Men's rugby
Rouse Scores in Falcons' Loss to Canada West in NA4 Final
August 2, 2008--Glendale, Colo.
SMC graduate and rugby standout Volney Rouse '06 was able to conntribute to the USA Falcons' effort in the final match of the North American 4 Tournament, held Saturday at Infinity Park in Glendale.
The Falcons and Canada West have met for the past three years in the NA4 final, and the US team was looking for its first victory over the Canadians. Though they lost 16-11, this final was the closest margin in NA4 history.
Several penalties to both teams gave each several chances to score, which were certainly put to good use. West got on the board right away, posting two quick penalty scores to go up 6-0. The US responded with a penalty kick by Zach Pangelinan to make it 6-3. A short time later, Pangelinan would convert another penalty to tie at 6-6. Matt Evans, at flyhalf for the Canada team, soon slotted a long kick to pull ahead 9-6.
In the second half, the teams settled down and worked toward the try zone. The West got there first, however, and a converted try made the score 16-6. Rouse would score the only try for the Falcons with less than four minutes on the game clock. That try went unconverted, and left the score 16-11 in favor of Canada.
All-American Tour Ends at 1-2, Loss to NZ Universities
July 30, 20008--Wellington, New Zealand
In the last match of their tour, the Collegiate All-Americans played a tough 80 minutes against NZ Universities, though the game ended in a 26-5 loss.
Again facing very strong wind and cold, wet weather, the AA's were forced to adjust to the conditions. NZ got on the board first with a penalty and as the conditions resulted in slipping, the American side paid for some missed tackles with two converted tries against them.
The momentum turned briefly in favor of the All-Americans as Matt Byrd scored a try, though the energy was quickly lost as the try was disallowed by the referee. NZ scored once more just before halftime.
In the second half, the American forwards got a foothold and succeeded at gaining ground. Blaine Scully scored for the AA's after chasing down a chip to the corner by Marco Barnard.
All in all, the US players gained knowledge throughout their tour and will come home with lots of ideas for continued improvement.
All-Americans Split Games in NZ; Continue Play on July 30
July 20-23, 2008--New Zealand
The Collegiate All-American touring side, which includes recent SMC standouts Kevin Swiryn, Chad Clark and Conor Coyne, has won a game and lost one during their time in New Zealand.
On Sunday, July 20, the AA's faced Massey University and in spite of horrible weather, managed to put together a 21-15 win. Swiryn captained the winning team from the inside center position, and Chad Clark played a solid 20 minutes at wing.
See full details on the win over Massey, at the ARN website.
The All-Americans faced another challenge in continued rough weather against the Wellington Old Boys, played on Wednesday, July 23. Coyne started at hooker and by all reports played very well throughout the game. Clark came on for another 20 minutes, this time in the #9 position.
Unfortunately the second game ended in a 20-5 loss for the American side--full details are available here. The team will continue to rest, train and re-tool to prep for their last game of their tour. That game will be played Wednesday, July 30, against New Zealand Universities.
Swiryn Voted IRANZ MVP and Vice-Captain
July 9, 2008--Wellington, New Zealand
Recent SMC graduate, rugby All-American and All-Star Kevin Swiryn, has been given yet another honor. This time, it was awarded by his coaches and fellow attendees at the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand (IRANZ) High Performance camp.
Swiryn was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the three-week IRANZ camp, winning the Jason Eaton Award. He was also selected as vice-captain of the team, and became the first American-born player to earn that distinction.
Read Kevin's blog about his IRANZ camp experience.
Congratulations, Kevin!
SMC Grad Chosen for NA4 Tournament Team
July 8, 2008--Boulder, Colo.
Volney Rouse, a 2006 graduate of Saint Mary's College, has been selected to play as part of the USA Falcons in the annual North American 4 (NA4) Tournament.
Rouse was a three-time All-American while playing rugby at SMC, and also earned several appearances on the Pacific Coast Grizzlies All-Star team. Since his time as a Gael, Rouse has continued to develop his skills, playing at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.He currently plays for the San Francisco Golden Gate rugby club.
The NA4, sponsored by the International Rugby Board or iRB, is so named because it pits two teams from the USA, the Falcons and Hawks, against two teams from Canada, East and West.
The tournament is designed to provide an arena for selected elite-level athletes to continue developing their skills, and be assessed by national team coaches.
Three Gaels Selected to All-American Touring Side
June 24, 2008--Boulder, Colo.
Three Saint Mary's rugby players will travel to New Zealand this July as part of the Collegiate All-American touring team.
Kevin Swiryn has been chosen for the team, and has also been named as the captain of the team during their tour. He will be joined on the trip by Saint Mary's teammates Chad Clark and Conor Coyne.
The All-Americans will depart for New Zealand on July 14, and will be based out of Wellington for the majority of their two-week stay. Scheduled games include July 20 against Massey University, July 23 against Wellington Old Boys, and July 30 against New Zealand Universities.
Saint Mary's would like to congratulate these players on their performance this year, and wish them the best of luck in their travel. Go Gaels!
USA Rugby Honors 5 Gaels as All-Americans
June 17, 2008--Boulder, Colo.
Today USA Rugby announced the 69 players who have earned All-American recognition (41 All-Americans and 28 All-American Honorable Mention) for their play in 2007-2008.
Among the honorees are five Saint Mary's players, listed below including their graduation year and primary position played for SMC. The Gaels' back line included several standouts this year:
Chad Clark '11, scrumhalf
Conor Coyne '08, hooker
Matt Leatherby '08, flyhalf, Honorable Mention
Brendan O'Meara '08, wing
Kevin Swiryn '08, inside center
In the coming week, the group will be whittled down to a 28-player touring side. That team will accompany USA Rugby CEO and President of Rugby Operations, Nigel Melville, on a development-focused trip to New Zealand July 16-31.
Congratulations Gaels!
2008 Men's Rugby Team Profiled in Summer 2008 Edition of Saint Mary's Magazine
The 2008 Gaels and Head Coach Tim O'Brien are currently featured in Erin Hallissy's article "Bringing out the Best." Hallissy chronicles O'Brien's success with the Gaels since coming to SMC in 2001, and includes several insights from former and current players and coaches, and avid rugby fans.
SMC Players Instrumental in Collegiate All-Star Championship Win
June 14, 2008--Glendale, Colo.
The Pacific Coast RFU's Grizzly All-Star Team prevailed 46-29 over the Mustang All-Stars of the West RFU in a close match on Saturday, winning the National All-Star Collegiate championship.
Six Saint Mary's players were selected for the Grizzly team, including Conor Coyne, Matt Crawford, Matt Leatherby, Brendan O'Meara, Kevin Swiryn and Brandon Vedder.
Leatherby contributed a try and O'Meara added three of his own to account for almost half of the team's total points.
Three former All-Americans To Coach SMC Rugby Camps
Saint Mary's alumni and rugby All-Americans Volney Rouse '06, Josh Merliner '06 and Damien Fatongia '05 will return to campus this summer to coach two comprehensive rugby day camps, for boys ages 8-14.
Full camp details, including dates and times, camp structure, cost, and coach biographies, can be found on SMCgaels.com.
Kevin Swiryn is Awarded the 2008High Performance Grant from the United States Rugby Football Foundation
Saint Mary’s senior Kevin Swiryn has been awarded yet another honor for his outstanding 2007-2008 season. Kevin is the recipient of the 2008 High Performance Grant from the United States Rugby Football Foundation (USRFF).
The award entitles Kevin to participate in an intensive three-week High Performance rugby training and development course, which will cover all facets of development into an elite-level rugby player. Topics include important off-the-field skills such as nutrition and career planning, as well as position-specific study and rugby skills training. The course will be held at the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand in Wellington, from Sunday, May 18 through Friday, June 6.
American Rugby News Announces the Inaugural Down Under All American Team
Wednesday, May 7--American Rugby News has recently named their inaugural All-American Team, sponsored by Down Under Rugby. Three Gaels have been recognized for their outstanding play this year: freshman scrumhalf Chad Clark, senior inside center Kevin Swiryn and junior 8-man Brandon Vedder.
American Rugby News Announces Final Rugby Standings: Gaels Ranked #2
Tuesday, May 6-- American Rugby News recently posted the final standings for the 2007-08 season. ARN ranked the Gaels as the #2 team in the nation.
Brian Lowe, ARN’s editor, writes: “The Gaels are ranked ahead of BYU for several reasons. They finished with a better overall record, they were second only to Cal in the total number of points scored all season, and they have the second best points differential in the country.”
Gaels End Season with 41-31 Loss to Cal in Semi-Final
Friday, May 2--Palo Alto, Calif.—The Saint Mary's Men's Rugby team lost to Cal this afternoon by a score of 41-31, in the team's first-ever semi-final match. The Gaels end their season at 20-4 overall.
The Gaels played a tough match from the opening kickoff, though Cal got on the board first with three converted tries, making the score 21-0. Pat Grass ('11) blocked a kick in the first ten minutes to keep the ball in the Gaels' possession.
With that momentum, prop Matt Crawford ('11) scored the Gaels' first try, converted by senior flyhalf Matt Leatherby. Two minutes later, Saint Mary's scored again on a bobbled pass from senior wing Ryan Martens to freshman fullback Austen Mount, who was following closely in support and scored in the corner. The unconverted try by the Gaels and a penalty kick by Cal put the scoreline at 29-12 at halftime, in favor of the Golden Bears.
In the second half, Saint Mary's kept the pressure on and spent most of their time on the attack. Cal struck first, putting the score at 36-12, and SMC came back with a score of their own. Freshman scrumhalf Chad Clark touched the ball down under the posts to make the score 36-17, and Leatherby converted to make the score 36-19. Cal scored another unconverted try about five minutes later.
The Gaels re-gained their strength and momentum near the end of the game, again scoring two tries within minutes of each other. With three minutes to go, sophomore lock Kyle Batten scored and Leatherby converted to bring the score to 41-26.
Capping a 5-year career with the Gaels, senior hooker Conor Coyne scored the Gaels' last points, touching down a try as time expired. Leatherby's conversion attempt was only inches off, hitting the left goalpost to leave the final score at 41-31.
Highlights of the Gaels' season this year include a South American tour and several upset wins. With the leadership instilled in the group and the youth and skill present on the team, Saint Mary's looks to return a strong team next year.
The Gaels would like to thank everyone who supported the team this season!
SMC Beats Kutztown, Will Face Cal in Semi-Finals
April 19, 2008--The Gaels came back from a 22-10 halftime deficit to earn a 37-25 win over Kutztown. With the win, they advance as one of the final four teams in the USA Rugby National Guard Men's Collegiate Division I championship hunt.
Saint Mary's will face local rival UC-Berkeley in the semi-final match, to be held on Friday, May 2 at 3 p.m. on the Steuber Rugby Stadium at Stanford University.
Rounding out the final four are University of Colorado and BYU, who will play at 5 p.m. on Friday. The winners will move on to the Championship game, which will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 5 p.m. in the same location.
If you wish to support your Gaels in person, tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and military personnel. Tickets will only be sold at the admission gate on game days.
Gaels Beat Zoomies to Move on in the Playoffs
April 18, 2008--Gael Rugby continues to advance in the USA Rugby Men's Collegiate Division I playoffs, beating Air Force 50-42 this afternoon to earn a place in the Round of Eight.
SMC will play tomorrow, Saturday, April 19, at 2 p.m. They will face the the winner of the Bowling Green-Kutztown match.
With Win Over Davis, Gaels Move on to Round of 16
April 5, 2008--The Men's Rugby team beat UC Davis 29-22 on Saturday, punching their ticket to the next round of competition in the Men's Collegiate Division I National Championship.
Saint Mary's will travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico to play at Balloon Fiesta Park, April 18-20,2008. As the Pacific Coast's #3 seed, the Gaels will play their first game against Air Force on Friday, April 18, at 2 p.m.
Head Men's Rugby Coach Tim O'Brien Named “College Coach of the Year”
May 14, 2007 Rugby web site American Rugby News (ARN) has named Tim O'Brien as their inaugural college coach of the year. The honor was announced on Monday.
Men's Rugby Ends Season With 17-24 Loss to Navy
April 21, 2007---State College, Penn. The Saint Mary's Gaels ended their spectacular season in the USA Rugby Round of Eight, with a hard-fought 17-24 loss to the Navy Midshipmen. Read Full story...
Gaels Upset Army 31-27; Will Face Navy in Round of Eight
April 20, 2007—State College, PA With a try scored in the last four minutes of the game, the Saint Mary's Men's Rugby team pulled off an upset of the #5 seed Army Black Knights at Penn State on Friday night. Read Full story...
