(Maryland in yellow, Raleigh in red during the Mid-Atlantic playoffs. Both travel to Houston this weekend)

By Jackie Finlan, RugbyMag.com

The Women’s DII National Club Championship takes place this weekend, but unlike years previous, won’t be played alongside its DI compatriots. DI and the newly formed Women’s Premier League will contest their semifinals in San Francisco, while DII heads to Houston. But the shake-up is one of many for DII this year, as the face of its competition has changed once again.

Two more territories have joined the frayL West and Southern California. Each were awarded one seed to the rest of the territories’ two, and with their inclusion, the championship (which is technically an invitational) is one territory short (Pacific Coast) of being considered for official USAR status. Those on the USAR Competitions Committee, however, have made it clear that it’s not enough to have the territories simply participate; there is a minimum level of competition that must be established in each territory.

That level doesn’t currently exist in the West yet. The territory formed a DII league that has two teams, Dallas Diablos and Houston (HARC), and its nationals representative was decided over one match in late September, which HARC won 41-0. Houston, which formed in 1998 and has Texas A&M as its feeder, will have no easy initiation at nationals and will face former DII champion Raleigh (which returns to DII from DI) in the first round.

Southern California’s Santa Barbara represents the second new territory to join DII Nationals. The Dolphins’ league season occurred in the spring, so the team’s been preparing for their Houston trip all fall. They posted impressive numbers against new DII teams Tucson Lightning, Coast and San Luis Obispo, all of whom joined the new DII league, posting 275 points and allowing 39. Those 39 points, however, weren’t from league games but DI matches against Belmont Shore and Tempe built into their season. As the new kids on the block, they’re afforded the #9 seed and will have an equally tough time as its West RFU newbies. The Dolphins face former DI team Maryland Stingers on day one.

Another interesting evolution in DII is the removal of certain powerhouses and the re-introduction of others. Last year’s finalists, Orlando and Detroit, bumped up to division one this year, and between the two of them account for four championship titles. With Detroit out of the picture, the Pittsburgh Angels, which made a 2006 nationals appearance, return to the scene. They beat the Minneapolis Menagerie 27-5 in the Midwest finals a couple of weekends ago. The Menagerie haven’t been to nationals since 2002, but crushed their regular season opponents (with the exception of Milwaukee, which came within six points). The Minnesota team faces Providence in its first round.

Miami, which takes over the number one seed left by Orlando, nabbed the top spot after first defeating Baton Rouge 21-7 in the South Championship semi, then topped Charleston 22-5 in the final. Charleston, which advanced to the South final after a 24-5 over Memphis, makes its first trip to nationals and will face Pittsburgh right off the bat.

Former DII champion Raleigh Venom moved up to DI after repeat DII titles in 2007. The MARFU team relegated itself to division II (as did the Maryland Stingers) when their league underwent a facelift this year. The two Mid-Atlantic teams used to compete against teams in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania during league season, but when Competitive Region 3 was restructured to include teams as far north as Boston and as far south as Atlanta, they had to drop to DII for cost/personnel reasons.

This season, the Venom and Stingers finished first and second in MARFU’s south division, and played off against the north division’s top teams on Oct. 17 for the national bids. Raleigh won 22-12 over Brandywine, while Maryland eked out a 5-0 win over Harrisburg. Raleigh beat the Exiles 13-0 for the MARFU title.

That leaves the Northeast’s teams, Albany and Providence, both of which have DII nationals experience. The Northeast is probably the only region that hasn’t endured any flux; no new teams injected into the competition, none have vacated. Both teams are from New England, with Albany as the number one seed, having beat the Village Lions 18-12 in the semis, then blanking Providence 24-0 for the NRU title. They welcome former 7s Eagle JoAnne Ward and Eagle scrumhalf Claudia Braymer to the team after some time off. Providence advanced to the final after beating Monmouth 22-17 and boot up against Miami on day one.

Ten teams makes for an awkward playoff system. There are three pools, two of which have three teams, one with four. Grouped as follows:

Pool A: Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Charleston, Houston
Pool B: Miami, Providence, Minneapolis
Pool C: Albany, Maryland, Santa Monica

The first two teams to lose a game in Pool A are eliminated from cup contention. For the rest, a lot doesn’t necessarily eliminate them. The three pool winners are joined by the best-performing 2nd place team in the semis.

Matchups on day one:
Game 1 – Pittsburgh v Charleston
Game 2 – Miami v Providence
Game 3 – Albany v Maryland
Game 4 – Raleigh v Houston
Game 5 – Maryland v Santa Monica
Game 6 – Providence v Minneapolis
Game 7 – Loser game 1 v loser game 4
Game 8 – Winner game 1 v winner game 4
Game 9 – Miami v Minneapolis
Game 10 – Albany v Santa Barbara

USA Rugby Names its Pre-Season High School All-Americans

BOULDER, Colo. – Following a development camp held at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., this summer, USA Rugby coaches have named their selections for the High School All-American Team and its Honorable Mentions.

2009 marked the creation of USA Rugby’s High School All-Americans program and this summer marked their initial assembly, allowing Head Coach Scott Lawrence a chance to work with 40 of the nation’s standout High School players. The camp focused on skill and athletic development, followed by an inter-squad trial match.

“This first group of All-Americans has shown not only a standout performance in camp, but have also shown commitment to their fitness testing outside of camps,” Lawrence said. “We are pleased with the standard of the players selected in this first group and are focused on the job of identifying more national caliber athletes in the next nine months.”
The High School All-Americans next camp will be held in Southern California over winter break, in an effort to align the program closely with the scholastic and sporting calendar. The camp will feature two matches against the Canada Under-17s and Under-18s side.

Invitations to the New Years camp will come from the summer camp’s High School All-Americans, Honorable Mentions, previous standouts from the 2009 High School season, National Championship and Regional All-Star Tournaments and coaching recommendations from around the country.

For more information on the USA Rugby High School All-American Program, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/HS_AllAmericans.

High School All-Americans
October 2009

Forwards:
Sean Carley (Xavier HS, New York); Patrick Coleman (Xavier HS, New York); Cameron Falcon (Louisiana); Jason Fry (Jesuit HS, California); Chuck Koehler (Pulaski Roos, Wisconsin); Daniel Metcalf (Dallas Jesuit, Texas); Travis Moscone (Piedmont RFC, California); Drew Ohmann (North Carolina).

Backs: Mike Durant (Boston College HS, Massachusetts); Mateaka Hausia (Diablo RFC, California); Sione Hausia (Diablo RFC, California); Madison Hughes (Cobham RFC, UK); Will Magie (Merchant Taylors’ School, UK); Jonathan Marshall (Chapel Hill Highlanders, North Carolina); Jesse Milne (California); Adam Sandstorm (Lake Country RFC, Wisconsin).

Honorable Mentions
October 2009

Forwards:
Fernando Assing (Texas); Joe Brady (Union County HS, New York); Jorge Cuisana (Xavier HS, New York); Jordan Harestead (Minnesota); Bryant Larson (Moundsview, Minnesota); Alex Marshall (Wisconsin); Rashawn Rogers (Columbus, Ohio); Kyle Ruane (Albuquerque, New Mexico); Michael Sangaline (Colorado); Ray Taumaoe (Chuckenut Bay, Washington); Caleb Tracey (Portland, Maine); Evan Von zur Muelen (West Lake HS, Texas).

Backs:
Gavin Brown (North Central, Indiana); Charlie Denk (Ohio City Warriors, Ohio); Hunter Frisinger (Hong Kong FC, Hong Kong); Parker Gilbert (Saracens, UK); Nick Glocke (Grafton RFC, Wisconsin); Riley Locker (Chuckenut Bay, Washington); Dion Opperman (Florida); Christian Shupay (Broad Ripple, Indiana); Tei Staladi (Liberty RFC, Washington); Joe Sullivan (Royal Irish, Indiana); Gregory Wood (Cathedral, Indiana).

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.

SAN FRANCISCO – In conjunction with the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club, USA Rugby will host the Women’s Premier League and Women’s Division I Club National Championships on Friday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 8, on Treasure Island in San Francisco.

The four victorious clubs from October’s Division I playoffs will compete for the Women’s Division I national title, while all eight member teams of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) will compete in the first-ever WPL Championship. Inaugural WPL league play kicked off in early September and featured the top senior women’s clubs from across the U.S. in an elite six-match competition to determine their final seeds at this National Championship.

Friday will feature all teams in pool play, leading into Sunday’s trophy rounds and culminating in the crowning of the 2009 National Champions in both the Women’s Division I and Premier League.

All play will take place at the Gaelic Athletic Association’s fields at 11th Street and Avenue E on Treasure Island.

Admission is free to all spectators and there will be vendor’s onsite selling food, refreshments and rugby gear.

With weather permitting, USA Rugby will also be streaming the matches held on Field 1 for those unable to attend. Please visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/usa-rugby to watch the matches live.

Tournament Match Schedule
Women’s DI Championships
Match Day Time Field Home Team vs. Away Team
1 Friday 9 a.m. 1 NOVA vs. Seattle
2 Friday 11 a.m. 1 San Diego Surfers vs. Atlanta

3 Sunday 10 a.m. 1 Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2
4 Sunday 12 p.m. 1 Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2

Women’s Premier League
Match Day Time Field Home Team vs. Away Team
1 Friday 9 a.m. 2 Amazons vs. ORSU
2 Friday 11 a.m. 2 Keystone vs. DC Furies
3 Friday 1 p.m. 1 Beantown vs. New York
4 Friday 1 p.m. 2 Berkeley vs. MN Valkyries

5 Sunday 9 a.m. 2 Loser Match 1 vs. Loser Match 2
6 Sunday 11 a.m. 2 Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2
7 Sunday 1 p.m. 2 Loser Match 3 vs. Loser Match 4
8 Sunday 2 p.m. 1 Winner Match 3 Winner Match 4

For more information on the USA Rugby National Championship Series, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/championships. For media interested in attending this event, please contact Sara John at sjohn@usarugby.org.

The Santa Monica Dolphins Rugby Club (SMRC) has decided to decline participation in the United States Rugby Super League (RSL) for the upcoming 2010 season.

In the wake of Belmont Shore’s decision to drop out of the RSL and league management’s subsequent decision to neither invite a replacement team nor adjust the league schedule, SMRC arrived at this most difficult of resolutions.

“While we absolutely recognize the superior level of competition that exists within the Super League, a team like ours needs to look at the comparative rate of return on our investments,” Team General Manager Dominic Riebli says.

“Put simply, Belmont’s exit made the RSL competition weaker while simultaneously making the Southern California Division 1 competition stronger.

“Given our limited financial resources, a growing youth program, and an influx of new or inexperienced players that require development, the membership decided that we need to consolidate our resources and focus on building and promoting a stronger all-around Club, not just a strong RSL team.

“We are grateful to the Super League for allowing us to participate in the elite domestic competition and have set the goal for re-entry in the near future.”

For those interested in joining my Movember team:

I have decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to cancers that affect men. I’m doing this by growing a Moustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a moustache all November to change the face of men’s health and I want you to join me.

The funds we raise during our Moustache journey go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG).

What many people don’t know is that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and that testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 18-35. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved.

To join my Movember team called Katy Barbarians go to http://us.movember.com/register/54662.

Once registered you’ll be sent all the information needed to get donations and get growing as part of my Movember team.

Learn more about Movember by watching the Intro Video at http://us.movember.com

Together we can change the face of men’s health.

For those who would like to donate:

I have decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to cancers that affect men. I’m doing this by growing a Moustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a moustache all November and I am hoping that you will support my efforts by making a donation. The funds raised go to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG).

What many people don’t know is that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged 18-35. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved.

To make a donation, you can either:

• Click this link http://us.movember.com/mospace/300690/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account , or
• Write a check payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 300690 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund:

• The LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
• Research initiatives to further understand the biology of adolescent and young adult cancers.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please go to http://us.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs.

Thank you

I can also be contacted directly at brad_hofstetter@yahoo.com