Tag: harlots

Harrisburg Harlots National Championship Series

Harlots Among Top 4 DII Club Teams in Nation!

Burlington Women vs Harrisburg Harlots

Saturday, May 21, 2016

On yet another cold, wet, rainy day, the Harlots took to the pitch on Founder’s Field in Pittsburgh, PA to take on reigning runner up Burlington, VT in the National Quarter Finals.

Boasting the MAC Championship crown and the greatest cheering section at Founder’s Field, our ladies took the next step to Colorado. In typical Harlots fashion, the Women took the lead early. Taking advantage of a Vermont mishandle, “OC” Courtney drilled a penalty kick from 20 meters out – a big kick at a big time and those points would come in handy later in the game. Burlington also had their sights set on a National Crown and would not sink away quickly. After about 10 minutes inside the Burg’s 5 meter line, Burlington crashed over the try line to take the lead 3-5.

As the score would reflect, it was tough slogging throughout the first half. The two teams splashed back and forth up and down the field. Finally, Muscles burst through the line with a tidal wave of power and speed. Burlington was stunned and bowled over as Muscles went in for the go ahead try. The half would close with the Harlots clinging to an 8-7 lead.

The first half seemed like the Burg was swimming upstream in the scrums and the second half was more of the same, even with fresh legs for the Burg. After some nice team play in the loose, Muscles was able to break wide to the corner and place another try. The score was wading at 13-7 with time running down.

Burlington was not ready to be counted out yet. They came back out fired up and used their new found boost to push a scrum over the line and splash the ball down for a try. Closing the gap to 13-12. Shortly after that, Burlington took the lead with a kick of their own. The clock was draining down quickly and the Harlots were losing 13-15. However, our ladies would not be denied. Building the pressure and pressing the attack, the Burlington side started to melt. Finally, McSpeedy got her due as she sprinted around the corner and dove over the line for the go ahead score with just under 2 minutes remaining.

Just a few short 7 minutes later, our ladies had swum to the victory and on to the National Semi Finals. Congratulations ladies, one of the most exciting games in HRFC history. The fans were were going crazy – and not just the fans in the blue section.

Highlights of the game included: in a turnaround from the MAC playoffs, kick countering was fantastic; McSpeedy and Pez each had several nice returns that nearly broke for tries; kick counters setting up the go ahead score; Muscles getting the job done; great poaches at breakdowns; several goal line stands; NEVER giving up; WINNING!!!!

Highlights from the USA Club Rugby Quarterfinals

Pictures courtesy of Valerie Caras



Videos courtesy of Annetta Comstock












Harrisburg Harlots vs Wisconsin Women’s Rugby

Sunday, May 22, 2016

The sun was shining seemingly for the first time since 2014 as the Harlots took the pitch on Sunday morning to take on reigning National Champions, the Wisconsin Women. Facing a team who boasted of speed in the backs and winning every game by an average score of over 50 points, our ladies would not be intimidated.

Feeling confident from a victory that drove a VT team out of the opportunity for a National Championship, the Harlots looked ready to slice up the competition. Right from the opening kick, Harrisburg dominated the field of play. They rucked, they scrummed, they ran all over the fast Wisconsin side.

After some great team play to matriculate the ball down the field, Muscles offloaded a pass on a half break to lighting fast McSpeedy who cruised to her 3rd try of the weekend. The Ladies pressed the attack. Driving, pushing, and aggressively charging, the Harlots came close to scoring on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, they could not quite find pay dirt. Initially stunned, Wisconsin slowly gained confidence. Eventually, they were able to reach over the line for the go ahead try.

The next few minutes were not enjoyable for our Ladies. They surrendered another try and were handed not 1, but 2 yellow cards. Both scrum half Goody and prop Teja were sin binned for questionable repeat infractions. The loss of two players was taxing to say the least. From that point on the women found it hard to attack on defense, which allowed the opposition to dictate play.

The Harlots still had a few tricks up their sleeve, though. Coming out strong, once again the women battled Wisconsin to the edge. Finally back to full strength, Muscles powered the ball to the try line and closed the gap to 12-19. Wisconsin would later take advantage of some errant passes and score two more times. Looking at at a disheartening score of 12-31, our Ladies never quit. The Harlots NEVER backed down. They kept the fight going, pushing into the try zone for the final score of the match with under two minutes left to play. Despite the heart and determination shown by the Harrisburg side, at the end of the day the scoreboard read 17-31 in favor of the reigning National Champions.

The final score was in no way indicative of the play on the field. Some unlucky bounces, unlucky cards, and a few mistakes led to a tough loss. Guaranteed that Wisconsin knew they earned a tough win. Our beloved Harlots should all be proud of their accomplishments this season. These opportunities are few and far between, and the entire club is proud that you gave it your all…down to the bitter end. You might be Harlots by name, but you all stole our hearts this year!

Highlights of the game included: Georgia once again was a dynamic force on attack as well as defense; LD playing center and scrum; the pack – rebounding from a less than optimal performance on Saturday – dominated at times, even down a man; McSpeedy – vroom vroom; Gilmartin put in a disruptive half; Goody played with an aggressive chip all day and all season; and so many more…

Great job and great season Harlots! Do not hang your heads…you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Rugby communities all across America know the name “Harrisburg Rugby” and we have YOU to thank for that. We could not be more proud of you!

THE HARRISBURG HARLOTS ARE AMONG THE TOP 4 WOMEN’S DII CLUB RUGBY TEAMS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!

Highlights from the USA Club Rugby Semifinals

Videos courtesy of Annetta Comstock










Harrisburg Harlots Team Photo

Harlots Heading to USA Club Rugby National Championship Series!

Harlots MAC Champions

Harrisburg Harlots Advance to USA Club Rugby Women’s DII Quarterfinals

The road to Glendale, Colorado heads to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania THIS Saturday, but it started on a hot day late last summer in Harrisburg. That’s when the Harlots gathered together to discuss their team goals. Number one on the list was to become National Champions – an auspicious goal to say the least. And so the trip began, but the road was not always smooth for our beloved Harlots.

The Harlots found themselves starting their fall season with an out-of-league loss to regional power Severn River, but that did not deter the Ladies. Instead of hanging their heads, they were able to regroup and set a course for utter domination of all those who would stand in the way of their ultimate goal. With stops in Maryland, Virginia, and assorted points of interest throughout their home state, the Harlots appointment with destiny could not be denied. They began to dismantle all of the teams who had previously blocked their path. Chesapeake, Stingers, and Furies – all names of those who would crumble before the weight of the juggernaut. However, despite their repeated showings of domination, the Harlots knew that in order to BE the best, they had to BEAT the best. Just two short weekends ago, they did just that.

Traveling to Alapocas Run State Park in Wilmington, Delaware over Mother’s Day weekend, in what can be described as a microcosm of their season, the Women avenged their only league loss of the season to previous champ Brandywine. Starting out slow and down 10 points, the women took charge, took the lead, and eventually took the MAC crown.

Now the Harlots find themselves preparing for just one more stop remaining on their trip to Glendale. A relatively short drive to Steeltown, USA this weekend will see the Ladies taking on reigning National runner up Burlington, VT in the Women’s National Quarter Finals. This could be one of the most exciting games in Harrisburg Harlots team history!

The Harlots are ready to punch their tickets to the Rockies, but they need support to get over this last hill. If you find yourself in Pittsburgh on Saturday, the match will be at Founders Field, home of the Pittsburgh Harlequins and the nicest facilities east of the Mississippi – that is until HRFC finalizes their own. Most of our club and our fanatics will be holed up in Cranberry Township, PA on Saturday night. If you would like to join us and have not made arrangements yet, contact “Belushi” and he can fill you in on the plans.

With that, there’s only one last thing to say…GO HARLOTS!!!

USA Club Rugby Quarterfinals Preview

For a preview of what this weekend has in store for the Harlots, head over to usarugby.org to read their blog post “PLENTY OF POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE RETURNS TO WOMEN’S DII CLUB QUARTERFINALS”

Watch the USA Rugby Club Playoffs

We welcome any and all alumni, family, friends, and fans of the Harrisburg Rugby Football Club and our Harrisburg Harlots to join our club cheering section at Founder’s Field in Pittsburgh, PA this weekend. Come out, show your support, and help cheer the Harlots onward to victory!

For the quarterfinals, the Harlots are scheduled to face off against Burlington Rugby on Saturday morning at 11:45am on Field 1.

With a win, the Harlots will advance to the semifinals and face off against the winner of the Wisconsin Rugby (reigning National Champions) vs. Charlotte Rugby match. The semifinal match will take place on Sunday morning at 11:45am on Field 1 (field subject to change).

In the event of a loss on Saturday, the Harlots will play in a consolation match against the loser of the Wisconsin Rugby vs. Charlotte Rugby match on Sunday morning at 8:15am on Field 1.

Can’t join us in Pittsburgh? We understand. Don’t worry, though, because you can still cheer for the Harlots from the comfort of your own home. USA Rugby will be streaming this weekend’s National Championship Series Club Playoffs LIVE on USARugbyTV.com!

For more information, visit this site and Saturday morning direct your browser to the USA Rugby TV website.

USA Club Rugby Playoff Bracket

USA Club Rugby Playoff Bracket

HRFC Harlots MAC Champions

Harlots Win MAC Rugby Championship

Harlots MAC Semis

Saturday, May 7, 2016 – Mid-Atlantic Conference Semi Finals

Today our lovely ladies traveled to Alapocas Run State Park in wet Wilmington, Delaware to begin a run at a National title. In order to get there, though, the Harlots first needed to take on a feisty Doylestown side.

Playing up hill the first half is always a chore, and the first half of this match was tough slogging for the Harlots. Nice drives were stymied short of pay dirt, but there were some bright spots. Fly half Georgia had some brilliant kicks, and combined with great coverage by McSpeedy, the Harlots were able to keep the more aggressive side at bay. Playing solid defense and utilizing a steady attack, the Harlots kept the game close. The determination that has carried our Ladies to the playoffs was on display throughout the half. Alas, Doylestown scored first, and with that the rout would be on. However, at the half the score would be just 0-5 Doylestown.

Coach Adi rallied the troops together during the break, and with that our women of ill repute would start the second half working hard. What’s that? We said the rout was on? And so it was, for our ladies. As usual, the Harlots started scoring allllll daaaaaay loooong. In fact, they scored 3 tries in just about 8 minutes.

The game quickly got out of hand, and there was no drop off once all substitutions were made. In the end, the second half was an awesome display of offensive firepower and defensive tenacity which would lead to a final score of 34-5 in favor of the Harlots.

Highlights included Georgia’s kicks and ball movement, Ali’s in-your-face defense, Teja’s hard running and hard hitting, Cheese’s hard running, and “OC” Original Courtney’s kicking the door in and doing the dirty work all day long.

Nice job ladies. Tomorrow brings the dreaded and really tough looking Brandywine side. They are big, fast and decisive. Gonna be a tough match.

Harlots MAC Champions

Sunday, May 8, 2016 – Mid-Atlantic Conference Finals

MOTHER’S DAY IS A WOMEN’S RUGBY DAY!

The MAC championship match was here, and it saw our favorite and beloved Harlots taking on a solid Brandywine side. This would be no easy task for our Ladies. They would need to play their best rugby of the season to pull off the “upset” over the Brandywine women. Instead of putting in the much needed effort, the Harlots decided to up the ante for Mother’s Day and play possibly the best game in franchise history.

Repeating the strategy from Saturday’s game, our Gals played up hill and into the wind first half. However, the women, bolstered by their full retinue of players and the return of the sun (making her first appearance since February, trouble with her CIPP), did not wait until the second half to start the attack. Right from the opening kickoff, it was obvious that our heroines would seek to control the tempo of the game. Team rugby took center stage when just three minutes into play LD burst the scoring open. Aggressive, attacking rugby with hard crashes and well-timed offloads created the opportunity. With the points after good, Harrisburg was up, just like that, 7-0.

The match went back and forth for the next 20 minutes. The Harlots kept the bigger Brandywine side on their heels with punishing runs and aggressive team defense. Brandywine attempted to counter this new-look Harrisburg team by moving their backline back 15 meters from the breakdowns in an effort to tire out our ladies before they could make contact. However, rugby is a game of ebbs and flows and gravity takes its toll. Utilizing the wind and the downhill, Brandywine kicked over the Harlots with some well placed, booming kicks. This tactic slowed HRFC’s pace a little and opened up the field just enough to set up two successive tries for them.

Coach Adi gathered the troops after the opposition’s second try and rekindled the Harlot fire. The final score of the first half saw Muscles stunning Brandywine, breaking tackle after tackle on her 80 meter run for the try zone. With another conversion made, our Ladies were up 14-10 and would not relinquish the lead.

The second half brought more of the same. This time, the wind and hill were in the Harlots’ favor. Taking a bit longer to score in this half, the Harlots waited until six minutes into the half to get on the boards when “OC” Original Courtney used her world-famous door kicking ability to nail a tough penalty kick.

The Women did not let off the gas. Pressing the attack, playing in-your-face defense, and possessing a champion’s attitude, our Girls continued to bring their game to the bigger Brandywine team. Once again, after some nice team play, McSpeedy finally broke free and scored a try. But, the Harlots were not done yet. LD wanted to see the try zone one last time and dotted down the final ‘Burg try of the day. Brandywine would score a last-gasp try very late in the game, but would not be able to threaten the Harlots’ lead. Final score was a beautiful Mother’s Day Bouquet of 27-15 in favor of the Harlots.

This game was arguably the best, most complete game the Harlots have ever played. They played defense “up field” which severely impeded the other team from running their offense. It led to multiple mishandles and forced them to run sideways. Offensively, the ladies ran an organized attack. Operating off the same page, they made very few errors that were unforced. They ran straight and attacked gaps. Brandywine is a top-notch team, but they had no answer for our much more aggressive style. Well deserved victory by our Ladies – you all should be proud!

Highlights included, but definitely were not limited to: Georgia, not enough can be said about the game she played – she kicked, tackled, and ran the way every fly half should, but few can. “OC” played some of her personal best rugby, as well. Team mother Goody ran the show at scrum half and kept the team pace aggressive, but under control. Lauren put in an excellent half, running strong and with support. Ali just continued to crush on defense. Reapsome did the dirty work. Honestly, way too many highlights. But the best highlight was the “team” win. Unselfish play, smart decisions, and aggressive team defense.

Phenomenal job, Harlots! Next up: USA Rugby Club National Quarter Finals in Pittsburgh, PA!

HRFC Harlots Champions

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.