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