RALEIGH VENOM REPEAT AS NATIONAL WOMEN S DIVISION II CHAMPIONS!!!! ************************************************************************

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1 VIRGINIA RUGBY UNION Issue RALEIGH VENOM REPEAT AS NATIONAL WOMEN S DIVISION II CHAMPIONS!!!! CLUB MEN: Going on in the MARFU Division II playoffs are Raleigh and Norfolk. In Division III, it s Virginia and Blacksburg. COLLEGE MEN: Going on in the MARFU playoffs in the Spring are: Division I Virginia Tech, UVA Division II Radford, VMI, University of Richmond Division III Longwood Named to the VRU All-Stars were: 1 UVA Peter Benson, Scrumhalf 2 Va Tech Mike Chorney Three quarter 3 UVA Thomas Codevilla 2nd Row 4 Open Michael Conrad Prop 5 UR Ryan Corken Flanker 6 Va Tech Eric Devine Flanker 7 Va Tech Adam Dondero Scrumhalf 8 Va Tech Frank Gohl Center 9 Va Tech Trey (Warren) Hall Prop 10 VMI Sean Hingley Inside center 11 VMI Robert Jordan Flyhalf 12 JMU Tyler Maccubbin. Wing 13 Longwood Todd Miller No UVA Zachey Mote No Longwood Justin Mulkey Inside Center 16 JMU Peter Perantonakis 2nd Row 17 UVA Jeremy Prudhomme, Wing 18 Va Tech Ryan Sullivan Flyhalf 19 UR Naoum Tavantzis Prop 20 Va Tech Brett Keyes Center

2 COLLEGE WOMEN: Going on in the MARFU playoffs in the Spring are: Division I UVA, Virginia Tech, JMU Division II Mary Washington, University of Richmond, William & Mary Named Collegiate All-Americans were Fiona Foxon and Rachel Warden of Virginia to the first team and Sarah Miller of Jams Madison and Carrie Perdue of Virginia to the second team. Named to the VRU All-Stars were: Forwards Kelly Schumann (Cessy) 1,6, 8-UVA Amber Morgan (Sass) 2, 3, 6- Virginia Tech Aly Clements 3 utility forward- Virginia Tech Meredith Black 4, 8- Virginia Tech Nicole Coffineau (Carrots) 4- Virginia Tech Terri Morris (Tank) 4, 3, 8- UVA Winnie Chao 6, 2, 8, 9 - UVA Julia Swavola 6- JMU Kathleen Brady (Jersey) 8,3,1- JMU Diana Bowen (Dina Gina) 8, 6, 1- UVA Jessie Powers (Uncle) 6, 8, 9, 4- UVA Backs Erin Ridout-9, 11 - Mary Washington Rachel Winters (Recky) 9, utility- UVA Laurie Bryant (Dory) 10, 12- Virginia Tech Siobhan Tiernan (Beefy or Tron) 12, 13, 8- UVA Ashley Owens (Smash) 13, 12, 14- UVA Alison Hunter 14, 15, 6, 4- UVA Beleny Reese (Bella) 11, 9- Virginia Tech Yen Hwang 11, 9, 13- JMU Sarah Miller (BS) 15, 11, 10- JMU Alternates- Elizabeth Schumacher (Liz) 2, 3, 6- Mary Washington Megan Richardson 10, utility back- Virginia Tech Monique McQueen 11, 13- VCU Kalena Dietlein (Kala) 11, 13- JMU Sara Shanley 9- VCU Jessica Miller (Jelly) 3, 1, 6 - U of R Megan Ginley 6- Virginia Tech

3 WOMEN S CLUB: Congratulations to Raleigh Venom for winning again the National Women s Division II Championship!!!! OLD BOYS: The Virginia Cardinals placed teams in the finals of the 35, 45, and 50 age brackets at the Aspen Ruggerfest, but lost all three. It s fantastic that they reached all three finals! DISCIPLINE: Yellow Cards: Steven Lamb, W & L Edwin Rios, Raleigh Joe Rumley, Virginia Beach Chuck Murphy, Virginia Beach Michael Bischoff, Virginia Paul Dohrenwend, ODU Fred Wintermantle, Norfolk Bill Attmore, Raleigh Sean Kim, Charlotte Isaac Myers, Raleigh Phil Kempf, Richmond James Young, Norfolk (2 times) William McFall, Raleigh Chris Foster, Longwood Greg Hopkins, Longwood Ryan Russell, Longwood Brian King, Charlotte Eric Mangiardi, Charlotte Mike Thompson, W & L Mike Groenwald, Raleigh Matthew Nicholas, VCU Nick DeFelice, CNU Richard Bailey, Blacksburg Christopher Foster, Longwood Christopher Salas, CNU Lindsey Pujanauski, UVA

4 Robert Wilson, W & L Richard Goldsmith, Radford Mark DeStafney, Radford Trevor Tetzlaff, U of R Jeremiah Burford, Newport News Matthew Foster, Virginia Beach Bryan McCarthy, CNU Duane Sowa, ODU Greg Farquhar, CNU Chris McMackin, Virginia Tech Brandon Gooss, VCU Patrick Gorham, Longwood Jessica Yates, Radford Jeremiah Shenefield, VMI Erica McIntyre, Radford Mark Cicz, Newport News Mike Schmidt, Mary Washington Austin McPherson, U of R Red Cards: Steven Davis, Longwood Stefan Caulfield, Virginia Tech James Young, Norfolk Richard Bailey, Blacksburg Ariel Wingord, Raleigh Erica McIntyre, Radford ED AND SANDY LEE CUP: College Men Winners: Division I UVA Division II Radford Division III Longwood College Women Winners: Division I UVA Division II Mary Washington Men s Club Winner: Division III Virginia RFC Old Boys: Cary Kennedy White 15, Larry Summers Red 10 Sportsmanship Award Mary Washington Women

5 REFEREES: Congratulations to the following referees for their promotions: David Chapman to C-1 Willie Pieterse to C-2 Matt Robinette to C-3 THE LAWS: Starting January 1, there will be a new scrum engagement. Here is the exact wording: The IRB Council has approved a change to the Law that governs the scrum. This follows a review of the scrum by the IRB Rugby Committee and its Law Project Group following recommendations made by the IRB s Medical Committee. The Law change will see the implementation of a four stage crouch, touch, pause, engage sequence for the initial scrum engagement at all levels of the Game from January 1, An essential element of rugby is its physicality. This has to be appropriately balanced with the welfare of participating players and the IRB continues to take such issues very seriously. As the world s governing body we review all aspects of the Game and where appropriate consult with relevant experts, said IRB Chairman Dr Syd Millar. The IRB believes that the contested scrum is an integral part of the Game and that Rugby is unique in that its playing charter provides the opportunity for individuals of all shapes and sizes to play the Game. That said, we have taken expert medical and technical advice that indicates that it is now appropriate for the Game to adopt a less vigorous scrum engagement sequence, added Dr Millar. Although various aspects of the scrum were considered by the Law Project Group (LPG), two key areas were reviewed. The first was information from the IRB Medical Advisory Committee on the engagement, and the second was the biomechanical processes involved in the scrum. Issues with the scrum were identified and a number of corrective measures were discussed. It became clear that the gap between the two teams at engagement needed to be better quantified to prevent practices such as charging and this has led to the Law change in the scrum. Three recommendations of the LPG have been approved by Council: 1. The new Law to be applied for the scrum engagement will be: The referee will call crouch then touch. The front rows crouch and using their outside arm each prop

6 touches the point of the opposing prop s outside shoulder. The props then withdraw their arms. The referee will then call pause. Following a pause the referee will then call engage. The front rows may then engage. The engage call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready. This is a change to Law 20.1(h). Presently law 20.1 (h) stipulates a crouch, pause, engage sequence. 2. The scrum must be stationary and the middle line of the scrum must be parallel to the goal lines. A team must not shove the scrum away from the mark before the ball is thrown in. This reinforces current Law 20.1(k). 3. The front rows must crouch so that when they meet, each player s head and shoulders are no lower than their hips. This will ensure that both front rows are at as suitable horizontal height. This reinforces current Law 20.1(g). The Law change will come into effect on January 1, 2007 with recommendations 2 and 3 coming into effect concurrently This new engagement sequence will standardize the distance the two sets of forwards are apart, reduce the collision at engagement and will assist in ensuring that both sets of forwards are at the best horizontal height possible. This is crucial to the successful engagement of the scrum, said the world s most capped front row forward, Englishman Jason Leonard who has assisted the Law Project Group in its review of the scrum. With the reduced impact and forwards at the correct height we will see an associated improvement in the bind. This should also assist in minimizing collapsing of the front row. It also ensures that the scrum remains a true contest which is important for the Game. It in no way impairs both teams ability to contest for the ball, added Leonard. In light of the Law change the IRB Council has requested IRB management to review and further develop its educational and technical programs for the scrum. This review will include consideration of the suitability of various Member Union initiatives such as coach and referee education programs and other relevant policies. Council noted the recent success of policies adopted in Unions such as NZ and France around educational initiatives. We see comprehensive educational and technical training programs, allied with sound research that seeks to increase understanding of the biomechanics and injury risks involved in the scrum as the way forward, said New Zealand Rugby Union Manager of Research and Injury Prevention Ken Quarrie. The IRB, in accordance with the newly adopted Injury Definition Protocol that is contained within a new IRB Medical Plan, is committed to further study of the biomechanics of the scrum, including the wheel, and the collation of data on all injuries in the Game. This Law change will also go hand in hand with the zero tolerance policy on crooked feeds to the scrum that will come into effect on January 1, 2007.

7 Here is what the new scrum engagement will look like: ange+en.htm COACHING: The International Rugby Board (IRB) has launched an exciting new online coaching resource for use by trainers and coaches of Rugby at introductory levels around the world. The new tool, accessed at or from the re-vamped Education & Training channel on has been developed for the IRB by Sportplan and gives coaches access to a suite of interactive tools for coaching all aspects of the game of Rugby. The initiative addresses the need to help amateur volunteers at all levels approach key areas of the game with confidence, for example instructing on exactly how to introduce the tackle or coach the scrum. With hundreds of drills and practices either documented, animated or offered in video format, the tangible benefits of the system include the ability to: View animations and videos of practice drills Design bespoke animated sessions or download ready-made sessions Save sessions to a personal calendar Print out session plans to take to training "This new development is a huge step forward towards supporting the diverse needs of coaches around the world, said IRB Training Manager Mark Harrington. By taking the combined abilities of some great coaches and coupling them with the technical expertise of Sportplan, we ve been able to build a tool which should give immediate and real benefit to coaches at all levels and across all the continents, including in the developing countries where coaching resources are often scarce, Harrington added. The IRB is sponsoring access to the full online library for coaches from emerging countries. Some of the activities have been developed in a unique partnership with the RFU in England. The initiative coincides with phase one of the redevelopment of the Education & Training channel of the IRB website. As well as offering access to this new library resource, there is specific information on:

8 IRB-accredited courses available for coaches, officials, coaches of officials and trainers and educators Anti-doping information, cases, papers and regulations Match official panels Game analysis of all recent tournaments Free downloads e.g. Dragons Trust Play the Game cards. SEVENS: IRB 7 s: Dec 1-2: Dubai, UAE Winner: South Africa Dec. 8-9: George, South Africa Winner: New Zealand Feb. 2-3: Wellington, New Zealand Feb : San Diego, CA. Mar. 30 Apr 1: Hong Kong Apr. 7-8: Adelaide, Australia May 26-27: London, England TBA: Former Norfolk Blues player Kevin Sinibaldi was the manager of the USA Eagles squad that captured the Bangkok International Sevens Tournament Oct Charlotte s Jacko Ahoy was named to the US 7 s Squad. MARFU: Playing on the MARFU Men s All-Star team for the ITTs in Florida were the following from the VRU (Note * means selected for the 28 players in the senior pool) Glatte, Paul (Charlotte) Hinchman, Jason (Charlotte) Jacko Ahoy (Charlotte)* Kim, Sean (Charlotte)* Nagle, Andrew (Charlotte)* Petri, Mike (Charlotte)* Wintermantel, Frederick (Norfolk Blues) You, Ji Hwan (Charlotte) NATIONAL: In the RWC 2007 qualifier, the USA Men s national team defeated Uruguay in Uruguay and 33-7 in the USA to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2007.

9 INTERNATIONAL: In the Women s Rugby World Cup, England blanked the USA 18-0, beat Ireland 24-11, then downed Australia In the playoffs, the USA again beat Australia In their 5/6 place match, the USA shutout Scotland The World Cup final was won once again by New Zealand, beating England in the final. Playing for the USA were former VRU collegiate ruggers Annie Collier, Jamie Burke, and Heather Hale. The IRB has instituted its own world rankings. Here are the current rankings for the top 20 countries: 1. New Zealand 2. France 3. Australia 4. South Africa 5 Ireland 6. Argentina 7 England 8. Wales 9. Scotland 10. Samoa 11. Fiji.12. Italy 13. USA 14. Canada 15. Romania 16.Tonga 17. Georgia 18. Japan 19. Uruguay 20. Russia. There are currently 95 countries that have qualified for world rankings, with Bosnia & Herzegovina bringing up the rear. OF INTEREST: Don't forget about the on-line services for rugby. Some of the main ones are: The rugby newsgroup: rec.sport.rugby.union On the World Wide Web: VRU WWW Site: EPRU Web Site: PRU Web Site: MARFU Web Site: US National Team: Rugby Today: Rugby magazine: USA Rugby: IRFB: Planet Rugby: Rugbyrugby: majordomo@world.std.com USA Women's rugby mailing list. To subscribe, put in the message: subscribe uswrugby-discussion (your

10 address) without the parens. Rugby coaches mailing list. To subscribe, put in the message: SUB RUGBYCOACH (your full name) without the parens. This address gets you on the U-15 Youth Rugby listserve. Send your name, address, phone number, and rugby responsibilities to get on. Tactical Rugby listserve. For coaches, administrators, players, and referees. Rugby union listserve. Rugby magazine. Hey, can reporting a tourney result get any easier??? USA Rugby's address. To reach an employee, (first initial)(last name)@ usarugby.org The VRU list. The referees have a mailing list, but it s closed to non-referees. Weekly, more and more Internet rugby services go on-line. Get on-line yourself and see what there is! Two great places to start: FINAL WORD: Success is not only measured by what you accomplish, but by what you help others accomplish. Bob Rieth My thanks for your help and readership over the last 12 years. Without you there is no Newsletter. The time has come for someone else to take over the reins. I will see you all on the pitch as a referee. Jeffrey Anderson Newsletter Editor