DO NOT SCHEDULE GAMES FOR OCTOBER 17…
...at least not if you want a referee from the NCRRS to officiate them. That’s the day of the annual society pre-season training conference, AGM, and biennial election of officers. We’ll need all of our referees at St. Mary’s from 9 until 3.
Evening games would be fine, or Sunday, that weekend.
PLEASE SEND IN ANY PRE-SEASON FIXTURES YOU HAVE ARRANGED. DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE HOME TEAM WILL DO SO. With advance notice, we can cover all of the events, but when notice is tardy then conflicts arise. Saturday calendars have a way of becoming full for those referees who don’t have assignments at least a week or two out. When we hear about fixtures mid-week sometimes there’s no one left to cover them.
MATCH RECAP
Joe Androvich flew down to SoCal to take charge of the match between undefeated San Diego Surfers and Belmont Shore for first place in the CR1 league. The Surfers won 37-14.
Saturday, September 19:
Friendly:
SANTA CLARA MARAUDERS 30 - StAptos 7 Referee: Sandy Robertson
The Marauders, Aptos & Stanislaus gathered for a season starting round robin scrimmage. Both Aptos and Stanislaus arrived a bit short of bodies, so they combined to play the Marauders. Rust, enhanced by the heat, was greatly in evidence, both from players and the referee. The Marauders generally dominated, but StAptos got a good try in the 2nd half.
CR1 Match:
Triple Threat 17 – TEMPE 20 Referee: Anthony Yeo (SoCal)
ARs: Chris Tucker, Bjorn Stumer
Bjorn and Tom Zanarini met me at the Oakland airport, along with Kim Godeseth another visiting ref from Canada. We shared a nice meal together. The next morning we breakfasted together while watching New Zealand play Australia in the last Tri-nations match. Then we headed out to our own matches.
Bjorn and I drove to Sacramento and met Chris Tucker at the pitch. The field was artificial turf, which can have some challenges - namely the rugby field lines are the secondary lines, and lighter, and can be tougher to pick up while running flat out - but nothing beats how easy running is on the surface. Both teams had good warm-ups, while Chris, Bjorn and I went over our communication signals for the game.
The match started well, with both teams running straight and fast and tackling well. There were line breaks and good multiple phases. The home team (Davis' Triple Threat) scored a try and conversion and shortly after, another try, jumping out twelve points within ten minutes. There were a lot of scrums and sloppy passing in the first half as both teams had some handling issues. Both front rows were feeling the heat and the volume of scrums. At the half time break, the match felt much closer than the score represented (12-0).
The second half began with the same energy and intensity - solid running and solid tackling with good line breaks and equally good cover defense to stop the attack. Then, from a line-out turnover, Davis passed along the backline and was intercepted, and Tempe scored under the posts.
Though Davis scored another try, bringing the score to 17-7, the momentum had clearly shifted. Tempe stayed fast throughout the game and stretched a second try from inside their own half through the backline, scoring in the right corner. Tempe continued with more pressure and scored a third try from a broken line-out with quick passing among the forwards to get across the line.
With a handful of minutes left the score was now 17-17. (As a line-out was forming, Chris Tucker joked to me how a tied score leaves him much thirstier, and he was looking forward to sharing a beer soon. From the other touch line, Bjorn also gestured to me that he was looking forward to his tied-match beer). Play continued with Tempe pressuring inside the Davis half. Suddenly, the Davis forwards collapsed over the Davis ruck just outside the 22 meter line, and as I raised my arm to award the penalty for Tempe, time expired on my watch. Tempe chose to a shot at goal. The kick was slotted, and Tempe won, 20-17. It was a tough road game against an excellent Triple Threat team. And yes, the beer was excellent.
Thanks again for your wonderful hospitality and I had a fantastic time.
Cheers.
Anthony
10 AM Friendly:
ALL BLUES 71 – Glendale 15 Referee: George O'Neil
ARs: Ryan Luis, Bruce Carter
Referee Coach: Bryan Porter
The All Blues scored in the first, fifth, ninth, thirteenth and seventeenth minutes.
After a break at twenty minutes for libations and liberal substitutions, the game evened out a bit.
Glendale is preparing for the West club playoffs, which start about now, while the All Blues were using a bye week between halves of their season to stay sharp.
CR1 Match:
SF FOG 36 – Mudhens 21 Referee: Kimberley Godeseth (Calgary, Alberta)
ARs: Roberto Santiago, Tom Zanarini
Referee Coach: Dixon Smith
The conditions for the match were fantastic, bright clear sky and only slight wind gusts during the game. Both teams came out fast, competing for the ball and moving it quickly along the back lines with most of the tries being scored along the wings. The San Francisco Fog maintained possession of the ball for the majority of the game; however their decision making and passing skills hindered their try scoring. In contrast, the Mudhens capitalized on the few opportunities they were given. In all it was a fantastic and fast game which I greatly enjoyed reffing. Both teams displayed fantastic sportsmanship and skills. A big thank you to the ladies who played.
Sunday, September 20
CR1 Match:
Sacramento Amazons 0 – TEMPE 27 Referee: Kimberley Godeseth
ARs: Eugene Baker, Tom Zanarini
Referee Coach: Kat Todd-Schwartz
It was a very hot day for this match and the field conditions were not ideal with large dips covering the playing surface, yet both teams seemed eager to play. The first half of the game saw the Sacramento team dominating the rucks and scrums and laying huge tackles. There was very little ball movement for the first 20 minutes of the game; the play consisted mostly of crashing the ball. After a 20 minute water break, the Tempe team began moving the ball the length of the field and running with such support that rucking and mauling became far less prevalent. This style worked and led to multiple Tempe tries.
In the second half, the Sacramento team finally got the ball out to their backs and were rewarded with a large break away. Unfortunately, one of the Sacramento players blocked (for lack of a better word) a Tempe tackle and drew a penalty rather than getting a try.
The remainder of the game was controlled by the Tempe team who seemed more used to the heat.
Bonus report by Eugene Baker:
Sunday was hot but tolerable due to the abundance of trees and the natural grass field at Chorley Park. Refereeing the match was Kimberley Godeseth, on exchange from Alberta. Kim was receiving the superb tutelage of Kat Todd-Schwartz, and was joined by AR's Eugene Baker and her host for the weekend, Tom Zanarini.
In a game with surprisingly little kicking - The Tempe squad struck first, crossing the try line ten minutes in for a 5-0 lead. A second try, this one converted - Left the halftime score 12-0 in favor of the guests from Arizona.
Tempe's forward pack dominated play throughout the match, and their #8 and their centers added tries in the second half to reach the final tally of 27-nil.
The Amazons played physical and punishing rugby for eighty minutes - But they played the majority of the match on their own side of the field, rarely crossing the midfield stripe. The Amazons did bring out a couple of promising newcomers, including a sprinter from a local college who I hope sticks with becoming a winger.
UPCOMING
There are no games scheduled for this weekend (Sept. 26-27) of which we are aware.
October 10: Reno (fifteens) tournament – four pitches, all day. Lots of refs needed.
October 17: Society training meeting at AGM at St. Mary’s
October 31: Stanford Tens, and the Baracus Tens on Treasure Island. We’ll need every available ref this Halloween
November 7: Mittry Memorial Tournament in Redding
November 14: Level One referee course in West Sacramento
November 15: Touch Judge and Assistant Referee courses in West Sac
November 21: Chico Holiday Classic
TWENTY-FIVE PELICANS AND COUNTING
You wanna ref? You gotta join.
Don Reordan is now a member of the NCRRS. Let us know if you’d like to AR for him!
Go to www.USARugby.org
Click on Registration ’09-’10 just below Welcome in the column on the left.
Take the first option: Create/Renew Individual Membership. Go from there.
REMEMBER to print out the liability waiver. This needs to be signed and submitted in hard copy to our treasurer, Jim Crenshaw, with your $10 annual NCRRS dues.
SAN FRANCISCO GOLDEN GATE SPEAKER BANQUET
The San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Club presents: The Grand Rugby Banquet
Featuring Guest Speaker: Wallaby Legend John Eales
Eales played lock for Queensland Reds and Australia
55-cap reign as captain of the Wallabies
Won the Rugby World Cup twice in his illustrious career, first in 1991, and later skippering his country to victory in 1999
St Gabriel’s School
2550 41st avenue
Saturday October 17
6:30 PM
Proceeds to benefit Bay Area Youth Rugby
Tickets include three course dinner, wine and entertainment
To Purchase a seat or table
Tickets: Individual $125 or Table of Ten $1200
Contact: Paul Keeler (415) 362 1010
sfggcoach@gmail.com
This will be in the evening after our AGM. If you’d like to attend and sit at a ‘referee table’, let us know and whether you’ll have a guest. It’s for a good cause!
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
We’ve been asked to reduce the photo sizes for easier viewing and will endeavor to do so.
If you would ever like a higher-density copy of the photo, we’ll keep an undiluted version in the archives.
Saturday morning at the Gaelic pitch across the street from Rocca Field finds, left to right, Ryan Luis, George O’Neil, Tom Zanarini presenting a jersey to our exchange visitor Kimberley Godeseth of Calgary, Alberta, Dixon Smith and Bryan Porter.
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
