HAIL, PELICUS!
GAME PROCEDURES FOR REFEREES
It comes to our attention late every week through a panic-filled series of e-mails from teams asking who their referee is supposed to be.
Please check www.pelicanrefs.com to see what your assignments are. We try to stay two weeks ahead but it’s nearly impossible.
It’s Monday. See where you are going to be this weekend. Contact the home team by e-mail (contacts listed on the website). If you don’t hear back by Wednesday, call them.
If you find out that the contact information is out-of-date, ask them to let webmaster Scott Wood know so that he can update the site. Otherwise, each subsequent referee will have to chase the same elusive quarry.
LAST WEEK’S NEWS
Your editor is only recently returned from the Fiji Islands, where Internet service proved spotty. Then too, the crush of business that descends after a week away means this week’s compilation may take a day or two longer than normal. So here, forthwith, are the match reports from the weekend of January 15.
Wednesday, January 12:
Sacramento State 3 – CALIFORNIA 69 Referee: Jim Crenshaw
Seconds: Sac State 0 – CALIFORNIA 91 Referee: Rich Boyer
The weather and field were perfect for the track meet, er game.
Cal started off with back line play, a few scissors, and good ball handling. 40-0 at half.
Brandon Kraft, former Jesuit flyhalf, played well, as did the inside center Nafisi, with each scoring multiple tries. Sac State was game, but had many unseasoned players. They tackled well, but did not come near the disciplined, surgical approach by Cal.
The Sac State players tired from being on the back foot in the second half (with limited subs) and the back line defense became disjointed. Cal exploited this at every opportunity, despite wholesale personnel changes. Cal rarely went past the first phase in the second half: 15 meter pass from scrummie to fly; 20 meter pass fly to inside; wide ball to fullback, then 2 on 1 pass to the wing #14. The speed of this game was unrivaled by any I have reffed.
Former Jesuit standout Jason Fry scored a nice support try from a long break by Kraft, who converted on 8 of 15 conversions.
Dante Walters, former Christian Bros player, played his heart out and made numerous critical tackles. Sac State's #14 is a strong player who will continue to improve with games played. Marquis, the other winger, had a fine game for Sac State as well.
Final score 91-0. Great sportsmanship from both sides and no issues. Special thanks to ARs Tristan Boyer, Rob Hendrickson and Jim Crenshaw, the ageless one.
Saturday, January 15:
Barbarians 13 – SAN MATEO 23 Referee: Aruna Ranaweera
On a sunny 65F day in Hayward, visiting San Mateo RFC and the referee were told to arrive at the artificial turf field at Alden Oliver Park for 1:30-2pm kickoff, but we were then informed that kickoff will be at 2:30pm. This was further delayed while the team rosters and improvised field markings and barriers were established, so actual kickoff was around 2:45pm. The match was played with physical intensity and open play was indicative of a preseason encounter with many missed passes and late support. Both teams showed good structure in the set pieces and mauls, but back play resembled a pickup game. San Mateo exploited gaps in the Barbarian defense to score two tries en route to a 15-6 half-time edge. (To account for the delayed start and the need to play a 2nd XV match before the field closed, actual playing time was 30-35 minutes per half.) In the second half, both team established better continuity and had several opportunities to score, but the last pass often went astray or was dropped. In the end, San Mateo was the more organized team and did just enough to stay ahead, 3 tries to 1. With more practice, both teams will be fun to watch during the regular season. Preston Gordon drove from Stanford to referee the 2nd XV match. Much thanks to the Barbarians for the post-match pizza.
Seconds: Barbarians – San Mateo Referee: Preston Gordon
No report received. Not sure if they played this one.
SACRAMENTO LIONS 39 – EPA Razorbacks 10 Referee: Joe Androvich
Big men. Big hits. Slow and narrow field hampered EPA’s skilled and crafty backline. Lions proved more physical in defense and attack and took the victory. A mid season rematch on a different field may yield different results.
Seconds: Sacramento Lions 5 – EPA Razorbacks 5 Ref: Androvich
Chico – Sac Caps Referee: Jim Crenshaw
No report received.
Seconds: Chico – Sac Caps
Stanislaus – Paso Robles Ref?
No report received.
RENO ACADEMY 62 – Santa Rosa 34 Referee: Don Pattalock
AR/TJ: P. Ulibarri/Seletti Mokofisi
On a beautiful day in Reno, the rugby was running wild. In a great match of rugby, Reno’s mix of youth, experience and athleticism won out over Santa Rosa’s youth and solid game plan. Played in great spirit and ultimately great rugby won the day.
Monterey Bay 7 – FRESNO 59 Referee: Bruce Carter
For those who will be games listed as Aptos on the schedule, do not be discouraged when you see one only CIPP member of that club. They are taking the field as a combined Monterey Bay team and have more than thirty players registered under ‘Monterey’.
But the third division is a long way from the second, maybe as long as the 150-mile drive from Fresno. But with high-sixties weather and no clouds, it was a drive worth making to escape the tule fog and the tedium of pre-season practices.
The referee has to sheepishly take credit for Monterey’s try. Having worked out the pattern he got a little lazy around the base of the ruck. Monterey’s halfback made an unexpected spin to the left to pass weak and found a non-combatant in the passing lane.
Double-clutching, he tucked the ball and turned upfield, apparently surprising all thirty-one on the pitch. Thirty-five meters and five points later he accepted the referee’s apology.
Marin 32 – BARACUS 42 Referee: Eric Rauscher
Marin City Field grounds rough and soggy, weather sunny and clear
The friendly was played in three 40 min periods with open subs at dead ball. Baracus seemed to have not only a larger squad, but more experienced also. Both sides had rookies. The first period saw good rugby played side to side and up and down the field with the first score only coming at 30 min in. At the end of the first period, Baracus was up 12/5. Baracus dominated the second period and the Reds seemed to get a little frustrated. A yellow card for foolishness 28 min in cooled things down and at the end of the 2nd period Baracus was up 32/13. The third period was a joy to ref. We were back to good play with both sides scoring back and forth. In the end Baracus had the lead, but the Reds played with heart and played well stringing together phases, something that they just didn't seem to be able to do in the second. There being rookies in the game, it was a bit difficult to ref, but it was an enjoyable experience none the less.
SF Fog – San Bruno Saints CANCELED
SF FOG 29 – U. of the Pacific 24 Referee: Jen Tetler
A beautiful day on Treasure Island. Since the original Fog A-side match was cancelled due to lack of CIPP'd players, University of the Pacific gamely agreed to play 30/30/20 against the Fog's A and B sides. The college players came out hard and surprised the old guys by scoring the first try of the game. The Fog answered pretty quickly with a try of their own and then two more before the end of the first half. "Halftime" score: 17-5. The second half included two more tries by each team, including a beautiful pushover try by the Fog (as a tight 5 player, this always makes my heart swell). At the end of 60 minutes (what the Fog was considering their "a-side" match) the score was 29-17. Both teams had some new folks playing in the last 10 minutes and there was a lot of back and forth. UoP kept up their fast pace, and a well placed kick (followed by a penalty plus not getting back 10) resulted in a penalty try for UoP.
Berkeley – South Valley Referee: George O'Neil
No report received.
St. MARY’S thirds 48 – Stanford seconds 24 Referee: Sandy Robertson
Stanford drew first blood but St Mary's dominated most of the wide open, running match with Stanford counterattacking to a couple of late tries.
ST. MARY’S 77 – Stanford 7 Referee: Paul Bretz
AR: Ron Decausemaker
St. Mary's defeated Stanford 77-7 in an entertaining all be it one sided affair.
Stanford never gave up and I'm sure they will apply the lessons learned in future matches.
St. Mary's seconds 27 – SIERRA COLLEGE 33 Referee: Tony Levitan
Referee Coach: David Williamson
Glorious weather for the closing match of a trifecta at St. Mary's magnificent pitch, the first two which were hardly contests with St. Mary's A and C sides running roughshod over Stanford's As and Bs respectively. Our match would prove to be a bit more competitive.
The match featured 10 tries and loads of wide-open play with Sierra claiming and holding on to an edge in scoring that lasted to the final whistle. After Sierra jumped ahead 14-0 on the strength of two converted tries, the sides traded unconverted tries to close the half with Sierra leading, 19-10.
Two more converted tries early in the second half were just enough cushion for Sierra to hold off a furious closing rush by St. Mary's which, under the dynamic leadership and play by their scrum-half and captain, put across 3 more tries (2 converted) in the closing 25 minutes.
As a coach and evaluator, Dave was enormously helpful to me on a number of points, providing feedback both at halftime and post-game. He also helped heroically putting into context outbursts of distemper displayed by coaches from both sides, and offering guidance on how to better manage the situation.
Thanks, Dave!
UC Davis 13 – CHICO STATE 16 Referee: Chris Tucker
AR: Scott Wood, Donal Walsh
A good, closely fought game on a cool, misty day at UCD's recreation fields. Game was close throughout, with Davis opening the scoring mid-way through the first half with a penalty, quickly answered with one for the visitors. Davis came right back, winning a lineout deep in the Chico 22, a well taken ball, several phases resulted in a try under the posts, duly converted.
Davis looked to continue their pressure, after the kickoff, but they never got out of their own 22 after the kickoff. A turnover was spun out to the wing, who skipped a tackle and dotted down out wide. The missed conversion set up a close game in the second half – Chico scored a penalty 9 minutes into the second half for a one point lead, and then after a dangerous tackle after 20, Davis took the lead back again.
Both teams played hard right to the end, and Davis looked to have it in the bag with a scrum after 79 minutes inside the Chico 22. Instead of keeping it tight and squeezing the life out of the game, they span it wide where it was duly picked off by the Chico outside centre.
They took it straight down the field to the Davis 22, where several phases, crossing the pitch line to line 3 times, and finally making the overlap count in the corner for an 82nd minute try. Crowd goes wild. Well, half of it does anyway.
Thanks to ARs Wood and Walsh, as well as Kat Todd for pointing out my amusing 'holding on' secondary signal. At least I had one :)
Seconds: UC Davis 5 – CHICO STATE 12 Referee: Rich Boyer
Referee Coach: Kat Todd-Schwartz
Chico State showed up in ones and twos so the game began a bit late under very foggy conditions. Both teams were willing to run the ball, but back play was spotty and continuous passing a rare thing. UC Davis had a number of new players who, although good athletes, were challenged by the rules at times.
Chico scored first on a ball passed inaccurately from a scrum into goal. A quick-thinking Chico back dived to touch the ball down. UC Davis replied with a fine try from the base of a scrum, 8 man scoring. The final try was awarded in the second half through good pick and drives by Chico, with the lock being the beneficiary.
Maritime Academy – Santa Clara Referee: Rich Anderson
AR: Bolen
No report received.
Seconds: MARITIME ACADEMY 15 – Santa Clara 13 Referee: John Coppinger
At fog-bound Vallejo, Cal Maritime dominated possession, but Santa Clara hung in the match until the end.
Santa Rosa JC 15 – UC SANTA CRUZ 17 Referee: Tom Zanarini
A tale of two halves on a beautiful sunny day at For Pete's Sake Field. SRJC was up 10 to 0 at half time, attacking steadily and foiling a couple of sure UCSC tries. SRJC scored within a minute of the second half kickoff and seemed to be in control. UCSC gathered themselves and spent most of the second half in attacking position. Missed conversions kicks made the difference.
Lobo Tens at Elsie Allen
Referees: Sean Peters, Cary Bertolone, Mike King
Lobos, Montgomery, Rosa /Newman
A great day it turned out to be, started with Elsie vs Montgomery fast ,hard hitting teams going back in fourth till Lobo's # 15 turned on the speed and scored 2 trys within 2 min, it was back and forth with some hard hitting forwards from Montgomery and some good runs from their backs but was stopped short due to the Lobos defensive counter rucking and quick speed.
Lobos vs Rosa/Newman, Rosa showed up a little late, players were not really ready for the Lobos, fast rucking and fast backs kinda stunned the defensive line of the Rosa boys early on and they couldn't come back.
Rosa/Newman vs Montgomery this was a good match up both teams pretty equal, big forwards from Montgomery and fast backs of Rosa, lots of fun both went back to back good hard tackles, some long runs from both sides but Montgomery wanted it more and was more of the Victor today .....
All clubs are looking great they have some new talent and some old returners should be a fun year .....
STANFORD INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Palmer, Byrnes, Rauscher, Bruce, Wilson. Pohlman, Ricard, Moore, Jury
Report by Bryant Byrnes:
Stanford Invitational Tournament. Starting at 9:30 and going until after 5 on a lovely warm Saturday, twelve women's college sides played eighteen games. Nine refs did matches, and were assisted by two others, Eric Rauscher and Preston Gordon, who did peer coaching.
The days of their youth are the days of their glory. Three new members of the Society-Bruce Ricard, Liz Palmer, and Stephanie Bruce- had a full slate of matches. This is an excellent rookie crop. The improvement was palpable.
Tournaments are the rock concerts of rugby; the gathering of the rugby tribe. If one has the opportunity, sign up!
JOHN POHLMAN’S WEEKEND
2011 Rugby refereeing started up for me this weekend. From the games I did this weekend the state of rugby in the US is alive, growing and going to reach a higher level in the coming years.
I started at the Stanford Women's tournament. Twelve woman's collegiate teams from the west coast were competing in a two day tournament.
My two games were UCLA 12 Stanford 0. And Oregon 12 Santa Barbara 7. Both games saw quality athletes, plenty of players and good coaching.
On Sunday I refereed an under 14 game between Los Gatos and Santa Clara. Again good athletes and good coaching.
Santa Clara only had thirteen players, so Los Gatos loaned two players. One I recognized was pelican Ben Bravo, an under-12 stepping up to play in a higher age group. The game was competitive throughout. The Final score was Los Gatos 25 Santa Clara 15.
Man of the match was Santa Clara's captain Carmon, an 8th grader from New Zealand who is looking to play with a high school side after the under 14 season is finished.
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A FRAZILED NEW YEAR
HAIL, PELICUS!
JANUARY SOCIETY MEETING
We will meet from 7-9 at the Golden Gate clubhouse on Treasure Island on Wednesday, January 12. Food will be available beginning at six. Plan to arrive early, eat, and talk rugby. If traffic intervenes, you won’t be late.
AVAILABILITY
Need to know, could you ref:
Friday, January 21 there will be two evening games at the Maritime Academy
Friday, January 28 there will be two evening games in Sacramento
Please also send in your availability for February as well.
DISCIPLINARY REPORTS
Referees must report any red cards that they give, as well as yellow cards given for foul play violations of Law 10.4 (kicking, punching, tripping, etc). These should be reported as soon as you are able, and certainly prior to Monday morning for a Saturday game.
Report by e-mail to Art Potter: ncrfudc@gmail.com
IMPORTANT: The format for the report is as follows:
Jan. 32, 2011. Old Haberdashers v. Wankers
Red card to Wankers #7 ¾, Rash D. Cision, CIPP 000000, for violating Law 10.4 (a), punching.
THAT’S IT. NO NARRATIVE.
If it was a reflex punch and you think all the miscreant deserves is the standard two-week ban, that’s all you say.
If it was raining blows upon a defenseless opponent repeatedly in the face, THAT STILL IS ALL YOU SAY. A red card for punching is a red card for punching. No what led to what, no detailed sequence of antecedents and counter-reactions that will only serve to call the fidelity of your memory into question should this incident find itself the subject of litigation a year or two later.
But ah – the magic words: you add, “Please call me if you need any further information.”
The magic words mean CALL ME. They mean there is additional information that will better serve its purpose if it’s not preserved in cyberspace for discovery at some future date and time.
ACCIDENT INSURANCE COVERAGE
The NCRRS, on behalf of its members, has taken advantage of the accident insurance policy offered through USA Rugby.
This will cover members of the Society (CIPP, dues paid, liability waiver on file) for accidents and injuries they sustain during games or traveling for games.
More information about this policy is available at www.USARugby.org. Click on the Zurich logo. Here’s to no claims!
THEY PLAY RUGBY
Friday
STANFORD Women 79 – UC Santa Cruz Women 0 Referee: Preston Gordon
Steuber Field, 1800
Why is it that whenever I try to schedule an early departure from work they come up with so many quasi-important things for me to do that afternoon? I still haven't figured that one out, but that's why I got to Stanford at 1740. Luckily these two teams were warmed up and ready to play, so the pregame stuff didn't take too long.
While both sides had a number of new players, Stanford was better at exploiting opportunities and playing together. The cold and damp weather had somewhat of an effect on the game, but by playing longer-than-usual advantages and not seeing some marginally mishandled balls, we were able to stay warm and enjoy some good continuity and a fair contest.
Stanford scored 7 tries in the first half (at 5, 12, 19, 23, 27, 37, and 40 minutes), converting five of them, for a halftime score of 45-0. They scored 6 more tries in the second half (at 4, 10, 12, 18, 26, and 38 minutes), converting two of them, to finish the match at 79-0. The scoreline was only marred by a 71st minute yellow card to a Stanford player for a high tackle.
The temperature dropped as the match went on, and at one point the referee was seen warming his hands over the barbecue while waiting for the arrival of the kicking tee for one of the second-half conversions. It wasn't too cold to stick around to AR for the seconds’ game, however.
Stanford seconds 0 – SEAHAWKS 30 Referee: Stephen Moore
AR: Preston Gordon
SACRAMENTO CAPITALS 34 – Sacramento State 5 Referee: Scott Wood
Referee Coach: Kat Todd-Schwartz
ARs: Chris Tucker, Donal Walsh
TJ: Steve Seifert
Referee Coach: Kat Todd-Schwartz
Location: Sacramento Mud Bowl aka Florin Reservoir Park West
First off, it was cold. Not the enjoyable "let's go skiing" cold but rather the mind-numbing "what were we thinking" cold. Second, since the normal Danny Nunn pitch was flooded, we had to play on the "higher elevation" pitch adjacent to the west. If you haven't had the experience, pray you never get it. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. (Side note: The first rugby match I ever played was in this swamp. It was also the first (and only) concussion I've received.)
Sacramento State has a good number of players ready for action. Sacramento Capitals have been assisting with coaching the collegians but apparently didn't teach them all the tricks. We started off with a reasonably-sized crowd (est. 40 spectators) considering the conditions.
The match was sloppy. After all, how can you get clean ball when it's slathered with mud? Clearing kicks would stick in the ground. Feet slipped. Tackles missed. Players dove, didn't/couldn't roll. The first chucker just didn't seem to gain any continuity or flow. The hosts scored an early penalty goal followed by two tries to close the period 15-0.
After a brief discussion with Kat, we started the second period strong. The Capitals again poured on the power but the Hornets defended well. The hosts put in two more tries before Sacramento State found its footing. Using a rare spot of solid(ish) ground as a platform, they attacked the goal line. And attacked. And attacked. One unplayable resulted in an attacking 5-meter scrum. Again the Capitals defended well as I moved in and out and in and out of goal. Then, in what I can only describe as a brief bout of premonition, I saw the opening the visitors needed on the wing so I started to run out in anticipation of the pass. Unfortunately, the scrum half passed slower than I expected; however, I was able to stop on a dime (again, another first...) and the ball barely missed drilling me. I slogged (that's what sprinting should be called on this bit of ground) around to in-goal to have the try scored near(ish) to my feet. The second chucker closed with the Capitals holding a commanding 27-5 lead.
The third period featured three new props (two with bright, clean red jerseys) and a handful of new backs. While we agreed to 30-minute periods, the captains opined that a "fast" 30 would be nice. First scrum collapsed. Second held up. Capitals scored another try. The third scrum was in a mud pile. Fourth was "conveniently" located in a dry patch (sole judge of fact, law and location...). The fifth was in a bog. The sixth was immediately adjacent. The next knock-on resulted in the final whistle.
We adjourned to the Capitals' clubhouse. Yes, clubhouse. They purchased a house immediately adjacent to Florin Reservoir Park and have outlined some great plans for it. I look forward to future events at their facility.
Seconds: Sac Capitals – Sac State CANCELED
SFGG SL 44 – San Mateo 12 Referee: George O'Neil
Evaluator: David Williamson
SFGG Colts 0 – EPA BULLDOGS 24 Referee: Preston Gordon
Ray Sheeran Field, Treasure Island, 1300
ARs (variously): George O'Neil, Liz Palmer, Eric Rauscher, one unknown SFGG player, maybe someone else?
This game was a pre-season contest played in 4 20-minute periods. Both sides looked to be up for the game and didn't disappoint. We got started just after 1pm, and spent the first 20 minutes having multiple scrums as the rust wore off (0-0). The next 3 periods were a much better exhibition of rugby, with ferocious but fair tackling, with only one or two exceptions. The players were clearly looking for opportunities to keep the ball alive at the breakdowns and the interplay was good on both sides too.
EPA Bulldogs scored tries at 32, 61, 66, and 72 minutes, converting the last two. There were a couple of balls either held up or knocked on over the goal line as well, and SFGG came very close to scoring a few times - the result perhaps flatters EPA slightly.
There were 2 yellow cards in this game; one to a Bulldogs player for cynical play, and one to SFGG for a high tackle. Other than that it was a good, fast game with lots of ball movement. And thanks to the 4+ people who assisted me on the touchline.
SANTA ROSA 83 – Redwood/Vallejo mix 0 Referee: See below
CARY BERTOLONE REPORT
I was scheduled to ref the Sac Capitals 2's vs Sac State 2's, but I was informed that the game was canceled for lack of numbers from Sac State. I turned around, headed home, and touched judged for Tom Zanarini, instead!
ARUNA RANAWEERA REPORT
By the 1pm kickoff time at For Pete's Sake Field in Santa Rosa, D2 Santa Rosa was warmed up and ready to play, Mike King (volunteer) was mic'd up and ready to AR, and an eager 9-year-old TJ was ready to officiate, but there was one problem: none of the D3 Redwood Empire players were at the field. 30 minutes later, some of them had trickled in as the Redwood coach desperately tried to cobble together a team of random walk-ons, but it became clear that their CIPP status was dubious at best. I regretfully informed the teams that I could not referee unless all players are CIPP'd, which they understood. All was not lost though: I was able to complete a solid workout at the nearby Santa Rosa JC stadium, a nice facility.
TOM ZANARINI REPORT
Some CIPP issues prior to the match required Vallejo to fill in for Redwood. Afa Wolfking, Redwood’s coach, refereed the first half and then I took over.
SANTA ROSA seconds 99 – Vallejo 5 Ref: Zanarini
Four 20-minute quarters played in pre-season fashion.
SOUTH VALLEY – Diablo Gaels Referee: Paul Bretz
8 trys to 5 for Gaels. FITNESS, FITNESS, FITNESS
UC Santa Cruz 24 – Aptos/Monterey 24 Referee: James Hinkin
On a cold but clear day in Santa Cruz the Aptos/Monterey side traveled the short distance north for a preseason clash with UCSC. Speaking with the travelers it looks like Aptos and Monterey will be one club this year. They are CIPP'd as Monterey, at least. Speaking with both captains 4 20-minute periods were decided upon. UCSC had the advantage of numbers, youth and the home pitch while A/M had the advantage of experience and size. The new, slower scrum cadence still seems to be causing issues with teams that want to engage immediately, but after a few false starts both teams settled down and the scrums did not collapse once. In fact, the only resets were for the ball not being hooked and turning 90 degrees. Looks like this new-fangled cadence is working.
UCSC got on the board first as A/M's tackling let them down. Several broken tackles led to a try dutifully centered under the posts. A/M was able to hit back with a converted try before the first break and at 20 min we had a 7-7 score. The second 20 minutes saw an even contest but the collegians were able to breach the A/M defense for a second try that remained unconverted. With time running out in the half A/M had a break down the left side with their prop standing on the wing. The overlap was worked to him and he put his head down to go for the line but was hit a meter short. Two tacklers and the tacklee went into the try zone and landed with the defenders under the ball. The A/M prop's momentum rolled him over where he grounded the ball and looked for a signal from me. Unfortunately he was lying with half his body in touch and yea, it was very close but I determined he was in touch before he grounded the ball. This was a decision for a TMO but I unaccountably had misplaced mine on the way to the pitch and didn't carry a spare. This will prove significant. We went into the break 12-7.
The second half saw subs from both sides and the inexperience showed - especially for the Slugs. They missed some key tackles and were getting pushed in the scrums and that put A/M on the front foot. They took advantage of it and were able to claw a try back. This was unconverted to tie the score at 12-12. The score remained knotted up at 12 when we stopped for the 20 minute break and I started to get nervous. Almost immediately the tie was broken by UCSC as they started to put more phases together and, combined with a series of silly penalties near the goal line, a try was scored. No conversion so the score moved to 19-12.
(Side note: This was a weird one. A/M had a couple of penalties in quick succession and were backed up against their try line. A flanker went offside again to grab the scrumhalf and I shouted "NO! GREEN 6 YOU'RE OFFSIDE!" He continued to tackle the scrumhalf who was trying to pass and the result was a weak dribbler, so I called "Advantage" and put an arm out. I never blew the whistle. Apparently both sides assumed I had called a penalty because A/M retreated to the goal line and UCSC picked the ball up, walked to where I was standing and placed it on the ground. Then the captain and #2 tapped the ball with his foot and ran it in for a try. I spent this whole period with my arm out waiting for someone to realize play was still going on. The way everyone went about things, though, resulted in no knock-ons or any other infraction so I just went with the flow and awarded the try.)
A/M then started to reassert themselves and pushed across for another try. With the conversion wide this seesaw battle was tied again and I got nervous again. With one minute left, however, I was given hope with a penalty about 25 meters out to A/M. Posts were indicated, the ball was carefully placed, the kick went up... and clanged off the upright. We had time for the resulting 22 meter drop and a few phases later a knock on ended the half. 19-19. A tie.
Yet again hope came to my rescue as both sides agreed to a 5th period to assure everyone got some playing time. We kicked off and battled anew. By this time A/M had a few UCSC players filling out their numbers and they continued their form from the end of the previous period. An unconverted try was soon in the books for a 24-19 lead. With time running out the Slugs surged forward and scored a well worked try to tie the game again. This try was right under the posts so a conversion was assured and a 2 point win was in the bag.
Except the kick was mis-hit. The ball was hooked left. 24-24. Next stoppage ends the game. The ball gets kicked to touch.
Looks like the drinks are on me Wednesday.
RENO ACADEMY 67 – Colusa 15 Referee: Phil Akroyd
If a terrorist group wished to destroy one of the world’s most valuable commodities – Pelican Refs – then they could have done worse than pick Golden Eagle Park in the City of Sparks as their target, on Saturday afternoon. In attendance, in addition to myself, were Referees Salgado, Ulibarri (running the lines), Pattalock, Wilkening and Anderson. Not a bad turn out for one game in Reno.
The weather brought out the natives. The skies were clear and blue, and the air was cold but most importantly, the sun was shining. Perfect rugby weather. The playing surface was pretty good too. We played on one of the three new multi-purpose field turf pitches. Once we had removed a couple of patches of frozen snow, we got the game under way.
Reno played in the opposition half for most of the game. The first time they got across the try line, the winger ran over the dead-ball line, despite the Reno captain assuring me before the game that his players were familiar with the lines. They scored from the ensuing 22 drop out but didn’t convert. A few minutes later, the Reno full-back also ran the ball through the dead ball line, then they scored again and again and again.
One of the best first-half tries was a chip and chase form the half way line from the Reno fly-half. Colusa didn’t really compete in any area of the game. The scrums were under-powered, committed to rucks in ones and twos and had little to no possession to use in the backs. 38-0 at half-time.
Reno backed off a little in the second half and Colusa came back with three unconverted tries toward the end however, Reno scored five tries in the same half. Final score 67-15.
MARIN HIGHLANDERS 54 – Danville 0 Referee: John Coppinger
Marin were more organized, athletic, and adventurous on the day and ran away from Danville 54-0 on a cold, gray day on the turf at Redwood High in Corte Madera. There are a number of talented and committed rugby players on the Marin side.
JV: MARIN HIGHLANDERS 9 trys – Danville 0 Referee: Bruce Bernstein
Played a scrimmage of 3 periods with Marin dominating after a slow start in the first period.
Nice artificial grass field at Redwood HS in Larkspur with a chill/fog lingering.
Wednesday, December 29:
High School All-Americans – CANADA U17 Referee: Don Pattalock
ARs: Bruce Carter, Bill Caulfield (SoCal)
This was a mid-week scrimmage to help the coaching staffs decide on their top fifteens for the formal matchup two days later, with unlimited in-and-out substitutions.
The All-Americans had a lead early when a fellow in yellow shoes tip-toed down the touchline more than fifty meters despite three guys having a shot at him with no room to maneuver. This turns out to be Jesuit’s Matt Chipman, who scored four tries in the main match on New Year’s Eve.
December 31:
HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICANS 44 – Canada U17, 29 Referee: Joe Androvich
On New Year’s Eve morning, Canada U17s played USA U17s in Santa Barbara, California. The weather was clear and cold. The match was scheduled for 9am, but Canada arrived to the pitch at 8:55am in warm ups and sneakers, thinking the match was to kick at 9:30. It took some diplomacy to get the coaches to agree on national anthems at 9:10am, kick off at 9:15am.
Nonetheless, the game kicked off at 9:15am. It was FAST and well played. Not long ago, it felt like USA HSAA teams were comprised of a bunch of really good football players playing rugby in the offseason. Now, it is clear that this team is full of really good rugby players playing rugby. Athleticism is off the charts.
The pattern they played was a testament to the coaching. They had line out plays, scrum calls and clear systems in defense and attack.
In the end, USA won 44-29, with a whole bunch of tries scored by a J High winger which I was happy to see.
WINTER WONDERLAND
Don Goard checks in a fascinating link to a phenomenon that might draw you to Yosemite on a rugby day off. The magic of frazil ice:
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/24/frazil-ice-fascinati.html
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
The Training Committee of the Referee and Laws committee met in San Antonio this past weekend. That’s tough duty.
Left to right (foreground only): Harry Laws (Indiana), Jen Gray and Ed Todd of USA Rugby, Peter Watson (New England) and Sam Reagle (now Texas).
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
JANUARY SOCIETY MEETING
We will meet from 7-9 at the Golden Gate clubhouse on Treasure Island on Wednesday, January 12. Food will be available beginning at six. Plan to arrive early, eat, and talk rugby. If traffic intervenes, you won’t be late.
AVAILABILITY
Need to know, could you ref:
Friday, January 21 there will be two evening games at the Maritime Academy
Friday, January 28 there will be two evening games in Sacramento
Please also send in your availability for February as well.
DISCIPLINARY REPORTS
Referees must report any red cards that they give, as well as yellow cards given for foul play violations of Law 10.4 (kicking, punching, tripping, etc). These should be reported as soon as you are able, and certainly prior to Monday morning for a Saturday game.
Report by e-mail to Art Potter: ncrfudc@gmail.com
IMPORTANT: The format for the report is as follows:
Jan. 32, 2011. Old Haberdashers v. Wankers
Red card to Wankers #7 ¾, Rash D. Cision, CIPP 000000, for violating Law 10.4 (a), punching.
THAT’S IT. NO NARRATIVE.
If it was a reflex punch and you think all the miscreant deserves is the standard two-week ban, that’s all you say.
If it was raining blows upon a defenseless opponent repeatedly in the face, THAT STILL IS ALL YOU SAY. A red card for punching is a red card for punching. No what led to what, no detailed sequence of antecedents and counter-reactions that will only serve to call the fidelity of your memory into question should this incident find itself the subject of litigation a year or two later.
But ah – the magic words: you add, “Please call me if you need any further information.”
The magic words mean CALL ME. They mean there is additional information that will better serve its purpose if it’s not preserved in cyberspace for discovery at some future date and time.
ACCIDENT INSURANCE COVERAGE
The NCRRS, on behalf of its members, has taken advantage of the accident insurance policy offered through USA Rugby.
This will cover members of the Society (CIPP, dues paid, liability waiver on file) for accidents and injuries they sustain during games or traveling for games.
More information about this policy is available at www.USARugby.org. Click on the Zurich logo. Here’s to no claims!
THEY PLAY RUGBY
Friday
STANFORD Women 79 – UC Santa Cruz Women 0 Referee: Preston Gordon
Steuber Field, 1800
Why is it that whenever I try to schedule an early departure from work they come up with so many quasi-important things for me to do that afternoon? I still haven't figured that one out, but that's why I got to Stanford at 1740. Luckily these two teams were warmed up and ready to play, so the pregame stuff didn't take too long.
While both sides had a number of new players, Stanford was better at exploiting opportunities and playing together. The cold and damp weather had somewhat of an effect on the game, but by playing longer-than-usual advantages and not seeing some marginally mishandled balls, we were able to stay warm and enjoy some good continuity and a fair contest.
Stanford scored 7 tries in the first half (at 5, 12, 19, 23, 27, 37, and 40 minutes), converting five of them, for a halftime score of 45-0. They scored 6 more tries in the second half (at 4, 10, 12, 18, 26, and 38 minutes), converting two of them, to finish the match at 79-0. The scoreline was only marred by a 71st minute yellow card to a Stanford player for a high tackle.
The temperature dropped as the match went on, and at one point the referee was seen warming his hands over the barbecue while waiting for the arrival of the kicking tee for one of the second-half conversions. It wasn't too cold to stick around to AR for the seconds’ game, however.
Stanford seconds 0 – SEAHAWKS 30 Referee: Stephen Moore
AR: Preston Gordon
SACRAMENTO CAPITALS 34 – Sacramento State 5 Referee: Scott Wood
Referee Coach: Kat Todd-Schwartz
ARs: Chris Tucker, Donal Walsh
TJ: Steve Seifert
Referee Coach: Kat Todd-Schwartz
Location: Sacramento Mud Bowl aka Florin Reservoir Park West
First off, it was cold. Not the enjoyable "let's go skiing" cold but rather the mind-numbing "what were we thinking" cold. Second, since the normal Danny Nunn pitch was flooded, we had to play on the "higher elevation" pitch adjacent to the west. If you haven't had the experience, pray you never get it. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. (Side note: The first rugby match I ever played was in this swamp. It was also the first (and only) concussion I've received.)
Sacramento State has a good number of players ready for action. Sacramento Capitals have been assisting with coaching the collegians but apparently didn't teach them all the tricks. We started off with a reasonably-sized crowd (est. 40 spectators) considering the conditions.
The match was sloppy. After all, how can you get clean ball when it's slathered with mud? Clearing kicks would stick in the ground. Feet slipped. Tackles missed. Players dove, didn't/couldn't roll. The first chucker just didn't seem to gain any continuity or flow. The hosts scored an early penalty goal followed by two tries to close the period 15-0.
After a brief discussion with Kat, we started the second period strong. The Capitals again poured on the power but the Hornets defended well. The hosts put in two more tries before Sacramento State found its footing. Using a rare spot of solid(ish) ground as a platform, they attacked the goal line. And attacked. And attacked. One unplayable resulted in an attacking 5-meter scrum. Again the Capitals defended well as I moved in and out and in and out of goal. Then, in what I can only describe as a brief bout of premonition, I saw the opening the visitors needed on the wing so I started to run out in anticipation of the pass. Unfortunately, the scrum half passed slower than I expected; however, I was able to stop on a dime (again, another first...) and the ball barely missed drilling me. I slogged (that's what sprinting should be called on this bit of ground) around to in-goal to have the try scored near(ish) to my feet. The second chucker closed with the Capitals holding a commanding 27-5 lead.
The third period featured three new props (two with bright, clean red jerseys) and a handful of new backs. While we agreed to 30-minute periods, the captains opined that a "fast" 30 would be nice. First scrum collapsed. Second held up. Capitals scored another try. The third scrum was in a mud pile. Fourth was "conveniently" located in a dry patch (sole judge of fact, law and location...). The fifth was in a bog. The sixth was immediately adjacent. The next knock-on resulted in the final whistle.
We adjourned to the Capitals' clubhouse. Yes, clubhouse. They purchased a house immediately adjacent to Florin Reservoir Park and have outlined some great plans for it. I look forward to future events at their facility.
Seconds: Sac Capitals – Sac State CANCELED
SFGG SL 44 – San Mateo 12 Referee: George O'Neil
Evaluator: David Williamson
SFGG Colts 0 – EPA BULLDOGS 24 Referee: Preston Gordon
Ray Sheeran Field, Treasure Island, 1300
ARs (variously): George O'Neil, Liz Palmer, Eric Rauscher, one unknown SFGG player, maybe someone else?
This game was a pre-season contest played in 4 20-minute periods. Both sides looked to be up for the game and didn't disappoint. We got started just after 1pm, and spent the first 20 minutes having multiple scrums as the rust wore off (0-0). The next 3 periods were a much better exhibition of rugby, with ferocious but fair tackling, with only one or two exceptions. The players were clearly looking for opportunities to keep the ball alive at the breakdowns and the interplay was good on both sides too.
EPA Bulldogs scored tries at 32, 61, 66, and 72 minutes, converting the last two. There were a couple of balls either held up or knocked on over the goal line as well, and SFGG came very close to scoring a few times - the result perhaps flatters EPA slightly.
There were 2 yellow cards in this game; one to a Bulldogs player for cynical play, and one to SFGG for a high tackle. Other than that it was a good, fast game with lots of ball movement. And thanks to the 4+ people who assisted me on the touchline.
SANTA ROSA 83 – Redwood/Vallejo mix 0 Referee: See below
CARY BERTOLONE REPORT
I was scheduled to ref the Sac Capitals 2's vs Sac State 2's, but I was informed that the game was canceled for lack of numbers from Sac State. I turned around, headed home, and touched judged for Tom Zanarini, instead!
ARUNA RANAWEERA REPORT
By the 1pm kickoff time at For Pete's Sake Field in Santa Rosa, D2 Santa Rosa was warmed up and ready to play, Mike King (volunteer) was mic'd up and ready to AR, and an eager 9-year-old TJ was ready to officiate, but there was one problem: none of the D3 Redwood Empire players were at the field. 30 minutes later, some of them had trickled in as the Redwood coach desperately tried to cobble together a team of random walk-ons, but it became clear that their CIPP status was dubious at best. I regretfully informed the teams that I could not referee unless all players are CIPP'd, which they understood. All was not lost though: I was able to complete a solid workout at the nearby Santa Rosa JC stadium, a nice facility.
TOM ZANARINI REPORT
Some CIPP issues prior to the match required Vallejo to fill in for Redwood. Afa Wolfking, Redwood’s coach, refereed the first half and then I took over.
SANTA ROSA seconds 99 – Vallejo 5 Ref: Zanarini
Four 20-minute quarters played in pre-season fashion.
SOUTH VALLEY – Diablo Gaels Referee: Paul Bretz
8 trys to 5 for Gaels. FITNESS, FITNESS, FITNESS
UC Santa Cruz 24 – Aptos/Monterey 24 Referee: James Hinkin
On a cold but clear day in Santa Cruz the Aptos/Monterey side traveled the short distance north for a preseason clash with UCSC. Speaking with the travelers it looks like Aptos and Monterey will be one club this year. They are CIPP'd as Monterey, at least. Speaking with both captains 4 20-minute periods were decided upon. UCSC had the advantage of numbers, youth and the home pitch while A/M had the advantage of experience and size. The new, slower scrum cadence still seems to be causing issues with teams that want to engage immediately, but after a few false starts both teams settled down and the scrums did not collapse once. In fact, the only resets were for the ball not being hooked and turning 90 degrees. Looks like this new-fangled cadence is working.
UCSC got on the board first as A/M's tackling let them down. Several broken tackles led to a try dutifully centered under the posts. A/M was able to hit back with a converted try before the first break and at 20 min we had a 7-7 score. The second 20 minutes saw an even contest but the collegians were able to breach the A/M defense for a second try that remained unconverted. With time running out in the half A/M had a break down the left side with their prop standing on the wing. The overlap was worked to him and he put his head down to go for the line but was hit a meter short. Two tacklers and the tacklee went into the try zone and landed with the defenders under the ball. The A/M prop's momentum rolled him over where he grounded the ball and looked for a signal from me. Unfortunately he was lying with half his body in touch and yea, it was very close but I determined he was in touch before he grounded the ball. This was a decision for a TMO but I unaccountably had misplaced mine on the way to the pitch and didn't carry a spare. This will prove significant. We went into the break 12-7.
The second half saw subs from both sides and the inexperience showed - especially for the Slugs. They missed some key tackles and were getting pushed in the scrums and that put A/M on the front foot. They took advantage of it and were able to claw a try back. This was unconverted to tie the score at 12-12. The score remained knotted up at 12 when we stopped for the 20 minute break and I started to get nervous. Almost immediately the tie was broken by UCSC as they started to put more phases together and, combined with a series of silly penalties near the goal line, a try was scored. No conversion so the score moved to 19-12.
(Side note: This was a weird one. A/M had a couple of penalties in quick succession and were backed up against their try line. A flanker went offside again to grab the scrumhalf and I shouted "NO! GREEN 6 YOU'RE OFFSIDE!" He continued to tackle the scrumhalf who was trying to pass and the result was a weak dribbler, so I called "Advantage" and put an arm out. I never blew the whistle. Apparently both sides assumed I had called a penalty because A/M retreated to the goal line and UCSC picked the ball up, walked to where I was standing and placed it on the ground. Then the captain and #2 tapped the ball with his foot and ran it in for a try. I spent this whole period with my arm out waiting for someone to realize play was still going on. The way everyone went about things, though, resulted in no knock-ons or any other infraction so I just went with the flow and awarded the try.)
A/M then started to reassert themselves and pushed across for another try. With the conversion wide this seesaw battle was tied again and I got nervous again. With one minute left, however, I was given hope with a penalty about 25 meters out to A/M. Posts were indicated, the ball was carefully placed, the kick went up... and clanged off the upright. We had time for the resulting 22 meter drop and a few phases later a knock on ended the half. 19-19. A tie.
Yet again hope came to my rescue as both sides agreed to a 5th period to assure everyone got some playing time. We kicked off and battled anew. By this time A/M had a few UCSC players filling out their numbers and they continued their form from the end of the previous period. An unconverted try was soon in the books for a 24-19 lead. With time running out the Slugs surged forward and scored a well worked try to tie the game again. This try was right under the posts so a conversion was assured and a 2 point win was in the bag.
Except the kick was mis-hit. The ball was hooked left. 24-24. Next stoppage ends the game. The ball gets kicked to touch.
Looks like the drinks are on me Wednesday.
RENO ACADEMY 67 – Colusa 15 Referee: Phil Akroyd
If a terrorist group wished to destroy one of the world’s most valuable commodities – Pelican Refs – then they could have done worse than pick Golden Eagle Park in the City of Sparks as their target, on Saturday afternoon. In attendance, in addition to myself, were Referees Salgado, Ulibarri (running the lines), Pattalock, Wilkening and Anderson. Not a bad turn out for one game in Reno.
The weather brought out the natives. The skies were clear and blue, and the air was cold but most importantly, the sun was shining. Perfect rugby weather. The playing surface was pretty good too. We played on one of the three new multi-purpose field turf pitches. Once we had removed a couple of patches of frozen snow, we got the game under way.
Reno played in the opposition half for most of the game. The first time they got across the try line, the winger ran over the dead-ball line, despite the Reno captain assuring me before the game that his players were familiar with the lines. They scored from the ensuing 22 drop out but didn’t convert. A few minutes later, the Reno full-back also ran the ball through the dead ball line, then they scored again and again and again.
One of the best first-half tries was a chip and chase form the half way line from the Reno fly-half. Colusa didn’t really compete in any area of the game. The scrums were under-powered, committed to rucks in ones and twos and had little to no possession to use in the backs. 38-0 at half-time.
Reno backed off a little in the second half and Colusa came back with three unconverted tries toward the end however, Reno scored five tries in the same half. Final score 67-15.
MARIN HIGHLANDERS 54 – Danville 0 Referee: John Coppinger
Marin were more organized, athletic, and adventurous on the day and ran away from Danville 54-0 on a cold, gray day on the turf at Redwood High in Corte Madera. There are a number of talented and committed rugby players on the Marin side.
JV: MARIN HIGHLANDERS 9 trys – Danville 0 Referee: Bruce Bernstein
Played a scrimmage of 3 periods with Marin dominating after a slow start in the first period.
Nice artificial grass field at Redwood HS in Larkspur with a chill/fog lingering.
Wednesday, December 29:
High School All-Americans – CANADA U17 Referee: Don Pattalock
ARs: Bruce Carter, Bill Caulfield (SoCal)
This was a mid-week scrimmage to help the coaching staffs decide on their top fifteens for the formal matchup two days later, with unlimited in-and-out substitutions.
The All-Americans had a lead early when a fellow in yellow shoes tip-toed down the touchline more than fifty meters despite three guys having a shot at him with no room to maneuver. This turns out to be Jesuit’s Matt Chipman, who scored four tries in the main match on New Year’s Eve.
December 31:
HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICANS 44 – Canada U17, 29 Referee: Joe Androvich
On New Year’s Eve morning, Canada U17s played USA U17s in Santa Barbara, California. The weather was clear and cold. The match was scheduled for 9am, but Canada arrived to the pitch at 8:55am in warm ups and sneakers, thinking the match was to kick at 9:30. It took some diplomacy to get the coaches to agree on national anthems at 9:10am, kick off at 9:15am.
Nonetheless, the game kicked off at 9:15am. It was FAST and well played. Not long ago, it felt like USA HSAA teams were comprised of a bunch of really good football players playing rugby in the offseason. Now, it is clear that this team is full of really good rugby players playing rugby. Athleticism is off the charts.
The pattern they played was a testament to the coaching. They had line out plays, scrum calls and clear systems in defense and attack.
In the end, USA won 44-29, with a whole bunch of tries scored by a J High winger which I was happy to see.
WINTER WONDERLAND
Don Goard checks in a fascinating link to a phenomenon that might draw you to Yosemite on a rugby day off. The magic of frazil ice:
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/24/frazil-ice-fascinati.html
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
The Training Committee of the Referee and Laws committee met in San Antonio this past weekend. That’s tough duty.
Left to right (foreground only): Harry Laws (Indiana), Jen Gray and Ed Todd of USA Rugby, Peter Watson (New England) and Sam Reagle (now Texas).
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
RUGBY BALLS ARE IN THE AIR
HAIL, PELICUS!
HAPPY NEW RUGBY YEAR
This season will ring in like the rest of them: with more referees needed.
Sunday, January 16:
A few more refs are needed for the Stanford Invitational. There will be games on two pitches from 9 until 4.
Saturday, January 22: Need 4-5 more refs
Saturday, January 29: Need 3-4 more refs
If you have not responded with your January availability, please do so.
And you might as well start thinking about February! We can fill in the availability spreadsheet in advance, anytime.
JANUARY SOCIETY MEETING
We will meet from 7-9 at the Golden Gate clubhouse on Treasure Island on Wednesday, January 12. Food will be available beginning at six. Plan to arrive early, eat, and talk rugby. If traffic intervenes, you won’t be late.
GAMES PLAYED
Saturday, December 18
MONTEREY BAY 49 – Paso Robles 7 Referee: Bruce Carter
Rain proved no deterrent for the new Paso Robles team, who drove a couple of hours up Highway 101 to play the Monterey Bay team in the week before Christmas.
Preston Park in the former Fort Ord hosted the match. Your writer recalls running by this park more than 25 years ago when the Army was kind enough to station him and his family at Fort Ord. In those days the local XV played on a couple of fields on the army base that have since gone to seed or been paved over.
Paso Robles is expecting Santa to bring their kit: upon seeing them in mostly-matching t-shirts, the referee was told, “We’ll be getting our jerseys next week!”
Despite the narrowness of the field, Monterey’s backs from touchline to touchline could find or make gaps, from whence came their nine tries.
Paso’s was the result of Richard Sowerby running about forty meters up the center of the pitch, dodging several would-be tacklers and stepping out of another’s grasp.
D3 is alive and well. The referee was invited, repeatedly, to join the lads in lifting a glass to share the sentiments of the season after the match. Alas, it was the night of the office Christmas Party, the same sentiments in a different setting.
But your writer being the boss, the folks at the office party could be made to listen to tales of the day’s rugby!
Santa Rosa 24 – EAST PALO ALTO RAZORBACKS 29 Referee: Tom Zanarini
Wet, damp cool breeze (aka: rugby weather!)
I was lucky enough to get a last minute assignment on Thursday for this match before rugby goes into holiday hibernation and I go back east to visit the families. EPA cited traffic issues due to weather for their late arrival, but sprung to life not needing much warmup. I asked the captain how much time they needed to get ready and the quick response was, "We're ready now." Uh, your team is still getting out of the cars, but ok.
The whistle blew a mere 35 minutes past one (see Bruce, not ALL games start at 1pm!) and we were on.
Tight contest but slippery fingers. Lots of rain induced knock-ons, including 2 EPA knocks in goal in each half. This was a good ole ruckfest, but I did have to put my sprint shoes on a few times. One unfortunate play left a Santa Rosa player on the pitch for 15+ minutes concussed and lacerated. Santa Rosa's finest were there quickly and hopefully the young back is recovering nicely. Luckily he already had a shaved head. Due to the late start and injury time the captains agreed to shorten the 2nd half to 30 min. to allow the B-side some playing time as well. Second half, same as the first. Players keeping the ball inside mostly. Santa Rosa had a nice push in the end, scoring at the buzzer. In fact, they scored at the buzzer of halftime as well. The scuttled 10 minutes could have produced a different result, but being preseason that doesn't really matter. Both teams performed very well and should have a great season in their divisions.
Santa Rosa is posting their videos on their website, password protected. If you get a chance to referee them this coming season, you'll have quick access to review your match. I've already worked out some positioning corrections.
Merry Christmas!
Seconds: Santa Rosa 15 – EAST PALO ALTO RAZORBACKS 19 Referee: Cary Bertolone
EPA arrived an hour late, so the times were pushed back. The second side game began at 3:15, getting quite dark by the end of the 80 minute game. It quickly became apparent that several players from EPA were new to the game and/or were very young. This resulted in some ridiculous rugby; wherein, EPA was trying to tackle the flyhalf from Rosa during a penalty kick, players playing it on the ground, over 7 penalties for not being back ten, twice having been found with 15 players on the field when there should have been 14 and the EPA scrumhalf not knowing anything about his job while on defense. I believed, at the time, that they were innocent mistakes and didn't take the coach to task as it was a second side, preseason game. These mistakes caused an almost-ruckus, early on. I called a time out and brought the entire EPA team together for a summary of the game and the fact that no tolerance will be given for foul play. That is when I saw how young and inexperienced some of them were. I then communicated this info to Rosa and I became much more verbal, trying to keep EPA from making so many mistakes.
For all of that, EPA was very tough in every way. Rosa took the early lead and were ahead until the second half, when EPA scored two more tries to win 19-15. For all of the mud that was flying, it was a lively second half and both teams played enthusiastically and it was probably a lot of fun to watch. Actually, I was able to watch a tape of the match and it was a good match to watch!!
SFGG 55 – Marin 10 Referee: Tony Levitan
The pre-season friendly was held in a modest weather break in the heavy rains of the week, offering just enough of an opening for the powers-that-be at SFGG to sanction a run on their terrific pitch and finishing immediately in front of another, well, front, that dropped another deluge on Treasure Island. Overall, it was a good spirited run by both squads.
The heavy-going pitch didn't slow down SFGG much in a match that featured 10 tries, including a number of long collaborative efforts by SFGG. The set play was well-behaved save a scrum or two marred by early engagement, the loose play a wee bit messy thanks to the conditions and early-season honing of this season's approach to the tackle and rucks (by both the players and the ref). Overall, SFGG was the more assertive, more directed side -- especially once a few seriously-impressive RSL players made cameos in the 2nd half (though the SFGG Coach did limit them to 2 on the pitch at any given time). Marin offered a slew of inspiring moments in attack but often lost out to either SFGG aggression or numbers after multiple probes of the SFGG defense. Nonetheless, Marin's effort was stout till the final whistle.
We did have a yellow card to each side, one for two consecutive high tackles by a Marin player, and SFGG's for an unabashed attempt to collapse a maul. The post-match gathering was yellow/red card-free ...
LEVEL ONE REFEREE COURSE IN SACRAMENTO JANUARY 9
The basic rugby referee course will be offered in Sacramento on Sunday, January 9.
Any coach of a college team who attends with one or two players from that team will have their course fees reimbursed at the meeting, courtesy of a friendly donor.
The lead instructor will be Matt Eason: Matthew@capcitylaw.com Let him know if you plan to attend. On-line registration is available.
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Don Pattalock works the scrum at the Try For Others tournament in Sacramento on December 11, as the Olympic Club puts in against the Sacramento Capitals.
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
HAPPY NEW RUGBY YEAR
This season will ring in like the rest of them: with more referees needed.
Sunday, January 16:
A few more refs are needed for the Stanford Invitational. There will be games on two pitches from 9 until 4.
Saturday, January 22: Need 4-5 more refs
Saturday, January 29: Need 3-4 more refs
If you have not responded with your January availability, please do so.
And you might as well start thinking about February! We can fill in the availability spreadsheet in advance, anytime.
JANUARY SOCIETY MEETING
We will meet from 7-9 at the Golden Gate clubhouse on Treasure Island on Wednesday, January 12. Food will be available beginning at six. Plan to arrive early, eat, and talk rugby. If traffic intervenes, you won’t be late.
GAMES PLAYED
Saturday, December 18
MONTEREY BAY 49 – Paso Robles 7 Referee: Bruce Carter
Rain proved no deterrent for the new Paso Robles team, who drove a couple of hours up Highway 101 to play the Monterey Bay team in the week before Christmas.
Preston Park in the former Fort Ord hosted the match. Your writer recalls running by this park more than 25 years ago when the Army was kind enough to station him and his family at Fort Ord. In those days the local XV played on a couple of fields on the army base that have since gone to seed or been paved over.
Paso Robles is expecting Santa to bring their kit: upon seeing them in mostly-matching t-shirts, the referee was told, “We’ll be getting our jerseys next week!”
Despite the narrowness of the field, Monterey’s backs from touchline to touchline could find or make gaps, from whence came their nine tries.
Paso’s was the result of Richard Sowerby running about forty meters up the center of the pitch, dodging several would-be tacklers and stepping out of another’s grasp.
D3 is alive and well. The referee was invited, repeatedly, to join the lads in lifting a glass to share the sentiments of the season after the match. Alas, it was the night of the office Christmas Party, the same sentiments in a different setting.
But your writer being the boss, the folks at the office party could be made to listen to tales of the day’s rugby!
Santa Rosa 24 – EAST PALO ALTO RAZORBACKS 29 Referee: Tom Zanarini
Wet, damp cool breeze (aka: rugby weather!)
I was lucky enough to get a last minute assignment on Thursday for this match before rugby goes into holiday hibernation and I go back east to visit the families. EPA cited traffic issues due to weather for their late arrival, but sprung to life not needing much warmup. I asked the captain how much time they needed to get ready and the quick response was, "We're ready now." Uh, your team is still getting out of the cars, but ok.
The whistle blew a mere 35 minutes past one (see Bruce, not ALL games start at 1pm!) and we were on.
Tight contest but slippery fingers. Lots of rain induced knock-ons, including 2 EPA knocks in goal in each half. This was a good ole ruckfest, but I did have to put my sprint shoes on a few times. One unfortunate play left a Santa Rosa player on the pitch for 15+ minutes concussed and lacerated. Santa Rosa's finest were there quickly and hopefully the young back is recovering nicely. Luckily he already had a shaved head. Due to the late start and injury time the captains agreed to shorten the 2nd half to 30 min. to allow the B-side some playing time as well. Second half, same as the first. Players keeping the ball inside mostly. Santa Rosa had a nice push in the end, scoring at the buzzer. In fact, they scored at the buzzer of halftime as well. The scuttled 10 minutes could have produced a different result, but being preseason that doesn't really matter. Both teams performed very well and should have a great season in their divisions.
Santa Rosa is posting their videos on their website, password protected. If you get a chance to referee them this coming season, you'll have quick access to review your match. I've already worked out some positioning corrections.
Merry Christmas!
Seconds: Santa Rosa 15 – EAST PALO ALTO RAZORBACKS 19 Referee: Cary Bertolone
EPA arrived an hour late, so the times were pushed back. The second side game began at 3:15, getting quite dark by the end of the 80 minute game. It quickly became apparent that several players from EPA were new to the game and/or were very young. This resulted in some ridiculous rugby; wherein, EPA was trying to tackle the flyhalf from Rosa during a penalty kick, players playing it on the ground, over 7 penalties for not being back ten, twice having been found with 15 players on the field when there should have been 14 and the EPA scrumhalf not knowing anything about his job while on defense. I believed, at the time, that they were innocent mistakes and didn't take the coach to task as it was a second side, preseason game. These mistakes caused an almost-ruckus, early on. I called a time out and brought the entire EPA team together for a summary of the game and the fact that no tolerance will be given for foul play. That is when I saw how young and inexperienced some of them were. I then communicated this info to Rosa and I became much more verbal, trying to keep EPA from making so many mistakes.
For all of that, EPA was very tough in every way. Rosa took the early lead and were ahead until the second half, when EPA scored two more tries to win 19-15. For all of the mud that was flying, it was a lively second half and both teams played enthusiastically and it was probably a lot of fun to watch. Actually, I was able to watch a tape of the match and it was a good match to watch!!
SFGG 55 – Marin 10 Referee: Tony Levitan
The pre-season friendly was held in a modest weather break in the heavy rains of the week, offering just enough of an opening for the powers-that-be at SFGG to sanction a run on their terrific pitch and finishing immediately in front of another, well, front, that dropped another deluge on Treasure Island. Overall, it was a good spirited run by both squads.
The heavy-going pitch didn't slow down SFGG much in a match that featured 10 tries, including a number of long collaborative efforts by SFGG. The set play was well-behaved save a scrum or two marred by early engagement, the loose play a wee bit messy thanks to the conditions and early-season honing of this season's approach to the tackle and rucks (by both the players and the ref). Overall, SFGG was the more assertive, more directed side -- especially once a few seriously-impressive RSL players made cameos in the 2nd half (though the SFGG Coach did limit them to 2 on the pitch at any given time). Marin offered a slew of inspiring moments in attack but often lost out to either SFGG aggression or numbers after multiple probes of the SFGG defense. Nonetheless, Marin's effort was stout till the final whistle.
We did have a yellow card to each side, one for two consecutive high tackles by a Marin player, and SFGG's for an unabashed attempt to collapse a maul. The post-match gathering was yellow/red card-free ...
LEVEL ONE REFEREE COURSE IN SACRAMENTO JANUARY 9
The basic rugby referee course will be offered in Sacramento on Sunday, January 9.
Any coach of a college team who attends with one or two players from that team will have their course fees reimbursed at the meeting, courtesy of a friendly donor.
The lead instructor will be Matt Eason: Matthew@capcitylaw.com Let him know if you plan to attend. On-line registration is available.
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Don Pattalock works the scrum at the Try For Others tournament in Sacramento on December 11, as the Olympic Club puts in against the Sacramento Capitals.
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
T PANEL TIDINGS
HAIL, PELICUS!
PROMOTIONS
Phil Akroyd has been promoted to the Pacific Coast’s Territorial Panel.
Rich Boyer has been promoted to L2.
Stephanie Bruce, Bruce Ricard and Jen Tetler have been promoted to L3.
Congratulations to these referees on receipt of their early Christmas presents.
AVAILABILITY IN THE NEW YEAR
IF YOU WANT TO REFEREE, reply with your availability.
‘Travel’ means more than 90 miles or so each way. Be aware that this only works if everyone is willing to travel at least 2 or 3 times per season: we have a lot of ‘outlying’ teams.
If there is a particular weekend you’d like to plan a trip to Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Reno, Fresno or the Central Coast of Arroyo Grande/Paso Robles, we can plan that right now for any time between now and the end of March. There are some definite romantic weekends at a B&B or hiking/skiing trips that could be arranged. Let’s parley.
Please cut, fill in the blanks, and return to sender:
DATE AVAILABLE Y/N? ABLE TO TRAVEL?
Jan 8
Jan 15
Jan 22
Jan 29
DECEMBER RUGBY
TRY FOR OTHERS PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT
Old-Boys Warm-Up:
SOBS 40 – NOBS 15 Referee: Chris Tucker
Helping from the sidelines: Mark Godfrey, Hannah Wilkening
Helping from in between the sidelines: Eason, Wilkening Sr., Boyer Sr., everyone else
Old boys rugger on a wet and slippery pitch in Sacramento was always going to be entertaining. Having had my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday it hurt to blow the whistle, so management and a blind eye was the name of the game. It worked out quite nicely as we went: make sure the ball comes out, that everyone is safe and that the offside line is at least approximately observed. Minor knock-ons? Nah. Hands in? If it helps recycle, sure. Played evenly, nobody seemed to mind.
Sac was a little light on numbers, so they recruited a couple of youth players to help out. After they scored two tries, they were banned from scoring again. Two scrums were awarded for flagrant breach of said law. The next time one got in he deliberately knocked it on -- good awareness.
One note is a little bit of rugby karma. There were only two dangerous tackles, both by the same chap. I had a stern word after the first shoulder charge. 30 seconds later he does it again -- advantage allowed a try to score, and when I looked up to kick the guy out, he was walking off the field with a dislocated shoulder. I told him it was dangerous.
All smiles at the end, and then onto the main tourney...
Present: Don Pattalock, Cary Bertolone, George O'Neil, Phil Akroyd, Rich Boyer; also seen ARing: Chris Tucker, Joe Androvich
Scores from the round-robin:
SAC CAPS 19 – O Club 7 Ref: Pattalock
SF/GOLDEN GATE 31 – Chico 0 Ref: Bertolone
DIABLO GAELS 17 – O Club 7 Ref: O’Neil
DIABLO GAELS 24 – Sac 0 Ref: Akroyd
SFGG 22 – Diablo Gaels 19 Ref: Pattalock
Note: referee definitely outside the 22 when awarding one try...
O CLUB 7 – Chico 5 Ref: Akroyd
Report by Rich Boyer:
What a great day for rugby! Despite no sun the day was relatively warm.
Because of the rain the pitches, however, turned to pea soup later in the day with nary a green blade of grass to be found. Nonetheless, it was a great turnout by the teams and supporters.
SAC CAPS 12 – Chico Mighty Oaks 5 Referee: Rich Boyer
This was a very spirited game with a number of new players representing Sacramento. Good rucking and some good back interchange play, although the pitch conditions prevented it from becoming a true running match. Sac Mens’ scrumhalf/flyhalf connection worked well. Chico’s flyhalf and the big inside center and big 8 dominated play for Chico.
This was a great match in that on the close calls made by this referee against Chico, whenever a Chico player would protest, the captain and 8 man would inform the protesting player that indeed the proper call had been made. It’s nice to have player validation :o)
Credit Sac’s fullback for a nice line break, against the grain, in for the winning try.
DIABLO GAELS 5 – Sac Caps 0 Ref: Boyer
Sac again played a number of new players, some who are literally in their first season of rugby. The pitch really bogged down the play, so Diablo turned towards rolling mauls, which resulted in the only score when the Kiwi openside mauled in from 10 meters. Diablo impressed, with two standout locks, a hard charging prop, and a good back line led by their flyhalf. Sacramento played stout defense and had some good back play, but could not get past the Diablo defense.
11:30AM: Sac Caps Academy – SFGG Academy
Not sure what happened with this one…
OTHER GAMES
Fresno Over-30 – FRESNO UNDER-30 Referee: Dan Wilson
Yes, the unders won by 2 tries. They started strong with a quick try, but the overs got back into the game by playing the team game.
Maritime Academy 5 – ALUMNI 32 Referee: John Coppinger
It was a sunny winter day until a thick fog moved across the pitch just after kickoff; however, the pitch was a muddy bog from the rain earlier in the week.
Alumni were competent and experienced across the side and were paced by strong players at 8 and 13 which allowed them to handle a fitter, but inexperienced, student side.
Paso Robles – ARROYO GRANDE Referee: Mike King
On a bright, sunny afternoon, first year club Paso Robles dedicated its home pitch with its inaugural match against nearby Arroyo Grande.
The visitors may very well be a force to be reckoned with in league play. They already looked sharp and fit, taking early advantage of the new kids on the block. While the entire side played with intensity and skill, in particular, #7 was a presence on offense and defense in the middle, and #10 provided pace in the backs so that they could overlap their counterparts.
Paso Robles has some experienced players, but mainly is comprised of novices to this game. Their early inability to cover the field, led to an onslaught of tries by Arroyo Grande. Progress was made though, and better defense on the perimeter began to materialize. The enthusiasm of Paso Robles did not wane, as they clawed back to score 2 times themselves. Good athleticism was showed by both sides. All who played seemed to enjoy the run to get a taste of what is ahead. The event was followed by a BBQ at field side, so everyone also got the spirit of the post-game celebration.
SANTA ROSA 61 – Vacaville 22 Referee: Tony Levitan
Referee Coach: Dixon Smith
65 and sunny at the full-size-for-rugby, For Pete's Sake pitch in Santa Rosa, the game produced 15 tries on a track that was a bit soggy from the previous night's rain ... We can only imagine what might have happened on a fast track ... And this with the ref coming off a calf injury and looking forward to a plodding forward-oriented match :-).
The opening match for both sides saw loads of running rugby from both teams, with Santa Rosa managing their ball a bit more protectively and productively than Vacaville. Set pieces were minimal, fairly contested and successful for whichever team was putting or throwing in. The players adapted well, mostly, to the new laws, and were intent on playing clean, fast-paced rugby.
For Santa Rosa, their left wing (#11) and mildly-mouthy lock (#5) each scored a hat-trick of tries, while Vacaville's seriously speedy right wing (#19 in this match) yielded a pair of tries -- including one off an Advantage call (which secretly delighted the ref) -- from a host of long, creative runs. For some reason, neither team's try scorers felt compelled to position the ball more favorably for their kickers, so we only saw 4 conversions all day (3 for Santa Rosa).
Dixon was enormously helpful to the ref on a number of points, providing feedback both at halftime and post-game. This returning referee would like to officially pronounce referee coaches a wonderful gift to the NorCal rugby community in general, and his game specifically. And he's not sure why he's writing in the 3rd person...
[Editor’s Note: This editor’s third person understands.]
Santa Rosa 2 – Mendocino Referee: Sean Peters
No report received
Round-robin: Berkeley, Monterey Bay, Haas Biz School
Report by Bryant Byrnes:
Berkeley RC hosted Monterey and Cal's Hass School of Business to a round robin at its home field. Eric Rauscher and I were the blooded Society refs with new Society members Patrick Loo and Jeffrey Ferguson giving it a go. As things sorted themselves out the eight games became five, all spirited, all fun. It was also an excellent opportunity for new players to get a real game in.
The teams very quickly became motleys and so everyone won some and lost some.
Quote from an unnamed ref in response to some post-game squawking about something or another: "Listen, I didn't give you a quarter of the [expletive] penalties I could have". Truth is an absolute defense.
Quote from a flanker with a French accent on getting a penalty for offside at a scrum, having twice unbound and advancing before the ball was out: "But it was not material!" Twice? Overruled.
BERKELEY A 19 – Monterey Bay 7 Referee: Eric Rauscher
TJs: Supplied by team
Tom Bates field, Berkeley
Overcast, a bit chill. A round-robin of three teams ( the other being Haas Business )
This game was closer than the score. Both teams played well for a pre-season game. The game was 40 min played straight through.
There was an injury about 15 min in. Both teams stopped playing without a whistle. It turned out to be a broken or badly sprained ankle.
We restarted play to the attacking team with a scrum where play stopped. There was also an instance of a Monterey Bay player making a valiant effort close to goal, forcing his way through defenders to dot the ball down about six inches over the white line. I awarded the try. Unfortunately the goal line is the blue one, about six inches further. The Berkeley players groused a bit, but accepted the call in a sportsman-like fashion. It is a common mistake on fields marked for more than one type of game.
Berkeley B 7 – MONTEREY BAY 21
It should be noted that the A and B is not a tier, just two different teams. Once again 40 min played straight through. .For the Monterey team this was like the second half, so the combined score would be Berkeley 26/ Monterey Bay 28, a score that indicates the closeness of the play. Once again we had strings of multiple phases with play all over the field.
All in all it was a very enjoyable day of refereeing two teams that played well.
Colusa – Reno Academy CANCELED Referee: Jackie Finck
Reno canceled, so Colusa scrimmaged themselves.
I've never been to a rugby game where the entire pitch is surrounded by muddy pickup trucks, most of them with ATVs in the back! This was my first sign I was in for a good day.
It turned out to be a bittersweet day for the Colusa Men's Rugby team; first home game of the season after a long absence (years) in the town, first/second match ever for most of the team, roughly half the town shows up on the sidelines, but where's the visiting team? Someone checked their overdue voicemail message and it was Reno saying they would be unable to attend Saturday's match.
Nonetheless, Colusa had enough guys to field two sides, so I offered to ref a scrimmage. We played 20-minute halves. Although most of these guys were brand new, I was REALLY impressed with how well they played. The veterans were evenly spread out, constantly communicating with the entire team. And although their scrums were stable and safe, they didn't have the stamina or impact power an experienced team would have. Only a matter of time before the scrum gets "rugbyfied"...this team is made of some big farm boys with All-American football players. Due to the football factor, their backline plays were fast, and the most illusive I have seen this season...they just have to practice keeping hold of that ball.
After the match, I was eager to listen to the interesting history to this rugby team; originally started in 1972. The guys were very hospitable, and we shared laughs at the moment when one of the players pushed me out of the way during the match, which knocked me to the ground (I got in the way of play), and I dove across mud, getting my entire front muddy...and not just mud, but it was farm mud, the kind that smells of farm. Whomever ref's these guys will enjoy their time in Colusa.
LIVING THE LIFE
Tom Zanarini sent this along last week:
“Thought you might like to see this... Note the TMO.
“12 February 2011
England vs Italy at Twickenham, London
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Peter Allan (Scotland)
Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland)
“13 March 2011
England vs Scotland at Twickenham, London
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garces (France), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland)”
But speak of the Devil and he appears: Tony then checked in with a link to his blog about how the duties of the TMO expand when the weather worsens:
http://thoughtsofanidlemind.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/travel-challenges/
LEVEL ONE REFEREE COURSE IN SACRAMENTO JANUARY 9
The basic rugby referee course will be offered in Sacramento on Sunday, January 9.
Any coach of a college team who attends with one or two players from that team will have their course fees reimbursed at the meeting, courtesy of a friendly donor.
The lead instructor will be Matt Eason: Matthew@capcitylaw.com Let him know if you plan to attend. On-line registration is not yet available (as of December 8).
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Lois Bukowski, Eugene Baker and Dave Newport in front of the new bar in the SF/Golden Gate clubhouse at the recent NCRRS meeting.
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
PROMOTIONS
Phil Akroyd has been promoted to the Pacific Coast’s Territorial Panel.
Rich Boyer has been promoted to L2.
Stephanie Bruce, Bruce Ricard and Jen Tetler have been promoted to L3.
Congratulations to these referees on receipt of their early Christmas presents.
AVAILABILITY IN THE NEW YEAR
IF YOU WANT TO REFEREE, reply with your availability.
‘Travel’ means more than 90 miles or so each way. Be aware that this only works if everyone is willing to travel at least 2 or 3 times per season: we have a lot of ‘outlying’ teams.
If there is a particular weekend you’d like to plan a trip to Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Reno, Fresno or the Central Coast of Arroyo Grande/Paso Robles, we can plan that right now for any time between now and the end of March. There are some definite romantic weekends at a B&B or hiking/skiing trips that could be arranged. Let’s parley.
Please cut, fill in the blanks, and return to sender:
DATE AVAILABLE Y/N? ABLE TO TRAVEL?
Jan 8
Jan 15
Jan 22
Jan 29
DECEMBER RUGBY
TRY FOR OTHERS PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENT
Old-Boys Warm-Up:
SOBS 40 – NOBS 15 Referee: Chris Tucker
Helping from the sidelines: Mark Godfrey, Hannah Wilkening
Helping from in between the sidelines: Eason, Wilkening Sr., Boyer Sr., everyone else
Old boys rugger on a wet and slippery pitch in Sacramento was always going to be entertaining. Having had my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday it hurt to blow the whistle, so management and a blind eye was the name of the game. It worked out quite nicely as we went: make sure the ball comes out, that everyone is safe and that the offside line is at least approximately observed. Minor knock-ons? Nah. Hands in? If it helps recycle, sure. Played evenly, nobody seemed to mind.
Sac was a little light on numbers, so they recruited a couple of youth players to help out. After they scored two tries, they were banned from scoring again. Two scrums were awarded for flagrant breach of said law. The next time one got in he deliberately knocked it on -- good awareness.
One note is a little bit of rugby karma. There were only two dangerous tackles, both by the same chap. I had a stern word after the first shoulder charge. 30 seconds later he does it again -- advantage allowed a try to score, and when I looked up to kick the guy out, he was walking off the field with a dislocated shoulder. I told him it was dangerous.
All smiles at the end, and then onto the main tourney...
Present: Don Pattalock, Cary Bertolone, George O'Neil, Phil Akroyd, Rich Boyer; also seen ARing: Chris Tucker, Joe Androvich
Scores from the round-robin:
SAC CAPS 19 – O Club 7 Ref: Pattalock
SF/GOLDEN GATE 31 – Chico 0 Ref: Bertolone
DIABLO GAELS 17 – O Club 7 Ref: O’Neil
DIABLO GAELS 24 – Sac 0 Ref: Akroyd
SFGG 22 – Diablo Gaels 19 Ref: Pattalock
Note: referee definitely outside the 22 when awarding one try...
O CLUB 7 – Chico 5 Ref: Akroyd
Report by Rich Boyer:
What a great day for rugby! Despite no sun the day was relatively warm.
Because of the rain the pitches, however, turned to pea soup later in the day with nary a green blade of grass to be found. Nonetheless, it was a great turnout by the teams and supporters.
SAC CAPS 12 – Chico Mighty Oaks 5 Referee: Rich Boyer
This was a very spirited game with a number of new players representing Sacramento. Good rucking and some good back interchange play, although the pitch conditions prevented it from becoming a true running match. Sac Mens’ scrumhalf/flyhalf connection worked well. Chico’s flyhalf and the big inside center and big 8 dominated play for Chico.
This was a great match in that on the close calls made by this referee against Chico, whenever a Chico player would protest, the captain and 8 man would inform the protesting player that indeed the proper call had been made. It’s nice to have player validation :o)
Credit Sac’s fullback for a nice line break, against the grain, in for the winning try.
DIABLO GAELS 5 – Sac Caps 0 Ref: Boyer
Sac again played a number of new players, some who are literally in their first season of rugby. The pitch really bogged down the play, so Diablo turned towards rolling mauls, which resulted in the only score when the Kiwi openside mauled in from 10 meters. Diablo impressed, with two standout locks, a hard charging prop, and a good back line led by their flyhalf. Sacramento played stout defense and had some good back play, but could not get past the Diablo defense.
11:30AM: Sac Caps Academy – SFGG Academy
Not sure what happened with this one…
OTHER GAMES
Fresno Over-30 – FRESNO UNDER-30 Referee: Dan Wilson
Yes, the unders won by 2 tries. They started strong with a quick try, but the overs got back into the game by playing the team game.
Maritime Academy 5 – ALUMNI 32 Referee: John Coppinger
It was a sunny winter day until a thick fog moved across the pitch just after kickoff; however, the pitch was a muddy bog from the rain earlier in the week.
Alumni were competent and experienced across the side and were paced by strong players at 8 and 13 which allowed them to handle a fitter, but inexperienced, student side.
Paso Robles – ARROYO GRANDE Referee: Mike King
On a bright, sunny afternoon, first year club Paso Robles dedicated its home pitch with its inaugural match against nearby Arroyo Grande.
The visitors may very well be a force to be reckoned with in league play. They already looked sharp and fit, taking early advantage of the new kids on the block. While the entire side played with intensity and skill, in particular, #7 was a presence on offense and defense in the middle, and #10 provided pace in the backs so that they could overlap their counterparts.
Paso Robles has some experienced players, but mainly is comprised of novices to this game. Their early inability to cover the field, led to an onslaught of tries by Arroyo Grande. Progress was made though, and better defense on the perimeter began to materialize. The enthusiasm of Paso Robles did not wane, as they clawed back to score 2 times themselves. Good athleticism was showed by both sides. All who played seemed to enjoy the run to get a taste of what is ahead. The event was followed by a BBQ at field side, so everyone also got the spirit of the post-game celebration.
SANTA ROSA 61 – Vacaville 22 Referee: Tony Levitan
Referee Coach: Dixon Smith
65 and sunny at the full-size-for-rugby, For Pete's Sake pitch in Santa Rosa, the game produced 15 tries on a track that was a bit soggy from the previous night's rain ... We can only imagine what might have happened on a fast track ... And this with the ref coming off a calf injury and looking forward to a plodding forward-oriented match :-).
The opening match for both sides saw loads of running rugby from both teams, with Santa Rosa managing their ball a bit more protectively and productively than Vacaville. Set pieces were minimal, fairly contested and successful for whichever team was putting or throwing in. The players adapted well, mostly, to the new laws, and were intent on playing clean, fast-paced rugby.
For Santa Rosa, their left wing (#11) and mildly-mouthy lock (#5) each scored a hat-trick of tries, while Vacaville's seriously speedy right wing (#19 in this match) yielded a pair of tries -- including one off an Advantage call (which secretly delighted the ref) -- from a host of long, creative runs. For some reason, neither team's try scorers felt compelled to position the ball more favorably for their kickers, so we only saw 4 conversions all day (3 for Santa Rosa).
Dixon was enormously helpful to the ref on a number of points, providing feedback both at halftime and post-game. This returning referee would like to officially pronounce referee coaches a wonderful gift to the NorCal rugby community in general, and his game specifically. And he's not sure why he's writing in the 3rd person...
[Editor’s Note: This editor’s third person understands.]
Santa Rosa 2 – Mendocino Referee: Sean Peters
No report received
Round-robin: Berkeley, Monterey Bay, Haas Biz School
Report by Bryant Byrnes:
Berkeley RC hosted Monterey and Cal's Hass School of Business to a round robin at its home field. Eric Rauscher and I were the blooded Society refs with new Society members Patrick Loo and Jeffrey Ferguson giving it a go. As things sorted themselves out the eight games became five, all spirited, all fun. It was also an excellent opportunity for new players to get a real game in.
The teams very quickly became motleys and so everyone won some and lost some.
Quote from an unnamed ref in response to some post-game squawking about something or another: "Listen, I didn't give you a quarter of the [expletive] penalties I could have". Truth is an absolute defense.
Quote from a flanker with a French accent on getting a penalty for offside at a scrum, having twice unbound and advancing before the ball was out: "But it was not material!" Twice? Overruled.
BERKELEY A 19 – Monterey Bay 7 Referee: Eric Rauscher
TJs: Supplied by team
Tom Bates field, Berkeley
Overcast, a bit chill. A round-robin of three teams ( the other being Haas Business )
This game was closer than the score. Both teams played well for a pre-season game. The game was 40 min played straight through.
There was an injury about 15 min in. Both teams stopped playing without a whistle. It turned out to be a broken or badly sprained ankle.
We restarted play to the attacking team with a scrum where play stopped. There was also an instance of a Monterey Bay player making a valiant effort close to goal, forcing his way through defenders to dot the ball down about six inches over the white line. I awarded the try. Unfortunately the goal line is the blue one, about six inches further. The Berkeley players groused a bit, but accepted the call in a sportsman-like fashion. It is a common mistake on fields marked for more than one type of game.
Berkeley B 7 – MONTEREY BAY 21
It should be noted that the A and B is not a tier, just two different teams. Once again 40 min played straight through. .For the Monterey team this was like the second half, so the combined score would be Berkeley 26/ Monterey Bay 28, a score that indicates the closeness of the play. Once again we had strings of multiple phases with play all over the field.
All in all it was a very enjoyable day of refereeing two teams that played well.
Colusa – Reno Academy CANCELED Referee: Jackie Finck
Reno canceled, so Colusa scrimmaged themselves.
I've never been to a rugby game where the entire pitch is surrounded by muddy pickup trucks, most of them with ATVs in the back! This was my first sign I was in for a good day.
It turned out to be a bittersweet day for the Colusa Men's Rugby team; first home game of the season after a long absence (years) in the town, first/second match ever for most of the team, roughly half the town shows up on the sidelines, but where's the visiting team? Someone checked their overdue voicemail message and it was Reno saying they would be unable to attend Saturday's match.
Nonetheless, Colusa had enough guys to field two sides, so I offered to ref a scrimmage. We played 20-minute halves. Although most of these guys were brand new, I was REALLY impressed with how well they played. The veterans were evenly spread out, constantly communicating with the entire team. And although their scrums were stable and safe, they didn't have the stamina or impact power an experienced team would have. Only a matter of time before the scrum gets "rugbyfied"...this team is made of some big farm boys with All-American football players. Due to the football factor, their backline plays were fast, and the most illusive I have seen this season...they just have to practice keeping hold of that ball.
After the match, I was eager to listen to the interesting history to this rugby team; originally started in 1972. The guys were very hospitable, and we shared laughs at the moment when one of the players pushed me out of the way during the match, which knocked me to the ground (I got in the way of play), and I dove across mud, getting my entire front muddy...and not just mud, but it was farm mud, the kind that smells of farm. Whomever ref's these guys will enjoy their time in Colusa.
LIVING THE LIFE
Tom Zanarini sent this along last week:
“Thought you might like to see this... Note the TMO.
“12 February 2011
England vs Italy at Twickenham, London
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Peter Allan (Scotland)
Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland)
“13 March 2011
England vs Scotland at Twickenham, London
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garces (France), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland)”
But speak of the Devil and he appears: Tony then checked in with a link to his blog about how the duties of the TMO expand when the weather worsens:
http://thoughtsofanidlemind.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/travel-challenges/
LEVEL ONE REFEREE COURSE IN SACRAMENTO JANUARY 9
The basic rugby referee course will be offered in Sacramento on Sunday, January 9.
Any coach of a college team who attends with one or two players from that team will have their course fees reimbursed at the meeting, courtesy of a friendly donor.
The lead instructor will be Matt Eason: Matthew@capcitylaw.com Let him know if you plan to attend. On-line registration is not yet available (as of December 8).
THIS WEEK’S PHOTO
Lois Bukowski, Eugene Baker and Dave Newport in front of the new bar in the SF/Golden Gate clubhouse at the recent NCRRS meeting.
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
Thursday, December 09, 2010
HOW MANY NEW TEAMS?
HAIL, PELICUS!
SOCIETY MEETING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, ON TREASURE ISLAND
The Pelican Refs will be meeting in the Golden Gate clubhouse from 7 to 9 PM. Food will be available starting at 6, so plan to arrive early. You can eat and talk rugby if traffic is light, and you won’t be late if it’s not.
WANNA RUN TOUCH?
The USA High School All Americans will be playing Canada U-17 two games in Santa Barbara, on Wednesday, December 29 at 3 PM and Friday, December 31, at 9 AM.
SoCal is putting out a call for ARs but so are we, in case they don’t get volunteers to cover these work-day games.
Your scribe will be one of the ARs for the Wednesday game. Don Pattalock and Joe Androvich have been appointed to ref the two games.
NINE NEW CLUB AND COLLEGE TEAMS. HOW MANY NEW REFS?
NorCal rugby is growing. There are going to be 25 youth clubs in the Bay Area alone (this number doesn’t include the Sac Valley, which has been the pioneer here). Each of these will have multiple sides beginning as young as Under-6 up to U-14.
At the opposite end, club and college rugby features a number of new teams as well.
Men’s club:
SL: One. SFGG played in the league final each of the last two years.
D1: Seven teams, Reno Zephyrs having dropped down and East Palo Alto Bulldogs as a new entrant. Five of these teams have scheduled matches with SF/Golden Gate prior to the start of the SL season.
D2: Ten teams, playing a round-robin. Same teams as last year less Vallejo and Arroyo Grande.
D3: Sixteen teams, divided into North and South conferences of eight teams each.
There would be seventeen except that Monterey organized too late to be put into the schedule. They will be combining with Aptos as Monterey Bay for the season.
New teams include: South Valley (Morgan Hill), Paso Robles, Colusa, Reno Academy, and Samoa United. The Reno Zephyrs, Vallejo and AG have dropped down to D3.
Men’s college:
CPL: Three. California, St. Mary’s and UC Davis will compete in the inaugural season of the new premier division.
D1: Four. Santa Clara will move up from D2 to compete with Chico State, Sac State and Stanford.
D2: Eleven teams divided into two conferences.
Women’s College:
D1: Six teams, with UC Santa Cruz having moved up from D2. Chico State is new. Nevada has dropped down.
D2: Four. St. Mary’s and USF have vanished. The SF Bats are new. Perhaps they represent SF State?
GAMES
Tuesday, November 30
STANFORD women 60 – California 0 Referee: Pete Smith
This game was a bit one sided on the scoreboard at 60-0. However, if you were watching the game on TV and were just glancing at the set from time to time and didn’t see the score, you would think that the team with 0 was winning. They dominated possession and position, but time and time again, Stanford would get the turnover they needed and would run back, typically all the way, for a try. The majority of Stanford’s tries were scored from over halfway. Cal would have long periods of sustained pressure only to have Stanford counter punch with a length-of-the-field haymaker. Stanford ran one out from 15M deep in their own try zone, made it to the 22, won the ruck, took off again, next tackle at the Cal 10M line and then in for the try from there. Emilia from Stanford had the play of the game as she took off from the shadow of her own goalpost, chipped the ball over the defense, grubbed the bounce past the full back, picked the ball up about their own 10M line, passed it out to the wing who was caught from behind, but Emilia was in support to catch the return pass and as she was being tackled off loaded to the try scorer-WOW!!!! Note that Cal was there the length of the field to make tackles; Stanford was just too good in support and keeping the ball alive. Stanford has some good forwards (particularly the loose forwards) and they are still learning to work together as a unit up front, but as usual the strength of Stanford is their backs. They BELIEVE that they can score from anywhere on the field. Cal needs to learn how to finish and they will be a strong team this year.
FRIDAY
MARITIME ACADEMY 25 – UC Davis 20 Referee: Paul Bretz
AR: Bruce Bernstein
Seconds: Maritime Academy 12 – UC DAVIS 20 Referee: Bruce Bernstein
Saw two very competitive well coached matches Friday night at CMA in Vallejo. Was slightly less cold & windy & muddy reffing the seconds after ARing the firsts. Both games could have went easily went either way & the highlights in my match were: CMA's flyhalf caught & distributed some great ball that was all over & he never knocked on; CMA's 2nd row & lankiest player on the pitch scored 2 really nice tries by extending his long arms juts across the try line; UC Davis flyhalf had a slithering run for a great try; & after the match heard a comment form one of the losers: “That was an entertaining game.”
SATURDAY
PAT VINCENT FIELD DAY
St. Mary’s hosted four matches with their large squad of players. The Gaels’ packs were stronger than their opponents’ in all four matches, a remarkable depth of front-row not normally seen at any level.
ST. MARY’S 4, 37 – San Francisco State 5 Referee: John Pohlman
This Saturday took me to the St. Mary's rugby experience. I call the day this in tribute to the rugby program they have built.
I arrived around 9:00am for a 10:00AM kickoff. I was scheduled to do St. Mary's fourth side against SFSU. That is correct St. Mary's is fielding four sides.
The weather was low 50's a couple of sprinkles throughout the game. But all and all very good rugby conditions.
St. Mary's had good size and some faces I recognized from high school programs. They obviously had plenty of players.
Coach Dean has SFSU on the upswing. They had some injuries to their back-line. The captain and #10 was out. This hurt their organization and go forward. Eventually St. Mary's needed to give a player to SFSU.
The game was pretty one-sided. The St. Mary's players seemed to have run the entire Thanksgiving break. Fitness was the primary difference.
St. Mary's scored five first half trys. They added one more in the second half.
To SFSU’s credit they scored the final try and I blew my whistle to end the game.
I stayed around the whole day. Watching the other St. Mary's sides play two GG teams and finish the day with another one-sided game against Humboldt State.
After I had a chat with head coach Tim O'Brien whole said they have 63 very committed players. If their fitness is testimony to their commitment, look out.
I also noticed an physical edge to the players throughout the four sides. No backing down.
If you get a chance catch the Gaels.
St. Mary's 3, 14 – SF/GOLDEN GATE seconds 75 Referee: Bruce Carter
ARs: Eric Rauscher, Anthony Yeo
This team was largely SFGG’s D2 squad with some real youngsters and a few transfers from around the Bay. A lot of tries were scored from long range, giving the ref the kind of workout referees hope for in the pre-season.
St. MARY’S 30 – SF/Golden Gate 15 Referee: George O'Neil
ARs: Eric Rauscher, John Pohlman
Video-coach: Bruce Carter
St. MARY’S seconds 78 – Humboldt State 7 Referee: Anthony Yeo (SoCal)
ARs: Eric Rauscher, John Coppinger
Evaluator: Dixon Smith
Video-coach: Bruce Carter
U. of the Pacific 17 – U. OF SAN FRANCISCO 39 Referee: Rich Boyer
AR: Ron Decausemaker
Referee Coach: Scott Wood
I was fortunate enough to referee on the finest pitch in Northern California (in my opinion), bar none. UOP’s pitch is fantastic!
UOP is a young team, but they came out swinging and played to a 12-12 tie at halftime. USF had fewer numbers, but their experience showed in the second half as they won a game closer than the final score indicates. UOP had the stronger pack (even taking a penalty scrum from five meters out in for a try), but USF had the more experienced backs, which was the difference for the day.
USF captain Paddy, from Worcester, England, played flyhalf and was easily man of the match. Great ball handling skills, an eye for the quick tap penalty, and a good burst through the gap separated him from all others. Although only 22, he played professionally for Worcester, then coached in Brisbane, having the opportunity to coach Wallaby sensation James O'Connor.
UOP has improved tremendously since I last reffed them in October, with numbers 6 and 8 very hard men indeed. Solid runners and willing, strong tacklers.
Good sportsmanship, and a good game!
Special thanks to Ron DeCausemaker for offering to run touch, and to Scott Wood for his insight into the game.
Fresno State 19 – FRESNO 33 Referee: Phil Akroyd
AR: Dan Wilson
Both teams made hard work of this. Game was pretty even until half. The men dominated the ruck but didn't use the ball too effectively while State thrived in broken play. Not a bad game for pre season but not the best either.
SHASTA 17 – SF Fog 12 Referee: Mike King
Bingham Stein Game
The match commenced on schedule on a relatively dry surface and no rain. There were some patches of mud that played occasional havoc on footing. Play was a bit sloppy at first with dropped balls slowing several attacks down. Shasta struck first with its charging forwards attack, but its tactics changed after several substitutions in the backfield. The Highlanders became more effective in counterattack when the Fog would kick ahead. The Fog’s #10 was near perfect kicking for goal, slotting 2 first half penalty kicks and 2 in the second half. Unfortunately, the drives of the Fog near Shasta’s goal did not lead to paydirt. With the ref off his game a bit, there was some chippiness that settled down. Kudos for both sides, especially the Fog who traveled a long way to slide in the mud and for the post-game pint
SIERRA COLLEGE 59 – Nevada 14 Referee: Joe Androvich
To any referee who gets a SCJC assignment, be prepared for a fast run, especially if they are playing on the football team's field turf. These guys play a fast-paced game.
Seconds: SIERRA COLLEGE 44 – Nevada 10 Referee: Jackie von Finck
ARs: Rod Chance and Marc Godfrey
The weather behaved nicely that afternoon for a 3pm b-side match. Sierra College had a full fresh side for their B-game, whereas UNR needed roughly five A-side players to fill a B-side team.
Sierra College executed great communication with each other throughout the match; players knew who was at the off-side lines at rucks/mauls/tackles which were defensively stocked without gaps, and arriving players were vocal as to their support of their teammate being contested. It was during the second half UNR gave Sierra a good contest; UNR quickly swung the ball wide to the outer edge of the field to score both times. Nonetheless, Sierra College was more vocally and physically hungry for the ball.
Overall, both teams did an excellent job and I really enjoyed my time out there...running on turf made me feel faster! Looking back, both teams were low on penalties during their B-side match. That said, I did have the assistance of two good touch judges who kept a 'third eye' out for me.
MONTEREY BAY 17 – Marauders 6 Referee: Bryant Byrnes
The odd fellows that are referees; I drive 2 hours to do a match that is 10 minutes away from Bruce Carter’s house, and he drives 2 hours to do a match 10 minutes away from mine.
I liked Monterey Bay. It has the makings of an excellent D3 and with some seasoning a creditable D2.
In lovely Monterey; dry but atmospherically dramatic. Monterey has merged with Aptos, resulting in excellent numbers; it had 30 plus. The Marauders are an ''independent'', whatever that means. Some oldsters, but they certainly came to play.
These being early days and D3, it took a bit to get the tackles lower, off side lines established, and the sea lawyers under control (this last being a worthy subject in a Society meeting). But then a game broke out. First try by Monterey at 22 minutes, 12-3 to them at half. Then good multiphase stuff. With a minute left and on the attack, the Marauders had a chance- but the other fellows got the ball at a tackle and dotted it in the corner as the siren sounded.
SAN JOSE STATE 28 – Santa Rosa JC 15 Referee: Pete Smith
It was an odd game that felt more like a scrimmage than a preseason game between two of the best Div 2 teams around. SRJC was short on numbers, especially in the front row, and clearly wasn’t the team that I was expecting. The players had fun and got a good run in. All in all a good rugby day.
Seconds: San Jose State – Santa Rosa JC Referee: Rob Hendrickson
Santa Rosa JC had too many injuries to field a B side, so SJ put up forwards and we played a 20 minute half/game. Not worth reporting as a game.
UC SANTA CRUZ women over San Jose State Referee: Sandy Robertson
The two teams got together for a scrimmage--both teams showed great enthusiasm, energy, and gentleness towards the referee. They ran and tackled hard. UCSC's greater experience and time together proved to be the difference (San Jose State included both students and Seahawks women). After going down a couple of tries the SJS women put together a sustained march to put one down under the post.
MORGAN HILL 35 – Modesto 6 Referee: Chris Fisher
LEVEL ONE REFEREE COURSE IN SACRAMENTO JANUARY 9
The basic rugby referee course will be offered in Sacramento on Sunday, January 9.
Any coach of a college team who attends with one or two players from that team will have their course fees reimbursed at the meeting, courtesy of a friendly donor.
The lead instructor will be Matt Eason: Matthew@capcitylaw.com Let him know if you plan to attend. On-line registration still does not appear to be available as of December 8.
THE SCALE OF THE UNIVERSE
Ever fallen into a wormhole? Start with the slider all the way to the right and proceed down the scale for the full effect.
http://primaxstudio.com/stuff/scale_of_universe/
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
SOCIETY MEETING WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, ON TREASURE ISLAND
The Pelican Refs will be meeting in the Golden Gate clubhouse from 7 to 9 PM. Food will be available starting at 6, so plan to arrive early. You can eat and talk rugby if traffic is light, and you won’t be late if it’s not.
WANNA RUN TOUCH?
The USA High School All Americans will be playing Canada U-17 two games in Santa Barbara, on Wednesday, December 29 at 3 PM and Friday, December 31, at 9 AM.
SoCal is putting out a call for ARs but so are we, in case they don’t get volunteers to cover these work-day games.
Your scribe will be one of the ARs for the Wednesday game. Don Pattalock and Joe Androvich have been appointed to ref the two games.
NINE NEW CLUB AND COLLEGE TEAMS. HOW MANY NEW REFS?
NorCal rugby is growing. There are going to be 25 youth clubs in the Bay Area alone (this number doesn’t include the Sac Valley, which has been the pioneer here). Each of these will have multiple sides beginning as young as Under-6 up to U-14.
At the opposite end, club and college rugby features a number of new teams as well.
Men’s club:
SL: One. SFGG played in the league final each of the last two years.
D1: Seven teams, Reno Zephyrs having dropped down and East Palo Alto Bulldogs as a new entrant. Five of these teams have scheduled matches with SF/Golden Gate prior to the start of the SL season.
D2: Ten teams, playing a round-robin. Same teams as last year less Vallejo and Arroyo Grande.
D3: Sixteen teams, divided into North and South conferences of eight teams each.
There would be seventeen except that Monterey organized too late to be put into the schedule. They will be combining with Aptos as Monterey Bay for the season.
New teams include: South Valley (Morgan Hill), Paso Robles, Colusa, Reno Academy, and Samoa United. The Reno Zephyrs, Vallejo and AG have dropped down to D3.
Men’s college:
CPL: Three. California, St. Mary’s and UC Davis will compete in the inaugural season of the new premier division.
D1: Four. Santa Clara will move up from D2 to compete with Chico State, Sac State and Stanford.
D2: Eleven teams divided into two conferences.
Women’s College:
D1: Six teams, with UC Santa Cruz having moved up from D2. Chico State is new. Nevada has dropped down.
D2: Four. St. Mary’s and USF have vanished. The SF Bats are new. Perhaps they represent SF State?
GAMES
Tuesday, November 30
STANFORD women 60 – California 0 Referee: Pete Smith
This game was a bit one sided on the scoreboard at 60-0. However, if you were watching the game on TV and were just glancing at the set from time to time and didn’t see the score, you would think that the team with 0 was winning. They dominated possession and position, but time and time again, Stanford would get the turnover they needed and would run back, typically all the way, for a try. The majority of Stanford’s tries were scored from over halfway. Cal would have long periods of sustained pressure only to have Stanford counter punch with a length-of-the-field haymaker. Stanford ran one out from 15M deep in their own try zone, made it to the 22, won the ruck, took off again, next tackle at the Cal 10M line and then in for the try from there. Emilia from Stanford had the play of the game as she took off from the shadow of her own goalpost, chipped the ball over the defense, grubbed the bounce past the full back, picked the ball up about their own 10M line, passed it out to the wing who was caught from behind, but Emilia was in support to catch the return pass and as she was being tackled off loaded to the try scorer-WOW!!!! Note that Cal was there the length of the field to make tackles; Stanford was just too good in support and keeping the ball alive. Stanford has some good forwards (particularly the loose forwards) and they are still learning to work together as a unit up front, but as usual the strength of Stanford is their backs. They BELIEVE that they can score from anywhere on the field. Cal needs to learn how to finish and they will be a strong team this year.
FRIDAY
MARITIME ACADEMY 25 – UC Davis 20 Referee: Paul Bretz
AR: Bruce Bernstein
Seconds: Maritime Academy 12 – UC DAVIS 20 Referee: Bruce Bernstein
Saw two very competitive well coached matches Friday night at CMA in Vallejo. Was slightly less cold & windy & muddy reffing the seconds after ARing the firsts. Both games could have went easily went either way & the highlights in my match were: CMA's flyhalf caught & distributed some great ball that was all over & he never knocked on; CMA's 2nd row & lankiest player on the pitch scored 2 really nice tries by extending his long arms juts across the try line; UC Davis flyhalf had a slithering run for a great try; & after the match heard a comment form one of the losers: “That was an entertaining game.”
SATURDAY
PAT VINCENT FIELD DAY
St. Mary’s hosted four matches with their large squad of players. The Gaels’ packs were stronger than their opponents’ in all four matches, a remarkable depth of front-row not normally seen at any level.
ST. MARY’S 4, 37 – San Francisco State 5 Referee: John Pohlman
This Saturday took me to the St. Mary's rugby experience. I call the day this in tribute to the rugby program they have built.
I arrived around 9:00am for a 10:00AM kickoff. I was scheduled to do St. Mary's fourth side against SFSU. That is correct St. Mary's is fielding four sides.
The weather was low 50's a couple of sprinkles throughout the game. But all and all very good rugby conditions.
St. Mary's had good size and some faces I recognized from high school programs. They obviously had plenty of players.
Coach Dean has SFSU on the upswing. They had some injuries to their back-line. The captain and #10 was out. This hurt their organization and go forward. Eventually St. Mary's needed to give a player to SFSU.
The game was pretty one-sided. The St. Mary's players seemed to have run the entire Thanksgiving break. Fitness was the primary difference.
St. Mary's scored five first half trys. They added one more in the second half.
To SFSU’s credit they scored the final try and I blew my whistle to end the game.
I stayed around the whole day. Watching the other St. Mary's sides play two GG teams and finish the day with another one-sided game against Humboldt State.
After I had a chat with head coach Tim O'Brien whole said they have 63 very committed players. If their fitness is testimony to their commitment, look out.
I also noticed an physical edge to the players throughout the four sides. No backing down.
If you get a chance catch the Gaels.
St. Mary's 3, 14 – SF/GOLDEN GATE seconds 75 Referee: Bruce Carter
ARs: Eric Rauscher, Anthony Yeo
This team was largely SFGG’s D2 squad with some real youngsters and a few transfers from around the Bay. A lot of tries were scored from long range, giving the ref the kind of workout referees hope for in the pre-season.
St. MARY’S 30 – SF/Golden Gate 15 Referee: George O'Neil
ARs: Eric Rauscher, John Pohlman
Video-coach: Bruce Carter
St. MARY’S seconds 78 – Humboldt State 7 Referee: Anthony Yeo (SoCal)
ARs: Eric Rauscher, John Coppinger
Evaluator: Dixon Smith
Video-coach: Bruce Carter
U. of the Pacific 17 – U. OF SAN FRANCISCO 39 Referee: Rich Boyer
AR: Ron Decausemaker
Referee Coach: Scott Wood
I was fortunate enough to referee on the finest pitch in Northern California (in my opinion), bar none. UOP’s pitch is fantastic!
UOP is a young team, but they came out swinging and played to a 12-12 tie at halftime. USF had fewer numbers, but their experience showed in the second half as they won a game closer than the final score indicates. UOP had the stronger pack (even taking a penalty scrum from five meters out in for a try), but USF had the more experienced backs, which was the difference for the day.
USF captain Paddy, from Worcester, England, played flyhalf and was easily man of the match. Great ball handling skills, an eye for the quick tap penalty, and a good burst through the gap separated him from all others. Although only 22, he played professionally for Worcester, then coached in Brisbane, having the opportunity to coach Wallaby sensation James O'Connor.
UOP has improved tremendously since I last reffed them in October, with numbers 6 and 8 very hard men indeed. Solid runners and willing, strong tacklers.
Good sportsmanship, and a good game!
Special thanks to Ron DeCausemaker for offering to run touch, and to Scott Wood for his insight into the game.
Fresno State 19 – FRESNO 33 Referee: Phil Akroyd
AR: Dan Wilson
Both teams made hard work of this. Game was pretty even until half. The men dominated the ruck but didn't use the ball too effectively while State thrived in broken play. Not a bad game for pre season but not the best either.
SHASTA 17 – SF Fog 12 Referee: Mike King
Bingham Stein Game
The match commenced on schedule on a relatively dry surface and no rain. There were some patches of mud that played occasional havoc on footing. Play was a bit sloppy at first with dropped balls slowing several attacks down. Shasta struck first with its charging forwards attack, but its tactics changed after several substitutions in the backfield. The Highlanders became more effective in counterattack when the Fog would kick ahead. The Fog’s #10 was near perfect kicking for goal, slotting 2 first half penalty kicks and 2 in the second half. Unfortunately, the drives of the Fog near Shasta’s goal did not lead to paydirt. With the ref off his game a bit, there was some chippiness that settled down. Kudos for both sides, especially the Fog who traveled a long way to slide in the mud and for the post-game pint
SIERRA COLLEGE 59 – Nevada 14 Referee: Joe Androvich
To any referee who gets a SCJC assignment, be prepared for a fast run, especially if they are playing on the football team's field turf. These guys play a fast-paced game.
Seconds: SIERRA COLLEGE 44 – Nevada 10 Referee: Jackie von Finck
ARs: Rod Chance and Marc Godfrey
The weather behaved nicely that afternoon for a 3pm b-side match. Sierra College had a full fresh side for their B-game, whereas UNR needed roughly five A-side players to fill a B-side team.
Sierra College executed great communication with each other throughout the match; players knew who was at the off-side lines at rucks/mauls/tackles which were defensively stocked without gaps, and arriving players were vocal as to their support of their teammate being contested. It was during the second half UNR gave Sierra a good contest; UNR quickly swung the ball wide to the outer edge of the field to score both times. Nonetheless, Sierra College was more vocally and physically hungry for the ball.
Overall, both teams did an excellent job and I really enjoyed my time out there...running on turf made me feel faster! Looking back, both teams were low on penalties during their B-side match. That said, I did have the assistance of two good touch judges who kept a 'third eye' out for me.
MONTEREY BAY 17 – Marauders 6 Referee: Bryant Byrnes
The odd fellows that are referees; I drive 2 hours to do a match that is 10 minutes away from Bruce Carter’s house, and he drives 2 hours to do a match 10 minutes away from mine.
I liked Monterey Bay. It has the makings of an excellent D3 and with some seasoning a creditable D2.
In lovely Monterey; dry but atmospherically dramatic. Monterey has merged with Aptos, resulting in excellent numbers; it had 30 plus. The Marauders are an ''independent'', whatever that means. Some oldsters, but they certainly came to play.
These being early days and D3, it took a bit to get the tackles lower, off side lines established, and the sea lawyers under control (this last being a worthy subject in a Society meeting). But then a game broke out. First try by Monterey at 22 minutes, 12-3 to them at half. Then good multiphase stuff. With a minute left and on the attack, the Marauders had a chance- but the other fellows got the ball at a tackle and dotted it in the corner as the siren sounded.
SAN JOSE STATE 28 – Santa Rosa JC 15 Referee: Pete Smith
It was an odd game that felt more like a scrimmage than a preseason game between two of the best Div 2 teams around. SRJC was short on numbers, especially in the front row, and clearly wasn’t the team that I was expecting. The players had fun and got a good run in. All in all a good rugby day.
Seconds: San Jose State – Santa Rosa JC Referee: Rob Hendrickson
Santa Rosa JC had too many injuries to field a B side, so SJ put up forwards and we played a 20 minute half/game. Not worth reporting as a game.
UC SANTA CRUZ women over San Jose State Referee: Sandy Robertson
The two teams got together for a scrimmage--both teams showed great enthusiasm, energy, and gentleness towards the referee. They ran and tackled hard. UCSC's greater experience and time together proved to be the difference (San Jose State included both students and Seahawks women). After going down a couple of tries the SJS women put together a sustained march to put one down under the post.
MORGAN HILL 35 – Modesto 6 Referee: Chris Fisher
LEVEL ONE REFEREE COURSE IN SACRAMENTO JANUARY 9
The basic rugby referee course will be offered in Sacramento on Sunday, January 9.
Any coach of a college team who attends with one or two players from that team will have their course fees reimbursed at the meeting, courtesy of a friendly donor.
The lead instructor will be Matt Eason: Matthew@capcitylaw.com Let him know if you plan to attend. On-line registration still does not appear to be available as of December 8.
THE SCALE OF THE UNIVERSE
Ever fallen into a wormhole? Start with the slider all the way to the right and proceed down the scale for the full effect.
http://primaxstudio.com/stuff/scale_of_universe/
HAIL, PELICUS!
For the Senate
Pelicus Scriptoris
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