Life to Face Top ACRC Team in November
The ACRC season is reportedly going to culminate in a clash between the Rugby East champion and Life University.
This looks like a setup for an unofficial championship game, possibly an official one. Rugby East is generally considered the strongest conference in the competition, and thus a game between the Rugby East winner and Life, which made the final of DIA last season, would be for the best team in fall college rugby. However, if the Rugby East winner is not considered the best of the ACRC teams, then this might just be an interesting bowl game.
What West Point Varsity Move Means
As Goff Rugby Report reported on July 18 that they would, the US Military Academy made men’s and women’s rugby varsity Friday, marking a dramatic turnaround for the men’s program.
Cal State Uni 7s Championships Set for 9-20
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Sacramento State Hornets will host the second annual California State University (CSU) 7s Championship on September 20th, 2014 on the campus of California State University, Sacramento. The tournament will feature 12 of the top CSU Rugby Teams including defending champions Cal Poly Mustangs, San Jose State Spartans, San Diego State Aztecs, and hosts Sacramento State Hornets.
Kutztown Eyes More for Fall
Kutztown University won the 2013 ACRC fall championship and followed that up with a appearance in the final of the CRC 7s invitational in the spring - now they are looking to hit a similar double in 2014-15.
Despite losing a few big-time players, not least of which was All American lock Mike Lawrenson, the Bears are looking at their combined (7s and 15s) record of 54-2-1 was a jumping off point.
Optimism comes from a strong recruiting class, with over 20 recruited freshmen coming into Kutztown, Pa. to play rugby.
The players come from all over - 14 different US states and five different countries. Leading the was is former HS All American Nu’u Aiava, a small, exciting wing who has spent the past season playing with the San Francisco Golden Gate club. Then Fitou Fisiiahi, like Aiava, originally from Hawaii, is a former HS All American, too.
Arizona State Partners with BrumbiesArizona State University’s rugby program has announced a major agreement that could have far-reaching implications in how American rugby players pursue the game. ASU Rugby is entering into a partnership with a Super Rugby professional team, the Brumbies out of Canberra. Dubbed the University of Canberra Brumbies (UC is their name sponsor), the team plays in the toughest pro league in the world with teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The two organizations will form the USA Brumbies LLC, a rugby academy designed to use the Brumbies professional coaching infrastructure to help raise the level of players in the USA, and at the same time, help the Brumbies recruit athletes from farther afield. The UC Brumbies usually recruit their players from academy systems in Australia.
AIC Brings Back Bulk of Lineup
After fighting to a 5-1 record in the East Coast Rugby Conference (ECRC) in 2013, the AIC Yellow Jackets are hoping to go one better in the fall of 2014, and haul in last year’s top team, Middlebury.
Head Coach Josh Macy told Goff Rugby Report that the AIC performance last year was a good one, especially when you consider the experience level.
“We graduated a lot of guys the year before,” said Macy. “This year, we’ve bringing in a pretty strong Freshman class, but because we’re returning a lot of starters, this class is about depth and development rather than looking for guys to get on the field and play right away, which is what we did last year.”
Indiana Hopes to Retain Fire
The University if Indiana is rightfully basking in the glory of winning last year's Men's Big Ten Universities championship, and doing it in fine style in an exciting victory over Michigan.
But, as often happens in college rugby, a winning team that depended on some key leaders has seen many of those leaders graduate. Handling the turnover will be a big part of what IU does in the late summer and early fall, said club president Matt Saunders.
"We lost a few forwards to graduation, including team Captain Isaac Hall, our lock/8-man Jon Purnell, and flanker Sam Zivot," said Saunders. "We'll miss last year's senior leadership, but we have a core group of veterans who will step up and lead this year's team."
Penn State Men ReboundingPenn State University's Men's team is still picking up the pieces, somewhat, after two players were arrested on allegations of arson and vandalism. The incident, which is still playing out as both players have not had their day in court yet, led to the team being temporarily suspended, although they were reinstated in time to play in the CRC 7s invitational, losing in the quarterfinals. Then-Director of Rugby and Men's Team Head Coach Don Ferrell resigned following the handing down of the suspension. But the team was reinstated, and that was chiefly because, according to reports, the University found no attempt at a cover-up by team members.
South Carolina Announces Incoming Freshmen
The University of South Carolina rugby team has announced its incoming freshman class.
The Gamecocks program recently announced the creation of a Men's Rugby Endowment Fund, in conjunction with the Carolina Rugby Foundation. Thanks to a donation from the Smolka Family, the fund has $50,000, and hopes to grow, while interest will be used by the team to support operations.
The USC team announced 23 players who are expected to play for the rugby team this coming fall. The vast majority are from South Carolina and Maryland, although Thomas Holt is on an exchange from the University of Queensland in Australia. Three of the players listed did not play rugby in high school.
NEC Building on Small College 7s Win
New England College might be forgiven for basking in the glory of winning the NSCRO 7s Championship, but there’s work to be done for the new season.
NEC won the National Small College Rugby Organization event held in conjunction with the CRC in Philadelphia in June. The unlike the CRC, which is an invitational, the NSCRO event is all about qualifying - dozens of men’s small college rugby teams from around the country competed to get there, and to get there they had to have won their qualifying tournament - second place wouldn’t do.
That’s why defending champs Occidental weren’t there, they finished second in their qualifier. NEC, back for another shot, and paced by All American Honorable Mention Jay Muniz, they took the title.
NCRC Readies for Fall, Expands
The Pacific Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference will be concentrating on 7s for the better part of the fall as teams warm up to the 2014-2015 season.
While this schedule was set in part because of slow communication through the various hierarchies of USA Rugby, it might turn out to be the best fit for the teams in the Northwest. Sevens is an excellent way to incorporate new athletes into rugby, and with five or six tournaments available to the teams, there are plenty of opportunities to get game time in before the 15s season gets underway.
Empire College Conference 2014-2015 Schedule
| Empire Collegiate Conference 2014-2015 Schedule | |||
| 9/13/2014 | Binghamton | ||
