Week in Review 10/31-11/6
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Nov 11
Madison United Rugby - Week in Review - 10/31/11-11/6/11
WRC @ Midwest DII Playoffs; Sat 11/5/11;
WWRFC; Fall season is done.
UW Men vs UW Stout; Sat 11/5/11; UW Men won 36 to 3. The Badgers went into the weekend’s match with their 3rd straight conference title already in the bag. Keeping momentum for the national playoff run in the spring and establishing dominance in our league was the goal. Early pressure led to a penalty kick by flyhalf Jordi Heginbottom for a 3-0 lead. The Badgers had a stiff breeze at their back in the first half and used it to keep Stout bottled up on their end of the field for the first 15 minutes. Stout had good counter rucking and were able to poach most of the Badgers line out ball in the first half to keep them in the match. At 12 minutes the Badgers took advantage of a series of forward possessions finished off by a nice run by #10 Jordi to take an 8-0 lead. More pressure in Stouts end led to a penalty and a quick tap try by outside center Kurtis Shepherd, converted by Jordi for a 15-0 advantage. Our next try was set up by rookie wing Neil Warren who had a big hit on defense followed by a nice break up the middle on offense, then a couple of quick rucks and passes led to opposite wing Tudor Byas scoring a flying leap try over a tackler
on the far side of the field. The angled conversion kick was again good and the lead increased to 22-0. Stout was then able to convert some more pressure in our end of the field into 3 points with a long penalty kick after another lost line out by UW. UW kept the pressure on in Stout’s end of the field but were unable to convert it into points. Score was 22-3 at halftime with a brisk breeze now in our face and still blowing for the 2nd half. We started the 2nd half with good pressure but a few poor passes and lost balls in rucks kept us from scoring in the first 5 minutes. A penalty kick from 35 meters out that easily cleared the bar at the 6-minute mark extended our lead to 25-3. After a nice pick up and a long run by #13 Kurtis, Stout committed another penalty in their end and Jordi slotted the kick for a 28-3 lead. Stout was then able to turn over a number of balls in the tackle and use the wind to keep the ball out of their end but never looked liked scoring due to stiff Badger defense. After nice runs by scrum half Ryan McGlynn and substitute flanker Zach Arostegui, another penalty kick by Jordi from close in brought the score to 31-3. The scoring was finished in fine style with a blocked kick by Ryan Mcglynn off a Stout scrum deep in their end and recovered by a hustling #8 and graduating senior John Bezak. It was a great way to end his 15’s rugby career with a try on the last play of the match capping a 36-3 win. The Blacks followed with a great win over a Stout B-side that was loaded with ringers and recent graduates. It was a tough hard fought match with our boys coming out on top 29-20. Hard earned tries were scored by speedy rookie
Charlie Beise and hooker Zach Arostegui among others. Prominent in the pack were prop Jack Hartnett, lock Dan Nelson, back rows Robbie Gorowsky and Kevin Togher. Zach Genthe in first match at flyhalf played well along with center Joel Cohen and fullback Jason Smithback. Our next rugby will be at the USA national 7’s tourney at my alma mater, Texas A&M on Dec. 16-17, 2011. We are planning a spring break tour to Texas the first week of April and are hoping to host the first round of the national championships in Madison near the end of April. We are also invited to and plan to attend the Collegiate Rugby 7’s Championships in Philadelphia June
2-3, 2012. We hope to sell 300 tickets to the tourney and have a large Badger contingent on hand. Please plan to join us at any or all of these future matches.
UW Women; Fall season is done.
Minotaurs; Fall season is done.
Other News: Date is set, Wisconsin Rugby Club 50th Anniversary Weekend will be Aug 31-Sept 3, 2012 in Madison WI. Details to come!
Message from the new WRC Sports Complex president, Dr Dave - This is an exciting time for rugby. We are at a turning point on all levels. The nation is starting to recognize rugby as a valid sport. Awareness of the game and the publicity of the matches are steadily increasing. On the local level, with years of hard work and effort, the rugby community has built this beautiful area for people to watch the sport they love. The new complex has brought with it many new opportunities, including attention on the national level. We have hosted new tournaments such as the Big Ten Championship and the Midwest Playoffs. The local teams now have a place to call home. It's a home where the community and family members can gather to enjoy good times. The turning point is here, and I'm excited to see everything come together.
My goal as the new president is to establish a deeper relationship with our local community, create communication on a national level with other rugby organizations, organize the operations and management of the complex, and to kick off fundraising on a grand scale. This list is a big undertaking, but the groundwork has already been laid. There have been a lot of dedicated people that have put in a lot of hours. I will bring all of these efforts together with a better communication system and delegation of duties to people who are willing to help. I look forward to serving the rugby community and watching it grow! Sincerely, Dr. Dave
I told my kids we’d play after I found what I nedeed. Damnit.