Wall Street Journal article on South African Rugby

The Toughest Team in Sports?South Africa’s rugby players maul their way to the top; a punch in the scrum

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204619004574318422042017930.html

American rugger takes on the Kashmir

The Jammu Kashmir Rugby Association (JKRA) has hired American professional rugby coach Gregory Bruce to help develop the game. Bruce, a former player with the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, was invited by special request to Srinagar where he is helping men, women, and youth players learn the essentials of the game.

Check out the video of Bruce in action, complements of footage by Asian News International.

England and Japan to host next World Cups

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has awarded the 2015 Rugby World Cup to England and the 2019 Rugby World Cup to Japan. Check out the full announcement here.

Village Lions WRFC Beer Pong Tournament - Saturday Aug 1st

The Village Lions Women's team are putting on a beer pong tournament this weekend as a club fund raiser. What happens if I win? Everyone wins with beer pong! (There will be a prize, but its a surprise).

If you are interested in taking part, please RSVP (details below) by this THURSDAY.

RSVP to dc.colmanmcgaw@gmail.com include your name, your partner's name and your team name. Don't forget to mention I sent you :)

When: Saturday August 1st from 5:00 - 9:30

Where: Bar XII (34th St between 2nd and 3rd Av)

How Much? $35 = all you can drink domestics and shots. The Lions encourage responsible drinking and respect non-drinkers. You don't have to drink to play, any team or individual player can play with water.

Village Lions Hells Gate 7s tournament this Saturday

If you fancy catching some fantastic sevens action in New York City before the Summer is over, then head on over to Wards Meadow fields on Randall's Island this Saturday for the Village Lions Hells Gate 7s Tournament.

The tournament will feature both Men and Women in action and kicks off at 11am on fields 74 and 75.

You can get over to the island by foot, public transport, or by car, and your welcome to message me if you would like more specific directions. I'll happy to pass them along.

There will be a social afterward held at BB&R bar, 1720 Second Avenue (between 89th and 90th), New York, NY 10128.

Sports water, JA MAN!

Closeup of the label

I just recently got back from a short break in Jamaica.
Although the Jamaicans do play rugby, cricket and
Football (soccer) is by far the most popular sports.

In saying that it isn't every day you see rugby on a
bottle of sports water :-)

Sport Wata

World Cup qualifier round-up

Oceania
Great news for Samoa, who beat Papua New Guinea 73-12 to qualify for Pool D in the 2012 World Cup in New Zealand.

Africa
The last remaining place in Pool D will be settled in November as Tunisia and Namibia face off.

Americas
The USA still has the opportunity to qualify after their loss to Canada earlier this month. Canada has now sealed the spot in Pool A, and the Eagles will face Uruguay to compete for the Americas 2 qualifier spot in Pool C. The loser will still have one more chance to qualify through the cross-continental final place playoff in 2010.

Asia
The winner of the Asian 5 Nations will qualify as Asia 1 in Pool A with the runner-up playing in the final place playoff. The 5 Nations teams are made up of Arabian Gulf, Hong Kong, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Korea.

Europe
With England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales already pre-qualified, there are two definite pool places up for grabs, with one additional chance in the final place playoff. Battling it out are Belgium, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine. The top 2 from the European Nations Cup (ENC) Division 1 will qualify as Europe 1 (Pool B) and Europe 2 (Pool C). The 3rd and 4th place teams from the division will compete for a spot in the final place playoff.

Here's how the current pools are looking:

Pool A - New Zealand, France, Tonga, Canada, Asia 1 (Winner of Asian 5 Nations)

Pool B - Argentina, England, Scotland, Europe 1 (winner of ENC Div. 1), Final place playoff (TBD)

Pool C - Australia, Ireland, Italy, Europe 2 (runner-up of ENC Div. 1), Americas 2 (USA or Uruguay)

Pool D - South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Africa 1 (Namibia or Tunisia)

All Blacks off to a great start in the Tri-Nations

New Zealand start their Tri-Nations campaign with a 22-16 win at home against Australia. The Aussies led the first half 10-13 with a try from Berrick Barnes, and conversion and penalties from Matt Giteau. All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw scored their only try (also in the first half) and superb fly-half Stephen Donald sealed the deal with fours penalties in the second half. The All Blacks will now head to South Africa for the next two matches in the tournament.

Rugby in the New York Times

Rugby in the US doesn't often get a lot of mention in the newspapers, but anyone who reads the NY Times might have noticed a few great articles recently. Yesterday they ran one on Infinity Park, a dedicated rugby stadium and complex in Glendale, Colorado. Click here to check the article out.

Let's celebrate

Happy 4th of July, folks! And what a great day for rugby!

The day started off well with a victory for the British and Irish Lions in South Africa. A bit bittersweet after a tough tour, but a great win today of 9-28 with tries from Williams (2) and Monye (1), and two conversions by Jones who also knocked over three penalties. The Boks' Steyn delivered the team's only points from three penalties.

And don't forget...ESPN 4pm today: USA take on Canada at home for a chance to secure their place in the next World Cup in New Zealand.

Podcast anyone? Episode 1 - Mayors Cup (Play Rugby USA)

As a few of you might have known, I have been the co-host of an online radio show called 'The Jolly Good Sports Show' which has gone on hiatus.   Rather than sit on my laurels, I headed out to the Mayor's cup flag rugby tournament, organized by Play Rugby USA and got some great audio. So as an early July 4th treat, I have posted online my first podcast episode!

You can listen to the podcast on the player below as well as on iTunes, our Facebook page, or via Feedburner.

USA Rugby Announces City Based 7s Womens League

USA Rugby is creating a Women's Sevens League as part of the development program for sevens players, particularly those who aspire to be Women's Sevens National Team candidates.

For more information and to register go to www.citybased7s.com

Live rugby on ESPN July 4th - RWC Qualifier USA vs Canada

ESPN has been recently pushing the boat out by providing rugby coverage on their channels in the US. So its great to see that they are broadcasting the USA vs Canada World Cup Qualifier at 4pm on July 4th. Head on over to ESPN's scrum website for more details.

Welcome to a rugby life

Its probably been long over due, but I felt its was a good time to share my passion of rugby in an online forum. I have been doing so, on and off the field for over 20 years so far, so better late than never hey! :)
So let's kick off...