Georgia Latest - Trojans Down Phoenix
Rugby Georgia started its 2nd half of the spring 15s season after The Phoenix and Barbarians returned from the Carolina Ruggerfest and others returned from a weekend in Vegas as members of the USA South Panther’s 7s squads.
Going into the weekend the Phoenix were undefeated and in first place, followed by the Titans, Trojans and Barbarians.
Phoenix/Trojans
Highlanders Still Unbeaten in North Carolina
It was yet another win for the Chapel Hill Highlanders in North Carolina, as they beat the Southern Pines Gators 41-5.
The win makes the Highlanders 3-0 in North Carolina HS Club league play.
“We’re very happy overall,” said Highlanders Coach Robert Joseph. “We continued with our strong defense - we have only given up two tries in the last four games. We also had a couple of new players that got a run so our squad depth is looking really strong especially in the backs.”
Phoenix Edges South Greenville
On Saturday, Phoenix Alpharetta played South Greenville in an eagerly anticipated meeting of ranked high school clubs.
South Greenville ranked #8 by Goff Rugby Report, fielded a giant pack, and Phoenix, looking perhaps to spread the ball a little more, came into the game ranked #13. South Greenville was first on the scoreboard, using their forwards to punch their way down the field. Phoenix made a weak clearance kick from their 10 meter line that was gathered by the fast South Greenville fullback Jon Lafoy, and he scored in the corner. The touchline conversion was missed to leave the score at South Greenville 5, Phoenix 0.
San Diego Mustangs 2-0 in Seattle
In another rain-soaked game, the San Diego Mustangs shut out the Eastside Lions of Washington state 19-0 in the second win of their two-game tour.
The Mustangs got starting scrumhalf James Downey back and his experience and ball handling showed an immediate improvement throughout the backline.
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“Our structure was a big step up from Friday,” said San Diego Coach Matt Sandoval - the Mustangs beat Seattle in that game.
Peninsula Green Beats SFGG
Peninsula Green knocked off rivals SFGG in a Northern California DI game this weekend that helped cement PG’s position as one of the strongest teams in that division.
The game was very tight, and the high winds and cold, wet weather didn’t help.
From the start, the Beavers set the tenor of the game with physical defensive and offensive play. The forwards ran straight and hard, and the backs spread the ball nicely.
The first try for PG came at the 10th minute, when porp Soane Mafi picked up and dove over in the corner. The buildup was impressive, with the ball going through several pairs of hands, and Leilua Lualemaga making a big break also.
Granite Bay Defeats Lamorinda, Weather
In monsoon-like conditions on Saturday, Granite Bay defeated Lamorinda 34-5 in a Northern California Varsity Premier clash.
The rain and wind were both very strong, and ultimately so strong the game was ended early.
Granite Bay got on the board quick when flanker Ryan MacIntosh broke through two defenders on the right side and touched down. A short time later wing Anthony Wiley found space on the outside and sprinted 40 meters to score in the left corner.
Danville Over Jesuit in Norcal
In a result that is sure to shake thing up in the boys HS rugby arena, the Danville Oaks defeated Jesuit 35-33 in Northern California Varsity Premier league play Saturday.
While the teams took turns scoring in a game where the momentum swung back and forth, Danville actually only led in the final minute.
Jesuit ran out to a 28-20 lead in the first half, but Danville stayed close, with flanker Colin Clancy making some key runs and playing good defense.
With the score 33-32 in Jesuit’s favor, Justin Lego legged over a penalty kick to win it 35-33.
Mustangs Win 1st on Seattle Trip
The San Diego Mustangs defeated the Seattle Vikings 26-12 on a cold, rainy Friday night in Seattle in a pre-league runout for both squads.
Seattle is in a slight rebuilding phase but has some big, imposing forwards and some good potential. San Diego, on the other hand, is made up of players who have just completed their single-school leagues, and as such were closer to midseason form. Early in the game flanker Jackson Bear poached a ball out of the ruck, ran upfield, and sent a long pass out to the wing to set up a try. That was a scary indication of what might be to come.
However, Seattle battened things down nicely after that and made the Mustangs work for their tries. The Vikings were very good in the scrum, but, said Coach Steve Brennan “we need to work on our ruck technique and defensive shape. The Mustangs are a good team and a really class act.”
2016 Boys HS Club Rankings #5
The #1 spot for the Boys HS Club rankings remains occupied by Royal Irish, even though they've lost two games. Those losses, though, were a) very close and b) to top-ranked single-school teams.
Until we get someone knocking off a highly-ranked team (single-school or club), Royal Irish will have to stay there. Solo, Danville, Red Mountain have all missed chances, so we have to wait.
We do have some big movers, though. Peninsula Green, Raleigh, and West End make moves upward, while Aurora and La Cueva join the ranks.
Around the Country in HS Boys Games
It's a busy weekend around the country in Boys HS rugby, as some leagues are getting started, and others heading into playoff-decision time; here's a look:
Pacific Northwest
Rugby Washington opens their season with a rematch of the 2015 state final. Budd Bay hosts Liberty. Budd Bay was the only team to beat Liberty in 2015, something the Barbarians did twice, once in the final. It was a weird year in Washington last year, where most of the teams, other than Liberty, hovered around .500.
Budd Bay has graduated some impressive talent - not least of which is AIC freshman sensation Lui Sitama. Liberty has an impressive pack, led by HS All American David Ainuu.
Rainier joins the DI this year and starts at Chuckanut, while Seattle opens at Eastside.
Pen Green v SFGG Marquee NorCal Clash
There's plenty at stake this weekend in Northern California's Boys DI HS league as a well-regarded SFGG team takes on always-dangerous Peninsula Green.
Peninsula Green comes into the game after beating Pleasanton - a very solid Pleasanton - 45-12.
Pen Green controlled the game from the start and were just too powerful with the bvall in hand. The Pen Green backs consistently tackled the Pleasanton backs behind the gain line and executed their portfolio of plays fluidly, even in the latter phases of play.
Bullard Finds Way to Compete in Tough NorCal DII
The Northern California DII Boys HS league is not for the faint of heart, and has produced some impressive athletes and rugby players at higher levels in the past.
This year, five teams have emerged as the major contenders - De La Salle in the Bay Division, Bullard and Roosevelt in the Central, Berkeley in the Redwood, and Kennedy in Sacramento.
Bullard was a contender last year and is deadlocked with Roosevelt - both have 4-0 records.
“We have a few return players who are having a good season,” said Coach Paul Carter.
That includes HS All American Mika Kruse at flyhalf. Kruse is a powerful runner with pace.
“A lot of coaches think he should be at outside center,” …said Carter. “They are wrong. Mika is a phenomenal flyhalf and makes really good reads setting up our entire backline. He does a great job of creating holes.”
2016 Boys Single-School Rankings #5
There's some movement in the Boys Single-School Rankings, with Penn edging up despite Herriman's excellent 7s performance, on the basis of a pretty great 15s performance in Lindenwood.
Riviera Beach jumps up significantly after a 17-15 win over Tampa Krewe, but such a close win makes that position somewhat tenuous. RBMA needs to back it up. Tournament play is a tricky one for the rankings. It all kind of depends on whether the teams involved had their top guys playing, and how long the games were.
But what is not tricky is our rule that league and playoff play trumps tournament play.
Versatile Aquinas Leads Florida DII
St. Thomas Aquinas won 26-17 over Cardinal Gibbons this past weekend in Florida, cementing the team’s position as the DII Boys HS team in the state.
STA has already defeated previously-unbeaten Pompano, albeit by a razor-thin 21-19 scoreline. Still, Aquinas sits 5-0 in DII. Aquinas competed well with the DI teams last year, but opted for DII after the DI realignment changed the league from four pools to one big league. The Aquinas coaches liked what they had, but felt their players needed time to grow.
This year, the players’ knowledge has grown and the squad has grown - to about 40 players. Aquinas has a 5-1 record if you count non-conference games, having pushed Okapi and beaten West Pines - both DI teams. They will take on Cardinal Gibbons this coming week and will host a British Columbia touring team later this week.
