Mystic River Capture third place at USA Rugby 7’s National Championships

In yet another impressive showing in Mystic River’s tremendous 2015 season, the 7’s squad took third place in the National Championships, losing to eventual winners Seattle Saracens in the semi-final.

Two semi-final appearances within a couple of months, one in 15’s and one in 7’s is definitely something to write home about. Fortunately Mystic’s Dale du Preez did just that, see link below for the story:

https://www.mysticrugby.com/2015/08/mystics-take-third-at-nationals/#more-1843 

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Beantown Rugby vie for a National Title

There is but one New England team still left in the quest for a national title, and it is Beantown Women, who play in the USA Rugby Women’s Division 1 title game on Saturday June 13 at Infinity Park in Glendale, CO. Beantown’s opponent will be the Seattle Saracen’s Women, expected to be a very tough opponent. Kickoff will be at 7PM EST, just before the Men’s Division 1 title game between New York Athletic Club (NYAC) and Austin Blacks. All Championship games will be broadcast live on USARugbyTV.com.

Beantown’s trip to the Championship game started with a win over local rivals Boston Women, which Beantown won 19-12.  From there, wins over Chicago North Shore (25-13) and Pittsburgh (48-17) over two days in Charlotte NC propelled Beantown into the decider.

Beantown’s opponent the Seattle Saracens charged through its’ qualifiers, beating Denver 31-10 and then demolishing Santa Monica 47-0. Such is the strength of both teams that six Seattle players were recently selected for a USA Rugby National All Star camp, as well as four Beantown players and two coaches..

Beantown head coach Richard Ashfield commented during the week: “Having the season run from August through June instead of just the fall was a significant change for us. Add in the very tough winter that we had in Boston, and preparations leading up to our spring matches were difficult for us. We set ourselves a tough schedule this spring because we had no league matches; we played the DC Furies, a WPL team, and a very tough Quebec select side. This helped us get ready for our Boston Women’s CR3 match, which was an extremely physical and well-contested game. I credit that last match especially for getting us focused for Charlotte.

“We have yet to have all of our players available this spring, so we are excited to be able to put it all together to hopefully peak in Colorado against what will be a very strong Seattle Saracens team.

“This week we have four players and two coaches at the USA camp at James Madison University. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get additional matches and training for us, especially some of our younger players attending.”.
Beantown President Mary Sung added “We’re glad to have had two difficult matches to build on, and as Richard said, are looking to peak in Glendale against the Saracens”.

NYAC defeats Mystic River in USA Rugby Division 1 semi-final

May 31, 2015: One day after last minute heroics propelled Mystic River over Kansas City Blues and into the USA Division 1 semi- final, the dream run ended at the hands of New York Athletic Club (NYAC) by a score of 38-32.

Mystic led for much of the first half, before NYAC scored twice before the break, one from flanker Steve Sanchez and one of the penalty try variety to take a one point lead. Mystic regained the lead at 26-24 with a Mike Armstrong penalty with half an hour remaining, but NYAC would respond with two more tries, including winger Troy Hall’s second, to give the New Yorkers a twelve point lead.

Armstrong would add two more penalties to narrow the gap to six points with a quarter of an hour left, but NYAC kept the pressure on and there would be no repeat of the previous day’s drama.

“It was a cracker of a match, we killed ourselves with penalties” stated Mystic’s Josh Smith after the game, but “credit to NYAC, they made us pay for (our) sins. Despite the loss I was particularly impressed with the work rate of our smaller pack. Those boys withstood an onslaught from a powerful NYAC pack. In the end it will be tough to think we were one broken tackle away from the National finals”.

NYAC’s Neil McMillan commented afterwards “Very tough game indeed and really close all match”.

Despite the loss, it will surely be considered a very successful season for Mystic River, putting two sides deep into the playoffs, including a Division 1 team into the semi final for the first time in years.

In the other half of the men’s Division 1 bracket, the Austin Blacks edged out Dallas 19-15. It was a much closer score than the previous day, as both teams cruised through with thirty plus points wins. The NYAC v Austin game will be on the weekend of June 14th and 15th.

 

Division 1 playoffs Preview May 29, 2016

In the Division 1 Quarter finals (Easter Region) this weekend, local entrants Mystic River face off against Kansas City Blues in Charlotte, NC, aiming for a place in the National Semi Finals. If successful against Kansas City Blues, Mystic would play the winners of the tilt between NYAC and the Potomac Exiles.

Both Mystic and the Blues have had great seasons in 2015.  With no common opponents to use as a measuring stick, it is not easy to see who might be favorites in the game. However Kansas did knock off Metropolis in their last game, an impressive achievement and one that should give Kansas the favorites tag. However Mystic is firing on all cylinders recently and will have momentum from its easy win over White Plains in the last round.

In the other game in Charlotte, NYAC would normally be expected to cruise into the next round, but the Potomac Exiles might have other thoughts.  Potomac Exiles formed as a recent merger between Potomac Athletic Club  and the Maryland Exiles, and the combination of PAC’s tradition of excellence and the Exiles’ recent successes have proven to be a successful formula so far. With highly touted backs such as Ben Cima in the fold, the Exiles could be a difficult matchup for anyone. However NYAC should be able to use its high level experience in the ARP to move on to the next round.

In the Western Region, East Palo Alto plays Dallas while Belmont Shore plays Austin, both games to be played in San Francisco.  This is good news for EPA, who are great at home but don’t seem to travel well. Dallas should be a tough opponent but we look for EPA to move on. Belmont Shore against Austin is another good matchup.  Belmont enters its second side in this competition, as the first team plays in the PRP.  Belmont benefits from witnessing top competition each week. Austin is a seasoned campaigner in the D1 playoffs, and should be experienced enough to win this one.

Back in Charlotte, on the Women’s side Beantown flies the New England flag, taking on the always tough Chicago North Shore in the Women’s quarter finals in Division 1, while Burlington plays Wisconsin in the Division 2 quarter finals.

No game between ARP and PRP winners for 2015

Those among us who were eagerly anticipating a showdown between Life University, winners of the Atlantic Rugby Premiership, and Glendale Raptors, recently crowned Champions of the Pacific Rugby Premiership, will be disappointed to hear the game will not take place.

Life University cruised through the ARP undefeated, posting an 8-0 record, and was undoubtedly the cream of the crop in the competition. The Glendale Raptors captured the PRP crown by defeating perennial contenders San Francisco Golden Gate in the Grand Final, after posting a 9-3 record in the tough competition.

Other than Seattle, playing in the British Columbia League, and the remaining teams in the USA Rugby Division 1 Championship, Life and Glendale would be widely considered the top teams in the country, and to not have the two match up against each other is a loss for the rugby enthusiast.

There is some lack of agreement as to how the current situation developed. The PRP representative Geno Mazza explained that discussions about the proposed game began after the start of the PRP season, and since the PRP plays a final and the ARP does not, yet “another travel trip for the winner was not in the cards”.

The ARP’s apparently felt the discussions were more advanced, as representative Tony Nash commented “it was unfortunate the match between the APR and PRP champions was called off”, while referencing a perceived verbal agreement with the PRP management last Fall.

Since the ARP made an agreement with USA Rugby to have the second placed ARP team enter the Division playoffs in the Round of 8, it seems the two Premier leagues were not on the same page. However given the costs of travel and the high quality of competition already enjoyed by the two leagues, there seems to be a sense that yet another travel game would be a lot to ask.

The situation for 2016 is also not set in stone. The PRP’s Mazza says the proposed game is “one of the topics” to be discussed as the teams prepare and budget for the next season. Likewise, Tony Nash says the APR will continue to “grow the domestic game by providing the best competition for our aspiring club athletes” while working with USA Rugby and other regional competitions.

Division 1 Men’s Playoffs: Mystic River cruises into the last Eight

April 16, 2015: Mystic River cruised into the last eight in Division 1 Men’s Club Rugby with a comprehensive 48-5 win over White Plains on Saturday in the Division 1 playoff game played at Mystic’s home field.

Mystic ran out to a commanding 31-0 lead at halftime and cruised in from there. The lone White Plains score came too late to turn the tide.

Mystic’s Josh Smith commented afterwards “I thought we did a good job sticking within our patterns, the first sixty minutes I was very pleased with what we had; the last twenty we didn’t get what we wanted but by then the score had gone away….we saw White Plains already twice…and this is one of the better matches we played, again for sixty, not the last twenty, but that was the best we looked for sixty minutes”.

Mystic will move on to play Kansas City in the next round, as Kansas defeated Metropolis in their Round of 16 battle. That game will be in Charlotte NC on May 30th. Should Mystic advance, the winners of the NYAC v Potomac Exiles awaits.

Mystic River had a second team in the playoffs, with their second squad taking on New York in the Division 2 playoffs. New York did enough early to withstand a late Mystic surge, winning 44-29.

MIT were ousted by Danbury in the Division 3 playoffs, Danbury will move on to play the Tri-City Barbarians.

 

Boston RFC and Boston Irish Wolfhounds join forces – for a day

Two of New England’s top sides, the Boston RFC and the Boston Irish Wolfhounds RFC, join forces on Saturday May 16th to take on the touring British Police Rugby team in the tourists’ first game of the USA tour. The game will be held at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton MA, 3PM the expected kickoff with a $10 general admission.

The British Police team announced the 40 member touring squad recently and captain Ben Cole will be able to draw on players from such geographic areas as Devon & Cornwall, Scotland, South Wales, in what is expected to be a very competitive side drawn from players over several districts. All players on the tour are serving police officers or members of police staff.

It’s not often Boston and the Wolfhounds get together to play a common opponent, and is comes just a week after the two sides finished competitive play in the Atlantic Rugby Premiership. The two teams are expected to provide the bulk of players to the Boston Barbarians team, in addition to at least one player from South Shore, veteran Adam Pomella. Coaching duties will be shared by the two teams, under direction from local coach David Gonzales.

 

April 9th, 2015:Final Week APR action, Boston over Wolfhounds, NYAC over Old Blue

In the last week of the 2014/2015 APR regular season, the top two teams in New England squared off under sunny skies in Amesbury, MA. Boston would prove to be the victor in an entertaining matchup, riding a four try burst in the first twenty minutes of the second half to turn a seven point halftime deficit into a fifteen point lead, then keeping the lead for a 39-31 win.

In New York, NYAC defeated Old Blue 35-24 to secure second place in the competition and gain the right to enter the Division 1 playoff rounds.

Back in Amesbury, the story of the game is provided by a quick glance at the try scorers. Four of the five Boston tries were scored by the backs, while all four Wolfhounds tries were scored by the pack, three by hooker Hayden Wisnewski.

Both number 10’s were very prominent on the day, Boston’s Richie Lobb and the Wolfhounds’ Tadhg Leader turned in great performances, punctuated by great kicking displays including repeatedly succeeding with sideline conversions in very windy conditions.

“Not much defense” mused Boston coach Mike Diamantopoulos after the game “we started slow, I think they do a good job around the fringes, the pick and go and playing the short side really well….it was the clash of two styles, we wanted to play open rugby, the ‘Hounds want to play it a little tighter… We were a little dangerous with the ball, but we had to work harder to get it and keep possession because they were sound around the tackle contest….it was a pretty good game of rugby, it was nice to get a win.  We played Life and NYAC on the road and understaffed, so to have kind of a full team with everybody back made a big difference for us”.

Wolfhounds coach Fergal Hehir concurred “if you were neutral it was an entertaining game. I thought we played quite well, though the first fifteen minutes of the second half killed us. Boston played well, they were more dangerous on the outside than us and you saw that today. Our pack did well and when we had the ball going forward we were dangerous…I thought we had the momentum going into the second half but in fairness to Boston they came out better at the start of the half, and after that ten minutes we were chasing the game”.

Hehir also praised the contributions of both outhalves to the spectacle on the day.

Worcester, Beantown take the top prize at the 2015 New England’s in Newport

The 2015 NERFU Cup  in Newport RI was held May 2nd and 3rd in Newport RI.  On the men’s side Worcester RFC bridged a long gap to take the top prize, and on the Women’s side, Beantown captured yet another crown, dropping local rivals Boston Women in the final.

In the Pool A competition, which essentially replaces the old Division 1, Worcester gave up just  a single try in each of its three games on the way to the crown, culminating in a 30-5 win over Mystic River’s D2 side. Mystic’s D2 were the club’s top side in the competition, as the D1 side was playing in it’s final league game against Portland.

As well as Mystic and Portland, also missing from the tournament were the Boston Irish Wolfhounds who were competing in the ARP, and Boston RFC.

Beantown went 4-0 in the Pool A Women’s tournament, defeating Boston Women in both the preliminary rounds and the final, winning the 22-10.

The Boston Irish Wolfhounds second side captured Pool B with a sudden death win over MIT, while Hartford Women edged Burlington for the Women’s Pool B crown.

Springfield swept the Pool 3 honors, the men’s side winning 47-10 over Charles River, while the Springfield Women took the title with a 36-10 win over Amoskeag.

Week 5 American Rugby Premiership October 25th 2014

On the final competitive weekend of the ARP before the winter break, Life University cruised to a somewhat surprising 61-6 win over visiting Old Blue New York in Georgia, while near Boston, eighty minutes of hard rugby failed to put any separation between the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and Boston RFC, the game ending deadlocked at 22 points each.

On a picture perfect fall day in Canton, MA, the two local sides met for a highly anticipated clash.  Boston has had the better of the recent meetings between the clubs, with the notable exception of the Wolfhounds claiming the New England title in May. A win would have had Boston sitting pretty for the winter break in third place in the APR, especially with a depleted Old Blue side losing to Life.  The Boston Irish Wolfhounds have played well in parts of the Premiership but has little to show for their efforts, so a good performance was essential to salvaging the season.

Boston was first on the board, with Lucas Baistrochhi, playing in the unfamiliar outhalf position, slotted a penalty for Boston after an early turnover and a period of pressure. A few minutes later the Wolfhounds came close to notching a five pointer, but had to settle for a Paddy Owens penalty to level the score.

Boston enjoyed significant territorial possession for much of the first half, and mid way through the half Boston second row Brody Orth got over the line from close range to regain the lead. Remarkably the five point differential would not be exceeded by either team on the day. Despite enjoying significant pressure, Boston did not register any more points in the half, and the Wolfhounds clawed three back with another Owens penalty near the end to leave the halftime score at 8-6 to Boston.

Shortly after the restart, Wolfhounds’ flanker Gareth Austen finished off a forwards try, taking advantage of numerical superiority while a Boston second row was spending some time in the bin. The conversion made the score 8-13. With neither defense willing to budge, line breaks were few and far between. Owens and Biastrochhi traded penalties early, before Biastrochhi hit a couple more, the second of which reclaimed the lead for Boston with twelve minutes on the clock.

The lead was short lived, as Owens hit another penalty on the half hour. With the game finely balanced, Boston’s always elusive center Colin Yip finally found a break in the Wolfhounds defense and put Boston ahead 22-19. Deep into injury time, with Boston defending their line frantically, Boston had two crucial turnovers and appeared to have the game secured, but a penalty for throwing the ball into touch gave the Wolfhounds possession one more time ten meters out near the sideline.

With the Wolfhounds’ line out faring poorly and the scrums no guarantee, the Wolfhounds elected to go for points.  With time expired, Paddy Owens stepped up and nailed the difficult penalty attempt and the game ended at 22 points each.

“Heart attack central” said Wolfhounds coach Fergal Hehir, “It was a great game, a great advertisement for rugby, the way it is supposed to be played. The field was a bit heavy so it made the game a bit more forwards orientated but when the backs did get running they were exciting for both sides. For the last three years we have been very close….add it to the (New England) win from a few months ago we are showing that we are just as good a club as Boston at the moment.  A win would have been nice, but a draw would have been a fair result after a game like that, it would have been a shame to for either team to lose after all that”.

“It was a little disappointing, I don’t think anyone wants to tie” said Boston coach Mike Diamanatopoulos. “I thought (the Wolfhounds) played really well, their first time tackling was good. I thought we slipped off some. Our set pieces were really strong for us…I thought we did a nice job in the middle to wear the clock off, fair play to the Wolfhounds.  We played well, when we had the ball we played through the phases and it led to points….but the score was probably fair”.