School Dave even came out of retirement to give us a boost on the first day of the tournament. To close, thank you to all the ruggers who hosted this weekend, thankyou to all the drivers who drove and thank you especially to Kelly and your family for hosting us Saturday Night. This Tournament shows what our team is capable of, the true test is whether we can make good on this potential in the fall.

Dan Souleles,President WM RFC

Cary asked for a match summary... so I thought I would give my take on the game, which may help everyone think about what to do for next weekend.

At times we were very good - some of the best rugby we have played for a while. Rucking was hard, quick, and Chris was there for effective distribution to forward pods or to Andy. Support was close, passes were short and accurate, and we were disciplined and controlled in attack and defense. The scrummaging was low, tight, and effective. This lasted for the first 10 minutes or so of the first half, and a few periods in the second half. When we played like that, we dominated the game, scored two tries, and could have scored more. The opposition hardly got in our half when we played this way.

We lost our discipline and concentration after about 10-15 minutes. People got themselves isolated. Forwards stood off the ruck too much without driving over, or providing effective offensive or defensive options. In general, people became hesitant and stood off the point of contact, seemingly waiting for miraculous 10 yard passes instead of supporting the ball carrier closely. Our run backs from opposition kicks were ineffective--we looked for 10-15 yard passes that weren't there. One of these led to an interception and the opposition's single score against us. From kicks to the fullback, we need Dan to run toward his own players and for the backs to re-align more quickly around him. This takes a readjustment from the entire line.

The last 20 minutes of the first half were tough for us. The ref let the opposition constantly handle in rucks and they were almost always offside in joining rucks and mauls (which led directly to Dustin's injury--somone took him out from the side of a maul). We need to readjust in those situations, by driving in with tighter and tighter support (two or three people together), two or three times, before spreading things wide through the backs. We picked up and drove in single person attacks too often--which gives the offside defense an advantage as they are there in numbers. So, if you see people fringing on rucks, get really tight with the pods.... attack a couple of times.... then quickly put the ball wide. In these situations, both Andy and Chris can also look for kicks over the top for us to chase. We can talk about that this week.

Defensively we tackled pretty well. Some people got a little high as they tired, but generally we were solid. The backline has to be a little more aggressive in their defense. Step up as a line, with Andy and Greg leading this positioning. We stood back and waited for them to attack too often.

The back line did a great job of adjusting their attacking play in the second half. There was more inventiveness, more pace on the ball, and people adjusted their lines more. Passes were more accurate and shorter. Dan's returns were more effective in the second half and his linking with wings, centers, and forwards was better. We also made a couple of effective kicks from defense, which has been a weakness for us in the past. The wings all improved during the game, contributing more and more as play went one. All-in-all a good day for the back line, with noted improvements. We need to build on the second half and keep up that more aggressive kind of play.

Overall, this was a good team performance. I was particularly pleased with the way most players stayed disciplined even in the face of provocation and an opposition that was constantly offside. You concentrated on your game and played better rugby than the opposition. You deservedly won the game and would have won by more with a better ref.

This is a great platform to build from for the Cherry Blossom tournament, and for next semester. We have a strong squad that is improving with every game. Please come to practice, and our team play will continue to improve.

Dr.John Swaddle

|Outstanding effort. We showed particular strength at the contact point with fearless rucking. We did the hard work of securing possession.Scrummage body position was outstanding. Defense and tackling was committed,hard,and low. Well done,lads. Our attack lead by Andy,Chris,and Drew showed enterprise and variety. In time we will smooth out our attacking options,a bit more patience. We are on the right path.||

video stream of epic try by Kelly |here

Hammer on the run with Souleles and Regina in Support

First, I just wanted to say how much fun I had playing with all of you this season. The play constantly improved and despite all the adverse conditions, especially this weekend, you guys always hung tough. The play this weekend was especially encouraging; Christian's aggresivness and Manitius' speed are huge additions to the pack. Drew's steadiness and smart play helps to keep the whole team organized. Petro's 100% effort at all times is infectuous and it keeps the team hustling and attacking. Hammer is one of the hardest runners in our league and our attack is finally clicking and getting him some space to run in. Dan is a rock at fullback and his head's up playing has helped us avert several disasters. All along the board there was fantastic play; you should all be proud and exciting for some rest and the season(s) to come. We should also be proud of all the guys who came out to support but didn't get to play as much as they should have. Aaron, Morgan, Donny, Wiktor, and the! ! ! rest were there to support and play when calld upon. Shout out especially to Ben who, despite season ending injury never stopped coming to practice and games. His help and support should not go un-noticed. Thanks for fighting all season depite the setbacks; we are going to be a better team for it. Regina

Hi Guys.

I know you guys didn't get the result you wanted against CNU, but remember that you were finishing stronger and the team's play improved with every minute played on Saturday. Which brings me to my point.... it is really important that as many people as possible come to practice. With an inexperienced squad it is extremely important to get as much playing time as possible under your belt. There were many people who played on Saturday who played significantly better in the second game even though they were more tired. The experience of the first game helped you improve in the second game. The only way to improve your rugby is to play rugby. So even though the season may be winding down, don't find excuses not to come to practice. Next semester we will be a better team because you will all be more experienced. Next year we will be very competitive if we can get everyone practicing and playing. Ideally, we want 20-30 people at every practice. Then we can do more with scrimmaging and line-out play, as well as back's running and defense. Currently, we rarely get beyond rucking and loose play running and ball handling because we don't have the numbers to do more. We also need to live scrimmage at the end of practice. We can't do that unless we have the numbers. I hope to see a lot of you out this week. The alumni game is always fun and will be a great chance for new guys to get some real playing time.

Dr. John Swaddle.

Guys,

Great effort this past weekend. 160 minutes of rugby is fantastic and with the tie at the end it was great. With a few more games we could have really gotten better. A lot of potential for the future. I am sorry that we couldn't have put more of the new players in. We all greatly appreciate your combined efforts to make this team work well. Your day will come. I expect everyone to hit the weightroom in the off season. Fitness and muscle makes up for a lot of other disadvantages. We are never likely to have the athletes that many of our competitors have so we have to prep ourselves well and use our brains well. A well drilled thinking team will beat a bigger more athletic team quite frequently. That is our niche in Virginia Collegiate rugby.

Larry Summers

Fine courageous effort v Mary Washington,Georgetown,and U. of Virginia,all Div 2 and Div 1 opponents. Forward play at the contact area was excellent for this time of the season. Lineouts were outstanding. Tackling was committed. Our freshmen show great promise for some fine rugby in the future. Yet,our attacking options have yet to take form. Captains and Coaches will sort this out.

I will be heading to Aspen Ruggerfest this week for more fun than I deserve. Want to know more? click here. See ya next week. Respectfully,Cary