Monday, November 30, 2009

DECEMBER DAWNS

HAIL, PELICUS!

ERRATA: BEAT THE FACT-CHECKER

Backwards score last week: Berkeley beat Stanislaus 15 – 7, not the other way ‘round.

HEATING UP

This Saturday shows fifteen games on the schedule, including one in Sacramento without a referee. Let us know if there are some yams or pecan pie you need to get rid of.

SFGG HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI GAME

GREEN 38 – White 22 Referee: Phil Akroyd
Approximately 50 former SFGG U19 group players showed up for this formal scrimmage game. The players had mixed experience, from those who had not played for five years to those currently playing in the super league team.

When the game got going, it was not obvious that there were players on the field who had not had a run for a while. The standard of play was generally very good and with solid, safe scrummaging. Coach Tony Wells’ Green team generally had the edge throughout and scored five first-half tries to the white team’s one try.

The pitch was in fantastic condition – one of the best I have seen for a long time and the players appeared to relish the dry, sunny and breezy conditions. There were some wonderful long range tries which did not help me and my currently dodgy hamstring, as well as boom-boom raids from short distances.

Players, supporters and official all enjoyed the Marty Bonney Memorial Match in which the score was irrelevant and fun and open play were most important.

FIFTY PELICANS AND COUNTING

This is pretty good, but there are still some names that are conspicuous by their absence from the membership rolls of the NCRRS.

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.

Your ‘club’ is the Northern California Rugby Referee Society.

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.

TWICE A NORMAL YEAR

Your writer is a busy and bookish sort who has seen maybe an average of one movie a year throughout his adult life (not counting those seen at the behest of offspring and the further begatted).

The night before Thanksgiving Penelope Pelicus said, “Netflix sent a rugby movie. Let’s have family movie night.” So it was that we sat down and watched a film that I have been determined to see for well over a year: Forever Strong.

Everyone’s a critic these days, right? Well, here goes: it’s the best rugby movie I’ve ever seen. Better even then This Sporting Life.

Every time a ref would appear on-screen Penelope would ask, “Who’s that?”

That’s Mark Ormsby! That’s Jon Moore! That’s Larry Gelwix!

“No”, she said, “Larry Gelwix is the coach of the team.”

Well, the fix must have been in because he’s seen refereeing the national championship game of this own team. Wonder who’s going to win?

Every sport has at least one misfits, castoffs and rejects-overcome-adversity-and-win-the-title-on-the-last-play flick. Now rugby has one in that genre.

In a few days rugby will have two in that genre: another rugby movie is going to be released that will probably achieve a greater presence in the public awareness than Forever Strong. A lifetime underdog hooks up with recently-reformed long shots and they win it all in overtime.

The only downer for rugby fans is that it was a game with no tries, and in terms of suspense the winning drop-goal came some time before the final whistle. Sort of like a soccer game, where the dénouement may occur before the fans are settled in their seats.

I’m wondering if anyone has mentioned to Clint Eastwood, supposedly now a rugby fan, that he’s quarter-owner of the site of the late, lamented Pebble Beach Rugby Classic. Perhaps he could put in a good word for us and get this thing going again.

And perhaps I’ll see two movies this year.

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
SantaCruzPelican070906-14
Copied from the Internet, a photo of Santa Cruz Island off Santa Barbara, courtesy of www.calliebowdish.com/BirdsJanSept2006.htm

No doubt these pelicans and cormorants are swapping fish stories.

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris

Saturday, November 28, 2009

DON'T EAT TOO MUCH

HAIL, PELICUS!

TWO ON DEBUT

Hennie Strydom and Stephen Moore each did their first match this past weekend, were evaluated, and passed muster as our newest C3 Pelicans!

We also have promotions on the table for Dave Ellis and Mark Godfrey to C3, so a bumper weekend by any measure!

Congratulations to these gentlemen. See you at the Society meeting December 9.

HELP WANTED – WEBMASTER NEEDED

Newlywed Scott Wood has a mea culpa:
“We need somebody with database skills and some creative artistic flair to create, maintain, etc a mo-better site. It is taking too much of my now extremely limited time (and ability).”

Is this your chance to step up and join those folks who make our Society happen?

EAGLES QUALIFY FOR 2011 WORLD CUP

Not only did the Eagles defeat Uruguay last Saturday to win their qualifying series 2-0, all four tries were scored by men who played their college rugby in Northern California.

Perhaps our readers have refereed Todd Clever (College Park and Nevada), Lou Stanfill (Jesuit and California) and Kevin Swiryn (St. Mary’s).

VALLEJO TENS CANCELED

Be thankful for your turkey and go run it off elsewhere.

There will be one game this Saturday, November 28, 1 PM at Rocca Field. Phil Akroyd will referee the Golden Gate high school alumni game, with graduates of even-numbered years going up against the hated odd-numbered years.

GOOD PRESEASON

There were 49 games played last weekend, mostly of course shortened tournament games.

But December 5, 12 and 19 should each have a dozen or more full matches (the 12th already does) and we’ll need more refs than have currently provided their availability.

I don’t need to know if you cannot ref, but I certainly need to know it you can. Assumptions ‘R Us (NOT).

THOSE FORTY-NINE GAMES

Friday:
Seconds: Stanford 24 – SAN JOSE STATE 25 Referee: Hennie Strydom
AR: Prys Hughes
Referee Coach: David Williamson
No report received.

STANFORD 19 – San Jose State 5 Referee: Pete Smith
AR: Prys Hughes
On a cool and misty night SJSU made the 20-minute trek north to Stanford to play a heated game under the lights. After an extensive fall season, the Spartans wanted to test themselves against the Cardinal. Both teams came out and showed their athleticism with crunching tackles and fast play around the pitch. Unfortunately the damp conditions proved to be the equalizer to both teams as neither could finish their plentiful scoring opportunities.

Despite trying to let every marginal knock on go, it was still a scrum fiesta and Stanford held a slim 5-0 lead at halftime. SJSU missed two penalty kicks and narrowly missed a drop goal that would have had the Spartans in the lead.

Early in the second half Stanford capitalized on a quick tap penalty and dotted down for a converted try to push the lead to 12. The Spartans fought back and scored a well earned try to make it a one score affair at 12-5. Late in the second half the Spartans were pressing and forced to play with a reckless style that unfortunately caused a turnover leading directly to the clinching try for the Cardinal.

Despite being beaten, the Spartans did not quit and with no time left, they almost scored the try of the night on a perfect chip and chase from their speedy winger that bounced perfectly into his arms. He was tackled about 15 meters short of the line where he off loaded to a teammate, but alas, as was the theme of the night for SJSU, the pass was well forward and that was that.

Saturday

CHICO HOLIDAY CLASSIC

Report by Bjorn Stumer:
A break in the weather regaled us with a beautiful sunny day of Rugby at the Chico Classic tournament. On tap a couple of dozens of matches for 8 referees, and an assessor, who assembled there at eight o' clock in the morning. After a beautiful drive from the Bay Area, once the sun came up and after the fog, I kitted up and was ready to go on with the second set of matches. Three fields were in use - one regulation size, one smaller, and one very small and narrow and lacking posts.

1. Sacramento State women 5 – NEVADA 10
Reno walked away with this fast paced match, not aided by the small size of the field and the lack of goal posts. No conversions or penalty kicks at the posts were therefore taken. I did not recognize many faces in the Sac State side, a sign that they are in a rebuilding mode, with new blood replacing the ladies who have moved on. They were no match for the obviously more experienced Reno side, but gained composure in the second half and kept the scoring gap small. I was surprised by the skills exhibited by both sides, and enjoyed what overall was a fun match. As usual the ladies did our sport proud.

2. CHICO 15 – Mendocino 0
Two fit, fast, and very determined sides battled it out, alas again on the small pitch. Chico was obviously the stronger side, but Mendocino really surprised me by their skills and grit, and will make a name for themselves in their league soon. The small pitch did not allow for long runs, and therefore this became a percussive slow moving match with many tackles and mauls. A great, great game witnessed by a goodish crowd of spectators. Crunching tackles, effective mauling, and quick ball out of the rucks ensured fun for all. No conversions or penalty kicks at the (non-existing) posts were taken.

3. SAN FRANCISCO FOG Women 26 – Sacramento State 0
There were a lot of new faces, youth, and speed on the FOG team, a side that is continuously improving and is sure to become one of the top women's team in our region. The match was played on a good pitch with posts, something that the FOG capitalized on by putting in three conversions to their tries. The FOG had just too much speed and skill, and came with plenty reserves. This proved too much for the inexperienced Sac. State ladies which, however, put on a brave fight. Nice clean match with lots of scoring and plenty of good runs. Well done to both sides.

CHICO 26 – BA Baracus 24 Referee: Phil Akroyd
A great game to get the tourney started. Baracus came out the strongest in their first game of the day, while Chico were playing their second. Baracus put up three unanswered tries before Chico came back with one to make it 7-24 at the half. It looked like that may be too much to come back from with only 20 minute halves, but Baracus didn’t post another score for the rest of the game and Chico got into their rhythm and clawed back a lead of 26-24, at which point the next game had to start and the contest came to a close. Looks like that would be a great game to ref if and when these two meet again in the regular season.

NEVADA women 10 – Humboldt State 0 Ref: Akroyd
The Reno ladies missed their first game due to a late start, so this was their first match. The game was slow to get started, due in the main to a long delay from a concussion and possible neck injury to one of the Humboldt front rowers. With most of the first half lost, the second half went until the final three minutes before UNR scored after sustained pressure on the Humboldt line. Humboldt were keen to come back as they were only down by 5, but on the restart they kicked directly to a Reno forward who passed it out to the right wing who charged right back over the line to secure a win. As a side note, some of the highest quality tackling that I saw at the whole tournament came from the Humboldt number eight.

RENO ZEPHYRS 45 – Santa Rosa 0 Ref: Akroyd
In contrast to the previous game, the pace of play was quite astounding. Reno came out with amazing power and speed and blasted into Santa Rosa. The captain and open side (Lo?) got most of their tries – I counted five of their seven coming from him. The power and speed was present throughout the whole team and forced Santa Rosa into capitulation. It has to be said that Santa Rosa were by no means a bad team. They, too, were actually very good but could not match the Zephyrs in terms of physical size and speed. They even asked at one point if Reno could “bring on some slow white guys”.

RENO ZEPHYRS 12 – Chico State 7 Ref: Akroyd
This was an interesting game. It was not on the schedule but both teams really wanted to play each other so we squeezed it in at the end of the day. The light was fading fast, and the beer that had been consumed throughout the day by the spectators was making itself heard. We managed to get in forty minutes of non-stop play, with three tries scored in that time, a number of instances of players getting to know each other off the ball and more chat than Instant Messenger. It would have been interesting to see how this worked out over eighty, but I’m pretty sure it would have ended with fewer than thirty men on the field but with lots of fast, physical rugby displayed. Overall, a very good little tournament.

RENO 22 – BA Baracus 5 Referee: Rich Boyer
Reno played a very physical, expansive game. Baracus were brave, but unable to match Reno's pace and power. Reno #7, #13 and #15 were especially impressive on the run.

SIERRA COLLEGE over U. of San Francisco Ref: Boyer
This was a very active game, with some players new to the game on either side. Sierra College were more adventurous, tossed the ball more, and as a result scored more tries. USF would not quit, but Sierra College prevailed.

Games refereed by Mike King:
SHASTA 24 – Mendocino 7
SIERRA COLLEGE 40 – Mendocino 5
SF STATE 10 – UOP 0
CHICO STATE 15 – USF 5

EAST PALO ALTO 48 – SB Barbarians 19 Referee: Preston Gordon
Saturday was a perfect day for rugby on the peninsula - clear and cool. I turned up at the 49ers Academy field at noon for a 1300 kickoff to find a couple dozen kids having a Pop Warner practice session. The pitch itself still needs some work, but EPA has started putting large pieces of grass turf on it and at this point there's a large new area of grass in the middle of it, where the worst part was last year. It's a good improvement.

Both sides had good numbers present, perhaps 25 for the Barbarians and 50 for EPA. Since this was not a league game, and the coaches wanted to have a look at everyone, we decided to play four 25-minute quarters with open subs.

As I was finishing my warm-up 2 of the football coaches remarked that they'd never seen a ref do anything before a game except get out of his car, get dressed, and have a cup of coffee. I suggested that they stick around for a few minutes afterwards to see why (they obviously weren't disappointed since they stayed for the whole game and were impressed with the intensity of the game and the amount of running involved).

Since we were on island time, we started around 1310. Both sides had to work off the rust, and while the game was pretty fast, there was no shortage of knock-ons, scrums, and line-outs.

EPA got the first try after some general confusion due to the lack of lines on the field (the goal "line" was marked by cones on one end and flags on the other). The first quarter ended at 5-0.

The second quarter opened up more as the teams settled into their rhythm. The Barbarians were awarded a penalty try (converted) after some great backline play was stopped just short of the goal line by a high tackle. EPA also did some great work through the forwards and backs and scored 4 more tries (2 converted) to make it 29-7 halfway through.

The third quarter was pretty even at one try apiece, with EPA converting theirs (36-12). By this point the ball was being recycled out of the tackle pretty quickly by both sides and moved back and forth across the pitch. We also spent about 5 minutes in a ping-pong contest as each back three competed for territory.

The last quarter was also pretty evenly matched, with lots of line breaks at pace and hard hitting by the forwards. EPA edged out the scoring in this period with 2 tries to 1 (1 conversion each) to close the match at 48-19. Both of these sides look very good this early in the pre-season and should be competitive in whatever divisions they'll be playing in.

UC SANTA CRUZ women 41 – Santa Clara 15 Referee: Sandy Robertson
Santa Cruz showed excellent support play while generally dominating a young Santa Clara squad. Though Santa Cruz dominated possession, Santa Clara made the most of its opportunities with 3 good tries.

UC Santa Cruz men 27 – APTOS 58 Referee: Bruce Carter
A storm front whistled through Northern California on Friday evening. Lucky for rugby, it was in a minor key and left nothing but clarity behind.

There’s no better place to witness a clear sky than from Heaven’s Pitch on UC Santa Cruz. You can see halfway to LA and a third of the way to Hawaii.

And with the university having installed a fence all the way around the pitch that keeps poachers, squatters and players-of-fortune off of it, it has never been in better shape.

Vaughn Stumpf has returned to coach Aptos, after sidelines as a referee and as a former rugby person without portfolio. Whether their resurgence will be due to him or to a very dynamic set of players who slotted into the back row of the scrum will wait to be seen.

The Slugs are having a good preseason. Their offense springs from the precision kicking and incisive passing of their #10, Captain Tyler Pritchard. He threw a beautiful cutout pass to his #13 that opened up a green highway to the tryline to make it 10-10 midway through the first half.

Aptos was ahead 17 – 10 at the half when the ref was asked by an Aptos partisan why Aptos wasn’t further in the lead. His analysis was that Pritchard’s long kicks were finding only one player back in defense with no-one to pass to, thus allowing two or even one of the Slugs to tie it up and force Aptos to play from scrimmage.

Perhaps referees should value their opinions more dearly. Whether this information was communicated to the Aptos XV, those same long kicks that had led to static ball now found hands with others in support and counterattack was the order of the last forty.

There were ten trys in the second half, but seven belonged to the visitors with their back row accounting for much of the damages.

HUDDLE UP

Of note in this game: this is the second novel use I’ve seen made of the opponents’ ‘huddle’, the two being just over 20 years apart.

The first takes me down memory lane, assisted by my diary, to my first season of refereeing. February 20, 1989: Old Blues hosting the University of Victoria from Wellington, New Zealand.

The Old Blues wanted to huddle prior to throwing in at their first lineout. I’d never seen this before, and neither had the visitors – so they wandered over to join the huddle and see what was being discussed.

Some of the Blues glared at me until I said, “The ball’s dead. They can stand anywhere they want to.”

We didn’t have any more huddles that day.

November 21, 2009: UC Santa Cruz hosting Aptos. Aptos scored a try off a busted play, a lucky try really because several players had misplayed their parts. The coach called for a huddle while the conversion was taken.

The conversion was taken and missed while Aptos huddled over against the touchline.

The Banana Slugs fielded the missed kick, sprinted up and restarted against – mmm – against Aptos, still huddled over against the touchline.

#10 kicked ten meters to #15 who collected the ball and had only one frantically-retiring man to beat to score between the posts.

We didn’t have any more huddles that day, either.

Seconds: UC Santa Cruz rookies – APTOS Referee: Robbie Bellue
Coach Bellue of the Slugs stepped in for two old and footsore veterans and did a fine job.

Your reporter was too busy talking to old teammates and opponents from the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay Rebels era to notice much more than Alatini Saulala and some of his supporting cast running over a bunch of freshmen.

Not to demean the freshmen – there were some serious ringers out there.

UC Davis B 0 – SANTA ROSA JC 35 (7T 0C) Referee: Scott Wood
AR: Donal Walsh
TJ: Tyler Harrison(?) (UCD player)
I woke up early enough to watch a match on my DVR (of which there are many). I chose Wales v Samoa. Good choice as there is an interested play/decision related to a player in-touch picking up a rolling ball in-goal. AR awarded five-meter lineout to Wales. Referee reversed possession to Samoa for the lineout. For illustrative purposes: Was this the correct call? I think Samoa should have been awarded a 22 drop-out. I argue the Samoan player was not in the field of play when he picked up the moving ball which was already in-goal. Either way, the referee made his decision with enough authority that nobody argued it (after Samoa was properly awarded the put in).

Law 22.5 talks about the ball being grounded in-goal (which it wasn't although the player could/should have done so). Law 22.7 states: "When an attacking player sends or carries the ball into the opponents’ in-goal and it becomes dead there, either because a defender grounded it or because it went into touch in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, a drop-out is awarded." It didn't go into touch in-goal but it was made dead the instant the Samoan player picked it up. Law 22.11 discusses how the ball can become dead in-goal but refers to the "touch in-goal line".

Now to my day...

After a long sabbatical, I finally got to stretch my legs on the pitch. Both teams competed in a positive manner. Davis made a number of rookie mistakes but played with a lot of heart. Santa Rosa's players displayed great continuity and situational awareness.

There were four drop outs awarded, each went directly to touch. The referee made the same mistake three time before the AR's words sunk in. This malady was corrected at the fourth drop out.

13.14 DROP-OUT GOES DIRECTLY INTO TOUCH
The ball must land in the field of play. If it is kicked directly into touch, the opposing team has three choices: To have another drop-out; or to have a scrum at the centre of the 22-metre line, and they throw in the ball; or to accept the kick. If they accept the kick, the throw-in is on the 22-metre line.

However, the referee did not make an error in Law (as was debated with his AR at halftime). I did look this up after the match to ensure I wasn't completely daft.

17.5 SUCCESSFUL END TO A MAUL
A maul ends successfully when the ball or a player with the ball leaves the maul. A maul ends successfully when the ball is on the ground, or is on or over the goal line.

17.6 UNSUCCESSFUL END TO A MAUL
(c) Scrum following maul. The ball is thrown in by the team not in possession when the maul began. If the referee cannot decide which team had possession, the team moving forward before the maul stopped throws in the ball. If neither team was moving forward, the attacking team throws in the ball.

All things considered, it was a fun, sunny day with positive rugby played by both sides. SRJC needs a kicker. UCD's B-side scrummaged well considering it had seven rookies in the pack, tackled hard, and competed at the rucks.

I look forward to my next match.

CALIFORNIA women 17 – UC Santa Barbara 12Referee: Sam Davis
Saturday is a Rugby day!

It was a beautiful day in Berkeley but everyone went to Stanford for the (big game) which a long time ago was a Rugby game.

Berkeley women's team is still treated as the redheaded stepchild on that campus. We were relegated to the soccer pitch which someone forgot to unlock. The 11 am kick off time was delayed in spite the valiant efforts of the coaches who had been calling since 9:30 to have it opened up so they could prepare the field. Santa Barbara took this in stride along with the 70+ fans.

Since this was a soccer pitch we used the soccer goals to mount the post which all kicker love because of the extra 3 ft of opening. We were also running late so both teams agreed to start play while Cal set up the poles and moved the goals into place (more on this later).

Cal scored first at the 26 min mark with a play in the corner that was not converted. Play continued with both teams running up the off side penalty count SB capitalized on one such play and put it in and converted for 7. Half ended.

2nd half Berkeley on a drive threw a forward pass the winger downed the ball on what she thought was in-goal. There was a bit of confusion due to the soccer lines and the placement of the soccer goal. Upon closer inspection the goal was at the back of the dead ball line vs. the try line. (Setting up the field after the game starts sometime can create a bit of a problem.) We stopped time for that to be adjusted: scrum down place of infraction which happened to be the five-meter line.

Berkeley was not to be denied and the pulled ahead 10-7. SB on a drive did a pop kick deep into Berkeley the full back obstructed the SB player then when she started to try and down the ball the full back pulled her jersey. Penalty Try awarded, kick missed. Berkeley came back with a strong drive and scored with 8 min left to play (due to injury, field repair) both teams finished strong final score Cal 17- SB 12

Seconds: California women 5 – U. OF SANTA FRANCISCO 10 Ref: Davis
The second game was Cal vs. a combined UCSB & USF game.

A lot of new players for both sides, fun rugby. It was agreed free sub so everyone would get to play. USF-10 Cal 5

At Job Corps field:
Seconds: Fog 0 – BERKELEY 20 Referee: Stephen Moore
Assistant Referee: Rich Anderson
Referee Coach: Dixon Smith

Despite the score line this was a well contested game. Berkeley were the stronger side with their backs dominate and more aggressive in attack, their forwards were an equal match. The game was played at a fast pace with plenty of phase continuity. Berkeley’s scoring opportunities came from balls played out wide. Both sides defended aggressively and in the final play of the match Fog B successfully held up Berkeley who crossed the goal line propelled by their maul. It was a good note to end on, both sides very respectful of each others efforts.

There was no foul play in the match; penalties were awarded mainly for off sides and ball handling in rucks. Scrums were generally well contested, with some collapses due to early engagement.

The match was my first ever as a referee, and first time being on a paddock since last playing 20 years back in Australia, I really enjoyed this experience.

Coming into it I was concerned about my fitness, concentration level and law knowledge. I also wondered about an instinct to join in and play. Surprising my fitness held up, but my concentration and law knowledge was a challenge despite some intense pre-game swatting. Fortunately my instinct to play was gone (some would argue it was never that strong anyway!).

Concentration dropped for me immediately in the second half. I realized I had restarted the match without setting my stop watch - it’s hard to set a stop watch and run and watch the game at the same time I found. Other errors: failure to let the whistle breathe (play advantage) with two knock-on incidents. Dixon also pointed out my need to signal immediately after I whistle and then speak, also my signals for scrum and penalty were indistinct. Rich pointed out an occasion where the ball had not been thrown in not straight to a lineout that I missed, and later my awarding of a free kick instead of a scrum for same. Despite these errors (and others) I am confident though they had no material effect on the game. I guess I got lucky this time!

A funny incident... at one of the stoppages one of the players started to chat with me very briefly, suddenly one of his team mates grabbed him and told him he was not qualified to speak with “Sir” - only the captain could. Thank you player for reminding both of us!

Many thanks to Dixon for his well-measured advice and encouragement, and thank you to Rich for pointers during the game, thank you Bruce Carter for making the arrangement, and thank Eric Rauscher for providing a uniform.

Ground was firm, hard in some spots, sky was blue, temperature 60-65, no wind, perfect conditions! Spectators well behaved, good sense of humor too.

Berkeley 7 – STANISLAUS 15 Referee: Rich Anderson

Bog 0 – STANISLAUS 33 Referee: Eric Rauscher
Comment: This game was a fine example of why teams that play together do better than teams made up on the spot. Playing together lends a bit of continuity. It must also be said that the combined Berkeley and Fog B sides had quite a few rookies. The play was good-spirited and it was fun to do the game.

Fog 17 – BERKELEY 22 Referee: Rich Anderson

Marin – Saints CANCELED

FRESNO 29 – San Luis Obispo 17 Referee: Chris Tucker
This missive is being written from the train on the way home. There are several advantages over driving: match report gets done while I can remember the game; there is no offence of drinking and sitting on a train (which I am doing both); when I need a nap, I don't have to pull over. These easily make up for the 30 mins extra in each direction. The kicker? Cheaper. And a greater portion is tax deductible. And I met a really interesting guy whose advice may well save me a fortune in taxes. All round win. But I digress before I'm even started. So, to rugby.

A beautiful, if breezy day greeted the two teams at Fresno's great facility. Even the 10m lines were marked 90cm past the end of the soccer centre circle -- groundskeeper #2 * actually knows what he's doing when he's doing lines. Both teams were in pre-season mode, as witnessed by the "How long, Sir?" after precisely 22 minutes of play, and the numerous little errors that slowed the game down.

Generally, though, the game was in good spirit, and both teams listened and responded well when asked to address various pieces. Looking at myself, aside from being a ball magnet (3 times) and getting in the way of play (twice, although if you can still see the ball as you go arse over tit, does it matter? Play on!), the major issue I had was at the scrum. For some reason I could not maintain a consistent call on the scrum feed in the first half, free kicking largely at random. At the first scrum in the second, I apologised to both 9s, and told them to reset their expectations. Bingo! Straighter feeds. Interesting question as to whether you lose more credibility by admitting you messed up and asking forgiveness -- I believe so, simply because you've probably lost any credibility by the point when you own up to your inadequacy. But you'd better get it consistent from then on...

The difference in the game was made in the first half -- the Fresno forwards maintained a high work rate, and won ball often and fast. The 10/12 combination worked well at opening up the gaps, and they took their chances. The ones that went begging (and both sides were guilty) were the interceptions that were run 50 metres before the ball carrier started looking around, gassed. Caught from behind! In the end, the score flattered the hosts a little -- both sides played hard, but execution and fitness will doubtless be improved upon in the coming months. But good fun all round.

* The bush was nicely trimmed too, for reference

PAT VINCENT CUP
Seconds: UC Santa Barbara – OSU or SMC Referee: UCSB Academy Ref
No report received.

Oregon State 7 – UCSB ACADEMY 31 Referee: Ryan Luis
AR: Rob Hendrickson
The game was very close and contested throughout the match. Score was 7-0 at half time to SB Academy and remained that way till the final 20 minutes when the game finally opened up and 5 tries were scored in the final 20 minutes. Ultimately it seemed like Oregon State simply ran out of gas as they gave up four tries and 2 conversions in the final quarter of the game.

ST. MARY’S 66 – UC Santa Barbara 0 Referee: George O'Neil
AR: Rob Hendrickson

Sunday
St. Mary's 3/OSU 2 – UC Santa Barbara 2 Referee: UCSB Academy Ref
No report received.

ST. MARY’S 97 – Oregon State 0 Referee: George O'Neil
ARs: Rob Hendrickson, Jackie Finck
Assessor: Bryan Porter

ST. MARY’S seconds 32 – UCSB Academy 28 Referee: Ryan Luis
ARs: Rob Hendrickson, Jackie Finck
Referee Coach: David Williamson
Both teams wanted to play a wide open game and there were many long passages of play spanning sideline to sideline and 22 to 22. Saint Mary's was in control throughout most of the match leading 32 to 7 until SB Academy again made a late surge to score 3 converted tries in the final 15 minutes. Had there been another 5 minutes on the clock the game could very well have gone their way.

Stanford – Alumnae Referee: Mike King
ARs: Prys Hughes
The university side was depleted some by the holiday break as it faced the buzz saw of an alum side filled with familiar faces from past championship years. The first period was a learning experience for the yearlings, with textbook second phase rugby accounting for several scores in rapid succession. The sides then swapped players and the scoring was more balanced. All told 70 points were scored spanning 3 periods of spirited play. A great tradition to emulate at other schools.

Stanford – Alumni Referee: Pete Smith
No report received.

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Apple Near Tree
What’s in a name?

Peter and Belinda Hansford (well, probably Peter) named their son after Jonathan Davies, the great Welsh rugby league and union player.

Saturday the youngster led the Welsh team onto the pitch at the Millennium Stadium for their match against Argentina last weekend.

You’ll see him through the fog caused by the pre-game indoor fireworks. And somewhere Dad’s beaming!

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

DULY NOTED

HAIL, PELICUS!

STANFORD GAMES ON A BUSY WEEKEND

We need refs for two games at Stanford this Friday evening and two this Sunday morning.

And if we don’t get a few more refs for Saturday, some Pelicans will be doubling up with first- and second-sides matches. There are matches available as close as Davis, San Francisco and Santa Cruz.

TWO-GAMES HERE, ONE GAME THERE

MARITIME ACADEMY 17 – Santa Rosa JC 3 Referee: Chris Tucker
AR: Rich Anderson
A perfect day for rugby, 60 and sunny with little breeze down by the Carquinez Strait. Pitch is still a little firm, with a couple of ankle-breakers still to be smoothed out, but nothing major. Both sides came in a little rusty, and we had scrum after scrum in the first half. SRJC's kicking was also a little wayward, and gave the academy fullback plenty of opportunity to show off his powerful sidestep, gaining plenty of ground in the process. The errors kept momentum to a minimum, but both sides came close, with the academy hooker knocking on as he crossed the line, and the SRJC left wing just short on a kick-and-chase in the corner -- the kick was weighted perfectly, but the fullback made it over to cover. A couple of penalties and it was 3-3 at the half.

Rich's prediction at the half was that the SRJC defence would tire in the second, and so it proved, with a couple of tries bashed in by the forwards. The first I was somewhat complicit in, as I got tangled up with a tackler coming from an unexpected angle, but the second was a fine rolling maul, finished off by the #7 who dived over from 3 meters out. Both were converted from easy angles. Both sides started to tire, and the tackles became a little more cavalier with it -- nothing malicious, but enough that I had to speak with a couple of players on either team. One in particular was a badly timed tackle on an academy player jumping for the ball. Not particularly dangerous, but then the dumb clown stood over his opponent and jeered at him. Not in this game, mate.

SRJC never stopped, and camped out in their opponents' 22 for the last 5 minutes of the game, but to no effect. The stronger, fitter team won, but this early workout will have given both coaches plenty of material to work on before the season starts in earnest.

Seconds: MARITIME ACADEMY 17 – Santa Rosa JC 10 Referee: Rich Anderson
The referee reports that it was a “spirited match”.

Diablo Gaels hosting Fresno: Canceled

Orlando 0 – DAYTONA 24 Referee: Sam Reagle
Location: Orlando, FL
Weather: Perfect
This was a much better game than the score implies. Daytona's backline was the difference. Orlando had multiple attacks thwarted by turnovers and excellent pursuit from Daytona. The few times Daytona broke into the open, they outran the Orlando pursuit.

After about 11 minutes of back and forth rugby, Daytona scored their first converted try. It would be their only try of the half as a penalty kick about 7 minutes later completed the first half scoring.

The second half was very similar to the first. The visitor’s backline scored a converted try about 15 in and another about 10 minutes later. The rest of the half was typical industrial rugby. Both teams ran well, tackled well and rucked well with very few surprises.

After the game we headed to the Pine Street Pub for the social to quench our thirsts and enjoy Southern style hot wings. My thanks to the Orlando RFC for their great hospitality and to the FRFURS for the game.

Next week is USA vs Uruguay in Ft. Lauderdale. Should be a hoot.

RARE PELICAN SIGHTING

From David Williamson:
“Ran into Paul Gauthier at the Military Championships at Fort Benning this week. He was one of the Marine Corps coaches, along with Bob Destafney. According to Paul, the Marines finally played according to the game plan and soundly defeated Navy in the consolation match--earning third place in the tournament.

“Gravelly-voiced Paul, who's been invited to return as a Marine Corps coach next year, wants to be noted in HP.”

We are happy to take note of Pelicus Sibilo Egregius nee Sarcophilus Harrisii, the whistler extraordinaire. Although: while the new Commandant of the California Maritime Academy, COL Destafney, retired from the Marine Corps earlier this year, our friend Paul is retired from the same US Navy that his adopted team soundly defeated!

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Mr. and Mrs. Wood
This one shall speak for itself.

And it says, “Ahhhhhh....”

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris

ALOHA, PELICUS!

HAIL, PELICUS!

CIRCUMSTANCES

Your reporter and scribe is on Maui this week for a medical conference. Matter of fact, just over the top of the laptop screen as these words are being typed looms the blue Pacific, the horizon framed by the islands of Molokai and Lanai.

This missive comes to you through the miracle of the Internet and triumph of discipline over dissipation.

UPCOMING

On November 14 we are only showing two games, both at 1 PM:

Maritime Academy hosting Santa Rosa JC, referee Chris Tucker
Diablo Gaels hosting Fresno, referee Paul Bretz

If you would like to AR, please get in touch with the referee.

The following weekend is an entirely different story: eighteen games and a three-pitch tournament at Chico. Two of these games are Friday night and five of them are on Sunday.

We’ve got nine names in the hat so we need at LEAST a dozen more. Please respond with your availability!

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The New York club defeated the All Blues to claim the first-ever Premier League title at Treasure Island on Sunday.

The All Blues have been the dominant team of the pre-WPL era, and are now one of the top two in the higher-level national competition.

The San Diego Surfers won the D1 title.

Referees for the weekend included Paul Bretz and Joe Androvich, as well as Dana Teagarden who has been appointed to referee France v. Canada next week.

Assistant Referees included Preston Gordon, Rod Chance, Mike King, John Coppinger, George O’Neil, Eric Rauscher, Mark Godfrey and Eugene Baker.

Bryan Porter and Kat Todd-Schwartz were on hand to gauge the referees’ performances.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

MARITIME ACADEMY 17 – UC Davis 0 Referee: George O'Neil
Seconds: MARITIME ACADEMY 22 – UC Davis 7 Referee: Mike King

Stanford 19 – TRIPLE THREAT 44 Referee: John Pohlman
Stanford's Division 1 quest for the woman's rugby national championship started this weekend. The Cardinals hosted the Triple Threat in a Friday night game under the lights.

The Triple Threat coming off a top ten finish in Division one woman's rugby, where clicking on all cylinders.

Stanford playing quite a few rookies and their first A side game.

This was a fun, fast game to referee. I think it was a great one to watch.

Stanford won the coin flip and received the ball. TTT pressure created a turn over and the TTT started their clinic on how to crash and recycle through phase after phase. I blew my whistle for a knock on around 5 minutes in. This was the norm for the game with lots of ball in play and few stoppages.

The TTT's #10 scored the first two tries of the game. She was a big, smart runner hitting gaps and powerful enough to carry would be tacklers into the try zone. The TTT had numerous crashing, hard running forward and their #6 was rewarded with a late first half try. Half time score TTT 17 Stanford 0.

The score could have been out of range if not for the outstanding tackling of the Stanford forwards lead by captain and #8 Francis.

The second half was more of the same. TTT recycling the ball through forward crashes. Textbook play leading to double digit phases.

Stanford's Eagle Jessica Watkins did not get allot of ball but still managed a hat trick in the second half.

I questioned Stanford's coach on the logic of starting the season against a veteran-filled powerhouse team at the end of the season. His comment we want to set the standard.

Well if that is the standard, I'm sure we will see them in May.

Thanks for a fun, well-disciplined game.

ANDREW MITTRY MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT IN REDDING

Report by Bruce Bernstein:
The tourney and specifically the host & organizer (& person who started the Shasta team) Andreas treated us like Gods, from the Club Med-style Hotel & Spa (Giai) Friday night to the half-a-cow tri tip Preston ate.

We stopped both directions in Williams, driving at night was more scenic, the rugby was very good for pre-season; at a beautiful park on the Sacto River in Anderson (about 10 miles south or before Redding). Turns out the tourney was also to benefit/recognize Andreas's son who died in a horrific car accident a few years ago as he was about to start at SRCC.

We had 3 refs to start with Dave Ellis & Preston & me rotating on 2 fields & an old Clown & Engineer Prof & coach of OIT did a few games to spell us.

Sacto State & Chico State both had 2 very good, well coached teams; but the surprise team to us & probably everyone who played them were WOR or Western Oregon (according to my wife, a teachers college near Salem & Corvallis). Very scrappy, great defense, hardly any penalties & counter-attacked to create their offense all the time. Plus the added bonus was they had no coach to yell at me for being me.

Chico men, Mendocino, Santa Rosa JC, & the host Shasta were also there.

I'd recommend we get more refs for this real good time next year. Dude

[Editor’s Note: It’s reports like this that will enable us to ‘get’ more refs, a process which is entirely dependent on volunteers.

[For those who don’t know, NorCal refs do not receive reimbursement in terms of match fees, mileage, expenses, etc, no more than rugby players do. We get the water you give us at halftime and the respect you give us throughout the year.

[Like rugby players, we receive the immense pleasure and satisfaction of participating in the greatest game on Earth in the best RFU in the USA.]

Report by Dave Ellis:
SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE 24 – Oregon Institute of Technology 0
OIT who, to be fair, looked tired as they were playing the second of back-to-back games, were unable to deal with SRJC’s well-disciplined power and ball-retention approach to the game. The Junior College provided most of the attacking highlights in this game, none more so than Bryce Paulson, their impressive #8 who either scored or provided the foundation for all of the SRJC tries.

OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 44 – Mendocino 7
One of the day’s final games saw a bare-bones Mendocino side beaten by a younger, fitter OIT squad. Mendocino fielded a relatively raw but athletically talented side with excellent size, which can be expected to improve dramatically as they gain experience. OIT’s speed and ball-handling ability came through on the day, as they attacked with vigor at every opportunity. Mendocino’s spirit never failed though, and they competed hard and fairly throughout the game.

Report by Preston Gordon:
It went very well - Bruce, Dave, me and the guy from Oregon whose name I
forget (Bruce knows him) all did games. Each game was 40 minutes (2x20). I did
5. Bruce did 4, I think. We had 2 fields and were all pretty busy the whole day.
The tournament didn't have a final or anything, but several of the college games were very fast. Western Oregon and Chico State looked to be in good form, along with SRJC and Sacramento State, and those games were pretty fast. There were also some good matchups between the men's sides and the university sides, with each of them using their strengths effectively. I'd say the highlight of my day was the Western Oregon vs Chico State game - very fast and well contested, although the scoreline was a bit one-sided. Western Oregon was bigger, faster, and able to counterattack more effectively, and won the game.

The hospitality was excellent. There must have been at least 30 huge tri-tips on the BBQ after the tournament was over, along with 2 kinds of salad, bread, and beer. Bruce and I stayed for a meal and then hit the road. The hotel was great too - very comfortable and located right off I-5 and just a mile or so from the pitches. Bruce and I took the trip and had a pit stop at Granzella's in Williams (highly recommended) on the way back. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone else.

The Chico State coach is a wonder to behold. He followed the action around the pitch so that he could hector the referee from as close as possible - whoever it was; he did it to all of us. It was pretty annoying, and he was having a go even when his side was winning the game and/or going forward. The guy from Oregon complained about it to me after his game with that team and didn't seem too happy.

There was an injury in one of my games (Shasta vs Mendocino) that prompted me to ask one of the ladies organizing the tournament to call 911. The paramedics responded within a few minutes. If you have any questions about this, please give me a call.

It was a pretty busy weekend of rugby, after AR'ing 2 games on Friday in the rain, driving 200 miles up north Friday night, refereeing 200 minutes on Saturday, driving back to SF Saturday night, and AR'ing 2 more games on Sunday.

Well worth it however!

[Editor’s Note: This exemplifies the volunteer spirit and the ensuing rewards of being a Pelican!]

SACRAMENTO STATE women 20 – U. of Oregon 0 Referee: Bruce Carter
My wife and I were staying in Lodi Friday and Saturday, being involved in Scott Wood’s wedding. With the rehearsal dinner over early Friday and the nuptials not scheduled until 6 PM, an 11 AM kickoff thirty miles away was ideal.

This was my third time working with Sac State in the past month: at Reno, UC Santa Cruz, and now on their home pitch. Their improvement is evident already, well before the season.

I apologize for not having names. The exigencies of having to prepare to officiate a wedding later in the day required my immediate departure, despite numerous invitations to attend the social.

Sac State’s #10 scored two lovely solo tries in the first half, both from first-phase ball. She ran forty meters more or less down the middle of the pitch for the first centered try and twenty meters up the left touch for the second, having broken to the weak side from a scrum.

In the second half their Captain and #9 recovered her own up-and-under to score at the right post. The game was capped by Sac State’s #12, a very dynamic runner who had a knack not for making tacklers miss but for causing them actually to bounce off, leaving a trail of would-be tacklers in her wake and scoring between the posts.

I’d like to be able to say that a stiff breeze prevented any of the conversions from being made.

OTHER SUNDAY GAMES

Seconds: Stanford women 5 – U. OF OREGON 17 Referee: Bjorn Stumer
On a beautiful sunny November day at the pristine Stanford pitch the University of Oregon ladies, composed of A&B side players, confronted a young and inexperienced Stanford B side. The first half had Oregon written all over it, as the visitors put in three tries, one which was converted. Most of the match was played in the Stanford half, but the local ladies put up a stern defense and contained most of the damage.

The second half was altogether a scrappier affair, as many inexperienced subs were given a run. Much knocking on by both sides resulted in a large number of scrums that, however, I called uncontested for safety with 8 minutes to go. Ultimately Stanford found its pace, or Oregon tired out, as the hosts found new found vigor and kept Oregon at bay. No more score for Oregon and Stanford scored a fine pushover try on the last play of the match. Overall a great day of Rugby.

STANFORD men 31 – Santa Clara 15 Referee: James Hinkin
On a perfect spring fall day in Palo Alto the Santa Clara men traveled to Stanford for an early preseason match. With Stanford’s football team playing on Saturday the match was moved to Sunday to accommodate the tailgaters, some of whom I am sure were playing on Sunday. Ah, college.

Two well coached but rusty teams met up and were ready to go right on time and it was Santa Clara who struck first with their lively #4 chasing hard on a kick and intercepting a pass to run unmolested 60 yards to score under the posts. Stanford was able to battle back with 2 more tries in the half (one converted) to go into the break with a 5 point lead, but at that point it was anyone’s game. The sides were even and battling back and forth in a fast contest and it was great theater for the fans.

The second half saw more of the same when it came to possession and play, but Stanford was able to finish just a bit better. Santa Clara was able to score an unconverted try and a penalty kick and Stanford countered with three tries of their own with only one kick going astray. The game, in fact, ended on the lone unconverted try as some ill discipline from Santa Clara was penalized and Stanford tapped quickly to rumble in for a score. Final Score: Stanford 31 - Santa Clara 15

Seconds: STANFORD men 27 – Santa Clara 15 Referee: Chris Labozzetta

HOLY MATRIMONY

A large flock of Pelicans attended the wedding of Scott Wood and the former Danielle Vervais in Lodi, Saturday evening.

The ceremony was outdoors, under the lights, and was officiated by a Pelican with another bird perched under the lamppost to the groom’s immediate left.

The happy couple then jetted off to Maui for their honeymoon.

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO

Imagine the honeymooners on the beach. Your editorial staff is staying about three miles up the beach from their nest and we don’t have a lens long enough to breach their privacy.

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris

Thursday, November 05, 2009

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

HAIL, PELICUS!

NEWEST C3

Mark Godfrey has been promoted to C3 on the basis of his refereeing at the Stanford Tens last weekend. Congratulations!


REFS NEEDED

Once again, the weekend looms and we are undermanned.

Friday:
Night game: Cal Maritime hosting UC Davis, seconds, following the 7 PM first-side match. Needs a ref.
There’s also another Friday night game in the Bay Area. Let us know.

Saturday:
Saturday tournament: Andrew Mittry Memorial in Redding. We’ve got three refs and hotel rooms are being provided. Could use one or two more.
Saturday game: Humboldt State hosting SF State. Needs a ref.

Sunday:
Sunday there are three Bay Area games that need refs. Let us know if you’d like to ref or AR.

Friday and Sunday:
ARs needed for the women’s national championships.
Friday there will be two games each at 9, 11 and 1. We’ve got five ARs and could use one more.
Sunday there are six games, also overlapping, and we only have four ARs. Could use at least two more.

LAST WEEKEND

UC Davis B 0 – Sierra College 29 Referee: Phil Akroyd
Sierra College seemed to be up for this more than Davis. UCD didn’t help their own cause as they missed many tackles and lost a lot of lineout ball. Sierra had a grizzly looking set of second rowers who had an amazingly high level of energy and fantastic work rate.

UC Davis B/C 27 – Sierra College B 46 Ref: Akroyd
The second match involved a lot of subs, due to the preseason nature of the game. It was more open and provided many more tries, and UCD got on the scoreboard.

STANFORD TENS

This year’s edition began at the civilized hour of 8:35 AM and all three pitches began right on time. Full marks to Chris Labozzetta, Roberto Santiago and Eric Rauscher for mobilizing the teams and playing ball!

Ten referees did from four to six games each. New Guy Prys Hughes did some AR work, as well as young Ben Bravo completing three weekends on the line on the trot.

The women’s bracket was won handily by a mostly-alumnae Stanford team called Sequoias. They pretty much had their way with all comers, winning one 24-minute match 59-0. John Pohlman refereed their championship match against the Fog, faces decorated as skulls on the day.

The men’s bracket, with seven teams playing a quasi-round robin followed by a final, featured something of an upset.

Pete Smith refereed the Stanford Red team against the Stanford Graduate School of Business side. The undergrads took a two-try lead and looked set to coast, but the coasters must have been reversible as the future venture-capital friendly X scored the next three tries to seal the deal.

BARACUS TENS: McGEORGE BACK FROM THE DEAD ON HALLOWEEN

Report by Bjorn Stumer:
Beautiful day of Rugby in San Francisco for the Baracus 10's tournament. The morning fog soon gave way to glorious sunshine and a full schedule of matches was on its way with three Pelicans in attendance.

USF B-Side 0 – McGEORGE 22 Referee:
McGeorge proved to be the surprise team at this tournament. They arrived with good numbers and are obviously well drilled. On the day they were far too strong for a scrappy USF B side.

McGEORGE 24 – Vallejo 0
Another uneven match which McGeorge easily walked away with. Vallejo fielded a fit and capable side, and I am not quite sure why they were not able to score at all.

McGEORGE 19 – USF A-Side 0
This surely must be a first: I refereed the same side three times (McGeorge), and they won all of these matches and were unscored against. A good day for them, for me, and for all involved.

Report by Mike King:
BARACUS 40 – U. of San Francisco A 0
VALLEJO 24 – USF B 14 round robin

MARIN 19 – Vallejo 0 playoff round
MARIN 21 – McGeorge 14 final round
BARACUS 28 – McGeorge 12 final round
Round robin for first 6 matches. Then a playoff round after which Vallejo and both USF teams needed to leave.

Last 3 teams played round robin, so however won between Marin and BA won tourny (Rich did last game- I had to leave)

Report by Rich Boyer:
A cool morning turned into a very pleasant day. Only one pitch was available for seven teams, so there was no downtime between games. McGeorge ended pool play ranked #1 but ran out of gas against motivated Marin and Baracus teams in the knockout round. Baracus ended up winning the tournament. Baracus focused on good back play with good running bursts. Scrumhalf had some nice boxkicks as well.

Seeing ageless Mike Comstock at prop brought back memories.

FOG FEST UNDER CLEAR SKIES?

Report by John Coppinger:
The combination of the Bay Bridge closure and the busy life (soccer and trick or treating) of Ms. Paige Anderson (age 6) prevented Rich Anderson from refereeing the mini-rugbyfest hosted by SF Fog on the Jobs Corps field on Halloween. This left me and new pelican (but long-time NCRFU stalwart) Dave Ellis to handle 6 40-minute matches played among Fog A and B, Berkeley A and B, San Francisco State Gators, and NCRFU debutante San Bruno Saints. (Since Dave drove down from Redding, I was too embarrassed to complain about an hour and twenty minute drive through Marin to reach TI, a destination I can usually reach in 12 minutes or so from my Oakland home.)

Rich missed a beautiful day on the bay that was perfect for rugby, cool (but not cold) and no wind. Hundreds of pelican were hunting along the western shore of the island as I arrived and I took this as a good omen.

Dave handled matches 1, 3 and 5, while I did matches 2, 4 and 6. Unfortunately, Dave left just before the sixth match on his long journey home before I remembered to collect his scores.

In game 2, Berkeley A beat Fog A 17-7 in an entertaining game. Game 4 featured Berkeley B falling to a smaller and much younger and improved SFSU side, 19-14. In the final match, and a good match it was, San Bruno faced host Fog A. San Bruno looked the better side early and just missed scoring a number of times, but Fog held on to ultimately keep San Bruno scoreless and prevail 7-0. San Bruno was hampered by having three players receive yellow cards, one for a shoulder charge and 2 for failing to retreat 10 meters on penalties, and did struggle with the directives against bridging in rucks and the need to bind when rucking; nonetheless, San Bruno's discipline and sportsmanship on the day are to be noted.

My thanks to the unknown Berkeley supporter who ran touch for six matches.

SUNDAY

Maritime Academy Scrimmage Referee: Joe Androvich
Assistant Referee: Shamoun Aszed
My games were more like a mix-match scrimmage, ask the ref what that means type of deal. It was a good learning tool for the players, but I have no score to report.

SAY A PRAYER

John Chapman of Seaside, Oregon, has refereed several times here in Pelicanland and his voice will be known to many as the stadium announcer from national championships at Stanford to the IRB Sevens when it was played in Los Angeles.

John has been dwelling in the valley of the shadow of death the past week and more, having contracted H1N1 influenza and then sustained any number of complications.

His co-workers have established a blog to provide information about his condition and his family: http://www.johnchapmanseaside.blogspot.com/

THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Tens Crew
Trying to get all of the referees together for a photograph at a tournament is just about impossible.

Here’s a small sampling of those at Stanford for the Tens tournament last Saturday:

Referees: John Pohlman, Bruce Carter, and Bruce Bernstein
Referee Coach: David Williamson
Assistant Referees: Ben Bravo, Prys Hughes

HAIL, PELICUS!

For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris