Yuku free message boards

I just played for fun.  No way I could have played with or against guys like we have on our team these days.  They are on another level and are freaking scary.  A lot of fun to watch though.  I love the game. St. Mary’s has an incredible rugby tradition and I think the sport truly reflects the personality of our school.  We will kick your ass and then happily toast to your health.

As you surmised, Voice, BYU has a few Pacific Islanders on their squad again this year.  (By my count, 10 on the roster.)  Those guys are generally big, strong and usually have a lot more playing experience than most kids from the mainland U.S.  The BYU rugby players have generally also skewed a bit older.  And in rugby that usually translates to being bigger and more experienced. They have a strong rugby tradition and can even draw pretty good crowds to their games (sometimes as many who used to go to the St. Mary’s football games in the 80s and 90s.)  No excuses.  They are certainly the team to beat and the path to the National Championship goes through them this year.

As for other squads on the list-

- Life is a chiropractic school.  Their rugby club used to play in the Rugby Super League. I think they won a national championship. (So playing teams like one of my old squads SF Golden Gate, NY Athletic Club, Old Mission Bay, etc) I thought they were still doing that but somehow now they are in the collegiate D1-A level.  They seem like a rugby club that has a school attached instead of the other way around. 

- For some reason Arkansas State has recently had a bunch of South Africans. 

- And Army has always had a bunch well trained soldiers.

It should be a brawl.

And you said you never played!

See... it's all how you look at it or choose to remember it.  I read that and think "ah yes, more of a finesse player."  More "speed than brawn" as it were.  More of a "thinking-man's approach than brute force."  I'm with you there.  Great teams have balance.  See?  We may be small... but we're slow!

"More important than the score of this game is to score at the big social at our place tonight."
- Gael: Brian Doyle Murray's brother Bill from "Meatballs"

Update from Marty Sorti:

Saint Mary's College of California Rugby Team 2011- 2012 gaelrugby.com
Gaels Host Division 1-A Quarterfinals vs. Utah
	Eight Teams Remain in Quest for 2012 Division 1-A Rugby National Championship Saint Mary's College, with the #1 Seed, will host the University of Utah (at 1pm) on Sat. May 5, 2012. Pat Vincent Field will once again be the site for a significant collegiate rugby match. The coaches and players invite all alumni and supporters of Gael Rugby to come out and cheer for the Gaels.  Complete Quarterfinal Matches May 5th- D1-A Quarterfinals Penn State (#2 East) at Life University (#1 Mid-South) UCLA (#2 Pacific) at BYU (#1 West) Arkansas (# 2 Mid-South) at Army (# 1 East) Utah (#2 West) at Saint Mary's (#1 Pacific) Saint Mary's Beats Davis to End Conference play Undefeated  In April 21st, Saint Mary's defeated Davis 50-13 to finish conference play undefeated. Several Gael rugby players stood out on what was described as a team victory. Knowing  SMC had already secured the #1 Seed was not enough as the Gaels overcame a slow start to prevail over the Aggies. Saint Mary's Beats Cal, 20-18 By now it is no secret that the tiny, mighty Gaels beat the Cal Bears 20-18 in a friendly on April 15th. As the Saint Mary's Rugby community celebrates the hard work of these young men, we thank the coaches and fans who have tirelessly dedicated their support to the Saint Mary's Rugby Program. As the last whistle sounded, the enormous crowd of Saint Mary's supporters celebrated the victory. View game photos and read Saint Mary's is Victorious Over Cal. Ireland and Wales Tour Recap Player and coaches are quick to explain that the Ireland-Wales spring rugby tour was remarkable for the Gaels. By the looks of the team we are certain that the tough work against Cardiff (W, 34-32) and Trinity (L, 27-32) paid off for Saint Mary's.  In an exciting game against Cardiff,  Augie Heath kicked a final penalty for the 34-32 win.  Perhaps this was a pivotal moment for the team, as it was a last minute penalty kick that contributed to a victory over Cal, just two weeks later. Connect with Alumni on the Saint Mary's College Rugby Alumni Facebook Page Facebook helps many fans and alumni stay connected to daily Saint Mary's College Rugby updates. Checkout the Saint Mary's College Rugby Alumni Facebook page for game scores and announcements. View photos from Saint Mary's 2012 Season here.
Marty Storti  Associate Director of Athletics 925.631.4781 Office PO Box 3102  Moraga, CA 94575

Broseph Stalin wrote:

---

Life runs both a Super League team and an undergrad team. The two do not overlap at all and all of the undergrads go to the school of course. They've been making some big strides but their competition outside of Arkansas State is pretty poor. They have a number of former u20 Eagles.

BYU's players may be a couple years older from their missions but don't see this as an advantage. It's not like they're out there working out much while they're on mission. Also, some of their Polynesian players are American. High school rugby is really strong in Utah, probably stronger than Northern California at the moment (two top high school rugby regions in the US for sure). In fact, a number of NFL players from Utah have rugby backgrounds like Haloti Ngata and Stewart Bradley.

Arkansas St gives in state tuition to out of state rugby players. The problem is you have to live in Jonesboro. I guess if they go recruit Saffers, they don't know the difference or if they're from rural SA, they might feel at home.

The rankings are a joke, and even more of a joke that Goff has now made them "premium" content.

Good luck to SMC. You guys are the team I'm rooting for this year (after CU was eliminated of course). Any idea if your game against Utah will be televised or streamed at all?

Thanks for the support Broseph.  (I mean that)  And thanks for the clarification on Life "University." I seriously couldn't figure out how/why they were allowed to play in the collegiate league.  Now I get it.  And I doubt we'll be able to get any TV/web coverage.  Maybe US Rugby is covering the semis?  They covered the 7s tourney.

But… as for BYU... Yeah sure-  not very many Polynesians on BYU this year…  and the Haka is just so Utah.

http://www.youtube.com/user/totalbluesports

(Okay-  while I admit the Haka and the meaning behind it in New Zealand, can be quite intimidating.  And some of those guys look very big and scary.  I think in this case it's also safe to laugh at the blond-headed Mormons sticking their tongues out and trying to pose tough  "Give me a break Chad.  And Biff and Steve over there in the back can shove it.")

And as far as the age thing goes, I can attest that having a few more years under your belt is a big advantage in rugby and in life.  Even if they’re not playing rugby during their missions, their bodies are growing and maturing.  For rugby and football players the general physical peak is between ages 25-30.  There’s a big difference between being an 18-20 year old kid and being 20-22…. Or a 22-24 year old.  Oh, who are we kidding?  Look at those guys, some of them look like they’re pushing 30.

But no excuses.  First the Gaels need to beat “The South African Traveling Squad” on Saturday.  No small feat.  And then they’ll have to travel to BYU’s home turf to take on the Cougars for the National Championship. (unless Life pulls off something crazy... which, I would actually love).  It will be a slog.  But the Gaels can do it.  Got to believe!

GO GAELS!!!  ON TO VICTORY!

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/11/SPB51OGT7H.DTL#ixzz1uckUbtP6

Thanks for pointing this out GG67.  I hadn't seen it.  Crumpacker is the only scribe in the Bay Area who ever gives rugby a second glance and I do appreciate that.  But it's always about Cal.  He's such a homer, even when he's writing about the Gaels for once, he cant help but fawn over the Bears.  Still, appreciate the ink for a change.  Oh, and not to quibble-  but St. Mary's loss to Central Washington was in the National 7s Tournament, not the regular season.  The Gaels' only loss this year was to BYU at BYU.  Something I hope they'll be able to avenge.

Also some things to note about the teams in the Final 4-  And maybe Broseph can shed more light on this too-

- Life "University" is one of the only "schools" in the country to offer rugby scholarships.  I believe all their players are on scholarship.  They are there to play rugby.

- As noted above, ASU is made up to a great extent by imported players from South Africa.  Before you say, well St. Mary's basketball team is made up from many imports from Australia, keep in mind that South Africa is an elite rugby nation where the sport is very popular.  Imagine if a basketball team in Oz imported a bunch of top American players.

- BYU, as also noted above, also has a long history of bringing in players from the South Pacific.  Their players also tend to be significantly older and more experienced.  They have rugby facilities and I believe a paid coaching staff.

- Cal (just to put them in there for additional comparison) was the only NCAA school to regard rugby as a Varsity sport (v. being a "Club" sport)  That has afforded them a lot, including facilities, training, and, while they don't have scholarships per say, they are able to have specific enrollment spots open for recruited players.  So remember that kid with the 4.0 gpa who didn't get into Cal?  He was bumped to make room for a 2.8 gpa rugby star.  Feel free to debate if our premiere public institution should be spending our tax dollars on developing rubgy players or scientists.  Discuss.  Due to the recent athletic reshuffling they have now been designated a "Varsity Club" team.  So what has changed?  Nothing.  Still have enrollment spots, still have total access to all athletic facilities and training, paid coaches,  Blah blah blah.

St. Marys-  So like the VAST majority of the nations' collegiate rugby squads, SMC Rugby is a Club sport.  No athletic scholarships for rugby players.  When last I checked, volunteer coaches.  Players are from the general student body as they have always been.  Kids come in from High School, play or don't play, graduate and move on to great things.  Some may come to St. Mary's now with the knowledge of their great rugby program and the full intention of choosing the school because of that.  But they are there to go to school.  Of all the schools in the Final 4 only one stands out- not for being different, but for being the same as most schools in the country NOT in the Final 4.  And THAT to me makes St. Mary's very special.

Go GAELS!  ON TO VICTORY!