THE REGIONAL NEWSLETTER OF HAMPTON ROADS SINCE The Bluesletter. NCBRFC Thursday October 29th, 2015 PRICE: 78 cents

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1 THE REGIONAL NEWSLETTER OF HAMPTON ROADS SINCE 2013 The Bluesletter NCBRFC Thursday October 29th, 2015 PRICE: 78 cents BLUES WIN BIG, MOVE TO 4-0. The Blues returned home to take on Baltimore Chesapeake at Lafayette on Saturday. Over the past 2-3 years, the Blues and the Brumbies have had very close and physical matches, where the score line usually stayed around The Blues were coming off a big win over Potomac, and it was a great day for Rugby on Saturday. More old boys were in attendance, and there was a decent amount of people on the sidelines also. The Blues came out firing, with a quick win from the kickoff. The Brumbies receiver dropped the ball and the Blues were able to put Baltimore on the back foot and spent the first 15 minutes in their half. A penalty goal was made by the Blues to go up 3-0. After numerous attempts at going over for a try, the Blues sneaked in off a penalty tap about 10 meters out from the tryline. Johnny Cameron cut back inside, as the centers rushed up off the line, to leave a huge hole to walk through. However Baltimore bounced back with some field position and two penalty goals to make it With 10 minutes to go, new recruit Eric Hagen made a basic hit up down the sideline. The Brumbies defenders seemed to give up on Eric, while he was still standing up. Eric kept his legs pumping, and he was able to power his way out of the tackle to run another 20 meters to score, making it This would be the halftime score. The Blues were the better team in the first half by a long shot, but they knew that Baltimore could always come back, as they defeated the Blues twice in the Spring. Baltimore came out with the first try of the second half, closing the gap to This is where a tough battle seemed to be in the Blues near future. However, the Blues opened the flood gates and produced their best rugby of the season. The forwards were running into gaps with power, communicating, and supporting. While the backs were exploiting field position at space in the defensive line. Kevin Mott was the next to score an impressive try. The Blues were making consecutive phases, and I actually saw a lot of space out wide for a cross field kick to the open Nick Sandoval. However, Kevin Mott was on my inside hungry for the ball. He said inside ball. Interim scrum half Anthony Kowalski popped it out, I ran to the line and passed it back to Mott. Kev did the rest and powered through numerous defenders for a very great run/try. With the conversion, this made it and it seemed to get in Baltimore s heads. The Blues continued their dominant field position, and after a

2 yellow card and being down to 14 men, it didn t stop the Blues at all. The Brumbies had the penalty 10 meters out from their own tryline and they failed to make touch with the kick. The Blues once again spent time in Baltimore s half, and the backs spread it wide for Anthony Kowalski to scoot over from Scrum half to score in the corner The Flood gates were starting to open up, as the Blues ball movement was flowing and another try was scored my Nick Sandoval in the same corner, 7 minutes later From the kickoff, the Brumbies hit back with a soft try, where their outside center was able to cut back in on some soft defense through some big holes. While it was 36-18, with only ten minutes to go, the Blues weren t too happy with giving up that soft try. The Blues managed to bounce back with a try to Fred Wintermantel. The forwards spun a scrum past 90 degrees, for the scrum to be put into the Blues hands. As Fred picked it from the scrum and dived over. With a minute to go, after receiving the kickoff, Kevin Mott made another nice break from a basic forwards crash, and Jake Humphrey was able to walk in a try after a few phases in Baltimore s 22 making it DIVISION III SQUAD LOSE TO VIRGINIA BEACH. Written by interim D3 Coach Erik Miller The Norfolk Blues Division 3 team was coming off of a loss last week when they traveled to Charlottesville and were hungry for a win at home. We were set to play the Virginia Beach Falcons on a beautiful Saturday afternoon & all for a good cause, to support breast cancer. The team took the pitch & were excited to settle the turf rivalry that has been going on for ages. The Blues drew first blood with JT putting down the ball after a few well put together phases, score 5-0. Beach were able to answer a few minutes later with a converted try, 5-7. About 30 minutes into the first half, Robb Parsons ran around the outside and once again the Blues took the lead, The Blues would close out the half in the lead and both teams were evenly matched. Beach came out looking for the win, scoring & converting in the first minute after half, Blues answered back with Chewy scoring on forward ball and Colin converting, Beach were able to

3 capitalize on the Blues weakened defense, spreading the ball out wide while the Blues were recovering from a penalty, The Blues answered with Porter scoring a try on a pick and go touching the pads and Colin converted, Beach put up two unanswered tries, bringing the score to Beach kept the pressure up and thought they put the nail in the coffin with a converted penalty, The Blues D3 side was not defeated and rallied back, putting together solid play and Drew brought the ball across the try line with 3 minutes left, bringing the score to The Blues had a chance to win & would receive the ball on the kick off. Beach was able to take the ball away on a knock & finished the match with a try, final score The Blues yet again put together a great match, but Beach was able to capitalize on our defensive mistakes & continued to exert pressure throughout the entire match. The team rallied in the last few minutes, put together a great finish but were not able to overcome the deficit. A well played match by a young team. Beach was able to hold on the victory, but at no point during the match was it a sure bet. The D3 side continues to improve & learn from their mistakes, but still has a long way to go before they can climb to the top of the standings. The team still has a lot to learn before they are able to overcome the D1 side. BLUES GO PINK FOR CANCER AWARENESS! For the month of October, the Norfolk Blues have been raising funds for Ariel Connor. A fellow rugger, Ariel was diagnosed with B-Cell Non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Last year the Norfolk Blues nearly raised $1,500 for Breast Cancer Awareness, and Ariel needs your help. This month we have raised about $500, and it s not too late to help out! Ariel's family, friends, and teammates are doing all they can to help, but she needs your assistance as well. Your gift, no matter how small, will help pay for the cost of Ariel's treatments, including: Deductibles and copays Travel expenses to visit specialists Treatment and incidentals not covered by insurance Bi-Weekly medication costs Every penny donated will go toward Ariel's medical expenses, but any money raised beyond her out-of-pocket costs will be donated to cancer research. Thank you for supporting Ariel in her fight against cancer, with your help she will beat this disease. To help raise funds, donations can be made now, or on Saturday. You can also go to our website ( ), and make a donation on our Sponsorship page (We will write a check to Ariel). Scroll to the bottom and select "Donate". You can use Paypal or credit card. When you select your amount, you can leave a note on the next page for "cancer research or Ariel Johnson" for example. So we know to make sure to donate those funds to her. Norfolk Blues High School Rugby The Norfolk Blues are also revealing another team! To once again improve our club, we ve always had the thought of a youth rugby club. It s been attempted and some positives have been seen but not a lot has come out of it. Anthony Kowalski has worked very hard to get this high school team going. As rugby for him in Wisconsin as a teenager was huge. So we ll look to build off of those programs.

4 Here s where we need your help! We re going to start a uniform drive, where we ll try to raise enough money to get jerseys made for this new team. Old Boys are encouraged to help out with this along with some of the veteran players on the team (or anyone for that matter. But we need to focus on our dues and equipment first!). Every dollar counts, and if there s a big enough contribution, maybe we can put your company/business as a major sponsor on the front of the jersey or your initials on the sleeve for example. I could probably design a few jersey ideas, but jerseys alone cost about $1000-$1250 for the jerseys alone. Then you have to think of shorts and socks. Wouldn t it be cool to see a Norfolk Blues High School team in our colors and stripes playing on a Friday night around the area? RUGBY ON TV THIS WEEK The World Cup continues where the final between Australia and New Zealand is on Saturday (NBC WAVY 10 at noon) and Argentina will take on South Africa Friday afternoon for 3 rd place (3:30pm Universal sports, cox 165). Also, the Aviva Premiership joins the Pro 12 for another season on BEInSport 1 Cox 183. Check your listings for games and times. You can always google live sports streaming, and then look for rugby. You might battle with pop ups for a few minutes, but I do it all the time. YOUTUBE RUGBY!!!! Rugby is all over youtube. They have full length replays for international 15s matches. Focus on rucking, and teaming up while running for example. Here is a link for the full replay of the USA vs Australia match on September 5 th, Watch it! Focus on their fundamentals in open play, and then each position on set pieces and try to incorporate it into your game. Vision for the Blues As a premier Rugby Football Club in the United States of America, the Norfolk City Blues will promote a sustainable brand as a cornerstone of East Coast rugby based on a winning tradition for all ages. We all look to improve the club. However everyone is encouraged to help out. Whether it be with new sponsors, advertising your blues gear, talking about the club etc. etc. We are a prestigious club that has won a lot over the years, but once again, we can always improve off the field (as well as on the field). Old Boys, get more involved! Instagram/twitter norfolkbluesrfc Current players are encouraged to join the Blues current player facebook page. And anyone can go and LIKE our Norfolk Blues Rugby FACEBOOK PAGE. ALSO JOIN OUR YAHOO GROUP TO RECEIVE ALL OF OUR UPDATES.

5 GAME DAY GEAR! Coach Porter would like us to wear the white game day shirt (when showing up to home games, and traveling to away games), warm up in the blue athletic shirt, and then wear the polo shirt after the match. Warm up shirts are given to rookie/new players when they have paid their dues, or have paid a section of their dues. (if they don t own one yet) Socks are given to players if needed (for rookies when dues have been paid). Ask Johnny for some. If you re a veteran and you need a pair, they re now $7. We also require players to wear solid navy Canterbury brand (CCC) blue shorts. I ordered some so if you would like to purchase them, they re $35 (they re about $40 on worldrugbyshop.com with shipping included). Or you can purchase the BLK shorts that we ordered. World Rugby Shop is also a great online store for everything else related to rugby. Hoodies Anyone can buy these! They re great for representing/advertising for the blues! Contact me if you d like one. I have a few left in the grey, and I ll order more in the fall. Contact me if you d like one and I ll hold one for you. But I ll only hold it, if you pay up front! The hoodies are $35 and $40 if you want your name on the sleeve. We still have the coozies as well. We have about 100 left! me at johnny_cameron@yahoo.com.au JT Buckley at jtbuck_3@yahoo.com or facebook message us if interested. ALEX KALASINSKY AND THE CURRENT SIDES ARE REACHING OUT TO OLD BOYS All Old Boys, Head to and review the Old Boys section. The Club needs our support to meet their goals for the year. They will also be planning some Old Boy specific events in the future. Many of us have talked about how to support Our Club. We have a way now by paying dues to the Blues. Please join me, Dave Hamberg, John Ellis, Mike Herron and Mike Ireland on the list of dues paying Old Boys for We can do this. Best Regards, Alex Kalasinsky.

6 MVP POINTS SCORING SYSTEM. This year we ll do the same as last year. Where a MVP, a best back and a best forward will be selected by the coaches from each game. Then the player s player will be selected by each player after each game (for both divisions). Rookie of the year, and coaches award will also be chosen by the Coaches. An MVP will be selected for the Division III side (there will not be a best back and best forward award for DIII), where the same point scoring system will be used as well. 3 points are given to the Man of the match, 2 points for the second best on the day, and 1 point for the 3 rd best player. Division I, Man of the Match Sam Johnson 3, William Jeff Jefferson 2, Johnny Cameron and Kevin Mott a half point each. Best Forward Sam 3, Mott 2, Doc 1. Best Back Jeff 3, Johnny 2, Nick 1. Players Player Nick Sandoval Totals: MVP: Fred Wintermantel 6, Nick Sandoval 4, Sam Johnson 3, Kevin Mott 2.5. Dutch Jones 2, Anthony Kowalski 2, Jeff Jefferson 2, DC 1, Butters 1 and Johnny Cameron.5. Forward: Fred 6, Kevin Mott 5, Sam Johnson 3, Butters 3, DC 2, Kevin Marley 2, Matt Seaton 1, Doc Irey 1 and Eric Hagen 1. Back: Dutch 6, Nick Sandoval 6, Johnny Cameron 4, Anthony Kowalski 3, Jeff Jefferson 3, Jake Humphrey 2. Players Player Kevin Marley 1, Kevin Mott 1, Nick Sandoval 1, Johnny Cameron half point, Anthony Kowalski half point. Division III, Man of the Match: Mav 3, Paul Travis 2, JT Buckley 1. Totals: Mav 6, Paul Travis 5, Chip Naylon 3, Pat Mitchell 3, Robb Parsons, Douglas Chewy Eby 2 JT Buckley 1 and Brett Keyes 1. Players Player Paul Travis 2, Brett Keyes 1, and Chewy 1. POINT SCORERS (Capital Rugby Union play) DI Try scorers; Fred Wintermantel 4, Nick Sandoval 3, Kevin Marley 2, Anthony Kowalski 2, Kevin Mott 1, Eric Hagen 1, Johnny Cameron 1, Jake Humphrey 1, Sam Johnson 1, Dutch Jones 1 and one penalty try. 11 tries from 3 games. Goal kicking; Johnny Cameron 10/17 conversions, 7/9 penalties (17/26). Jake Humphrey 0/1 conversion. DIII Try Scorers; Robb Parsons 4, Douglas Chewy Eby 2, JT Buckley 2, Chris Porter 1, Drew Somplasky 1, Paul Travis 1, Chip Naylon 1, Kyel Hardrick 1, Colin Crookenden 1, Dylan Powell 1, Goal kicking: Brett Keyes 5/7 conversions, John Richardson 1/5, Colin Crookenden 2/3.

7 NEW OFFICIAL SPONSORS - Diego Vazquez has steped p (big time) by convincing his company to sponsor us! Hatchett Design/Remodel are one of our proud new partners and we re excited to have them involved with the club! More info soon! Direct Performance also offer advice for injuries and they have been showing up to a few of our training sessions. See picture to the right. A free seminar is on November 5 th, at 6pm. PRACTICE AND DUES Practices are currently being held at Est Ocean View Community Par on Tuesdays (from 7-9pm) and then at Bayville Farms Park on Thursdays from 7:30pm to 9:15pm. Practice starts at 7 on Tuesday and 7:30, so show up at minutes early to get ready/practice passing and kicking etc. PAY YOUR DUES If it s your first season for the blues or if you re a full time student; you pay a total of $80. You can pay in full or you can split it up if needed. If you played in the Spring of 2015 or before, the total is $160, once again, you can split up payments if needed. There s three dates where you can split it up. Dues will be due, once the fall season starts. (at least $50 for Veterans, and at least $25 for rookies). If anyone is in need for help to pay dues, don t be shy or scared off. We are here to help. Either talk to me, or Coach Porter and we ll work out a way for dues to be paid/taken care of. Division 1 standings Division 3 South Standings

8 FALL 2015 SCHEDULE. Come to Mojos! Thursdays after training, and our socials after home games September 12 th. DI vs Charlotte (50-26). DIII at Rocktown (26-10). September 19 th. DI vs Pittsburgh (34-29). DIII vs Newport News (19-23) September 26 th. Byes for both teams Breast Cancer Awareness Month October 3 rd. DI vs Raleigh. DIII at Blacksburg (Both games will be reschduled due to the Hurricane Juaquin scare). October 10 th. DI at NOVA (20-5). DIII side played Nova B side October 17 th. DI at Potomac (29-26). DIII at Virginia (Charlottesville) (17-34). October 24 th. DI vs Baltimore Chesapeake (48-18). DIII vs Virginia Beach (29-41). October 31 st. DI vs Schuylkill River. DIII vs Blackwater. Both at Lafayette Park. No Shave/Movember month (prostate and men s health awareness) November 3 rd. ALL OF YOUR DUES MUST BE PAID IN FULL! November 7 th. DI at Pittsburgh (we will be getting a hotel for Friday and Saturday and vans again this year. We re expecting $40 from each person traveling. This will cover your van rental and hotel costs). DIII at James River (Richmond). November 14 th. DI vs Rocky Gorge. DIII bye November 15 th, Capital Rugby Union Selects try out. Message from Norfolk Blues Coach and Capital Rugby Union Coach Chris Porter. Gentlemen, We have our next game schedule for Dec 12th against the South Panthers at Furman University. Here is the schedule for the next few months: open camp Nov. 15th (location and time TBD), training for selected players Dec 5th (location and time TBD), game vs South Dec. 12th. We will train again on the morning of the 12th with the game being played at 3:30. I look forward to seeing everyone on Nov. 15th. Good luck this fall. Porter. I was apart of the team that played in August and it was a great time/experience. I encourage everyone to plan on going to the open tryout November 15 th, as there is a lot of potential in our team. Johnny Cameron. Bluesletter Guru