Arizona State Kicks Off 15s Season with Win
The Arizona State rugby program opened its preseason with a win 53-22 win over Grand Canyon University in Tempe, Ariz. this past weekend.
After a successful end to the sevens season in November (2nd in the PAC Conference 7s), the Sun Devils have been working to transition to the 15s game. “The guys were pretty beaten up after the sevens season and needed to transition and assimilate into the 15’s squad," said Head Coach Gary Lane. “We have also been working hard at player identification this season and squad depth because we will be playing some of North America's best teams this Spring and we know we must accommodate for the unexpected, and injuries”.
Cal Wins PAC 7s
Cal was virtually unstoppable on Day Two of the PAC Rugby Conference 7s in Tucson, Ariz., and won the tournament going away, but there were some other performances of note.
Cal defeated UCLA 33-5 behind two tries from freshman and former Granite Bay start Sam Cusano, and then defeated Arizona State 47-14 in the final. Cusano continued his scoring run, touching down three times in the title game.
See Day One Report Here. PAC Rugby 7s Day One Latest
Arizona State started brilliantly on Day Two, hammering a very good Utah side 38-0.
"We had no answer for them," said Utah head Coach Mark Drown. "Arizona State is a very good team and we did not play well."
PAC Rugby 7s Day One Latest
Cal was the only undefeated team after Day One of the PAC Rugby Conference 7s, as the Bears swept Pool A and Pool B came down, as predicted, to having three teams tied at 2-1.
Cal opened up their day, and in fact the day for everyone, with a fairly workmanlike 24-5 win over Oregon. the bears then rolled over Colorado 41-0 and faced 2-0 Arizona State in the third game of the day. Arizona State was impressive, and scored three tries on Cal. The Bears, however, scored five, and won 34-19.
PAC Rugby 7s - Rosters
The rosters for the PAC Rugby Conference 7s have been finalized.
You can see our preview here - PAC Rugby 7s - Players and Picks, and the schedule here - PAC Rugby 7s Set for Tucson. The tournament will be broadcast on Sunday by the PAC-12 Networks, including the national network.
Arizona Head Coach: Sean Duffy |
PAC Rugby 7s - Players and Picks
The PAC Rugby Conference 7s is set for Saturday in Tucson, and while four-time defending champs Cal have to be favored, there are other teams to watch out for.
And this news just in - PAC-12 Network has opted to greatly expand their coverage from last year's event, carrying this tournament live Sunday on the PAC-12 Network nationally, as well as their other networks PAC-12 Mountain, PAC-12 Arizona, PAC-12 LA, and PAC-12 Bay Area.
Pool A
California
Arizona State
Colorado
Oregon
PAC Rugby 7s Set for Tucson
The PAC Rugby Conference 7s tournament is set for Saturday and Sunday at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Arizona Wins West Coast 7s
The University of Arizona won the two-day West Coast 7s tournament at Treasure Island in San Francisco Sunday, beating Saint Mary’s in the final.
Top Teams in West Coast 7s
The West Coast 7s kicks off the college 7s season in the California area with a tough 12-team lineup.
Of note is the fact that both the CRC champion (Cal) and the USA Rugby College 7s champion (Saint Mary’s) will be in the event. It’s likely neither team wants to pump up that rivalry too much … except not as the tournament preview quoted Saint Mary’s 7s Coach Joey Reavey said it’s clear the Gaels are the best 7s team in the country and would have won the CRC.
Well, there you have it. Cal Head Coach Jack Clark demurred on discussing such a standoff.
The San Luis Obispo tournament has been held five times previously, with Saint Mary’s winning twice, UCLA winning twice, and Cal winning it last year. All three previous winners are back.
Exciting Field for Red Bull Uni 7s
Glendale, Colo. - August 25 sees eight college rugby teams clash at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo. for the USA qualifying round for the Red Bull Uni 7s tournament.
The international tournament will see 11 of the best universities from across the world compete in the global finals, which will take place in the city of Bath, England on September 17, 2016.
The participating teams for the Red Bull Uni 7s at Infinity Park tournament are:
· Arizona State University
· Clemson University
· Lindenwood University
· University of Colorado
Glendale to Host Uni 7s Qualifier
Glendale, Colo. - Glendale, Colorado's Infinity Park will host eight college rugby teams August 25 in a collegiate rugby 7s tournament.
This tournament will be a Red Bull Uni 7s qualifier. The eight US teams will compete for a spot in the Red Bull Uni 7s finals in Bath, England on September 17.
The teams slated to compete in Glendale are:
Arizona State University
University of Colorado
Clemson University
University of Denver
Lindenwood University
University of Utah
Utah Valley University
University of Wyoming
The winner will join nine other teams, plus reigning champs Bath University, at the 14,000-seat Recreation Ground in Bath.
The tournament at Infinity Park will be from 11am – 7pm on August 25. Tournament attendance is free for spectators.
Arizona State Pushes Mexico in Fiesta Bowl
The Arizona State Sun Devils lost to the Mexican National Team 30-23 at the Fiesta Bowl Rugby and Balloon Classic on Saturday night. The Sun Devils played the best rugby of the season pushing Las Serpentines all the way to the final whistle.
“The way the guys played tonight was testament to their hard work," said ASU head Coach Gary Lane. "They played the best rugby of the season.”
For Mexico, this was the first in a series of games they have coming up against Bermuda, Turks and Cacos, and Jamaica national teams.
Las Serpientes took control of the game 20 minutes into the first half and capitalized on two ASU mistakes. As a result, Mexico went into the half with a 20-5 lead.
Arizona State Hosts Mexican National Team
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Think Buster Douglas stepping into the ring to take on Mike Tyson. Or consider the United States Olympic Hockey team skating onto the ice at Lake Placid to face the Soviet Union’s Olympic squad. In the history of athletics, the battle of the underdog against the behemoth has captivated the minds of fans from all across the world for centuries. On April 23, 2016, this list of showdowns grows at The Fiesta Bowl Rugby & Balloon Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale. Tickets are now on sale at TheRugbyBowl.com.
Teams' Buildup to Varsity Cup Varies
The month of April is around the corner and that means playoff time in college rugby, including the Varsity Cup.
Now, while the Varsity Cup is its own self-contained knockout tournament, for the teams involved, this is what they’ve been working for. Even though the seedings and matchups have been decided long ago, and there’s no tense qualification procedure, the teams involved have been working hard to prepare.
Here’s a look at who is playing whom, and how they have built toward the first round on April 9.
Pacific Mountain Competes for Place in Round of 8
Tomorrow, University of Washington (North #2), Chico State (West #2), UC Berkeley (West #3), UCSD (South #1), UCLA (South #2), Washington State (North #1), Arizona State (South #3), and UC Davis (West #1) will be competing in the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference playoffs and a place in the national Women's DI Spring Quarterfinals.
Four games will be held and the victors of each game will continue on to USA Rugby's Round of 8.
Arizona State Downs San Diego State
Arizona State logged an impressive result over the weekend with a 34-24 defeat of San Diego State in a non-conference clash for the two teams.
The Sun Devils scored six tries, but had a tough day kicking, especially in the second half. SD State tested ASU a few times out wide.
containing SD State’s backline.
“I felt we shut their fringe play down pretty well,” said ASU Head Coach Gary Lane.
San Diego State scored first. But after that Arizona State spent the next five minutes or so in San Diego State’s 22, during which they missed a penalty attempts and were stymied on the goal line. Arizona State finally broke through with a smartly-taken tap penalty move, where Sun Devils flyhalf Alex Walsh looked to be preparing to kick for touch, but then tapped it and cut through an Aztec gap - flanker Bailey Stringer finished that off.
