Rugby Rivalry After Report
Last week's much-touted rugby showdown between PAC and Washington Rugby? Yeah. Let's just say that PAC didn't have any problem covering the spread. Final was 52-5. I believe Al Golden was coaching WRFC. All the pre-game taunting worked out just fine, I suppose.
PAC Prez Stefan Hankin: "It wasn't really much of a competition, really. Within the first 10 minutes it was fairly clear who was going to win the game. It was pretty much a rout....I won't lie, we enjoy it when that happens, especially against Washington. It was nice to put a big thumping on 'em."
WRFC Captain Kevin Gilligan: There was a lot of heart out there....We had to bring in younger players and it kind of got ugly after that. We know what we need to prepare on and get better at, so we take our lumps and learn from it, you know? The ball definitely bounced their way that day."
Locally things will heat up again in the spring, although clubs are still playing three or four more times this fall.
In other rugby news this week:
1) A professional rugby player in Blackpool was smashed over the head with a glass or bottle after a night of "drinking in numerous venues" with friends.
2) After spending 30 minutes trying to figure out what this meant and who was putting me on, I give up. Some rugby player from the Bahamas might have been cured of his injury (the old "broken body") through the use of "a smoking feather and a lock of [his] armpit hair." Which probably works better than a fistful of pain killers.
Anyhow, it's not any weirder than Shaun Alexander almost coming back to rescue my fantasy football team through the power of prayer.
3) Rugby: the world's most dangerous professional sport.
4) Streakers interrupt a U-13 rugby game in New Zealand. Law enforcement official speculates it was a group of rugby players acting on a dare from their coach.
5) Our country's unholy alliance between profesional football, television and unhealthy food products pitched by scantily clad models is apparently not unique in the world. Here's how this New Zealand commercial begins: "Rugby, beaches, ponies, girls in bikinis: individually good, even better together." (Ponies? Why are ponies good, individually or on beaches with rugby? Those Coors Light commercials never screw around with any ponies, right? Ponies most have a higher Q rating in New Zealand.)
By Dan Steinberg |
September 28, 2006; 6:26 PM ET
| Category:
Rugby
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Posted by: KJ | October 3, 2006 01:27 PM
Rugby,while unique in it's traditions, is like most sports in it's cyclical nature. As I wrote on the previous blog, PAC currently has the upper hand as they proved when we met several weeks ago. Hats off to them, but do yourself a favor and keep on coming out to watch the matches. Every dog has his day, to borrow a well worn but time proven cliche. Dan, I'll make sure you know the scheduled date for our RSL match up in the Spring and we will see how things work out then!!!
By the way, pardon my ignorance, who is Al Golden???
Posted by: Kevin Tifft | October 3, 2006 01:57 PM
Directions to the Div-III showdown between Western Suburbs and West Potomac are here:
http://www.rugbyfootball.com/directions/signal_hill_dir.html
Posted by: Burbs Rugger | October 3, 2006 04:14 PM
Hey there-
I just wanted to throw out a plug for Women's rugby. I play for Georgetown and there are a ton of great teams in the area, with the same kind of rivalries as the men...
You all should stop by the Georgetown-GW match at 1pm on October 21 at the PAC fields. It should be a good match.
Posted by: Katie | October 4, 2006 10:30 AM
The ball bounced thier way? Really? Is that the best Gilligan can come up with? 52-5 is not a based on the bounce of a ball. It's a butt kicking no other way to look at it
Posted by: SteveB | October 4, 2006 10:36 AM
Come watch some more rugby in DC this weekend at the Gravelly Point Pitch by the National Airport. At 1pm George Washington Men face off against UMBC Men in a PRU Div. II College Match. Last fall the result went GW's way but it was close. Should be a great match.
For Directions: http://men.gwrugby.org/directions.asp#gravely
Posted by: Anon | October 4, 2006 12:01 PM
And the Post Express published an excellent story on the Washington Renegades just a few weeks back. Not 100% accurate on some of the finer points of rugby, but on the whole, a pretty good article by someone unfamiliar with the sport.
www.readexpress.com/read_freeride/2006/09/fit_chums_of_scrum.php
www.renegades-rugby.org
Posted by: Renegade | October 4, 2006 12:49 PM
This forum is great. If we can keep the trash talking down, and lure more non-rugby people to our sport, rugby will get over the hump in the USA.
Maybe if every rugger that reads and posts here, states their primary goal in promoting rugby, we can work together towards accomplishing more.
My goal for the next year is to get more high school rugby results and information in print... Like recognizing the high school All-Met players, and promoting that not only do all of the Hyde School rugby players go to college, but probably most high school rugby players in the area go to college. Can other sports say the same?
Pete Walton
- Varsity Head Coach -
Georgetown Prep Rugby
Posted by: Pete Walton | October 4, 2006 09:55 PM
Al Golden is the Temple football coach whose team is regularly massacred, figuratively. 52-5 would be pretty good for them.
Guys (and girls), please keep posting your suggestions, or e-mailing them to me. It would be a lot easier if I could ever find weekday rugby to attend, since so many local pro teams play on weekends. But all suggestions are much appreciated, even if I don't show up.
Posted by: SportsBog | October 5, 2006 08:55 AM
Weekday rugby - you asked for it, you got it -- Navy vs Maryland, Friday night, 10/13, 7 pm at USNA's Farragut Field in Annapolis.
Posted by: EricP | October 12, 2006 06:03 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
You can see the standings for all Potomac Rugby Union (PRU) teams here: http://www.pru.org/PRU%20Score%20Summary.htm
You will note if you look at the Senior Men's Third Division standings that the humble, charming, handsome, nice guys of West Potomac are playing Western Suburbs this coming weekend for first place in Tier 1 of the Third Division.
West Potomac and Western Suburbs enjoy a friendly rivalry that goes back some 30 years since they first played in 1976. The two teams have toured together as the Washington Area Rugby Touring Side (WARTS) and the post-match party is, as usual, expected to be epic.