To be Division One, or not to be!

This weekend I heard that Radford University, after having spent one year in the Marfu Premiership league, had taken the decision to relegate themselves back down to Division Two. In 2008, they comfortably won the National D2 title and were then roundly applauded for taking the leap up, joining the very competitive Marfu Premiership league.

Sure they had a fairly rough fall season, they took 2 sound beatings from Kutztown and Penn State, but they competed well against everyone else and even recorded 2 wins at home by beating Maryland and Virginia. Most pundits would say that they did pretty well in a league that has at least 2 teams capable of a D1 Final 4 appearance.

So, the news that they have dropped out of the league after just one season has been greeted by most people around the game with a little disdain. Now there may be a lot of reasons unbeknown to us, which have forced Radford’s hand, but from the outside it certainly does look like they have not given being a Division One side enough time.

My own opinion at first was in that same vain – it seemed to me that Radford had taken the easy route out, opting to be the big fish in a little pool. I even thought it might be a time for the LAU to step in and tell them that if they don’t want to be involved in D1 rugby, then they would be unwilling to allow them to play in the LAU’s D2 league. But after a few days reflection it started to dawn on me that really this was just the tip of an iceberg, it really is a much bigger problem that USA Rugby really need’s to address.

Radford University is a small school, there are never more than 2,000 male undergrads. But for many years they have had a strong D2 program, that is well established at the school and well coached. Rugby at Radford is strong – but is it strong enough to compete at D1, and really, the question has to be asked, why should they be forced by the rest of us to even think about going up to D1 when their pool of available players is much smaller than say, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Maryland or Penn State.

For years now, schools like Radford, Middlebury, Coastguard, Salisbury and Georgetown have all been powerhouses on the D2 scene, but have all received criticism for being bottom feeders. Sure it would be great for teams like this to go to D1, but surely its time to look at who should be D1 and who shouldn’t.
Calls for promotion and relegation might work but putting in place a hard and fast rule across the board wouldn’t work everywhere. Leaving it to individual schools and unions has worked to a point but I think the time has come for USA Rugby to step in and make a decision based on a school’s size.

With increasing calls for, and rumors of a televised collegiate super league that will only include the top 10 or 12 teams in the country, then there will be scope for the rest of us mere mortals in D1 rugby that really have no chance of even competing with the likes of Cal or BYU, to play in more localized league structures, if USA Rugby were to make a bold decision regarding D1 eligibility based on a schools size.

Sure it wouldn’t suit everyone, but lets for argument sake, say USA Rugby did impose this rule and see how it would affect schools in my own state of North Carolina.
At present, the only D1 side in the state is the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). East Carolina is every bit as good but doesn’t want to make that leap because of the distance required to travel to play D1 games (Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia). If USA Rugby mandated that every school that had a male undergraduate population (of say) over 5,000 was automatically a D1 side, then in North Carolina we would have at least 4 teams who could play a local league. With the advent of a collegiate super league, there would be no reason to have a South D1 league because there would be no way for a team to get to the National championships, so there could perhaps be a South Final 4 once the local leagues had concluded, instead.

Whatever your thoughts on why Radford have gone back to D2, isn’t it time USA Rugby took a long hard look at eligibility for Division 1 & 2?

Andy Richards
Tournament Co-Founder
Atlantic Coast Invitational

Weather decisions

Rugby is supposed to be an all weather game but from time to time, Mother Nature does throw a spanner in the works. This weekend has brought up an issue within the college game that needs to be looked at by clubs, coaches and administrators alike.

Unlike club teams that have their own pitches, most college teams are at the mercy of school administrators who all too often make sweeping decisions that have massive implications on opponents both in terms of time travelled and financial outlay.

This weekend, East Carolina was holing its ‘Beast of the East’ tournament in Greenville, NC, which was due to feature, Kutztown, Indiana and Miami (Ohio). It appears that at the last minute, the school authorities pulled the pitches. As you can imagine the huge distances and expense’s involved have left everyone in somewhat of a bind. Also this weekend, my own team made the 4-hour trip down to Columbia to play South Carolina only to have the game cancelled by the school at 9.30am on Saturday morning.

Now the inconveinience of my players does not compare to the Indiana guys who travelled on a bus for 15 hours, but I think both these examples (and I’m sure there were many more this weekend) must serve as a lesson to us all.

East Carolina was in a difficult position because when their visiting teams set off, there was no problem with the weather. The same applies to South Carolina who I contacted on Friday to see if there was going to be a problem with the pitches. I was told that their field drained well and they thought there would be no issue.

My point is this. As rugby club coaches and officials, we have a responsibility for our fellow players and coaches and have to make the bold decisions that school administrators are not able, or are unwilling to make. The ECU or USC school officials who made these 11th hour calls didn’t appear to give a hoot that players from other schools had travelled many miles and spent a lot of money to play on their precious grass – we should.

This storm was predicted all last week; you didn’t have to be Jim Cantore to know it was going to be extremely wet. This is why I contacted South Carolina on Friday – a bold decision should have been made and the game called off.

In defense of both ECU and USC, both their facilities and pitches are relatively new and so both clubs would have been unsure as what their pitches could withstand, or more to the point, what the school authorities think they can withstand.

We can all learn from this – get to know your schools policy with regards to your pitch and don’t be frightened to make bold decisions that are in the best interests of fellow rugby players making a long journey.

Andy Richards
Head Coach
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Men’s Rugby
Tournament Co-Founder
Atlantic Coast Invitational

ACI Teams’ Weekend Results

University of Tennesee 21 University of North Carolina 12
Arkansas State 91 Clemson 0
University of Virginia 31 Georgetown 22
Wake Forest 53 North Carolina State 7
Florida State 28 University of North Florida 7
Georgia Tech 32 Middle Tennessee State 10

Patrick Kane
Tournament Co-Director
Director of Men’s Rugby
Wake Forest University

ACI Weekend Update

A number of ACI teams were in action again this past weekend, including a South Division I showdown between North Carolina and Clemson in Chapel Hill. UNC came out on top 40-5, led by the goal-kicking of freshman flyhalf Gregor MacLennan. Down the road in Raleigh, North Carolina State lost it’s South D2 conference opener 21-0 to Appalachian State. Meanwhile, Wake Forest lost an exciting game to East Carolina 30-25 in Greenville, NC. Both Wake and NC State are now 0-1 in conference play and face each other in a crucial league match this Saturday in Winston-Salem. The loser will be virtually eliminated from playoff contention.

Further north, both Virginia and Virginia Tech got in some early season action. UVA split their squad against James Madison and Mary Washington and were victorious in both matches- 12-5 over James Madison and 28-10 over Mary Washington. Flanker Mike Tobin led the way for the Cavs against JMU while lock Carson Green stood out against Mary Washington. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech ran away from VMI 56-3.

Finally, Georgia Tech moved to 2-0 in South D2 conference play with a 19-10 win over Kennesaw State. With victories over Auburn and KSU, Georgia Tech looks on their way to claiming a spot in the South D2 playoffs.

Patrick Kane
Tournament Co-Director
Director of Men’s Rugby
Wake Forest University

Funny talkers

The recent resignation of USA Head Coach Scott Johnson, the perceived chaos at USA Rugby and the constant stream of hate that is coming from the numerous rugby blogs in the USA have left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.

I have been in the Unites States for nearly 7 years now and have coached 4 teams in that time (2 collegiate, 2 men). I have been involved with rugby for over 30 years and when I arrived on these shores wanted to stay involved in the game that I love. I have had the support of my wife throughout, and most of the time I have felt that what I have been doing benefited the teams I have coached even if only in some small way.

Sure, I’ve had good and bad times – it took some time to adjust my coaching style after being in the British Army for so long and also to get used to the different sporting culture and ethos that exists. I have learned a lot from American sport, particularly the importance of college sport and what a fantastic base it can be for rugby to grow in the United States.

Here is what pains me now: In American Rugby News Rugbytalk podcast (#73) Bruce McLane, coach at NYAC and mouthpiece on American Rugby News, professed that he doesn’t like foreigners or those with funny accents involved in American rugby. I agree with the reader’s comment that if it wasn’t for these “foreigners” American rugby would be even farther down on the food chain. And here’s some news, many ‘funny talkers’ like myself are here to stay.

In December I proudly became an American citizen. Last night I stayed up late and watched the New Zealand 7’s on line. Sure I was pleased England won, but I was also cheering on the Eagles who are really doing us all proud right now.

Most Saturdays I get a call from ARN asking about our game. Today I’ll have to defer them to our team captain since he isn’t a “funny talker.” I cannot ethically talk to an organization that associates itself with Coach McLane until he publically apologizes to the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of “funny talkers” who are citizens, residents, students, employees, fans, and all who support the spirit of rugby in this country.

At least five of the 12 coaches involved in ACI rugby would be classed as foreigners and funny talkers. Pundits like Bruce McLane are doing more harm than good right now for the spirit and reputation of rugby in this country. 

Andy Richards

Head Coach

University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Men’s Rugby

Tournament Co-Founder

Atlantic Coast Invitational

ACI Teams Perform Well in Weekend Matches

Five ACI teams were in action this past weekend, including an all-ACI matchup in Winston-Salem, NC between UNC and Wake Forest.  After an evenly-played first half that saw the teams change sides deadlocked at 3, UNC took their game to another level in the second stanza to run away 18-3 winners.  UNC dominated possession and territory in the second half and overwhelmed the Demon Deacons.  The Tar Heels were led by a superb performance from sophomore flanker Alex Lee, who scored a try and controlled the breakdown all afternoon.  Both UNC and Wake start league play this weekend with UNC hosting ACI foe Clemson in the South Division 1 competition and Wake Forest travelling to face East Carolina in the South Division 2 competition.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech and Clemson both started league play against SEC opponents.  Georgia Tech defeated Auburn 38-7 in South D2 play, while Clemson fell to University of Georgia 24-17 in a South D1 matchup.

Finally, Florida State capped off a successful weekend for ACI teams by defeating Florida Atlantic University in a non-league match.

North Carolina State gets its league season underway this weekend as well, as they host Appalachian State University in the South D2 competition.  Appalachian State is coming off a victory two weekends ago at the Southern Conference Rugby Championship. 

Patrick Kane

Tournament Co-Director

Director of Men’s Rugby

Wake Forest University

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS SPRINGING UP ALL OVER

The past three years have seen rugby teams from schools in the Pac-10, SEC, ACC, Big 10, and Big 12 gather for unofficial “conference tournaments.”  And now teams from schools in some of the smaller conferences around the country are following suit.  This weekend in Statesboro, GA, Georgia Southern University will host the first Southern Conference (SoCon) Rugby Tournament.  Teams expected to attend are Georgia Southern, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Furman, Davidson, and Appalachian State.  Further north, talks are in the works to hold an Atlantic 10 Rugby Tournament, with St. Bonaventure University’s team heavily involved in the planning.  And of course, the precursor to all of these tournaments was the Ivy League, who will hold the 41st Annual Ivy Championship later this spring.

Patrick Kane
Tournament Co-Director
Director of Men’s Rugby
Wake Forest University

Pool Format Explained

Boston College finished as 2009 Atlantic Coast Invitational Champions, despite not winning a match on Day 1 of the tournament. This seemingly incongruous result was made possible by a unique format that we decided to go with on the eve of the tournament.

The tournament was originally supposed to have eight participants, but the week before the event Clemson withdrew citing a lack of available players. Rather than go forward with seven teams and a scheduling nightmare, we extended an invite to the University of Florida to participate. Obviously since the whole point of this tournament is to have a competition between the teams from the schools that comprise the Atlantic Coast Conference, inviting a team from a non-ACC school was not ideal. But Andy and I felt that in the interest of the competition it was the best way to go.

The tournament was set to proceed with eight teams split into two pools of four teams with each team playing three first day matches against the other teams in their pools. But at 2pm on Friday afternoon, a mere 20 hours before the tournament’s scheduled kickoff, UVA notified us that they would not be attending because the charter bus they reserved had never arrived to pick them up. This meant we were back to seven teams. With no possibility of finding a replacement for UVA at this late stage, we made the difficult decision to withdraw Florida from the competition, leaving us with six teams.

The initial plan was to go with two pools of three teams, with each team playing the other two teams in its pool on the first day of play. However, after last year’s tournament where we also had pools of three with round-robin pool play, we received a number of complaints that such a format created a competitive disadvantage because the second match in each pool pitted a team that had already played a full match against a team that had yet to play a match and was fully fresh. So, we settled on a format sometimes used in 6 team tournaments where there are two pools of three, but rather than play the teams in your own pool, you play each team in the opposite pool. This allows for relatively fair ranking within the pool, as each team had common opponents.

The key to such a format, however, is making balanced pools. We attempted to do this by putting the two Division I teams (BC and UNC) in opposite pools and putting two Division II teams in each pool. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, who played a 3 overtime match in the South semifinals last spring were placed in opposite pools as there seemed to be not much between the two sides.

The final setup had Pool A with BC, Georgia Tech, and NC State and Pool B with UNC, FSU, and Wake Forest. We thought we had two evenly balanced pools, but when Wake Forest opened the day with a 13-10 defeat of Boston College, it suddenly became apparent that it was possible that the three strongest sides were in Pool B and one would be left on the outside looking in come semifinal time.

As it turned out, Wake Forest, my team, was the one who was left out in the cold. While we were certainly disappointed, we understood that we had no one to blame but ourselves, as we went in to our final match on Saturday against NC State knowing that we needed to rack up a big score and were simply unable to get the job done. And as it played out, Boston College, who we anticipated would be one of the top teams at the event, rebounded from an 0-3 first day and won the championship over a tired UNC squad on Sunday. At the end of the day, we had the two top seeds facing off in the final. So while the format played out a bit oddly, the end result was that a very good and deserving rugby team was crowned champion.

Patrick Kane
Tournament Co-Director
Director of Men’s Rugby
Wake Forest University

Message fron Dan Payne – USA Rugby Director of Competitions

To all coaches, players, support staff, family and Fans attending the 2009 ACI:

 

First and foremost, as a college rugby enthusiast, I want to thank all of you for the time and energy you’ve already invested into building this successful tournament.  Some will travel great distances to be a part of this event and, as a result, I’m confident it will continue to grow with each passing year.  As a rugby community we must ensure that it does.

 

Being a college coach myself, I can greatly appreciate the time and effort all of the coaches, most of which are purely volunteer, put forth week after week.  As leaders of these organizations it’s up to us to make certain that our student-athletes train, prepare and commit to the level necessary for our sport to continue to gain respect on the campuses we are associated with.

 

To the student-athletes, please, make sure you view yourself as such.  You are a student and an athlete. The initials NCAA don’t need to be attached to our sport to act and/or view ourselves as such.  Thank you for your time and energy toward the game.  I believe that you are truly the most powerful ambassadors for the sport.  Your involvement with the student bodies on your campuses can be an extremely valuable tool toward growing the game.  Please, respect and value the potential you possess toward bringing positive recognition toward our game. I’d encourage you to form fan clubs, educate students on the game, let them be proud of wearing their school colors at your games in support of your cause as an organization.  Most importantly, please, when your playing days are through, continue to be a fan of the sport.  Support your university team,  COACH A YOUTH or HIGH SCHOOL TEAM, watch rugby on t.v. and work to bring new FANS into the game on a continuous basis.

 

There’s a reason we all share the amazing attachment toward this great game.  Together as a rugby community we must continuously work at growing the game, one recruit at a time….players and fans.

 

You have already shown you have the motivation to do so by organizing and participating in the ACI.  Make sure that you take the energy and optimism you’ll share for the sport on the weekend of the ACI by passing it on throughout the other 51 weeks of the year.   Furthermore, as you graduate and move on, seriously consider making the annual pilgrimage back to see your former teammates and support your university at the location of that year’s ACI.  Trust me, as you get older you’ll need as many excuses as possible to get together with your college buddies.  What better tradition than getting together to support your school, talk about how good you used to be, reminisce about when you were young and fit, visit a different campus, etc.

 

Have a great weekend of competition.  Week after week, year after year,  it’s our responsibility to continue to work to grow this amazing game in our country!!

 

I have started using a phrase lately when I speak about the future of our game in the US; “ten years from now will come.”  What might seem to be a small step forward this week, if repeated consistently, will help us make huge strides over the next 10 years.  Lets keep working toward something that’s going to have a valuable impact 10 years from now.   We must think long term and continue to make incremental gains.

 

Thanks to all of you for doing your part.

 

Yours in rugby,

 

Dan Payne

USA RUGBY Director of Competition

2008 success of Virginia Tech – Part 3

In the third and final part of his article, Jon Conrad lets us all in on a great recruiting source for all college teams.

“International School Recruitment 

There is an enormously untapped resource in American rugby today, and that is the international school system abroad.  

As American rugby becomes more organized, more and more graduates from such international preparatory institutions as Singapore American School, the International School Bangkok and Hong Kong International School are finding their way into quality American collegiate programs.  

Take Virginia Tech for example. Currently, we have two International School Bangkok graduates starting in the MARFU premiership, Michael Conrad and Brett Keyes. The Naval Academy enjoys the services of Joe Lousche, who also graduated from ISB. Matt Browning is yet another ISB graduate who plays his rugby for the Golden Bears at Kutztown. Also from ISB, Jack Carroll plies his trade at the University of San Diego. Adam Anderson, from Singapore American School was recently admitted to the Cal – Berkeley rugby program.  

The list goes on. My point is this - the collegians listed above are American citizens who have had the benefit of learning the game of rugby abroad in a very organized and professional environment. We don’t have to deal with study abroad forms or visa’s to get these kids into collegiate rugby programs. For the vast majority of them, coming to the United States is a foregone conclusion. College programs across the country would do well to take a good look at these highschool programs abroad and start actively recruiting from these places. Rugby is their main sport in High school. They want to play in college. With a little direction, these kids can continue to make the impact that they have made in the United States, especially since the quality of college rugby has improved dramatically in the last ten years.  

These ISB kids certainly have been handy at Virginia Tech, and based on where many of these international Americans have ended up in their college teams, other coaches feel the same way.  

Here is a link that give some information on many of the competitive international Highschool programs that I’ve talked about above: 

http://www.iasas.org

Jon Conrad, Head Coach, Virginia Tech Men’s Rugby