Monday, October 31, 2005

O U T S T A N D I N G !


MCRC Recaptures New England Title
Sunday, 10/30/05:
MCRC defeated USCGA 11-6 in spectacular match under sunny skies and temps in the 60's. Stay tuned to this blog for more details!

Friday, October 28, 2005

MCRC Matches Are in Rutland...

No matches at Middlebury Saturday or Sunday!

Click here for information on the 10/29 and 10/30 matches. Click here for directions to the pitch.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Partly Cloudy (What Again?) Part One


Manyuru Perfects The Line Out Tip Drill

MCRC Tackles Trinity
In an area of Vermont once known for its industrial production the men of the MCRC kicked-off this years New England RFU Quarterfinal match play October 22 by stifling a determined Trinity Bantam team in a 26-3 victory on yet another grey New England Saturday.


Cox Has No Daylight

After finding the field in the outskirts of West Rutland, "down the gravel road, past the Marble processing plant, road takes off on the left... ignore the NO TRESPASSING signs... You can't miss it," and realizing this could be a long afternoon, I went back into West Rutland in search of chow. After bypassing a couple of taverns, and a deli, I wandered into a rather plain looking place with a colorfully painted wall mural. Good Choice.


Losambe '07 Has More Fun Harasimowicz Photo

With a Roast Turkey, Stuffing, and Cranberry Sauce Melt on rye to go, I went back to the pitch. ( I had asked about the Tuna Melt. Friendly waitress shook her head as if to say... "No. That's not what you want. You want the RTS&CSM," -abbreviated to shorten this description.) I digress.


Williams '06 Takes Advantage - Volz Observes
Harasimowicz Photo

The location of this years NERFU quarterfinal was a photographers dream: a backdrop friendly pitch carved out of the graceful reeds and grasses of a mature wetland. Run by the Rutland Rugby Football Club for their U-19 Boys and U-19 Girls teams this pitch served the event very serviceably.


Junior Tommy Heitkamp Frustrates Sleeve Tackler
Harasimowicz photo


Etter Reacts to Cox Dazzling Try

With the rains holding off through the MCRC women's match (a loss to UVM - I saw only Midd scoring) and men's A match with Trinity and B match with the Dartmouth Freshman team fans were treated to hard fought contests that challenged the Midd squads.


Wilson Working the Body English Harasimowicz Photo

In the Trinity match some very impressive running from the Midd backs electrified the crowd. Winger Spencer Cox, one of the many bright lights in the future of Midd Rugby, scored early and elicited howls of delight as he ran a series of dazzling cuts around the Bantam defenders for the first try of the match. With the kicking tee momentarily AWOL Craig Wilson pulled another trick from his bag and placed a dead-on drop kick for the two-point conversion. Haven't seen that yet this season that I can recall -things looked bright indeed.


Losambe '07 Drawing the Usual Crowd

To be continued...

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

NERFU Finals October 29 & 30

Don't forget: This weekend the New England Rugby Football Union Finals matches will be held on both Saturday and Sunday, Oct 29, and 30 AT RUTLAND.

For Directions to the Rutland pitch: Click Here

Saturday Games: MCRC vs. Colby at 1:00pm and Univ. of Rhode Island vs US Coast Guard Academy at 3:00pm
Sunday Games: Third seed game at 11:00am and Championship game at 1:00pm

Photos from the Trinity Quarterfinals Match

...That's Gonna Leave a Mark MCRC v Trinity 10/22


Cox and Volz Tag Team to Bag a Bantam

This weekend is also Middlebury's final Fall Family Weekend. Unfortunately, you casual rugby fans won't be able to just drop-in to this game as you wander among the many campus venues -sporting and otherwise. You can't just go grab a snack from the big feast outside Proctor (my favorite...) or drop in on perhaps yet another record breaking football game (Trinity comes to town.) Rugby matches this weekend are not in a convenient location. In the vernacular: the West Rutland pitch, is (literally) 'in the tulies.'


Losambe's '07 Power Move - Harasimowicz Photo

To everyone planning on driving to West Rutland I offer this advice: You should arrive early if you intend to park near the pitch. Tailgating is allowed. Otherwise, you'll need to hoof it in from the road (not far.) Get there early, and bring your own food, and know there are no bathrooms here. Plan accordingly. (?)


The Ref Is Not a Pirate Harasimowicz Photo

ALSO -Sunday: Set your clock back an hour so you don't get to the Breadloaf Buffet line before it opens! (Daylight Savings time is adjusted this Sunday Morning at... 2:00am(?) - Spring Ahead; Fall Back)

For Directions to the Rutland pitch: Click Here

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Gear Time - Holiday Shopping Anyone?


Harasimowicz Photo

Very shortly, the Club will be placing orders for new gear for those members who don't yet have it. This is your opportunity to perhaps knock out some Holiday shopping earlier than you thought possible. As in the past, Ward is opening up the ordering process to all Friends of Rugby -parents, significant others, grandmas, really generous cousins and the like.


Ridge Chew Amid Sea of Sporty Yet Formal MIDD Rugby Jackets

The Duffel bags are extreme heavy duty canvas, and as seen in the photo above say ‘Middlebury Rugby’ on one side and have the player's name on the other side. The end panels say ‘Northeast Division II Champs 2002.’ The jackets are also a quality heavy nylon with the club's logo on the jacket front and block print 'Middlebury Rugby' on the back.

Ordering is being handled by Ward Patterson. You can email him directly to order gear. Your favorite rugger will thank you for it. When I find out the costs, I'll update this post.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Vlad the Photographer UPDATE

Check out Vlad Ladoaba's new and improved site showcasing his Rugby photographs. Photos from the Williams game have been joined by photos from the 10/15/05 Babson match, and an archive section is include with shots taken during the 2003 season. Check out the photograph of Pascal in this section being wrapped by a very large man in a scrum cap...

GO TO:
www.lodoaba.com/mcrc
(New location, new interface for the main page, same look for the galleries.)

Thursday, October 20, 2005

New England Quarterfinals Begin This Weekend


One on One - Meany Style - MCRC v BURC 10/15/05

New Location Chosen as MCRC Field Is Shot
The New England Rugby Football Union Championship match play will begin this weekend with quarterfinal matches across the conference set for Saturday, October 22, 2005. Due to unplayable conditions at the MCRC pitch, the Panthers will play their match in Rutland, Vermont at the Rutland Men's Club pitch.

Middlebury will face Trinity College at 1:00pm.
Since Trinity has no B squad the MCRC Killer B's will be taking on Dartmouth University's "rookie squad' following the A match at approximately 2:30pm.
Prior to the men's matches, the MCRC Women will take on Univ. of Vermont at 11:00am.

Directions to the Rutland pitch:



From NORTH:
Take US Route 7 into Rutland. In Rutland turn right onto Business Route 4A. Take 4A all the way through Center Rutland and on into West Rutland. Once in West Rutland, bear right at the flashing red light onto Marble Street. The field is .9 miles on left, look carefully for the entrance to the field as the pitch is not visible from the road.

From SOUTH:
Take US 7 North into Rutland, and turn left onto US Route 4 at the Diamond Run Mall. Take US 4 to Exit 6/West Rutland. Bear right at the bottom of the ramp, and then turn left at the traffic light onto US 4A toward West Rutland. At the flashing red light, turn right onto Marble Street. The field is .9 miles on left, look carefully for the entrance to the field as the pitch is not visible from the road.

FROM ALBANY / WEST:
North on I 87 to Exit 20, Rt-149/Fort Ann/Whitehall. At end of ramp, turn left onto US9N. After approximately one mile turn right onto NY149. In Fort Ann, turn left onto US4 East. Stay on Route 4 all the way to Exit 6/West Rutland. At the bottom of the ramp turn left, then at the traffice light turn left onto US Route 4A toward West Rutland. At the flashing red light, turn right onto Marble Street. The field is .9 miles on left, look carefully for the entrance to the field as the pitch is not visible from the road.

FROM THE EAST: Take US 4 West into Rutland, and at the intersection with Route 7 turn left/south. Take the next right onto Business Route 4A. Take 4A all the way through Center Rutland and on into West Rutland. Once in West Rutland, bear right at the flashing red light onto Marble Street. The field is .9 miles on left, look carefully for the entrance to the field as the pitch is not visible from the road.

Monday, October 17, 2005

Partly Cloudy, Chance of Deluge


A Fun Run In The Mud

Regular Season Ends on High Note
The weather, figuring it was not getting enough playing time, let loose Saturday, sending all but the most diehard fans scurrying for cover and rendering the rugby pitch a mud bowl.


Consenstein/Harasimowicz Tag Team

With temps in the 50's, and the wind starting up, fans were not the only ones challenged at the sports venues this Homecoming Weekend. The Babson United Rugby Club faced the determined play of a Panther team that was working to better their foul-weather performance of last week. And better it they did.


King '06 Tackles with Support from Yoquinto '08

Consistent rucking, and efficient phase play led Middlebury to a comfortable half-time lead over the Babson Beavers, and determined running by wings John Sharpe and Craig Wilson, and consistently strong inside play by sophomore Yoquinto, and seniors Consenstein, Williams, and Garner gave Middlebury a decided win. "They feel very confident that the St.Mikes game was just a blip" said Coach Ward.


Three on One - Battle for Possession

Gusting winds once again made line outs a challenge, and Babson managed to win a fair number of scrum balls, but the Panthers defense stopped any runs the BURC could put together.


"What Rain?" Say Stylish Bleacher Bums

Rain started shortly after the 2:00pm match start -and just after I had covered my borrowed lens -and did not let up. In fact, at times, it came down in the proverbial 'wheelbarrows' full. Boston Globe writer David Nyhan once described playing rugby as a game where players “go skidding and sliding and splattering their way to the most fun you can have with short pants on.” Saturday that was evident.


Wilson '07.5 Scrambling


Whoa There...

After their teetering victory over St. Michael's last week, the MCRC team looked focused. "Amidst weather that made it challenging to score, we executed solidly and found holes in their defense to score," said wing John Sharpe, '06. "I want to emphasis, however, that the word which describes this game is 'FUN' -we had a blast out there. Being in the mud, yelling and fighting in a seemingly raging monsoon, dominating our opponents while the fans cheered is a fantastic feeling."


The team performed an especially rowdy 'three cheers for the fans' to close the day.

Coach Ward, proud of the team effort offered praise noting, "Their game came came back and they played very well." Looking to this weekend he was frank in his comments. "This week is the beginning of the championship season," Ward said, "and so we will have to see what kind of character we show up with. We have the skills and abilities, the question is, "Do we want to earn it?"


GQ Will Be Calling

Final score: MCRC over BURC 36-0. Though many B's got into this game, there was no 'B' match, as Babson showed up with only about 20 players.
Post-season play begins Saturday 10/22/05 with start of New England quaterfinals. Time and location to be announced.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Former Cutthroat Returns East

Photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz, P '06
Always eager to post news with pictures, here is a letter from a MCRC alum, Ben Herter, '03.5 accompanied by photographs from current parent, and freelance photographer, Ellen Harasimowicz.

From the Williams Match:

Winning A Line Out Harasimowicz Photo


Harasimowicz '07 Pressuring Harasimowicz Photo

Ben Herter '03.5 Back in Boston
Ben's 10/1/05 letter:

Mike - Thanks for adding me to the blog. It's always nice to hear that Middlebury is still dominating the DII scene. I'm hoping to see them continue that streak on Homecoming Weekend. [10/15/05 - match with Babson] I think there will be a number of alumni up for that game.


Losambe '07 Dishes Harasimowicz Photo


Alex White '09 Releasing Harasimowicz Photo

As for me, I'm in Boston now, working at an architectural firm downtown and getting my masters of architecture at the Boston Architectural Center (w/ fellow rugby alumnus, Steve "Mess" Messenger). Unfortunately, this doesn't leave me much time to get on the pitch.

From the Bryant Match:

Wilson '07.5 Overruns Bulldog Harasimowicz Photo


Garner '06, and Hewitt '05.5 Take Down Harasimowicz Photo

I practiced with Kevin Immonje a couple of times this summer with the Boston Rugby Club, but that's about the most running I've done in a long while. Before I moved back to Boston I was out in Bozeman, Montana playing with Jody Kramer (on) a men's club -the Bozeman Cutthroats; www.cutthroatrugby.org.


Caleb Consenstein '06 Breaks Loose Harasimowicz Photo


JJ. Jude '08 Runs Wide - Tyler Williams '06 Supports
Harasimowicz Photo

I had no expectations when I went out there, but there turned out to be some great competition. All in all, it was a good ol' time bustin some heads and drinkin some b......umm....pops!
Hey, we even won the 2004 Montana State Rugby Union Championship! Not all that bad. I hope all is well. Keep me posted on the goings-on up in Middlebury. See you up there!.

Ben Herter '03.5 Flank

If you know of anyone eager to receive news about the MCRC, send me an email: Mike Garner, Friends of Rugby, MCRC.


Ellen Harasimowicz Photographing the Bryant Match

Like Vlad the Photographer, Ellen Harasimowicz continues to graciously put up with my tedious photography questions. Most of the photos in this blog quite literally would not be here without her continued and much-appreciated support. Thank you, Ellen.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Vlad the Photographer


Middlebury File Photo

Middlebury College's own, Vladimir A. Lodoaba, '06 has graciously provided a web link to his photo collection from the September 24 MCRC home match against Williams College.

Vlad is a familiar face on the Middlebury photography landscape and a wonderful sports photographer. He is also a very courteous guy who has repeatedly put up with all my tedious photography questions over the years. I wish he were able to get to more home matches!

Check out his work at: http://www.lodoaba.com/rugby_vs_williams/ and tell him thanks next time you see him.

Contact Vlad through The Middlebury Campus or at photographer@middlebury.edu (great email address...)

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Purple Knights Tag Team With Weatherman


Wirene Haka

Can You Say I N C L E M E N T ?
In a game that had many thinking, "What's going on here?" the Panthers faced a wake-up call from the weather and a decidedly focused and capable St. Michaels team this past Saturday at the Middlebury pitch. In a driving rainstorm, the MCRC repeatedly faced determined tackling and increasing intensity as the Purple Knights club realized that they could compete with Middlebury.


Meany - Manyuru - White

With their team down by only 7 points a small but vocal set of St. Mikes fans hopes were very high as their squad carried the Panthers deep into the second period by repeatedly stifling the Panther running game.

Did the weather play a factor? Was this a different St. Michaels team from old? 'Yes' and 'hopefully.' Coach Ward summed it up: "We have been spoiled by great weather which really allows us to play our flair styled game. We had a string of dropped balls and way too many lost possessions in the rucks for us to keep the time of possession in our favor and the attack going."


Ruck Forming

The cold and rainy weather caught many players off guard. Fly half Luke Hammock had trouble getting the balls into and out of his hands. "I couldn't feel them, they were so cold in the first half." That coupled with St. Michaels consistent pressure caused many backs to look for running lanes before they caught their passes leading to the dropped balls.

At the halftime discussion with his players Coach Ward exhorted his team to focus and change tactics. Noting that his team could ‘lose this game’ with the continuation of mishandled balls and departure from the fundamentals they had trained during the week, he urged all to step it up.


Yoquinto Near Goal Line

In the second half, though Middlebury was only to score once more during the game, they caught passes and set up their phases a bit more consistently all the while preventing any kind of St Mikes offensive threat from forming. Coach Ward observed, 'despite [facing] 'into' the wind, we held a good territorial position that did not allow them close to the goal line."


Nope

Concerning the 'new' St. Michaels pressure, Coach Ward said, "St. Mikes always gives us a bigger game than we expect. These guys have been on the edge for some time now, and I hope that they grab the opportunity to get into the playoffs and use that to springboard them higher for the next couple of years.


Manyuru Near Goal Line

"When teams continue into the playoffs their learning curve continues while the losers' stagnates -the gap is very noticable the next year."

The high point total wins aside, it is certainly a more rewarding victory when the other team 'shows up' and gives a good match. Coach Ward hopes the team has "had our 'bad' game, and we will get back on track." Final score: MCRC over St. Michaels 12-0.


Purple Knightmare?

With some good practices this week the team is focused on this Saturday's matches with Babson College. 'A' match starts on the Middlebury pitch at 2:00pm. There is also rumored to be a Old Boys game in the making... stay tuned. Better yet, just show up and see what happens. I hear there will be a considerable number of Friends of Rugby fans and parents in attendance for this final match before the playoffs begin.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

On Links and Hakas

Check out the link at right for The Haka -a website with rugby news, articles and links and dedicated to coverage of the All Blacks, Super 12, NPC, and Tri-Nations, which, I am learning, are Rugby clubs in New Zealand. The other links at right are good sites for checking out rugby union rules. Did you know the game Midd plays is called "Rugby Union"?

From the Haka site here is a sampling of one the more 'PC' pieces of writing where the author was on a bit of a rant about some recent uniform change being tested by the referees:

"Luckily the ref was Lyndon Bray, who is a fairly imposing sort of bloke. Smaller, yappier refs might just get laughed at by the players in future fixtures. The costume just looks bloody stupid, and the NZRFU needs to dump 'em and get down to the local Canterbury Clothing shop smartly to pick up some shorts, socks and jerseys which look like they're actually designed to be on a footy field, instead of inside a harem."

Spirited, unbiased and fair-minded writing. (Hah!) My kind of site.
Evidently the All Blacks team performs a memorable Haka before each of their matches. It ain't just a Vermont thing. (It actually never was a Vermont thing...)

Monday, October 03, 2005

No Shelter From The Storm


Spartacus Scoring 2 of His 19 Points...

Despite the fabulous fall weather -mid 70's and cloudless sky at game time -the Bryant University Bulldogs rugby team ran into a storm on Sunday. The storm continued unabated for four periods of A and B match rugby as Middlebury College redefined the term 'blowout' for the hapless Bulldogs.


McCormick '06.5 Scores Try

Many of the Bryant players showed determination, played with enthusiasm, and were skilled enough to affect a different outcome. However, the team's lack of depth and inability at containing Middlebury's running game led to some frustration once the Midd scoring machine engaged. Coach Ward acting as the referee for the B match was very pleased with the dramatically better effort Bryant did hosting this year's matches. "Their language, attitude and commitment to a full B game was really appreciated."


Alex White '09 Slogs for Yardage

Concerning the A match, sentiments among the team and coaching staff were unanimous. Coach Ward noted that Bryant's biggest strength is they "play with passion. They tackled and rucked hard, and played with heart." Junior Matt Volz '07 ran well exploiting the Bulldog's main weakness. "They had a lot of athletic guys and they could hit hard, but they didn't play well as a team."

Noted Jimmy Manyuru '07, the games also offered both newcomers and B side players more time to gain "a better rhythm to their game and gain confidence in reading game situations" Looking for ways to improve “team cohesion and synchronicity” Coach Ward noted “we have struggled with getting practice and game time with the same guys side by side. Key areas are the props and centers which change daily. I think we are well into stabilizing these areas.”

Though early the Bulldogs showed the Panthers determined rucking, and effective tackling, they fell victim to Middlebury's experience at capitalizing on opponents mistakes. What went wrong for Bryant? Coach Ward summed it up saying, “Unfortunately they would over commit to attack and when they lost the ball they had no way to stop the counterattack.”


Big Baby Consenstine Breaks Free

Can you say counterattack again? Seeming at times to run at will center Pascal Losambe '07 (East London, South Africa, by way of Burlington, Vermont) continues to impress with his explosive speed and powerful ‘cross grain’ lateral moves through the field. Sometime watch some of the guys who try to tackle Pascal…


Mr. Smith Spins Away

A few hitches in Middlebury's game continue to be ironed out. Volz identified a key area of concern though: "We need to control the game early. The past two games we have been a bit sloppy in the beginning." He added, "We also need to continue to improve our fitness and cut down on penalties." Hewitt adds, “We need to continue improving on our crash ball, first of all.” (More on this idea in a later post.) Manyuru feels, “We need to improve on are getting to breakdowns (rucks and mauls) faster, providing more support to runners to give them more offload options on open phases and maintaining our concentration throughout the game.”


Harasimowicz to McCormick

With the absence of Senior Luke Hammock (injury rehab continues) Jeff McCormick, '06.5 stepped in confidently at scrum half, and if I've got it right, also scored the first MCRC try for the day. Calling the scrum efforts "a significant step up in the quality of the scrum sets" hooker Colby Hewitt ‘05.5 was again impressed with new A side props, Jason Jude, '09 who has played in both A and B matches since first entering the BU game in relief of Sean Meany '08, (concussion rehab) and the ‘frightening intensity” of Californian Alex White '09 -who brings considerable high school experience to his first year with the club.


Winning A Line-out

The B match saw some just fun-to-watch open field, break-out running from first years Tommy Heitkamp '06 and Alex King '05.5 and the usual solid scoring efforts from the veteran Darryl Etter, ’06, and newcomer Max Levine, ’09. Again Jimmy Manyuru: “It was an excellent game for Jeff King and Tommy (Heitkamp). It’s great to see the newer members get the ball and make decisive (plays).”


Slow Going

Coach Ward said “most opponents try hard in any game, but when the points stack up against you, it is very difficult to keep up the fight.” Bryant did compete until the end. Eventually, even the Bulldogs witless sidelines taunting that came early in the A match quieted down as some realized that Middlebury had more to offer their team than just how to ‘get served.’ Middlebury is once again getting very good at playing team ball and winning matches. It is plain to see.

Scores: A match: 71-3 MCRC. B match: 45-15 MCRC.

This weekend? MCRC at home vs. St. Mikes. Don't worry, it won't rain. And if it does... that's why one of you remembered the umbrella, right?
Game time is 1:00pm.