Waisale Serevi – A Rugby Legend

Coach Tom Waqa, and Waisale Serevi at 2010 US Mens 7s Nationals in San Francisco, CA.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi is a Fijian rugby union footballer, renowned for his superb skills in the abbreviated code of rugby which is Sevens (7′s).

Serevi, the most decorated Fijian in world rugby, who represented his country 39 times from 1989 to 2003 in 15s, is rated as the undisputed King of Sevens, the magician, the wizard, the maestro, the master, the genius and the greatest sevens rugby player of all time.

Serevi is a household name, well-known for his ability to magically manufacture rugby space out of nothing, and create plays like a work of art.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4: 13 -- Waisale Serevi's favorite Biblical verse. Photo: In action at Rugby World Cup 2005.

“He has the ability to go from his own line, the ability to beat anyone from anywhere at anytime,” enthused Mark Thomas. “He was so unpredictable to play against and with such staggering pace.” Say no more.

With two Sevens World Cups (Melrose Cups), five Hong Kong Sevens titles, three Hong Kong Sevens ‘Most Valuable Player’ awards, two silver medals in the Commonwealth Games and a World Games gold medal in 2001 his achievements are staggering.

Serevi represented Fiji in three Rugby World Cups in the 15-man game. Serevi retired from International rugby after the 2003 Rugby World Cup, but was persuaded by Fiji to return for the 2005 Sevens World Cup. He placed an exclamation point on his career by leading Fiji to the title, making Fiji the first nation to win two Sevens World Cups. After this win, he was named player-coach of the national sevens side. As a coach who continues to play semi-regularly, he lifted the 2006 World Sevens Series championship trophy.

IOC President Jacques Rogge with Serevi and Hannah Myers of NZ Womens during a cocktail evening held for Jacques Rogge on March 31, 2009 in Queenstown, New Zealand.

The worlds best 7s player was also instrumental as an ambassador for the bid to include the abbreviated code in the Summer Olympics. The most recent effort has been to include the sevens version of the sport, which is played at similar competitions such as the Commonwealth Games, and in October 2009 the IOC voted at its session in Copenhagen to include sevens in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This past, July 2010, Serevi ran rugby sports camps and 7s clinics in Canada, Portland Oregon, and Old Puget Sound Beach Club (OPSB) in Seattle, Washington, USA. Serevi appeared as honorary coach for OPSB 7s team on August 14-15, 2010 for the USA Mens 7s Club Nationals, in San Francisco, California, USA. OPSB defeated Belmont Shore 26 – 17 to win the 2010 USA Mens 7s Championship.

Long live The King of Sevens!

– Web Editor, Courtesy of waisaleserevi.com (Official Waisale Serevi Website)

2 BYU Students on USA U20 WNT Rugby Tour

2010 USA U20's Star Bollinger and Akalaini Bui Baravilala

USA Rugby, BOULDER, Colo. – Following the U20 Women’s National Team Camp held at the University of California – Santa Barbara the U20 WNT Head Coach Bryn Chivers has officially announced the 2010 squad. The squad is comprised of 24 players from 22 high school, college, and club programs from across the country including the program’s first ever player from Hawaii. With only ten returning players, the squad is very different from the one that lost 12-13 to the Canada U20s in January.

Chivers wasn’t happy with the team’s performance against the Canada U20s, feeling that squad had underperformed in the one point loss. “It was just a little lackluster. We had very good players but the chemistry of the squad was off and they didn’t play well together.” This prompted a shake up that saw a whole new group of players invited to the U20 Elite Camp and resulted in the U20’s going 2-0 against their opposition at the U23 National All-Star Championships.

The rebuilt squad has five new forwards including Western Washington’s Mileka Grager and UConn’s Alycia Washington. The nine new backs include All-American center Star Bollinger from BYU, Akalaini Baravilala from the Aliamanu Rugby Club in Hawaii, and wings Holly Zoeller and Rebekah Siebach from North Carolina and BYU respectively.

This new squad is very exciting to watch” said Chivers. “We have the experience of players like Jozy Gessner, Katie Johnson, and Candace Barley who are in their fourth and fifth years in the program, but we also have a large group of new players who bring a fierce energy to the squad”.

The U20s will represent the USA in the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Championships, August 15-21 in Nassau, Bahamas. The tournament will feature the senior women’s national teams from Cayman and Bahamas, a Caribbean Select Side and the U20 sides from the USA and Canada.

This will be the first time the U20 WNT has played any of the Caribbean sides and Chivers recognizes that the team is stepping into the unknown. “We have no idea what to expect from this tournament. A Caribbean Select Side of senior players presents a different challenge for this young squad and we could get beat by their size and experience or come away with a win. The thing we doknow is that the Caribbean senior sides will provide us with strong opposition in preparation for the game against the Canada U20s”. The Junior Eagles will open against Cayman on Sunday, August 15th.

USA U20 Schedule

Sun Aug 15th: USA U20 WNT v Cayman (5.00 p.m)

Tue Aug 17th: USA U20 WNT v Caribbean Select Side (3.00 p.m.)

Fri Aug 20th: USA U20 WNT v Canada U20’s (5.00 p.m.)

2010 USA U20 Women’s National Team

Hailey Anderson – Summit, Colorado
Akalaini Baravilala – Aliamanu, Hawaii
Candace Barley – Lee University
Star Bollinger – BYU
Ann Marie Bowlus – UC Santa Cruz
Chelsea Garber – Brown
Jozy Gessner – Colorado State
Mileka Grager – Washington State
Katie Hathaway – Norwich
Katie Humphreys – Kent, Washington
Katie Johnson – Hopkins, Minnesota
Mackenzie Lewis – Mesa State
Hannah Lockwood – Oregon State
Kyandrea McKnight – U of Central Florida
Brittany O’Brien – U of Rhode Island
Brittany Rose – Unattached
Rachael Ryan – U of Wyoming
Kelly Sager – Penn State
Andee Samborski – Livingston, Michigan
Wendy Sherman – Colorado State
Rebekah Siebach – BYU
Amee Svatos – Canby, Oregon
Alycia Washington – U of Connecticut
Holly Zoeller – U of North Carolina

- USARugby.org News

2010 USA Women’s Collegiate All-Americans

2010 BYU All-Americans Kayla E, Keelia H and Star B. Absent: Kristi J and Kirsten S

BOULDER, Colo. – Following last weekend’s National Collegiate Championships, USA Rugby has officially selected the 2010 Women’s Collegiate All-American Teams today.

This honor is bestowed upon the best women collegiate rugby players in the country and recognizes a high standard of performance throughout the year.

The 2010 selection panel included Women’s National Team Coach Kathy Flores, Women’s National Sevens Team Coach Ric Suggitt, Women’s National ‘A’ Team Coach Martha Daines, Women’s National Under-20 Coach Bryn Chivers, Women’s Collegiate All-American Touring Squad Coach Lisa Rosen and the Women’s High Performance Manager Alex Williams.

The goals of the nomination process were to ensure that all athletes in all divisions had an opportunity to be viewed, whether their teams made the playoffs or not, and to ensure that consistent information was submitted for each nominated athlete. The process was robust and inclusive and a large pool of athletes was nominated. The selection panel was very pleased with the participation in the process and hopes to expand participation even further next year.

The All-Americans were selected on the basis of match video submissions and/or performance at Collegiate Playoffs and Championships, all of which were viewed by members of the selection panel. Athletes from all collegiate divisions were considered for selection as First Team or Second Team Collegiate All-Americans.

“I would like to congratulate all of the Women’s Collegiate All-Americans named below,” said Williams. “It was a challenging task for the selection panel to narrow down this list. We are very happy to honor the selected athletes, their coaches and schools for their selection as a Women’s Collegiate All-American.”

Each athlete will receive a certificate commemorating the honor. The Athletic Director for each athlete’s school will also receive a certificate to recognize the significant honor achieved by a rugby student-athlete at that school.

Following this announcement, the Head Coach of the Women’s Collegiate All-American Touring Squad will announce selections for the squad that will compete at the Senior Women’s National All-Star Championship, to be held at the end of the month in Blaine, Minn.. The All-American Touring Squad will represent the eighth team at the event and will play against the senior women’s territorial sides, promoting the development of these young and talented athletes.

2010 Women’s Collegiate All-American – First Team

Sadie Anderson (Penn State University)

Kyle Armstrong (Penn State University)

Candace Barley (Lee University)

Star Bollinger (Brigham Young University)

Danielle Cicuto (United States Naval Academy)

Lauren Daly (University of Colorado)

Chastity Dunnaville (United States Naval Academy)

Jozephine Gessner (Colorado State University)

Janae Grijalva (Stanford University)

Keelia Harker (Brigham Young University)

Lisa Henneman (Penn State University)

Nicole James (Texas A & M University)

Joanna Kitlinski (Grand Valley State University)

Adetayo Mafe (Michigan State University)

Kathryn McCormick (University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee)

Tyra McGrady (Indiana University)

Deven Owsiany (Penn State University)

Kaitlyn Rooney (American University)

Kasonni Scales (Stanford University)

Elizabeth Trujillo (United States Naval Academy)

Amelia Villines (Stanford University)

Jessica Watkins (Stanford University)

Frances Wehrwein (Stanford University)

Annie Zeigler (Penn State University)

2010 Women’s Collegiate All-American – Second Team

Sarah Blanchard (Texas A&M University)

Megan Bonny (Washington State University)

Anneke Brand (Texas Tech University)

Erica Cavenaugh (University of Virginia)

Delaney Chapman (UC Davis)

Jennifer Cooper Rider (Stanford University)

Kayla Ellingson (Brigham Young University)

Sharron Gianessi (United States Military Academy)

Tanya Gouws (University of Maryland)

Alexandria Hartley (Brown University)

Alicia Hartley (Brown University)

Carrissa Hsieh (UCLA)

Kristi Jackson (Brigham Young University)

Shawne James (Rutgers University)

Katie Lorenz (University of North Carolina)

Kaelene Lundstrom (Gustavus Adolphus)

Izraelle McKinnon (Brown University)

Ashley Miller (United States Military Academy)

Laura Miller (St. Mary’s College of Maryland)

Maria Muscara (La Salle University)

Jackie Osborne (University of Northern Iowa)

Andria Payne (Brown University)

Christiane Pheil (Penn State University)

Jess Sexauer (United States Military Academy)

Wendy Sherman (Colorado State University)

Kirsten Siebach (Brigham Young University)

Moira Somerdyk (Temple University)

Ashley Sorensen (United States Military Academy)

Gina Steffano (Texas A & M University)

In coordination with the release of the Women’s Collegiate All-American selections, a fantastic new resource and fundraising effort – RugbyMapUSA.com – is also being launched today with proceeds for the month of May directly supporting the 2010 USA Rugby Women’s Collegiate All-American Touring squad.

RugbyMapUSA.com is a custom GoogleMap, designed specifically to connect the rugby community with businesses, teams, and professionals who are supportive of rugby or who are members of the community itself. By listing a business or rugby organization on this site, it will build its visibility in rugby’s tight knit and ever-expanding community.

In addition to RugbyMapUSA, an active outreach effort is underway to locate and leverage the power of the 15 years of prior Collegiate All-American Women. Prior All-Americans are encouraged to visit the Collegiate All-American program on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/USA-Rugby-Collegiate-All-American-Women/104505422926588 and donate to the program itself.

For more information on RugbyMapUSA, please visit www.rugbymapusa.com. To learn more about the Women’s Collegiate All-Americans please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/women_allamericans or contact Alex Williams at awilliams@usarugby.org.

To Pray or Play, That Is Not a Question

By David Whitley
National Columnist – AOL News – Fanhouse.com
Published 4/18/2010

SANFORD, Fla. — The field was empty Sunday. Just a day earlier, the BYU women’s rugby players had happily posed for a team photo under the stadium’s scoreboard.

The lights said the Cougars had just beaten Wisconsin-Milwaukee 46-7. The score didn’t begin to tell their story.

“We won today,” Coach Tom Waqa said. “But the girls’ biggest opponent is tomorrow. That is adversity.”

With a national championship in sight, the Cougars walked away. To advance meant they would have to play Sunday.

As in the Sabbath. As in keep it holy.

As in bye-bye championship.

“It’s bittersweet,” team captain Kirsten Siebach said. “But it was a decision we had to make.”

The players are all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Perhaps you know them as Mormons. By any name, what they did is almost unheard of these days.

Imagine Kentucky forfeiting a chance to make the Final Four. John Calipari probably wouldn’t get a bonus for placing religion ahead of basketball. Or is there a difference in Kentucky?

BYU is the updated Title IX version of Chariots of Fire. In that movie, Scotsman Eric Liddell refused to run in the 100 meters in the 1924 Olympics because it fell on a Sunday.

Instead of running his specialty, the devout Christian started training for the 400 meters. Newspapers called Liddell a traitor to his country. He persevered and won a gold medal.

Sandy Koufax triggered a national debate when he attended a synagogue instead of pitching Game 1 of the 1965 World Series. It was Yom Kippur and Koufax couldn’t bring himself to work on the Jewish holy day.

There have been other conscientious objectors to Sabbath play. This may be the first time an entire team has stood up by walking away.

The difference is BYU won’t get another chance to compete. And unlike Liddell and Koufax, the Cougars were blindsided into this predicament.

Governing bodies usually accommodate BYU’s scheduling wishes. The NCAA classifies women’s rugby as an “emerging sport,” and doesn’t fully sanction it.

It is run by USA Rugby, which inadvertently scheduled games on Saturday and Sunday at the Seminole Soccer Complex. The Cougars said they couldn’t play on Sunday, and USA Rugby said it would switch the schedule.

BYU’s 35 players raised $10,000 to pay for non-refundable plane tickets to the Sweet 16. That’s another thing you’ll never see a men’s basketball have to do.

To save money, the Cougars arranged to stay with local Mormon families. It’s hard to imagine John Wall sharing a bunk bed with the son of a local Wildcat booster.

After the plans were set, USA Rugby informed BYU that other teams had made plane and hotel reservations that couldn’t be switched.

Too bad, so sad.

Would the Cougars have gone to all that trouble if they hadn’t been assured they wouldn’t play on Sunday?

“No way we’d do that,” Siebach said.

She sounded slightly irritated, which was something of a relief. The Cougars were so magnanimous about their predicament it was almost enough to make me look into becoming a Mormon.

Instead of bellyaching, they went on a mission.

“We saw it as an opportunity to stand up for what we believe we have to do,” Siebach said. “We’re not trying to tell everybody not to play on Sundays.

“But we’d like to show them it’s important to stand up for what you believe in.”

Koufax did and became the World Series MVP. Liddell not only won a gold medal, he became a missionary to China and died a hero in a Japanese prison camp. Being true to yourself is a reward far more valuable than a trophy.

With that kind of attitude none of BYU’s young women will make it as athletic administrators. College sports are built on compromise, from hiring shady coaches to recruiting Dumbo students.

If ESPN wanted to schedule a game at St. Peter’s Square during Papal Mass, teams would fight for the contract. And don’t say it’s only women’s rugby, so nobody would watch even if ESPN paid them.

BYU’s women wanted to win a rugby championship every bit as badly as Duke’s men wanted a basketball title. Judging from the grass, dirt and sweat covering their white uniforms Saturday, the Cougars certainly worked as hard for their goal.

“We want Penn State!” a fan yelled.

Penn State’s the defending national champ. BYU is ranked No. 6.

“No disrespect to the other teams,” Waqa said, “but I think we could play well against any Division 1 team.”

So playing Devil’s Advocate, why not just do it?

Siebach just smiled.

“As members of the church, we’re committed to its standards and commandments,” she said. “And one of them is to keep the Sabbath day holy. Everybody may not understand that.”

No, but we should all understand principles. And nowadays when anybody refuses to compromise theirs, it’s worth applauding.

“They’ll be remembered more for this than being champions,” Waqa said.

Let’s hope so, though the sports world’s attention hasn’t exactly been focused on the Seminole Soccer Complex the past few days. On Sunday, there was only an empty field and a blank scoreboard.

Penn State reluctantly accepted the forfeit and advanced to the Final Four. BYU’s women reluctantly boarded a plane, taking their next opponent with them.

Adversity?

It didn’t stand a chance.

—————————————————————————-
QUOTE
“They’ll be remembered more for this than being champions.”
– Tom Waqa
BYU Women’s Rugby Coach

B.Y.U. Women’s Rugby Team Will Forfeit if It Reaches Sunday Game

BYU Womens Cougars 2010 Playoff

By KATIE THOMAS
NEW YORK TIMES

Published: April 15, 2010

The women on Brigham Young University’s club rugby team had every reason to expect that they would make it to the quarterfinals of the national college playoffs this weekend in Florida and California.

The Cougars advanced that far in last year’s tournament, losing to Penn State, the eventual champion. This year, they are ranked sixth in Division I by RugbyMag.com. “We have a good shot,” said Kirsten Siebach, the team captain. “We’re certainly one of the top rugby teams in the country.”

No matter their performance, however, B.Y.U. will not advance past the Round of 16 this weekend. Siebach said all 35 team members are practicing Mormons, and because USA Rugby scheduled that round on Sunday, the team has decided to forfeit if it wins its game Saturday against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“We’re obviously just very frustrated,” said Siebach, a senior. “We don’t want to put USA Rugby in a bad light, but at the same time we feel like we’ve been treated wrongly.”

Ashley Voss, a spokeswoman for USA Rugby, said scheduling the round for Sunday was not intended as a slight to the B.Y.U. team. “It’s in no way a move to disregard their religious beliefs,” she said. “We want them to be able to compete. We want them to be here.”

Kristin Richeimer, director of membership relations at USA Rugby, said an oversight was responsible for the scheduling. In the past, the B.Y.U. men’s and women’s club teams had been placed in pools that competed on Fridays and Saturdays, Richeimer said, but B.Y.U.’s schedule restrictions were overlooked this year after the staff member who oversaw scheduling left the organization.

“No one caught it on the women’s schedule,” Richeimer said.

The news came as a blow to the B.Y.U. women’s team, which had raised $10,000 to attend the tournament. Siebach said the team was assured as recently as March 11 that the schedule would be changed to Friday-Saturday from Saturday-Sunday, so they bought nonrefundable plane tickets to Florida.

Richeimer said the staff at USA Rugby contacted other teams to ask them to change their plans, but by March, many had purchased their tickets and it was logistically impossible.

B.Y.U., a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, does not allow its athletic teams to play on Sundays. The N.C.A.A. requires that championship schedules be arranged to accommodate the religious beliefs of institutions, but club rugby does not fall under its purview. Few universities sponsor varsity rugby teams.

Because the team is not formally affiliated with B.Y.U., Siebach said, “if we really wanted to, we could play on Sunday.”

But “because of our personal beliefs, we choose not to,” she said.

Tom Waqa, the women’s coach, said his players were disappointed, especially the seniors, who will be playing their final game Saturday. “They will be playing with a heavy heart, not being able to participate any further,” he said.

BYU 46 UW-Milwaukee 7 – Sweet 16

BYU Cougars Team Photo - Sweet 16, Sanford, Florida. BYU 46 UW-Mil 7

SANFORD, FL – Pacific Coast #3 seed BYU Womens Cougars overcame a determined Mid West #1 UW-Milwaukee team by winning 46 – 7. The Cougars have to overcome enormous pressure not only from UW-Milwaukee rugby team but also from the media, and the public. With a possible forfeit in sight, the Cougars did not allow that to be a distraction. They quickly went to work. Rebecca Bunnell started of with a try on the overlap and Star Bollinger converted to make that 7-0 about 12 minutes into the game. UW came back strongly with a well executed try to level it 7-7. The game sea sawed for a while until towards the end the half when Kristi Jackson broke through the middle to score. Star converted to make it 14-7. Another quick drive by the Cougars led to a try by Kristi Jackson again to make it 19 – 7 at the half.

Womens Cougars picked it up from the second half. Star Bollinger started off the second when she gathered a loose ball on half way mark, and raced for the corner to score. She hit the cross bar trying to convert from the corner. Cougars up by 24 – 7. Star again slotted a penalty kick to make it 27 – 7. UW – Mil tried coming back using their forwards, but the Cougars applied a lot of pressure in the breakdowns and forced turnovers.

Kristi Jackson scored her 3rd try of the day, when she intercepted the ball inside UW-Milwaukee 22m line, and scored underneath the posts. Star converted to make it 34 – 7. Play went on with Cougars establishing field position inside UW-Milwaukee. A quick ball movement allowed Rebekah Siebach to break free and scored, but the try was disallowed. Cougars used the same momentum to force a turnover, and from a lineout, mauled their way to the try line. Try was awarded to Kirsten Siebach to make that 39 – 7.

With only about 5 minutes left in the game, Cougars applied pressure inside UW-Milwaukee half, and Captain Kirsten Siebach broke free, and beat a defender with beautiful side-step to score under the cross-bar. Star Bollinger converted to make that a 46 – 7.

The Cougars had a lot of weight on their shoulders coming into this game. They needed a good win to make their claim on the National Championship legit. That’s what they did.

- Web Editor

WCR 15 Cal 5

BYU Cougars Pack 2010 - Kirsten, Monica, Samantha, Haliaka, Keilani, Hoku, Kayla, Kimberly

Davis, CA – Cougar Women defeated Cal 15 – 5 on Saturday April 3, 2010 to take third seed in Pacific Coast Womens DI Collegiate. The girls fought off a much determined Cal team. Keelia Harker, Star Bollinger, and Kirsten Siebach scored for the Cougars.

Halftime score was 15 – 5. And second half Cougars kept applying pressure with most of the game played on Cal half, and enjoyed majority of possession, but failed to put points on the board, which is worry for Coach Tom.

It is important to note that Cougars had one clear try disallowed, and missed a couple of penalties kicks. It was not a good day for the Cougars at the kicking tee.

They now look forward to National Womens DI Collegiate Sweet 16 in Sanford, Florida on April 16 and 17, 2010.

-Web Editor

WCR 12 Stanford 19

Davis, CA – Stanford edged WCR in the Pacific Coast Playoffs Friday April 2, 2010 winning the game in the last 5 minutes 19 – 12. Under intense rainy, and wet conditions, Stanford fought off a determined effort by the Cougars.

The score was 12 – 7 at halftime with Kristi Jackson dotting down an individual try effort underneath the cross bar. Cougars opened up the scoring in the second half with a try to Rebecca Siebach. With score level at 12-12, Cougars applied pressure only to be denied by a try by Jessica Watkins of Stanford.

This is written with a grain of salt with officiating crew for this game putting on a sub par performance.

Cougars still have a chance to qualify for Nationals as No. 3 seed if they beat Cal on Saturday April 3, 2010.

-Web Editor

WCR B 20 UVU 14

Provo, UT – Womens Cougars B squad took on the UVU side Saturday March 27, 2010 and won 20 to 14. It was a gutsy effort by the new recruits, some playing their 80 minute game of rugby for the first time. The new girls held their own against a much bigger UVU pack.

Center Rebekah Siebach opened the scoring with a 50m try underneath the post. UVU replied just after that with a try of their own to make it 7-5. Chanel Arts (flyhalf) managed to slot in a penalty right before the half to make it 8-7 at half time.

Second half started with both teams trying to establish good position. UVU scored another try to make it 14 – 7. Center Rebekah Siebach scored her second try but conversion was unsuccessful. Chanel Arts finally put the game away in the dying minutes with her try underneath the post and converted her own try to make it 20 – 14.

There are a lot of potential on this new squad and Coach Tom will surely rebuild from standout players on the B team.

-Web Editor

WCR 52 Cal 7

Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA – The Womens Cougar’s placed another stamp on their quest for Nationals by downing Cal 52 – 7 on Saturday March 20, 2010. The Cougars started off a little slow but managed to find their rhythm later in the game. Cal got on the board first with a try in the first 5 minutes of the game, but it was all BYU Cougars after that.

The forwards were able to hold their own against a bigger Cal pack. The backs did the rest for them. Centers Star Bollinger and Kristi Jackson were outstanding, and they were well supported by wingers Kara Remington, and Keelia Harker. Rebecca Bunnell was also at her usual best covering at fullback.

The Cougars now move to Second round of Pacific Coast Playoff with a showdown with Stanford on Friday April 2. Win or Lose, they will meet the winner or loser from Cal/Davis game. It would be double elimination for these teams, with the top 3 seeds going to Nationals.

-Web Editor

WCR 78 Sacramento State 0

Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA – Women’s Cougars put on fine display of running rugby at 2pm on March 19th to beat NorCal #4 seed Sacramento State 78 – 0. The girls played their heart out to make it to the second round of Pacific Coast Round 2 Playoffs.

Center Star Bollinger was outstanding for the Cougars with 2 tries, 6 conversions, and 3 penalties. No. 8 Samantha Wright helped the course with 3 tries of her own. WCR 78 Sac St 0.

-Web Editor

WCR 25 USU 10

Provo, UT – The Womens Cougars overcame a strong USU performance to win at home in Fort Utah Park by 25 – 10. The Cougars started the half camping on USU territory but were unable to finish drives and put together a scoring drive.  Under wet and slippery conditions, the cougars had a hard time controlling the ball in the breakdowns or tackle area. Star Bollinger slotted two penalties to make that 6 – 0.  USU came back with a good drive and slotted a penalty to make it 6 – 3 at the half.

The Cougars started the second half with a vengeance, and scored two tries coming from Kayla Ellingson. One coming from a break by winger Kara Remington  and off loading to Kayla on the inside. Kayla’s other try was a result of a good drive by the forwards, and she picked it up, and dived over. Star and Becky B converted to make that 20 – 3. Utah State Aggies applied some good defensive pressure and prevented some try scoring opportunities.

Finally flanker Kirsten Siebach intercepted a pass on the Aggies 22 meter line, and beat one defender with a devastating side step to score beside the cross bar. Conversion was missed and score 25 – 3. Utah State scored a final consolation try and converted to make that 25 – 10.

“The Aggies gave us a really good game to prepare us for the playoff, my hats off to them. That team is coming along very well.” Coach Tom.

-Cougar News Editor

WCR 26 UNM 5

Kylie Maclennan going for the tryline - UNM 2010

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – (BYU) Womens Cougar Rugby travelled to UNM this past Saturday March 6, 2010 and played the University of New Mexico Lobos Womens rugby team on their newly renovated UNM Football Stadium. The weather was perfect for a rugby game. BYU came away with the W, running in 4 tries to UNM’s 1. Score 26 – 5.

It was the Cougars first game together since November 2009, and they looked a bit rusty in the first half. Scrum half Kylie Maclennan scored off a 5 meter scrum, and Star Bollinger slotted an amazing kick from the corner to make it 7-0 minute in the first minute of the game. The entire first half was played in UNM half, but WCR only managed to come with another try through an overlap to winger Larissa Nakamitsu. Star Bollinger again converted from the corner to make it 14-0 at the half.

WCR had trouble adjusting to officials throughout the game. Opponents keep backing away from rucks, and Cougar girls getting called for diving over repeatedly. But they could have used a little consistency and fairness from the officials. Both sides were guilty of that.

Star Bollinger opened up the second half with an individual try from halfway to make that 19 – 0 about 10 minute sinto the second half. UNM came back strongly but only to be denied by some relentless defense by the Cougars. A good scrum by the Cougars, setup a good platform for the backs, and Kylie Maclennan recognized an opening and ran 40 meters, beat a couple of would-be tacklers and scored beside the cross-bar. Rebecca Bunnell converted to make it a 26 – 0 game.

UNM scored a consolation try in the corner to make it 26 – 5. WCR had a clear try by flanker Kirsten Siebach disallowed, and failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities. It was their first game of this semester, but they will not take that as an excuse. Coach Tom expects a much better performance against Utah State University at home, 11am Saturday March 13, 2010.

-WCR Web Editor

Cougars for Las Vegas Invitational 2010

PROVO-UT – The Womens Cougars will attend the Las Vegas Invitational this weekend playing in the Womens Open Sevens Tournament. It should a fun tournament for the girls, most of them playing sevens for the very first time. But the most important, is the opportunity to watch the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens series in Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas.

Sevens Schedule for Womens Cougars – Friday February 12, 2010
Field 11
800 BYU Women v Lady BlackJacks WO7
820 Satiated Beavers v University of Minnesota Women WO7
840 Rochester Renegades v SLOTS WO7
900 Velvet Pigs v UC Santa Cruz WO7
920 Flamingo’s v Lady BlackJacks WO7
940 Tenei Toa O’ Laie v University of Minnesota Women WO7
1000 Laie Park Ladies v SLOTS WO7
1020 Twin Cities Amazons v UC Santa Cruz WO7
1040 Flamingo’s v BYU Women WO7
1100 Tenei Toa O’ Laie v Satiated Beavers WO7
1120 Laie Park Ladies v Rochester Renegades WO7
1140 Twin Cities Amazons v Velvet Piglets WO7
1200 13 #3 Pool 1 v #3 Pool 2 WO7
1220 14 #3 Pool 3 v #3 Pool 4 WO7
1240 15 #2 Pool 1 v #1 Pool 3 WO7
100 16 #2 Pool 2 v #1 Pool 4 WO7
120 17 #1 Pool 1 v #2 Pool 3 WO7
140 18 #1 Pool 2 v #2 Pool 4 WO7
200 19 Winner 13 v Winner 14 WO7
220 20 Loser 15 v Loser 16 WO7
240 21 Loser 17 v Loser 18 WO7
300 22 Winner 15 v Winner 16 WO7
320 23 Winner 17 v Winner 18 WO7
340 24 Winner 20 v Winner 21 WO7
400 25 Loser22 v Loser23‐WO7
440 26 Winner 22 v Winner 23 Women Open Final WO7

Saturday February 13, 2010 – Schedule
8.00am – Watch BYU Mens vs. Southern Utah University
10.30 – IRB Sevens @ Sam Boyd Stadium

Go Cougars!

Excellence in Rugby Awards – Fall ’09

PROVO, UTAH – Womens Cougar Rugby Club ended Fall 2009 season on a high note by rewarding some of the players with Excellence in Rugby Performance Awards. The Most Valuable Players were voted by the team members whereas the Most Improved Award recipients were selected by the Coaches. Two of the senior players who played their last season this Fall 09, were inducted into the WCR Hall of Fame Class of 2009. This has been a club tradition since 2005. It was another breakup party to be remembered.

Excellence in Rugby Performance Award Recipients Fall 2009

Standing from Left to Right: Autumn Gardner (Most Valuable Forward, Hall of Fame – Class of 2009), Rebecca Bunnell (Most Valuable Player), Tressa Tenney (Most Improved Player), Kristi Jackson (Most Valuable Back, Top Try Scorer-Tie), Star Bollinger (Top Try Scorer-Tie, Top Points Scorer), Jaime Hill (Hall of Fame – Class of 2009)
Kneeling from Left to Right: Shelby Peterson (Most Improved Back), Keilani Paul (Most Improved Forward)

The Team will reassemble on Monday, January 4, 2010 – First day of Winter Class in a mandatory meeting at an LRC room, BYU Library 5pm – 6pm.

CoachT – Editor in Chief

Invictus – The Game That Made a Nation

Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar as flanker (No. 6) for South Africa in Invictus. Photo by rugbymag.com.

South Africa – From director Clint Eastwood, “Invictus” tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship.

This is a good piece of history on the movie. It is well written. The book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation tells the true story about what happened in South Africa at that time, about Nelson Mandela, who was imprisoned for about 27 years, then he came out to be voted South African President. An inspiring account of what happened on that Championship day. The rest is history!

Here is the trailer below. If you don’t feel it, rugby can never be part of you. It’s inspiring! “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” Nelson Mandela.

I remember watching the 1995 Rugby Word Cup finals live back then. New Zealand All Blacks (rugby Yankees) with legends & elites like Jonah Lomu, Zinzan Brooke, Sean Fitzpatrick, Josh Kronfeld, Jeff Wilson and Andrew Mertens against underdogs South Africa led by real life attorney Francois Pienaar at Flanker. It was fun to watch great rugby!

Mark your calendars ladies and gents. Invictus movie will out on one of the BYU study days end of this Fall semester, Friday December 11, 2009. So the Cougars will all go see this movie as a Team. Save your money for a ticket. This is probably the best rugby movie to be made. Just watching the trailer makes you want to be there.

“I was thinking how you spent 27 years in prison, and come out ready to forgive those who put you there.” Pienaar asked Mandela.
Mandela replied, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

Enjoy!

CoachT, Editor – Cougar Rugby News

WCR 34 Salt Lake Slugs 5

Fullback Becky Bunnell and Center Kristy Jackson on attack.

Murray, UT – Womens Cougars put on fine display of fitness and athleticism to down a much experienced Salt Lake team last Saturday November 21, 2009. Cougars ran in 6 tries to Slug’s one winning the game by 34 – 5. Cougars need to work hard in the tackle area and breakdowns in order to compete with the big programs such as Penn Sate, Brown, Army and Stanford. This game against these regular club sides who are made up of more experienced women, will help the cougars achieve this goal. The midfield partnership of Star Bollinger and Kristi Jackson who both had two tries each, worked well for the Cougars.

This is the last game of this semester, and as they move forward towards next Winter/Spring, Coach Tom Waqa will be looking to key senior players to step up and lead the team into the playoffs. The Cougars have done well with a 10 – 0 record for this semester, but a lot of work has to be done going into 2010 season.

Score: WCR 34 SL Slugs 5 Tries: Tressa 1, Kristi 2, Jaime 1, Star 2 Conversions: Becky 2

CoachT, Editor – Cougar Rugby News

WCR 59 Weber State University 0

Demonstration on the theory of "Evolution of Rugby Women". Rachel Longhurst on the pick and jam. Support crew missed "body-position 101" class.

Provo, UT – Womens Cougars dominated a Weber State Wild Cats on Saturday November 14, 2009. The newly formed Weber State Womens team did what they could to contain a more experienced Collegiate side. Wild Cats have been practicing hard this semester for this game, with about 2 game scrimmages to prepare for this one. The Cougars ran in 11 unanswered tries with No. 8 Tressa Tenney and Inside Center Kristi Jackson scoring hat-tricks. However there are still room for improvements as always. Cougars 59 Weber State 0.

Assistant Coach Clayton Leonard managed the team from the sidelines as Head Coach Tom Waqa and Assistant Coach Eric Taito were away for the 2009 National Touch Rugby Championship in Gilbert, Arizona. Regular Starters Star Bollinger and Keelia Harker also attended the Touch Tournament playing for Tumeke CA Touch club who were runners up to the Championship in the Mixed competition.

WCR vs. Weber State @ Provo: 11am
Score: WCR 59 Weber State 0 Tries: Audrey M 1, Jaime H 1, Larissa N 1, Lexy N 1, Tressa T 3, Kristi J 3, Diana V 1 Conversions: Lexy N 2

CoachT, Editor – Cougar Rugby News