AUDIO: Interview with USA Eagles and New York City 7s star Carlin Isles

Interview with USA Eagles and New York City 7s star, Carlin Isles, before he heads over the Atlantic to take part in the first World Club 7s series in Limerick, Ireland.
 

Interview with Brazil Womens 7s stars, Edna Santini and Luiza Campos

Special Report by Leandro Conde for A Rugby Life

The Brazil Women´s Team are a rising star in the South American game.  As they are preppering for the IRB Women’s Sevens Series, I talked to Edna Santini and Luiza Campos, two promising players representing Brazil in the series.

ARL: How are Brazil Women's Team getting ready for upcoming IRB series competitions?

EDNA: Each series have a goal. We are building up the strengths and fixing weaknesses. If the individual skills are going well than Team will be fine. Also, the coaches are doing a great job.

LUIZA: The Team is working together in São Paulo. Training day by day to know each one of the players , focusing to grow individual skills and consolidate the Brazilian´s Game.  

Edna Santini

ARL: What are the differences between Brazil Women's Team and the principal opponents from Oceania?

LUIZA: I think that the principal difference is in the physical body composition because the athletes of the other teams have come from a rugby environment since being children.  This is just happening in Brazil. 

EDNA:  In my opinion the South American rugby must grow in the future. If the countries does the work to grow the children bases, so the rugby will grow and greater the play will be.

 

Luiza Campos

ARL: What's is the message about the development of womens rugby you like to share?

EDNA: Everyone is welcome to rugby and it offers so much to you. It is more than a colour uniform or playing for a club. You must be a true player on and off the field too. 

LUIZA: Girls, rugby has a lot to teach to you. Now you are in a circle, in a great family and they will support you everytime. Rugby is a life style.

ARL: Thank you and I wish good luck in the series!

To follow the ladies progress in the series, follow Edna on twitter @EdnaSantini and Luiza on Facebook at www.facebook.com/luuizacampos

Zimbabwe's Mbare Rugby Academy

Special Report by Benedict Chanakira

When you hear people mention Mbare, a suburb of Harare in Zimbabwe, images of poverty, crime and filth often come to mind.  There is not many good things to say about the area, but amongst the rough lies several gems: its famous market, Zimbabwe’s biggest and most successful soccer team, Dynamos; and the Mbare Rugby Academy.

Mbare Rugby Academy (Credit: www.lilfordia.com)

In 2007 Milton Rankeni and Victor Pekani decided to develop the game with the help of Zimbabwe Rugby Union. With little to no funds they have managed to produce a handful of players for the Zimbabwe under 13, under16, under 18 and 7′s teams. The coaches that assist Victor and Milton are all volunteers and all hold the same vision and dream: to grow the game in Zimbabwe, bring out the best in under-priviledged kids who are all required to be in school and be studying.   

I decided to visit the team at the Harare Sports Club for one of their scheduled training sessions held on Sundays, which typically has in excess of 150 players in attendance. The ratio of girls to boys is 30 -70.  The five coaches are split between the three groups of fourty-five players who run drills with the players who range in age from five to twenty one.   I was particularly surprised not only at the high skill levels, which was rather impressive, but also the size of the players. All quite small, and hardly a difference between the backs and the forwards.   Size aside, the adcademy has had some great sucesses with wins over St Georges under 16s,  development of several National age-group side players, and a successful showing at the Middelburg 7s tournament.

With a tour to South Africa later in the year, the future sucess of the academy looks bright.

Phaidra Knight aiming for Rio and needs you support

Former Eagle and previous podcast guest, Phaidra Knight, is looking to make her International rugby comeback.   She is looking to take part in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and needs help in raising funds to realize her dream.  

Her campaign in currently running on Dreamfuel and offers multiple contribution tiers with a great selection of goodies.  All funds raised help fund her training goals, which include working with elite coaches and nutritionists.

To help fund Phaidra, head on over to http://www.dreamfuel.me/athletes/7/campaigns/10

Follow Northeast ODA at LV7s with Real-Time Rugby

Follow the Northeast ODA in Vegas! 

Share Real-time scores, pic/videos, chat and receive alerts for changes in date/time/venue of the matches you follow. Create your own Real-time personalized scoreboard that scrolls across your home page. Create your own Followed Matches list that updates all your scores in Real-time. 

Who will survive the Pool of Death, featuring reigning champion Serevi, Tiger-1823 and Northeast Development Academy?   

Download Real-Time Rugby to follow the Men's and Women's Elite Brackets of the LVI and HSBC-­IRB Sevens in Real-time. Engage with players and fans.

Download from Google Play

Download from iTunes

NSCRO 7s: Men's Pathway to the National Championship is Set

NSCRO is pleased to announce that the following Qualifying Tournaments (QTs) have been awarded as a pathway to the 2014 Men’s Small College National Rugby 7s Championship to be held on May 31-June1 in Philadelphia, PA in conjunction with the USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC 7s). The NSCRO Semifinals and Final will be played in the PPL Park Stadium on June 1 in front of thousands of fans.

All Small College rugby fans are encouraged to attend this event and have a fantastic time in Philly. Details for the CRC event, when finalized, will be posted on line at http://www.usasevenscrc.com/.

All NSCRO 7s news can be found in the NSCRO 7s Section at http://www.nscro.org.

NSCRO 7s Rules, Regulations, Policies, etc. can be found at http://www.eteamz.com/NSCRO/handouts/index.cfm?cat=220868

See attached Press Release for additional information.

NSCRO 7s – Approved Qualifying Tournaments

QTs are run by host clubs in accordance with NSCRO 7s “Competition Rules and Regulations”. All participating teams must adhere to these Rules and Regulations along with all NSCRO-related Policies and the 2014 Conditions of Entry (for the National 7s Championship event). All QTs have a limit on the number of teams they will accept. Contact QT Host ASAP if interested. Teams may participate in more than one QT.

Jan. 25 - University of West Florida (Pensacola, FL)

Host Contacts: Will Nield, wen1@students.uwf.edu and Michael Wathen, michaeljwathen@gmail.com

April 5 - New England College (Henniker, NH)

Host Contact: Jeremy Treece, necrugby@hotmail.com

April 5 - University of Richmond (Richmond, VA)

Host Contact: Carl Schmitt, schmittcf@gmail.com

April 5 - Grove City College (Grove City, PA)

Host Contacts: Geoff Jordan, gjordan14@gmail.com and Chuck Kriley cekriley@gcc.edu

April 5-6 - Wayne State College (Wayne, NE)

Host Contact: Darrin Barner, wscrugby@hotmail.com

April 12 - Emory University (Atlanta, GA)

Host Contacts: Ross Hilton, rossphilton@gmail.com and Rene Daniel, rmdaniel99@gmail.com

April 12 - Neumann University (Philadelphia, PA)

Host Contacts: Jon Niles, niles@susqu.edu and Geoff Karabin, KARABING@neumann.edu

April 12 – University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA)

Host Contact: Kreg Nelson, knelson@pacific.edu

For more information about NSCRO 7s, contact NSCRO 7s Commissioner Howard Kent at info@denversevensrugby.com

55th New York Sevens this Saturday, November 30th

This Saturday, the New York Rugby Club host the 55th annual New York 7s Tournament.  A post Thanksgiving tradition since the late 1950s, the tournament will see over 130 teams of all levels and from around the globe participate.

The games take place on Randalls Island and the action kicks off at 8:20am.  After the conclusion of the tournament, the festivities move to the East Village where the post party will be held at Webster Hall (East 11th Street (between 4th and 3rd Ave), New York, NY).

Further details, including travel directions, can be found on the tournament website at newyorkrugbysevens.com.  And don't forget to pick up a program which will feature a couple rugby life articles.

State of The Union - NYC at the World Club 7s

New episode of State of the Union with a feature on New York City 7s, one of two American teams, taking part in the inaugural World Club 7s Tournament at Twickenham Stadium, UK on 17-18th August 2013.

New York Sevens this Saturday, November 24th

The 54th annual New York 7s Tournament will take place this Saturday November 24th. Hosted by New York Rugby Club, the event has been held every Saturday after Thanksgiving since 1959.

The tournament boasts 10 divisions made up of U19, Collegiate, Social, Club, and Premier teams from around the globe.

All the action takes place on Randalls Island, and the first games kickoff at 8:20am. It will be non-stop rugby action right up to 6pm, when the days respective divisional champs will be crowned.

The third half festivities will be held at Connolly's Pub (midtown Manhattan at 14 E.47th St. between Fifth & Madison Avenues), kicking off at 8pm and all are welcome!

Further details, including travel directions, can be found on the tournament website at newyorkrugbysevens.com.  And don't forget to pick up a program as it includes some of my handiwork (an article and some fun info.)!

Q&A with Taking Flight Rugby Winner Darrin Curle

Taking Flight Winners James Saddler (Left)
and Darrin Curle (Right) with USA Eagle Zack Test (Middle)

In the second part of a special report for A Rugby Life, Bakline's Rob Schnabel catches up with the Taking Flight rugby's 2nd inaugural winner Darrin Curle to chat about the Serevi camp and his experiences over the weekend

Rob: What was your experience being at Infinity Park?

Darrin: Infinity Park was awesome. It was lovely to see a field and stadium like that dedicated to just rugby! It is a great environment and was lots of fun. The facilities are great and it’s a great example of how the game is moving forward in America. It’s an inspiration for me to keep playing the game.

Rob: Being in the camp and watching the tournament.

Darrin: The camp was great all the coaches where very friendly and knew what they were doing. They were willing to take you aside and comment on something you were not doing correctly and giving tips on your game. I was able to spend some one on one time with most coaches which was great and very helpful with focusing on smaller aspects on my game. It was lovely watching the tournament and being able to learn while I watched that level of rugby.

Rob: What was your reaction when you realized you won?

Darrin: I was so excited and happy. I had put so much into my rugby this year and it made all the hard work and effort pay off. I was like “no way! “ I went around telling everybody and explaining it to everyone. It was just pure joy and excitement. It was just unbelievable to think that Santi, Ben and Serevi where going to be there to coach us up.

Rob: Towards the end of the camp, how it was taking part? Beneficial? Improvements?
Darrin: My game defiantly improved, such as my kicking game that I learnt more on when I had some one on one time with Santi. But it’s more than that. It was great making new friends and contacts with the rugby world. Being able to spend some time with and meeting Santi, Ben and Serevi was an unforgettable experience. I will defiantly take what I learnt at the camp and apply it to my game here in Coos Bay. 

Rob: What are your future rugby ambitions?
Darrin: Playing for my country and being able to represent America is my dream. 2016 Olympics is what I’m focused on and is what I’m shooting for. The whole experience in Denver helped my take one more step towards my dream.

You can check out Darrin's winning entry over on Youtube and to learn more about the Taking Flight Rugby Program, head on over to takingflightrugby.com

Q&A with Taking Flight Rugby Winner James Sadler

Taking Flight Winners Darrin Curle (Left) and
James Sadler (Right) with Rob Schnabel (Middle)

As part of special report for A Rugby Life, Bakline's Rob Schnabel headed out to Rugbytown USA to join the Taking Flight rugby inaugural winners for a rugby filled weekend with Serevi.  

While he was out there, he got the chance to sit down with the lads and chat about their experience at the camp and their future ambitions.  

First up, James Sadler.


Rob: What was your experience being at Infinity Park?

James: Being at Infinity Park was a great experience! In Oregon, we do not exactly have the state of the art facilities when it comes to rugby only areas, and it was an amazing experience to see the lifeblood of rugby at such a great place with good weather! 

Rob:  Being in the camp and watching the tournament.

James: The camp wasn't very "advanced" but I really enjoyed myself and had a great time while also learning a lot more about the nescary skills you need to master in order to truly improve your game. Watching the tournament was an experience that I will not forget for some time, It was my first time watching professional rugby from pitch-side seats and I really had a great time! 

Rob:  What was your reaction when you realized you won?

James: I had just came back from work about midnight one night and just so happen to check my email at that time and at first I was in complete shock. I told my family and they were all very happy for me and from that time on until I landed in Denver I was just ecstatic and full of excitement for such a great experience. 

Rob:  Towards the end of the camp, how it was taking part? Beneficial? Improvements?

James: The camp progressively got more intense and more beneficial throughout the end of the two days and really helped me to self-evaluate my skills and also receive good constructive criticism from some the world's best players of all time. 

Rob:  What are your future rugby ambitions?

James: My future rugby ambitions are to start soon for my team at Western Oregon University but hopefully over time with hard work and dedication get on the radar for the US Men's National Team and also receive international contracts like Todd Clever.  

You can check out James's winning entry over on Youtube and to learn more about the Taking Flight Rugby Program, head on over to takingflightrugby.com.  After the break, Q&A with our second winner, Darrin Curle.

Taking Flight Rugby Scholarship Winners!

Congratulations to Darrin Curle and James Saddler!

The Taking Flight Rugby Scholarship this year was geared on sending two winners (between ages 16-21) to the Serevi Rugbytown Sevens & Camp August 11th, 2012 in Glendale, Colorado!  The Scholarship included airfare, hotel, admission fees, Bakline gear and a Serevi gear kit to both the tournament and training camp that Serevi is hosting!

Darrin and James submitted the winning entries via their YouTube application. Check them out here >> http://www.youtube.com/user/takingflightrugby

Darrin and James represent the future of America’s rugby. Their hard work on the field and off is instrumental to leadership and taking initiative to do what is necessary to refine, improve and never stop learning.

Myself and my Taking Flight partners, Bakline and H2H Rugby, are extremely proud of their efforts and look forward to working with them to have a rewarding experience with one of the best rugby training camps in the USA with Serevi.

To learn more about our scholarship and how to apply, please visit the Taking Flight Rugby Scholarship site. We’ll be announcing a new camp and competition for video entries soon!

If you’re interested in partnering with our scholarship to help shape the rugby future of our youth, contact us here.

Play Rugby USA partners with HSBC and Hope For The Warriors on NYC Rugby Cup

Courtesy of my good friends over at Play Rugby USA

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Play Rugby USA partners with HSBC and Hope For The Warriors® on NYC Rugby Cup- Presented by HSBC New York, NY- June 9, 2012- Play Rugby USA, the largest rugby based youth development organization in the nation, will be hosting the NYC Rugby Cup- Presented by HSBC on June 9th, 2012. This event is the culminating tournament for the season and will feature 72 teams and 900 players participating in a one day tournament. The theme of the event is Premiership Rugby, the world’s foremost domestic rugby competition based in England. As a cross-cultural component, each school must create and bring a banner that includes details about its adopted city and club’s culture and history. 2012 Event Ambassadors in attendance include John Layfield, former world champion wrestler and current financial analyst for Fox News and Danny Lopez, the British Consul-General of New York. Hope For The Warriors® will also be partnering on the event, providing a service component for the children. The teams will be able to visit a Hope For The Warriors® booth, interact with veterans, and write letters to troops serving overseas. Adding to the military presence at the event, West Point Rugby is partnering with Play Rugby USA to offer afternoon activities to schools eliminated from the competition, run by cadets.

Play Rugby USA Presents Premiership Rugby Road Show

Courtesy of Play Rugby USA

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As part of a partnership around the NYC Rugby Cup and the launch of the Play Rugby USA Academy, we are extremely excited to announce that Premiership Rugby is coming to New York at the end of May to visit programs around the city and travel with us to the USA Sevens CRC's in Philadelphia! This "Premiership Rugby Roadshow" represents the first exciting offering of our PRUSA Academy, an elite player development program established by PRUSA to retain and develop its highest performing athletes, along with other aspiring rugby players from around New York City.

Win two tickets for the 2012 CRC Invitational 7s courtesy of Life University!

On June 2nd-3rd the 2012 CRC Invitational 7s will see the best of the USA's college rugby talent battle it out at PPL Park in Philadelphia.  One of the teams taking part and a serious contender to take this years title, Life University Running Eagles from Marietta GA, are offering one lucky ARL reader two tickets to this years tournament.

For a chance to win, check out the Life Rugby promo video below and share it on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ before Friday 25th May 11:59pm (EST).  Make sure to mention a rugby life so I can track your entry (type "@a rugby life" on Facebook / Google+, "@arugbylife" on Twitter).  Final winner will be picked out at random and announced on Saturday morning (26th May).  Good Luck!

Podcast Episode 18: Paul Holmes (Fitness and 7s Guru, 1823 RFC)

In the first episode of the new year, I talk with Fitness and 7s Guru, Paul Holmes.  We talk about Paul's early rugby career which took him around the globe from South Africa, to the UK, and the Middle East.

Now settled with his family in the US, Paul shares how he's using his rugby and fitness knowledge to help develop young American rugby talent in Ohio via 1823 RFC and Tiger Rugby.

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



To learn more about Paul's work with 1823 RFC visit www.1823rfc.com and via Facebook.

Also checkout Paul's 1823 Fitness Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/user/1823SevensTrainer and catch a sneak peek of Paul in action below!

Partnership with the Bournemouth 7s Festival!

I am pleased to announce a new partnership with one of the UK's hottest rugby events, the Bournemouth Sevens Festival.

The Bournemouth 7s has been described as a unique mix between Dubai Rugby Sevens and Glastonbury with a over 20,000 people attending and 380 teams competing over the festival weekend.
This years festival will take place on Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd June, 2012 and is shaping up to be one of the must attend events of the summer.

As part of the partnership,  I'll be providing coverage of the festival which will include a special podcast series featuring interviews and features, plus I will be giving away 4 weekend tickets to one lucky rugby lifer (more details soon!)

A spot of rugby action at the festival

With the tour season coming up, I'd love to hear from all US teams/players that are (or are considering) attending this years event.  If you are or know of folks who are, drop me a line.
Any American team/player attending will get  featured in my festival coverage!

For more details on the event and how to attend, head on over to their website at  bournemouthsevens.com.   Need more convincing? Then check out the official festival video below!

New York 7s kicks off tomorrow!

The 53rd annual New York 7s Tournament will take place tomorrow, a tradition New York Rugby Club has been honoring ever Saturday following Thanksgiving since 1959.  Taking place on Randalls Island and expect to see some top quality 7s from Mens, Womens, College, and Youth teams from across US.  

The first games start at 8:20am and respective division finals taking place between 2-4pm.  The full schedule can be found here.  

The Third half festivities will be held at Connolly's Pub (midtown Manhattan at 14 E.47th St. between Fifth & Madison Avenues) at 8pm.

Further details can be found on the Tournament Website at newyorkrugbysevens.com

Hells Gate 7s tournament, Saturday 23rd July

Tomorrow will see the 3rd annual 7s event, Hells Gate, hosted by the Village Lions take part in New York City.  Four eight-team divisions will square off in the final Met NY Summer 7s Series tournament of the season.  The games take place on the Wards Meadow fields on Randall's Island.

The 32 teams will kick off at 9 a.m. and cap off the day at Van Diemen’s (3rd Ave between 27th and 28th streets) from 6-10 p.m., then Hairy Monk (3rd Ave and 25th Street) from 10 p.m. onward. 

For further details, visit the Village Lions website or email tournament director Bret Costain at bretcostain@hotmail.com.

Come and join Play Rugby USA in the Hamptons

All are invite to join Play Rugby USA for some awesome rugby events and summer fun in the Hamptons!

Montauk Mini Clinic and Rugby Day
The first event is the Montauk Mini Clinic and Rugby Day. Please join the Montauk Rugby club for their first annual Family Day and kids mini rugby camp Sat May 21st @ 10am.  Play Rugby USA and Montauk Rugby will conduct a fun and exciting flag rugby clinic at East Hampton High School Practice Field (Long Lane East Hampton). This FREE one day clinic will reaffirm or introduce children ages 6-14 to the skills acquired by playing this fun, exciting international sport. Stay around after the clinic and join Montauk Rugby for a family BBQ and to cheer on the senior men's team as they take on Connecticut Yankees. For more details and to register, please click the link: http://2011hamptonsclinic.eventbrite.com/

Hamptons 7s Rugby
Later this summer, the 1st annual Hamptons 7s Corporate Rugby Challenge will be held on Saturday Aug, 20th, 2011.  The event will be held at the Ross School on their "upper campus", located at 18 Goodfriend Drive in East Hampton and will feature both flag (non contact) and contact brackets of competition in an action packed 1 day event.  The flag version will enable companies to enter mixed teams of men and women while the contact version this year will be limited to men's only.  Team entry for the competition is $1000 for flag and $2000 for contact and will include player passes and playing shirts or jerseys.  As part of the tournament Hamptons 7s will also create a spectacular VIP area where competitors and sponsors alike can rub shoulders before during and after the day's activities. For more information on the tournament or for a copy of the event's sponsor or team packages please email rugby@hamptons7s.com or visit www.hamptons7s.com

Summer Rugby Camp
The last event this summer is another youth camp being run by our sister company, Elite Rugby America. Two week-long camps will be held at the end of August (8/22-8/26 and 8/29-9/2). For more information on the camps, please visit http://eliterugbyamerica.com/rugby-young.html