Tag: 7s

2016 Olympic Team USA

HRFC Prepares for Rugby’s Return to the Olympics!

2016 marks the return of rugby to the Olympic Games, and Team USA is set to defend their 1924 gold medal, the last Olympiad to feature the sport. Rugby isn’t as familiar to American audiences, but once Team USA fans experience rugby sevens, many fans will find their way to Pennsylvania rugby clubs looking for options to try the sport locally.

In our part of the state, the EPRU runs competition, both recreational and competitive, throughout the year for both men and women at the club level. The main rugby seasons in Pennsylvania are Fall 15s, Spring 15s, and Summer 7s.

“Harrisburg Rugby wants to wish the US Women’s and Men’s Olympic Teams good luck on their quest for Gold at the 2016 Olympic Games! Rugby has an option for individuals of every shape and size to be successful on the field, and the emphasis on fair play and sportsmanship is without equal in organized sports. Anyone–of any age–interested in trying out rugby can find their local club at playrugbytoday.com. If you are located in the Harrisburg area, we encourage you to browse HRFC’s website and join us at Memorial Field in Highspire for practice. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!,” said Jeff Cook, HRFC Chairman of the Board.

Members of Harrisburg Rugby are planning to gather together at Champions Sports Bar & Grill in Highspire, where the general public is welcome to learn more about the sport & opportunities locally. Keep an eye on our Club Event Calendar for further information.

The women’s team will kick off the Olympics in play pool matches against Fiji, Colombia, and Australia on Saturday, August 6. Six players of the roster were a part of the team that won Silver at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

“I have selected a group with a wide variety of playing styles and I am excited to see them all come together and play for each other in Rio,” Coach Richie Walker said.

The men’s team will begin their quest for gold in pool play matches against Fiji, Argentina, and Brazil on Tuesday, August 9. The team includes Nate Ebner, a defensive back for the NFL’s New England Patriots, and crossover-sport stars Perry Baker and Carlin Isles, along with professional Rugby players who play both in the US and overseas.

Coach Mike Friday said, “The squad itself represents the country on so many levels and is cosmopolitan in makeup, which is a true reflection of the country. The team is balanced in terms of physicality, power, X-factor, and out-and out pace.”

All 6 Team USA pool play matches will be broadcast live, with a total of 34 rugby matches of the 2016 Olympic Games being broadcast live on NBCSN, CNBC, and USA Network. This truly is a great time to become a fan of the fastest growing sport in America!

Team USA Rosters, Staff, & Schedules | 2016 Olympic Games

Team USA (Women) | 2016 Olympic Games Players

Bui Baravilala
Ryan Carlyle
Lauren Doyle
Joanne Fa’avesi 
Carmen Farmer
Victoria Folayan
Kelly Griffin (C)
Jessica Javelet
Kathryn Johnson
Alev Kelter
Jillion Potter
Richelle Stephens
Travel Reserves:
Meya Bizer
Nicole Heavirland

Team USA (Women) | 2016 Olympic Games Staff

Richie Walker, Head Coach
Pete Steinberg, Assistant Coach
Jared Siegmund, Strength Coach
Nicole Titmas, Physio
Andrew Locke, Video Analyst
Dr. Lisa Bartoli, Team Doctor
Emilie Bydwell, Team Leader
Alex Magelby, Director of Rugby

Team USA (Women) | 2016 Olympic Games Schedule

v. Fiji – Saturday, Aug. 6 – 9:00 a.m. PT – NBCSN
v. Colombia – Saturday, Aug. 6 – 2:00 p.m. PT – CNBC
v. Australia – Sunday, Aug. 7 – 9:30 a.m. PT – USA Network

Team USA (Men) | 2016 Olympic Games Players

Perry Baker
Danny Barrett
Garrett Bender
Andrew Durutalo
Nate Ebner
Madison Hughes
Carlin Isles
Folau Niua
Ben Pinkelman
Zack Test
Maka Unufe
Chris Wyles

Team USA (Men) | 2016 Olympic Games Staff

Mike Friday, Head Coach
Chris Brown, Assistant Coach
Phil Greening, Assistant Coach
Brian Green, Physio
Paul Goulding, Video Analyst
Sarah Sall, Massage Therapist
Dr. Eric Test, Team Doctor
Nick Tricarico, Manager

Team USA (Men) | 2016 Olympic Games Schedule

v. Argentina – Tuesday Aug. 9 – 9:00 a.m. PT – NBCSN
v. Brazil – Tuesday Aug. 9 – 2:00 p.m. PT – CNBC
v. Fiji – Wednesday Aug. 10 – 9:30 a.m. PT – USA Network

Full Broadcast Schedule

WOMEN

Saturday, August 6th
12:00pm USA v. Fiji NBCSN
12:30pm Australia v. Colombia NBCSN
5:00pm USA v. Colombia CNBC
5:30pm Australia v. Fiji CNBC
Sunday, August 7th
12:00pm Fiji v. Columbia USA
12:30pm USA v. Australia USA
4:00pm 1st Pool A v. 2nd Best 3rd
4:30pm 2nd Pool C v. 2nd Pool B
Monday, August 8th
1:30pm Semifinals NBCSN
2:00pm Semifinals NBCSN
5:30pm Bronze Medal Match CNBC
6:00pm Gold Medal Match CNBC

*all times EST

MEN

Tuesday, August 9th
10:00am Australia v. France NBCSN
10:30am South Africa v. Spain NBCSN
11:00am Great Britain v. Kenya NBCSN
11:30am New Zealand v. Japan NBCSN
12:00pm USA v. Argentina NBCSN
12:30pm Fiji v. Brazil NBCSN
3:00pm Australia v. Spain USA
3:30pm South Africa v. France USA
4:00pm Great Britain v. Japan USA
4:30pm New Zealand v. Kenya USA
5:00pm USA v. Brazil CNBC
5:30pm Fiji v. Argentina CNBC
Wednesday, August 10th
12:00pm Argentina v. Brazil USA
12:30pm Fiji v. USA USA
4:00pm 1st Pool A v. 2nd Best 3rd USA
4:30pm 2nd Pool C v. 2nd Pool B USA
5:00pm 1st Pool C v. 2nd Pool A CNBC
5:30pm 1st Pool B v. Best 3rd CNBC
Thursday, August 11th
1:30pm Semifinals NBCSN
2:00pm Semifinals NBCSN
5:30pm Bronze Medal Match NBCSN
6:00pm Gold Medal Match NBCSN

*all times EST

Sevens Tournament

REGISTER TODAY: Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament

29th Annual Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Location: Campbelltown Volunteer Fire Company – Palmyra, PA 17010

MEN’S, WOMEN’S, AND OLD BOYS BRACKETS!

Register for the Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament

Registration is now open for the 29th Annual Harrisburg Rugby Sevens Tournament. CLICK HERE to register for the BEST 7’s tournament on the East Coast! Prices will increase as the tournament date approaches, so register today and save!

Help Harrisburg Rugby promote the BEST 7’s tournament on the East Coast!

To download, print, and distribute promotional fliers for the 29th Annual Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament, please click on one of the links below:
2015 7s Tournament – Men’s/Old Boy’s Flier
2015 7s Tournament – Women’s Flier

WANTED: 29th Annual Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament Sponsors!!!

The Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament is HRFC’s BIGGEST fundraiser of the year. Amongst rugby enthusiasts, it is widely considered to be one of the best – if not THE BEST – 7’s rugby tournament on the East Coast. Our club cannot pull off this amazing feat year after year without the help of generous sponsorships, advertisements, and donations. That is where we need YOUR help.

If you are interested in sponsoring the 29th Annual Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament or would like to purchase advertisement in the tournament program, please DOWNLOAD a copy of the 2015 HRFC 7s Sponsor Form and return by Tuesday, June 9, 2015.

On behalf of the 29th Annual Harrisburg 7’s Rugby Tournament planning committee and our entire rugby club, we thank you for your generosity in helping to make this year’s tournament such a huge success!

MANDATORY RELEASE / ROSTER FORMS

• Must be filled out in advance of first game, PRIOR TO PLAYING FIRST MATCH OF THEY DAY – NO EXCEPTIONS!
• Please use the roster which may be downloaded from HERE. One for each team entered. Roster limit twelve (12) per side entered. Under tournament rules players must stay with team they are rostered on throughout competition unless captain of opposing side consents in advance to roster amendment.
• TEAM SCORE SHEETS can be downloaded HERE. These are great for keeping track of match scoring.

Questions or Concerns?

Please contact Scott Strelec, Harrisburg Sevens Tournament Committee Chairman, via e-mail at sevens@harrisburgrugby.com for more information.

HRFC 7s Tournament

28th Annual 7s Rugby Tournament Recap

If you haven’t heard, this past Saturday was the 28th Annual Harrisburg Rugby 7s Tournament. Officially, THE BEST 7s RUGBY TOURNAMENT OF THE SUMMER – as voted on by Harrisburg Rugby enthusiasts the world over. Harrisburg 7s 2014 lived up to the hype. We laughed, we cried, things were said, and things were broken in an emotional roller coaster that left both of our A side teams just short of bringing home hardware. Before we get to the recaps, we would like to extend a very special thanks to all members of the HRFC family who helped put together another successful tournament, both behind the scenes and under the tents. Without you, this tournament would not happen – or in the very least it would never be anything other than a bunch of bozos playing with a ball on unlined fields and urinating on themselves. So THANK YOU ALL (insert slow clap).

Our women had tough slogging all day, as they were once again pooled with the eventual tournament winners, the dreaded Brandywine Riot, and some unforgiving scheduling with which to contend. Highlights of the day included stout defense led by Jordan and Lauren, phenomenal team offense with great support, and the return of Becky (have baby will ruck).

The women started out strong versus an over matched Whitehorse side. Dominating early, as expected, and finishing strong. The unofficial scorecard – as voiced by many spectators – was “a lot to a little”.

Harlots vs Whitehorse
HRFC Harlot Jordan drives against Whitehorse after an off load by Becky while Lauren and Cheese watch in anticipation.

The women then went on to face a stubborn Brandywine team, who took advantage of a few missteps from our ladies and won a game that was closer then the score showed. The women had some long breaks from several different players, but unfortunately they could not finish some of the runs. Brandywine walked away hoping not to face the Ladies again.

Harlots vs Brandywine
HRFC Harlot Brit passes to the outside after the Harlots win a scrum down against Brandywine.

Despite the loss, our women made the playoffs and had the eye of the tiger when they squared off vs Keystone. The Harlots seemed to get stronger as the match went on. They utilized strong team concepts on defense and multiphase attacks on offense to knock the once mighty Keystone team out of the tournament. In one of the best “coaching moments” of the summer, Lauren had a nice half break, made a well timed pass to support runner Erica (coming from depth with velocity), who took the ball down close to the try line and offloaded the ball back to Lauren, who supported her own pass to score a well deserved 5 points. The play embodied everything the women have been bringing to the table all season. Great teamwork and unselfish play.

Squaring off against Brandywine for the 1,000,000,000th time this season in the semi finals, the women gave the eventual tournament winners all they could handle. This rematch was not what Brandywine expected at all. The women were supporting their breaks and shutting down the bigger women for the ‘Wine. Several lead changes occurred with the match seeming to tilt towards a victory. Alas, a last second try sealed the fate for our battle hardened Harlots. Although the end left a bitter taste, the women played well all day and gained the respect and admiration of the home town fans. Many proclaimed, “wow, they are good!” Such high praise. Great day ladies, but there are still chances to bring home hardware.

Harlots vs Brandywine 2
HRFC Harlots Jordan and Erica team up to take down a Brandywine runner.

The men looked to build on last week’s strong performance and did not disappoint. Highlights included stifling team defense throughout most of the day, attacking and scoring in a multitude of ways, and never giving up to always finish strong.

The boys started of a little sluggish to say the least against a very stacked Molly’s side – who eventually won it all – but battled back to finish the game strong and start the day rolling.

HRFC vs Mollys
HRFC’s Cody takes down a Molly Maguire player in a hard-fought, uphill battle.

The men next took on the Allentown Blues, who did not have any answers for what the ‘Burg threw at them. The men dominated in all facets of the game and blanked the Blues with stellar defense and an unrelenting attack.

HRFC vs Blues
HRFC’s Andrew looks to offload to Nick before being taken to ground by a member of the Blues while Scooter looks on.

The next victim was the completely over matched Pecan Sandies, who were a solid team, but they could not over come the ineptitude of their leader (unless he is available for any more tournaments, in which case he was awesome), nor the no-holds-barred attack of our boys. Once again, needing points to solidify a spot in the Plate, the men did not let up on the gas, handily shut out the Sandies, and took the coveted bye in the first round of the plate.

In the playoffs, the men took on the Lancaster Roses and left them feeling less then fresh. After standing up to the initial push of the Roses, who drew first blood, HRFC took control of the match and the roses never again touched pay dirt. The men used every player at it disposal and they all were up to the challenge on the way to a very lopsided rout.

The stage in the finals seemed to be set up to repeat the semis where the men took on a well rested Severn River. The men were down early but rallied to tie the match up. Unfortunately, in the efforts to set up the tying try, the men lost their captain, as Zach went down with a leg injury. The men seemed to be lost at sea for a few minutes losing the ability to tackle or finish on some breaks. But the Men did not quit, became aggressive on defense, and went on the attack. In the end, the Men finished just short of a victory (or tie, no one really knows the final score), but in the process offered up the most exciting game of the day. Way to go guys, lets not sit on our near laurels – lets continue to build. Zach left big shoes to fill, but lets keep building.

The Men and women also had B side teams in the tournament. Those guys and girls played their butts off and and deserve a big round of applause as well. The men played both B and motley, and cross-rostered on several teams. The women forced a game from a forfeit and helped wear down the competition. Great showing by all.

HRFC 2 vs IUP
HRFC B-side’s AJ offloads before being taken to ground by his opponent.

Harlots 2 vs Frederick
HRFC Harlots 2’s Gilbert makes a break against Frederick while Piglet sets herself up as support.

Special thanks to all of our Captains, who helped collect money, set lineups, and all around took responsibilities off coach’s plate all day long.

Another successful Harrisburg Rugby 7s Tournaments is in the books. Thank you again to everyone that participated and helped make this year’s tournament such a huge success. A special thank you to The Campbelltown Volunteer Fire Company for allowing us to hold our 7s rugby tournament on their company grounds. Finally, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the fans and spectators who made the journey out to Campbelltown on Saturday to support your – and ultimately our – rugby club. We hope you enjoyed the show!

To view the results of the 28th Annual Harrisburg 7s Rugby Tournament, please CLICK HERE.

To view more pictures from the 28th Annual Harrisburg 7s Rugby Tournament, please CLICK HERE to visit the album on Harrisburg Rugby’s Flickr site.

Now, WHO WANTS A MUSTACHE RIDE?!

Super Troopers
HRFC’s Brett, Scooter, Crocket, and Nick H. sporting this year’s 7s jerseys.