2013/2014 News & Headlines
A Message from Head Coach Mark Morris
Columbia, SC - I hope everyone is enjoying a safe and relaxing Independence weekend with friends and family. While we take this time to celebrate the very best this country has to offer, I would like to take this opportunity to send out one last review of the season and to express my gratitude to the players, parents, supporters, Carolina Rugby Alumni, Carolina Foundation Board members, and Coach Steve Darnell for an amazing year.
We have achieved great things as a program, to include competing in the Final 8 versus two-time DI-AA National Champion, the University of Central Florida. Not only did we score the most points on UCF of any other team they played this season, we also held them to their lowest scoring game of the year, all while missing four of our starting backs. The exciting point is that three of those four backs were seniors, so the underclassmen are taking ownership and are aggressively contributing to our success.
The announcement of the Southeastern Conference annual awards was a proud moment of mine, as South Carolina was named as having both the SCRC player and coach of the year. We have truly been blessed with talented players whose stellar performances have made a lasting impact on the program, though these players can only shine with the support of dedicated teammates who give it their all each and every week. So, while I am humbled at the receipt of the Coach of the Year award, I continue to view this achievement as one made possible only by the hard work and perseverance of the players and coaching staff, especially Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell. It is the culmination of their talents that has allowed us to achieve great things.
Although we may not have been successful at the CRC's, the players represented the program and the University well while gaining valuable knowledge and experience. Considering the narrow one month window to transition from 15's to 7's and our last 7's match played in November of last year, Coach Darnell and I were both pleased at the progress the boys showed throughout the weekend. The reality of facing opponents who had been playing 7’s all spring due to a difference in seasonality from our own Southeastern Conference was our biggest obstacle. Thankfully, this institutional barrier has since been dissolved, as you will come to understand once the fall schedule is released.
Overall, we had a great Fall and Spring campaign, competing in two USA Rugby National Championships and the CRC 7’s Invitational on NBC. Each event presented us with a unique opportunity to compete against the nation’s best and to challenge ourselves above and beyond our normal play. We have learned a great deal these past few months and have grown immensely as a program, though there is still much to improve on.
Looking ahead to this fall, I am excited to be celebrating 47 years of Carolina Rugby, and I especially look forward to seeing many familiar faces at the annual alumni match. Once again, I would like to thank everyone for an amazing year and I hope you have an opportunity to attend a match this fall and cheer our boys to victory. Go Cocks!
We have achieved great things as a program, to include competing in the Final 8 versus two-time DI-AA National Champion, the University of Central Florida. Not only did we score the most points on UCF of any other team they played this season, we also held them to their lowest scoring game of the year, all while missing four of our starting backs. The exciting point is that three of those four backs were seniors, so the underclassmen are taking ownership and are aggressively contributing to our success.
The announcement of the Southeastern Conference annual awards was a proud moment of mine, as South Carolina was named as having both the SCRC player and coach of the year. We have truly been blessed with talented players whose stellar performances have made a lasting impact on the program, though these players can only shine with the support of dedicated teammates who give it their all each and every week. So, while I am humbled at the receipt of the Coach of the Year award, I continue to view this achievement as one made possible only by the hard work and perseverance of the players and coaching staff, especially Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell. It is the culmination of their talents that has allowed us to achieve great things.
Although we may not have been successful at the CRC's, the players represented the program and the University well while gaining valuable knowledge and experience. Considering the narrow one month window to transition from 15's to 7's and our last 7's match played in November of last year, Coach Darnell and I were both pleased at the progress the boys showed throughout the weekend. The reality of facing opponents who had been playing 7’s all spring due to a difference in seasonality from our own Southeastern Conference was our biggest obstacle. Thankfully, this institutional barrier has since been dissolved, as you will come to understand once the fall schedule is released.
Overall, we had a great Fall and Spring campaign, competing in two USA Rugby National Championships and the CRC 7’s Invitational on NBC. Each event presented us with a unique opportunity to compete against the nation’s best and to challenge ourselves above and beyond our normal play. We have learned a great deal these past few months and have grown immensely as a program, though there is still much to improve on.
Looking ahead to this fall, I am excited to be celebrating 47 years of Carolina Rugby, and I especially look forward to seeing many familiar faces at the annual alumni match. Once again, I would like to thank everyone for an amazing year and I hope you have an opportunity to attend a match this fall and cheer our boys to victory. Go Cocks!
CRC 7's - Thank You For Your Support!
Columbia, SC - We would like to thank those who purchased a ticket to attend the 2014 USA 7's Collegiate Rugby Championship Invitational in beautiful Philadelphia, PA, as well as the many donors who funded the team's expenditures and provided for an exciting fan experience. We would especially like to thank Dunkin' Donuts for the commemorative event T-shirts and miniature rugby balls, in addition to serving as South Carolina's host sponsor throughout the weekend.
We look forward to participating in future years and hope that you will be able to join as well. In the meantime, please enjoy the photos taken during each of this year's matches, as well as of the fans in attendance by clicking on the links below Society.
We look forward to participating in future years and hope that you will be able to join as well. In the meantime, please enjoy the photos taken during each of this year's matches, as well as of the fans in attendance by clicking on the links below Society.
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Follow Carolina Rugby LIVE on NBC Sports!
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CRC '7 Sendoff Banquet at Yesterday's!
Columbia, SC - As the Carolina Rugby team prepares for the upcoming Collegiate Rugby Championship 7's invitational in Philadelphia, PA, aired live on NBC, it has announced the date and location of its sendoff Banquet.
On Monday, May 26th, the team will be holding a sendoff Banquet at Yesterdays' Restaurant & Tavern in Columbia's 5 Points District from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The dinner is open to all parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters with a $25 donation, which includes your meal and any non-alcoholic beverage. We would encourage anyone who lives locally or plans to be visiting the Columbia area for Memorial Day weekend to please take the opportunity to meet the players, enjoy some Southern cuisine, and show your support for Carolina Rugby. We certainly hope that you can attend, and if so, ask that you please RSVP: (P) 803-972-0401 / (E) TheCarolinaRugbyFoundation@gmail.com |
Carolina Rugby Receives Southeastern Rugby Coach & Player Of The Year Honors!
Knoxville, TN - The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference wrapped up another exciting season with the University of South Carolina being crowned champions at the SCRC 15's Championship in Knoxville, TN. South Carolina capped off a fantastic season with a 41-26 win over previously undefeated Louisiana State University in the final, overcoming a nine point halftime deficit. This year’s competition saw much improvement over the course of the season with some teams taking major steps to improve their programs. Overall the level of play was much improved and it showed in competitive matches from top to bottom. The following are individuals whose performances stood out above the rest:
Coach of the Year: Mark Morris; South Carolina Head Coach
This year the conference had a couple outstanding coaching performances, and Coach Morris did an excellent job channeling the program's success from last year into another stellar season this year, finishing nationally in the Elite Eight in USA Rugby DI-AA. South Carolina went 6-0, undefeated in regular season play, earning the SCRC Eastern Division Title and advancing to the SCRC championship weekend, defeating both Auburn and Louisiana State for the Conference Championship title, all three achievements a first for the program. In the fall, South Carolina’s impressive day two performance at the USA Rugby Collegiate 7's National Championship led to the Gamecocks returning home with the Shield Championship trophy. South Carolina finished the season with an overall record of 15-1 in 15's and 15-5 in 7's, further adding to the program's .800+ All-Time winning percentage since 1967. While Coach Morris is humbled at the receipt of the award, the second time in as many years, he takes little credit, seeing the achievement as one made possible only by the hard work and perseverance of the players and his coaching staff, especially Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell.
Player of the Year: Matthew Berenato; South Carolina Center
Berenato had a stellar season guiding the South Carolina backline as a ferocious runner and try scorer. Aside from captaining the team in both 7's and 15's, his accolades this year include being named Eastern Division Player of the Week 2 out of the 9 weeks of competition, being named to the Southeastern Rugby All-Conference Team at center, and being awarded the Team MVP Award. As a graduating senior, Berenato has accumulated several accolades during his earlier years at South Carolina to include the following:
* Southeastern Rugby All-Conference Team 1st XV, wing - 2013
* Eastern Division Player of the Week honors - Week 9, 2013
* Most Valuable Back Team Award - Fall 2012
* Southeastern Rugby All-Tournament 7's Team - 2012
* Southeastern Rugby All-Conference Team Honorable Mention, wing - 2012
* Eastern Division Player of the Week honors - Week 1, 2012
Berenato is the second rugger from South Carolina to receive such an honor, the first being last year's senior flyhalf, Tim Holkenborg. Back-to-back player of the year honors are a testament to the leadership, athleticism, and determination demonstrated by both of these gentlemen, as well as the coaching excellence of Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell who has commanded the Gamecock's backline the last three years.
* Southeastern Rugby All-Conference Team 1st XV, wing - 2013
* Eastern Division Player of the Week honors - Week 9, 2013
* Most Valuable Back Team Award - Fall 2012
* Southeastern Rugby All-Tournament 7's Team - 2012
* Southeastern Rugby All-Conference Team Honorable Mention, wing - 2012
* Eastern Division Player of the Week honors - Week 1, 2012
Berenato is the second rugger from South Carolina to receive such an honor, the first being last year's senior flyhalf, Tim Holkenborg. Back-to-back player of the year honors are a testament to the leadership, athleticism, and determination demonstrated by both of these gentlemen, as well as the coaching excellence of Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell who has commanded the Gamecock's backline the last three years.
Southeastern Rugby All-Conference Team 2013-2014
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Prop: Ryan Sullivan LSU
Prop: Nathan Driggers UGA Hooker: Drew Busbee USC Lock: Zac Gorman USC Lock: Zach Mullineaux USC Flanker: Dana Corcoran USC Flanker: Matthew Schick ALA 8 Man: Will Middleton, LSU |
Scrumhalf: Brian Keown USC
Flyhalf: Lucas Baistrocchi UF Center: Matt Berenato USC Center: Wes Laborde LSU Wing: Paul Rice UF Wing: Tim Hamill USC Fullback: Colin McKeon USC |
With 8 of the 15 positions, shared equally between forwards and backs, South Carolina has demonstrated a strong presence on the pitch this season and looks well positioned to defend its title in 2015!
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A Message From Head Coach Mark Morris
Hello Gamecocks,
I would like to take this opportunity, following the announcement of the Southeastern Rugby annual awards, to express my gratitude to the players, parents, supporters, Carolina Rugby Alumni, Carolina Foundation Board members, and Coach Steve Darnell.
After last year's Southeastern Rugby All-Conference team was announced with five 1st team players, one 2nd team player, and accompanying Player and Coach of the Year honors, I thought we had established a bar of excellence that could never be topped. Fortunately, I was wrong and stand here, today, proud of the outstanding accomplishments of our student athletes and coaching staff.
As I have said before, I am truly grateful and humbled to be awarded this honor by my peers, and now for the second year in a row. I hold true to my belief that the Coach of the Year award is the ultimate team award, and at South Carolina our "team" is much more than the athletes who give it their all week in and week out. Our team is the Carolina Rugby Foundation and Board members who have truly been a blessing this year. It's the Parents and Alumni who support the team with their financial donations and unwavering support on the sidelines both home and away. It's people like Jeff Smolka and Jim Farrar who both give back to the game in so many ways, our program would be at a loss without their constant aid and guidance. It's a diligent and responsible Administrator in Luke Bolembach whose professionalism has carried the weight of the team on his shoulders on more than one occasion. Most importantly, the one person on our team who is equally, if not more so, responsible for the program's success and our back-to-back Coach of the Year honors is Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell. The level of commitment, skill, and knowledge that Steve brings to the Carolina Rugby program is one of the main reasons we continue to improve each year. It's his dedication to coaching the players, working with me to improve our game plan, and his friendship that continuously reinvigorates my passion for the game. It's these things that make it easy for me to ask him to share this second Coach of the Year award with me to express my appreciation for all his hard work, dedication, and my admiration of him as a fellow coach.
With that being said, Carolina Rugby is proud of its accomplishments and is dedicated to competing at the highest level, which can only be done with your support. Please help us to continue to take the team to new heights and achieve new accolades by choosing from one of the several Carolina Rugby Foundation membership levels. We appreciate your support this year, and we look forward to another great season in 2015!
Yours In Rugby,
Mark Morris, Head Coach
I would like to take this opportunity, following the announcement of the Southeastern Rugby annual awards, to express my gratitude to the players, parents, supporters, Carolina Rugby Alumni, Carolina Foundation Board members, and Coach Steve Darnell.
After last year's Southeastern Rugby All-Conference team was announced with five 1st team players, one 2nd team player, and accompanying Player and Coach of the Year honors, I thought we had established a bar of excellence that could never be topped. Fortunately, I was wrong and stand here, today, proud of the outstanding accomplishments of our student athletes and coaching staff.
As I have said before, I am truly grateful and humbled to be awarded this honor by my peers, and now for the second year in a row. I hold true to my belief that the Coach of the Year award is the ultimate team award, and at South Carolina our "team" is much more than the athletes who give it their all week in and week out. Our team is the Carolina Rugby Foundation and Board members who have truly been a blessing this year. It's the Parents and Alumni who support the team with their financial donations and unwavering support on the sidelines both home and away. It's people like Jeff Smolka and Jim Farrar who both give back to the game in so many ways, our program would be at a loss without their constant aid and guidance. It's a diligent and responsible Administrator in Luke Bolembach whose professionalism has carried the weight of the team on his shoulders on more than one occasion. Most importantly, the one person on our team who is equally, if not more so, responsible for the program's success and our back-to-back Coach of the Year honors is Associate Head Coach Steve Darnell. The level of commitment, skill, and knowledge that Steve brings to the Carolina Rugby program is one of the main reasons we continue to improve each year. It's his dedication to coaching the players, working with me to improve our game plan, and his friendship that continuously reinvigorates my passion for the game. It's these things that make it easy for me to ask him to share this second Coach of the Year award with me to express my appreciation for all his hard work, dedication, and my admiration of him as a fellow coach.
With that being said, Carolina Rugby is proud of its accomplishments and is dedicated to competing at the highest level, which can only be done with your support. Please help us to continue to take the team to new heights and achieve new accolades by choosing from one of the several Carolina Rugby Foundation membership levels. We appreciate your support this year, and we look forward to another great season in 2015!
Yours In Rugby,
Mark Morris, Head Coach
Carolina Advances to USA Rugby Elite Eight; Falls to Defending Champs, Central Florida
Knoxville, TN - This past weekend, Carolina Rugby sent 25 players to the USA Rugby National DI Sweet 16/Elite 8 Regional held in beautiful Knoxville, TN. The first game was against at-large recipient, the University of Georgia, that came into the playoffs with momentum after winning their final three matches. However, the Gamecocks used their speed to attack the outside quickly and frequently, resulting in a final score of 46-22 at the end of the day. Men of the match were senior flyhalf Colin McKeon and junior flanker Dana Corcoran.
The victory placed the Gamecocks in the finals to play against Central Florida, who beat Louisiana State in a challenging match that they eventually ran away with after continuous forward play inside LSU's 22m. Central Florida scored first and often, effectively using their size advantage while inside USC's 22m as well. By half, Carolina had regrouped to bring the score to 26-13 in UCF's favor. In the second half, the Gamecocks scored first to bring the match within striking distance, though UCF continued their aggressive forward play to win the match 44-28. Men of the match were sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown and junior lock Zac Gorman. (UCF Match Film)
With the loss, the 23rd nationally ranked Carolina Gamecocks concluded the 2013/2014 15's season with a 9-1 (Spring) and a 15-1 (overall) record, an impressive undefeated regular season, and a claim to the Southeastern Rugby Eastern Divisional and Conference titles, both a first for the program. Carolina now transitions its focus to the 7's game with the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) only one month away!
The victory placed the Gamecocks in the finals to play against Central Florida, who beat Louisiana State in a challenging match that they eventually ran away with after continuous forward play inside LSU's 22m. Central Florida scored first and often, effectively using their size advantage while inside USC's 22m as well. By half, Carolina had regrouped to bring the score to 26-13 in UCF's favor. In the second half, the Gamecocks scored first to bring the match within striking distance, though UCF continued their aggressive forward play to win the match 44-28. Men of the match were sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown and junior lock Zac Gorman. (UCF Match Film)
With the loss, the 23rd nationally ranked Carolina Gamecocks concluded the 2013/2014 15's season with a 9-1 (Spring) and a 15-1 (overall) record, an impressive undefeated regular season, and a claim to the Southeastern Rugby Eastern Divisional and Conference titles, both a first for the program. Carolina now transitions its focus to the 7's game with the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) only one month away!
Georgia Scoring Report
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Central Florida Scoring Report
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Spring Awards Banquet, Recipients Announced
Columbia, SC - This past Saturday, the team held its Spring Awards Banquet joined by several parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters. Attendees enjoyed a full barbeque buffet, along with a speech and picture show prepared by Head Coach Mark Morris. Following the presentation, the following player awards were announced:
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Most Valuable Player
Matt Berenato 
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Most Valuable Pack
Mike Mahon 
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Most Valuable Back
Colin McKeon 
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Rookie of the Season
Ryan Pile 
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Most Improved
Avery Darnell 
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Following the awards ceremony, Head Coach Mark Morris took a few moments to reflect. "I stand here tonight with a great deal of pride in the student-athletes I have the privilege to coach and mentor here at the University of South Carolina. These awards are the culmination of months of hard work and dedication by our more than 60 student-athletes, and I am honored to recognize a select few who have truly made an impact on our program. I wish all of our graduates and visiting players a successful future, and I look forward to seeing them again this fall as fellow Olde Boys. The future is bright for Carolina Rugby, and I look forward to a successful postseason."
Carolina Claims Southeastern Rugby Championship Title; Advances to Nationals
Knoxville, TN - This past weekend, Carolina Rugby sent 25 players to the Southeastern Rugby Championship held in beautiful Knoxville, TN. The first game was against a much-improved, Auburn side that came into the playoffs with momentum. However, the Gamecocks used their speed to attack the outside quickly and frequently, resulting in a final score of 41-5 at the end of the day. Men of the match were sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach in the backs and sophomore 2nd row Zach Mullineaux in the forwards. (Auburn Match Film)
The victory placed the Gamecocks in the finals to play against Louisiana State, who beat Florida in a challenging match that they eventually ran away with after continuous back-and-forth action all game. Scoring the first points within the first minute, Carolina proved they were ready for a challenging battle, however, penalties continued to hurt the over-aggressive Carolina side. By halftime, LSU had taken advantage of the mistakes, though with calm and level-headed attitudes, Carolina scored 5 second half tries to LSU's 1 second half score, giving your Gamecocks the benefit of the result in a 41-26 victory over the Tigers.Men of the match were sophomore wing Tim Hamill and sophomore 8 Man Mike Mahon. (LSU Match Film)
With this victory, Carolina improves its spring record to 8-0 after winning (and officially receiving, this weekend) the regular season SCRC East with an undefeated 6-0 record as well as the SCRC Championship. This marks the first time in Gamecock Rugby history that the team has won the SCRC outright. With these wins, the team clinches an automatic berth in the USA Rugby Division I National Sweet 16 Playoffs that are to be held in Knoxville, TN at the Tennessee Rugby Park on the weekend of April 26 & 27.
The victory placed the Gamecocks in the finals to play against Louisiana State, who beat Florida in a challenging match that they eventually ran away with after continuous back-and-forth action all game. Scoring the first points within the first minute, Carolina proved they were ready for a challenging battle, however, penalties continued to hurt the over-aggressive Carolina side. By halftime, LSU had taken advantage of the mistakes, though with calm and level-headed attitudes, Carolina scored 5 second half tries to LSU's 1 second half score, giving your Gamecocks the benefit of the result in a 41-26 victory over the Tigers.Men of the match were sophomore wing Tim Hamill and sophomore 8 Man Mike Mahon. (LSU Match Film)
With this victory, Carolina improves its spring record to 8-0 after winning (and officially receiving, this weekend) the regular season SCRC East with an undefeated 6-0 record as well as the SCRC Championship. This marks the first time in Gamecock Rugby history that the team has won the SCRC outright. With these wins, the team clinches an automatic berth in the USA Rugby Division I National Sweet 16 Playoffs that are to be held in Knoxville, TN at the Tennessee Rugby Park on the weekend of April 26 & 27.
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Post season schedule leading up to the CRC 7's in Philadelphia:
April 26 - USA Rugby Sweet 16 (Tennessee Rugby Park) April 27 - USA Rugby Elite 8 (Tennessee Rugby Park) May 10 - USA Rugby Final 4 (Stanford University, Stanford, CA) May 11 - USA Rugby Championship (Stanford University, Stanford, CA) May 31 & June 1 - CRC 7's Championship (PLP Park, Philadelphia, PA) Please support your Carolina Gamecocks as they work hard for a successful postseason run! |
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Auburn Scoring Report
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Louisiana State Scoring Report
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Spring Awards Banquet Announced
Columbia, SC - As the Carolina Rugby team prepares for the upcoming
Southeastern Championship in Knoxville, it has announced the date and location
of the Spring Awards Banquet.
On Saturday, April 19th, the team will be holding its Spring Awards Banquet which will be open to all parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters. We would encourage anyone who lives locally or plans to be visiting the Columbia area the weekend of the 19th to please take the opportunity to meet the players, enjoy some Southern cuisine, and show your support for Carolina Rugby. We will have a full barbeque buffet with all the fixins’, as well as an awards presentation and a speech from Head Coach Mark Morris.
We certainly hope that you can attend, and if so, ask that you please RSVP: (P) 803-309-5081 / (E) mark112@bellsouth.net
The following are the event details:
Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center
Bottom Floor Multi-Purpose Room 125
Saturday, April 6th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Free Parking in Strom WFC Lot
On Saturday, April 19th, the team will be holding its Spring Awards Banquet which will be open to all parents, alumni, and Foundation supporters. We would encourage anyone who lives locally or plans to be visiting the Columbia area the weekend of the 19th to please take the opportunity to meet the players, enjoy some Southern cuisine, and show your support for Carolina Rugby. We will have a full barbeque buffet with all the fixins’, as well as an awards presentation and a speech from Head Coach Mark Morris.
We certainly hope that you can attend, and if so, ask that you please RSVP: (P) 803-309-5081 / (E) mark112@bellsouth.net
The following are the event details:
Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center
Bottom Floor Multi-Purpose Room 125
Saturday, April 6th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Free Parking in Strom WFC Lot
Carolina Rugby Supports Relay For Life
Columbia, SC - Beginning
in 2010, Carolina Rugby began supporting Team Jameson and
the American Cancer Society, assisting former player Patrick
Lawler in raising roughly $35,000 towards a cure in a little over 3
years.
Lawler and his supporters organized USC’s first Bachelor Auction, designed wristbands with the notorious ‘Cocks against Cancer’ slogan, sponsored percent nights with local area businesses, and auctioned signed merchandise, with all proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society. This year, the team chose to carry on the tradition set by Lawler and pledged to participate in the annual Relay For Life campaign on USC's campus. With the support of the players and their friends, Carolina Rugby was able to achieve its goal of raising over $1,000 for the event. "I am proud of what our players have accomplished, though more so, I am reminded of the brotherhood that exists within the rugby community," comments Head Coach Mark Morris. "Patrick accomplished amazing things in honoring his mother's memory, and I am proud that our players continue to honor those who have lost their fight with cancer, as well as show unconditional support to those who are still fighting today." |
Team Jameson-Cock Rugby - April 2014
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"Team Jameson was founded on one truth: that love and support is in abundance, and by working together to mobilize our efforts we can give and demonstrate all the love and support we have for those who need it today." - Patrick Lawler
Carolina Advances to Postseason
Columbia, SC - With the win over Tennessee, Carolina now advances to the Southeastern Rugby Championship to be held in
Knoxville, TN at the Tennessee Rugby Park on the weekend of April 12th &
13th. As the #1 seed in the East, the Gamecocks will face off against the #2
seed in the West, the Auburn Tigers, for a 1pm kickoff on Saturday.
The second match of the afternoon will be between the Florida Gators and the
Louisiana State Tigers. Should Carolina defeat Auburn, they will face off
against the winner of the second match in the Championship round on Sunday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm.
The following is a complete post season schedule leading up to the CRC 7's in Philadelphia:
April 12 - Southeastern Rugby Playoffs (Tennessee Rugby Park)
April 13 - Southeastern Rugby Championship (Tennessee Rugby Park)
April 26 - USA Rugby Sweet 16 (Tennessee Rugby Park)
April 27 - USA Rugby Elite 8 (Tennessee Rugby Park)
May 10 - USA Rugby Final 4 (TBA)
May 11 - USA Rugby Championship (TBA)
May 31 & June 1 - CRC 7's Championship (PLP Park, Philadelphia, PA)
Please support your Carolina Gamecocks as they work hard for a successful postseason run!
The following is a complete post season schedule leading up to the CRC 7's in Philadelphia:
April 12 - Southeastern Rugby Playoffs (Tennessee Rugby Park)
April 13 - Southeastern Rugby Championship (Tennessee Rugby Park)
April 26 - USA Rugby Sweet 16 (Tennessee Rugby Park)
April 27 - USA Rugby Elite 8 (Tennessee Rugby Park)
May 10 - USA Rugby Final 4 (TBA)
May 11 - USA Rugby Championship (TBA)
May 31 & June 1 - CRC 7's Championship (PLP Park, Philadelphia, PA)
Please support your Carolina Gamecocks as they work hard for a successful postseason run!
Carolina Finishes Undefeated; Defeats Tennessee At Home
Columbia, SC -
This
past weekend, your South Carolina Gamecocks hosted the University of Tennessee
Volunteers in what Carolina hoped to be retribution after dropping two big
matches to the Vols last season in both regular season and SCRC Championship
play. Although Tennessee has struggled
this season, failing to reach the playoffs for the first time since the SCRC
was founded, they have always proved to be the toughest matchup for Carolina. The last time Tennessee played in Columbia, they
wiped the field with the Gamecocks, dominating the game, 71-7, leaving a
terrible taste in the mouths of Carolina.
Last season, the teams met three times: the regular season finale, which
ended unfortunately for Carolina, 34-28; the SCRC Championship with a final
score of 46-26 in Tennessee’s favor; and lastly, after both teams lost their
National Championship Sweet 16 Playoff matches, the two teams reconvened and
Carolina had its first victory against Tennessee in a long time, 21-17. USC looked to pick up where they left off
against the usual SCRC powerhouse, and with a 2-2-1 record, Tennessee was
coming to Columbia with nothing to lose.
Carolina started the game off in an attacking mode and minutes into the match, a Matt Berenato break, complemented by several moves and straight arms, led to the first points of the game. As Carolina attacked the breakdowns and tried to “jackal” several balls, penalties began to build up and Carolina was hit with a yellow card just 8 minutes into the game. With that, Tennessee knew they could capitalize on the one-man advantage and they put up their first points of the match, following with a kick and putting the Gamecocks behind, 7-5. This was the first time this season that USC has trailed at any point in a game. As Carolina threw the ball around recklessly, several turnovers kept the Gamecocks on their heels, but off of a set piece, USC took initiative and powered their way into the end goal, as sophomore 8-man Mike Mahon touched the ball down to put the Gamecocks back on top. With the ball in their own end for the majority of the first half, Carolina fought their way back downfield and sophomore flanker Jared Magill scored right before the half, setting up for a converted kick as well. With the score at 17-7 at the half, Carolina knew they had to settle down and play their game. Coach Darnell and Morris had some words of encouragement for the men as well as some attacking tips against a high-pressure Tennessee defensive line.
Coming out of the half, Carolina was a little slow getting out of the gate, and Tennessee took advantage of the opportunity, scoring a try in the corner after a Volunteer player tiptoed down the sideline and around the Carolina defense. Despite the tight score, Carolina didn’t put their heads down once and they quickly responded with a try from freshman center Thomas Coar. Setting the margin at 10 points, USC felt more comfortable on both sides of the ball, and their relentless attacking mentality proved successful as senior fullback Colin McKeon received a kick from the Tennessee flyhalf at full pace, giving no Volunteer player a chance even to slow down the streaking fullback. McKeon touched the ball down right in the middle of the posts, giving Carolina some cushion on the lead, putting the Gamecocks up 29-12. USC was not finished however, and minutes later, junior flanker Dana Corcoran displayed a perfect two-on-one pass, drawing the defender and dishing the ball to an accelerating David Mysona, setting him free down the sideline for another Carolina score. Losing 34-12, Tennessee knew there was not much time and they must be aggressive around the breakdowns or the game was to result in Carolina’s favor. Driving the ball deep into Carolina’s territory, Tennessee drove a ball across the goal line, tightening the Carolina lead to 17 points. USC tightened its defense, and with all of the reserves getting into the match, the Gamecocks gained one more opportunity after the boot of Brian Keown punched a ball just next to the front corner of the endgoal and a sprinting Tim Hamill picked it out of mid-air and touched the ball down for USC’s final points of the match. Tennessee scored 2 more tries late in the game, and Carolina’s defense wasn’t as stellar as it was in the first 30 minutes of the 2nd half. The 10 late-match points from the Vols made the final score 39-27, in Carolina’s favor. With that victory, Carolina accomplished its first goal of the season, to end the regular season with an undefeated record, heading into the SCRC Playoffs fashionably.
Co-men of the match were junior hooker Drew Busbee and senior wing Avery Darnell for their continuous efforts around the breakdowns and in securing possession of the ball in several significant situations. With the win, Carolina looks forward to the Southeastern Rugby Championship to be held in Knoxville, TN at the Tennessee Rugby Park on the weekend of April 12th/13th. As the #1 seed in the east division, the Gamecocks will face off against the #2 seed in the west, the Auburn Tigers. With their minds set on one thing only, an SCRC Championship is in sight, and should Carolina defeat the Tigers on the 12th, USC will take on the winner of the second match between the #1 west seed, LSU Tigers, and the #2 east seed, Florida Gators.
The Carolina Rugby Foundation would like to thank those who attended Saturday's match and enjoyed food and drink with the players afterwards, and asks that you please continue to support the Gamecocks as they make their run for the SCRC Championship!
Carolina started the game off in an attacking mode and minutes into the match, a Matt Berenato break, complemented by several moves and straight arms, led to the first points of the game. As Carolina attacked the breakdowns and tried to “jackal” several balls, penalties began to build up and Carolina was hit with a yellow card just 8 minutes into the game. With that, Tennessee knew they could capitalize on the one-man advantage and they put up their first points of the match, following with a kick and putting the Gamecocks behind, 7-5. This was the first time this season that USC has trailed at any point in a game. As Carolina threw the ball around recklessly, several turnovers kept the Gamecocks on their heels, but off of a set piece, USC took initiative and powered their way into the end goal, as sophomore 8-man Mike Mahon touched the ball down to put the Gamecocks back on top. With the ball in their own end for the majority of the first half, Carolina fought their way back downfield and sophomore flanker Jared Magill scored right before the half, setting up for a converted kick as well. With the score at 17-7 at the half, Carolina knew they had to settle down and play their game. Coach Darnell and Morris had some words of encouragement for the men as well as some attacking tips against a high-pressure Tennessee defensive line.
Coming out of the half, Carolina was a little slow getting out of the gate, and Tennessee took advantage of the opportunity, scoring a try in the corner after a Volunteer player tiptoed down the sideline and around the Carolina defense. Despite the tight score, Carolina didn’t put their heads down once and they quickly responded with a try from freshman center Thomas Coar. Setting the margin at 10 points, USC felt more comfortable on both sides of the ball, and their relentless attacking mentality proved successful as senior fullback Colin McKeon received a kick from the Tennessee flyhalf at full pace, giving no Volunteer player a chance even to slow down the streaking fullback. McKeon touched the ball down right in the middle of the posts, giving Carolina some cushion on the lead, putting the Gamecocks up 29-12. USC was not finished however, and minutes later, junior flanker Dana Corcoran displayed a perfect two-on-one pass, drawing the defender and dishing the ball to an accelerating David Mysona, setting him free down the sideline for another Carolina score. Losing 34-12, Tennessee knew there was not much time and they must be aggressive around the breakdowns or the game was to result in Carolina’s favor. Driving the ball deep into Carolina’s territory, Tennessee drove a ball across the goal line, tightening the Carolina lead to 17 points. USC tightened its defense, and with all of the reserves getting into the match, the Gamecocks gained one more opportunity after the boot of Brian Keown punched a ball just next to the front corner of the endgoal and a sprinting Tim Hamill picked it out of mid-air and touched the ball down for USC’s final points of the match. Tennessee scored 2 more tries late in the game, and Carolina’s defense wasn’t as stellar as it was in the first 30 minutes of the 2nd half. The 10 late-match points from the Vols made the final score 39-27, in Carolina’s favor. With that victory, Carolina accomplished its first goal of the season, to end the regular season with an undefeated record, heading into the SCRC Playoffs fashionably.
Co-men of the match were junior hooker Drew Busbee and senior wing Avery Darnell for their continuous efforts around the breakdowns and in securing possession of the ball in several significant situations. With the win, Carolina looks forward to the Southeastern Rugby Championship to be held in Knoxville, TN at the Tennessee Rugby Park on the weekend of April 12th/13th. As the #1 seed in the east division, the Gamecocks will face off against the #2 seed in the west, the Auburn Tigers. With their minds set on one thing only, an SCRC Championship is in sight, and should Carolina defeat the Tigers on the 12th, USC will take on the winner of the second match between the #1 west seed, LSU Tigers, and the #2 east seed, Florida Gators.
The Carolina Rugby Foundation would like to thank those who attended Saturday's match and enjoyed food and drink with the players afterwards, and asks that you please continue to support the Gamecocks as they make their run for the SCRC Championship!
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Carolina Hosts UT for Final Home Match
Columbia, SC - The final regular season match of the year will be at home against the
2013 Southeastern Rugby Champions, the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers
hold a 2-0 lead in the series and narrowly defeated Carolina for the conference
title last season, though the Gamecocks did win the last contest with a victory
over Tennessee during the USA Rugby Sweet 16 collegiate playoffs. Carolina
currently holds a 5-0 record, while Tennessee is sitting at 2-2-1 after losses
to Florida & Louisiana State and a tie with Georgia, all of which were on
the road.
The match-up is scheduled for Saturday, March 29th on Strom Field at 2:00pm with a reserve match to follow. In the event of inclement weather, both matches may be moved to Greene St Field located across from USC's Colonial Life Basketball Arena.
All alumni are encouraged to attend and to drop by the Carolina Rugby Foundation Hospitality Tent to receive free food and drinks, information on the upcoming CRC 7's Championship, to meet with current players, and to enter into a drawing for Carolina Rugby merchandise and apparel! Please support your Carolina Gamecocks as they work hard to finish out the season undefeated and advance to the Southeastern Rugby Conference Championship and beyond!
The match-up is scheduled for Saturday, March 29th on Strom Field at 2:00pm with a reserve match to follow. In the event of inclement weather, both matches may be moved to Greene St Field located across from USC's Colonial Life Basketball Arena.
All alumni are encouraged to attend and to drop by the Carolina Rugby Foundation Hospitality Tent to receive free food and drinks, information on the upcoming CRC 7's Championship, to meet with current players, and to enter into a drawing for Carolina Rugby merchandise and apparel! Please support your Carolina Gamecocks as they work hard to finish out the season undefeated and advance to the Southeastern Rugby Conference Championship and beyond!
Gamecocks Defeat the Commodores, Improves to 5-0
Nashville, TN - The
Carolina Gamecocks took on Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee with
one thing on their mind: perfection. The
match kicked off at 5 PM CT, giving the Gamecocks a full day on Saturday to
prepare and get their minds right for the important match. Going into this weekend, after a two-week
break from competition, the Gamecocks knew they would be tested against a much-improved
Vanderbilt side that put up a good battle last year in Columbia, despite falling
46-26 to Carolina. Even though the
lengthy break was bound to cause a little discord, with players coming off of a
relaxing spring break, Carolina has worked tremendously hard to prevent any
lapses. With that mindset, Carolina was
ready as soon as the referee blew his whistle.
Carolina drew blood first, while quick ball movement and communication allowed for senior wing Avery Darnell to attack and draw the defender, giving senior back Matt Berenato an opportunity to run a hard line and touch the ball down in the endgoal for a 5-0 lead. Vanderbilt responded however, and as penalties continued to hinder the Gamecocks’ attack, the Commodores took advantage of the field position and Carolina’s mistakes, converting a penalty kick to make the score 5-3. USC countered with another try and extra points after Berenato touched down his second of the day and sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown slotted the conversion. With the score set at 12-3, Vanderbilt, once again, reacted as they needed to, taking a ball off of their own restart and avoiding the Carolina defense, allowing for the Commodores to trot into the endgoal and score their first try of the day. With the score set at 12-8, the Gamecocks continued to get the ball wide and take advantage of the space and speed on the outside. As a result, Darnell found the corner for Carolina’s next score and Keown nudged the kick through the posts on a remarkable strike. Again, however, Carolina was unable to score more unanswered points, and Vanderbilt shortened the distance after scoring another try. It was at this point that USC noticed they must tighten up their defensive line and they must try to settle their game down. After several gaffes troubled the Gamecocks in the beginning of the game, they locked down and began to pour on the points. Senior fullback Colin McKeon scored after a great break, touching the ball down in the corner, and Berenato followed with another two excellent runs, giving the captain 4 first-half tries. As the gap grew, the Gamecocks got into a rhythm, and at the half, Carolina had a pretty comfortable lead, winning 38-13.
Carolina re-grouped themselves at halftime, aware of the several missed opportunities to run away with the game by extending the lead. With that in mind, the Gamecocks knew they had to lock down on the defensive side of the ball, as that has been somewhat of a weakness in latter halves of matches this season. However, because they maintained a defensive mindset, the offensive production was halted and turnovers continued to place the ball in Commodore hands. After a slow offensive second-half start for USC, freshman center Thomas Coar made a heads-up play and dove across the goal line off of a quick tap on a penalty. Carolina continued to show its defensive presence as they held Vanderbilt off the scoreboard in the second half until the final play of the match. Carolina withstood anything that may have given them problems throughout the match, and as the final whistle sounded, the Gamecocks could celebrate their improvement to a 5-0 undefeated spring record, clinching the SCRC East’s first playoff seed.
Co-men of the match for University of South Carolina were prop Ben Mather and flyhalf Luke Bolembach, both setting up several plays that led to Carolina scores. “Injuries have started to be an issue towards the end of the season, but our men did excellent today overcoming any obstacles,” Coach Morris exclaimed after the match. “I really think we did a good job of reacting positively after quite a few errors in the first half. It’s important we didn’t let the mistakes bring our level of play down for the remainder of the game.” With the win, Carolina looks forward to hosting the University of Tennessee RFC in the fourth game played between the two programs in the 2013 and 2014 spring SCRC seasons.
Carolina drew blood first, while quick ball movement and communication allowed for senior wing Avery Darnell to attack and draw the defender, giving senior back Matt Berenato an opportunity to run a hard line and touch the ball down in the endgoal for a 5-0 lead. Vanderbilt responded however, and as penalties continued to hinder the Gamecocks’ attack, the Commodores took advantage of the field position and Carolina’s mistakes, converting a penalty kick to make the score 5-3. USC countered with another try and extra points after Berenato touched down his second of the day and sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown slotted the conversion. With the score set at 12-3, Vanderbilt, once again, reacted as they needed to, taking a ball off of their own restart and avoiding the Carolina defense, allowing for the Commodores to trot into the endgoal and score their first try of the day. With the score set at 12-8, the Gamecocks continued to get the ball wide and take advantage of the space and speed on the outside. As a result, Darnell found the corner for Carolina’s next score and Keown nudged the kick through the posts on a remarkable strike. Again, however, Carolina was unable to score more unanswered points, and Vanderbilt shortened the distance after scoring another try. It was at this point that USC noticed they must tighten up their defensive line and they must try to settle their game down. After several gaffes troubled the Gamecocks in the beginning of the game, they locked down and began to pour on the points. Senior fullback Colin McKeon scored after a great break, touching the ball down in the corner, and Berenato followed with another two excellent runs, giving the captain 4 first-half tries. As the gap grew, the Gamecocks got into a rhythm, and at the half, Carolina had a pretty comfortable lead, winning 38-13.
Carolina re-grouped themselves at halftime, aware of the several missed opportunities to run away with the game by extending the lead. With that in mind, the Gamecocks knew they had to lock down on the defensive side of the ball, as that has been somewhat of a weakness in latter halves of matches this season. However, because they maintained a defensive mindset, the offensive production was halted and turnovers continued to place the ball in Commodore hands. After a slow offensive second-half start for USC, freshman center Thomas Coar made a heads-up play and dove across the goal line off of a quick tap on a penalty. Carolina continued to show its defensive presence as they held Vanderbilt off the scoreboard in the second half until the final play of the match. Carolina withstood anything that may have given them problems throughout the match, and as the final whistle sounded, the Gamecocks could celebrate their improvement to a 5-0 undefeated spring record, clinching the SCRC East’s first playoff seed.
Co-men of the match for University of South Carolina were prop Ben Mather and flyhalf Luke Bolembach, both setting up several plays that led to Carolina scores. “Injuries have started to be an issue towards the end of the season, but our men did excellent today overcoming any obstacles,” Coach Morris exclaimed after the match. “I really think we did a good job of reacting positively after quite a few errors in the first half. It’s important we didn’t let the mistakes bring our level of play down for the remainder of the game.” With the win, Carolina looks forward to hosting the University of Tennessee RFC in the fourth game played between the two programs in the 2013 and 2014 spring SCRC seasons.
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Carolina Impounds the Dawgs, Improves to 4-0
Athens, GA - This past weekend, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks travelled to Athens, GA to take on the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Carolina knew that they could not take the “Dawgs” lightly considering they gave Tennessee quite a scare in their last match, tying the Vols in a match that came down to the final minutes. The Gamecocks trained hard during the two weeks between games to make sure that the game plan was strong and that everyone was on the same page.
Carolina’s 1st XV started the match out by attacking harder than the Georgia defense could hold; about eight minutes into the match, wing Avery Darnell touched one down in the corner to make the score 5-0 in Carolina’s favor. Georgia was granted a series of penalties as the Gamecocks proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot and the Bulldogs took advantage of a penalty opportunity about 30 meters from the posts. With a 5-3 score and with the Gamecocks clawing their way back to the top of this match, Dana Corcoran broke across the goal line in the corner of the end goal, increasing the Gamecock lead to 10-3. Without hesitation, Carolina received the next kick, and after turning the ball over once, stole the ball back and made another statement as Matt Berenato broke through the Bulldog backline after an impressive display of hands in Carolina’s backs, making for an easy Tim Hamill try on the sideline. Carolina was up 15-3 and they had no plans to hold back. However, Georgia felt the pressure from Carolina and they took advantage of an easy scoring opportunity on the outside because of disorganization and lack of communication from the Gamecock defensive line. These would be the last points Georgia scored though, as Carolina put 12 unanswered points up before the half on tries from Dana Corcoran and Matt Berenato along with one conversion from Brian Keown. Corcoran’s score was preceded by a Matt Augustine chip towards the sidelines, forcing a lone Georgia wing out of bounds at his own 5-meter line. Augustine, who also made an amazing showing with his defensive aptitude, saw the weakness in the defense and because Carolina continuously stole Georgia lineouts, he knew it was the right decision to pressure the Bulldogs deep in their territory. Carolina stole the lineout and mauled the ball into the end goal area with Corcoran touching the ball down. Before the half, one more break would be made as the Carolina defensive pressure proved to be too much for Georgia’s backline and a mistake in handling for the Bulldogs resulted in a quick transition from Matt Augustine to Matt Berenato who sliced and diced the Georgia defense, taking the ball for a 50-meter try-scoring endeavor. This set the first half score at 27-8.
With Carolina hungry for more points, a Georgia turnover would set up a few phases in Bulldog territory and with the Gamecocks’ attacking mindset, flyhalf Luke Bolembach broke through the Georgia backline, eventually drawing two Georgia defenders and making a beautiful offload to Mike Mahon who took it under the posts for the first second half points. With the score at 34-8, Michael Rudzinsky broke the Georgia line for a 40 meter run off of a perfect pop-pass from Colin McKeon, who finally scored on the series of phases after a penalty was taken advantage of. Keown followed with the conversion, setting the score at 41-8. Georgia kept the ball in its hands for much of the next fifteen minutes, as neither team could seem to make much advancement in field position. However, with lots of kicking, Avery Darnell was given a chance to make a play happen as he performed a pristine offload to a streaking Matt Berenato, allowing for another long Gamecock try with a conversion to follow. As Carolina continued to attack the goal line after another counter attack that turned into a Gamecock try, with no time on the clock, another kick was thrown towards the Gamecocks and countered effectively, bringing the ball down to the Georgia 22-meter line; as Brian Keown set up at a ruck on the right side of the field and noticed the wing’s mistake, wing Tim Hamill got a big head start on a Brian Keown box kick, placed perfectly for Hamill to run onto from an onside position, allowing for the final points of the game. Carolina won 58-8 after these final points, and they made a statement heading into the next two weekends of rest.
Men of the match for the 1st XV were 8-man Mike Mahon and captain Matt Berenato. Mahon showed his superior ability to attack gaps in the defense and allow for offloads to find his breadbasket while Berenato’s attacking ability was stupendous and his decision-making of when to offload and when to keep the ball in hand was optimal.
With the 2nd XV set to take the pitch after, Carolina had many new players either new to the sport itself or new to the club. Getting everyone on the sidelines a chance to play, Carolina displayed its dominance throughout the entire match, putting up a surplus of points and shutting out the Bulldogs. Ryan Pile started the game off in his usual fashion, as he got the ball and hacked the Bulldog defense in half, side-stepping his way into the end goal for the first Carolina points. Lucas Paff converted the kick, and from this point on, Carolina continued to attack, as Pile was given the ball again and he took advantage of the space on the outside that he was given. Mark Holkenborg also added to the score report as he took a ball off of the base of a ruck and danced to avoid the Georgia defense, spinning and twirling like a ballerina, to end up across the goal line for another try. With that, Carolina was winning 19-0, but it was still only the first half. Adam Satz touched one down to set the score at 24-0 and with that, the half came to a close.
Despite the score, there were simple things that USC understood they had to do to assure that they were learning from their mistakes. Running sideways and taking away from the space on the pitch was a major focus at halftime, and coming out in the second half with a “fast ball-movement” attitude, it didn’t take long for Bryan Dixon to show his man of the match qualities by individually making a great effort to run through the Georgia defense and touch the ball down close to the posts. Mere minutes after the restart, Alex Smolen perfectly placed a pooch kick behind the Georgia defense, allowing for Ryan Pile to retrieve the ball and set up a pick and go that was finally pushed across the goal line by Lawson Ballard. This set the score at 36-0. Carolina was not finished, and with another tremendous individual effort from Bryan Dixon, more points were added onto the Gamecock total. Shortly after, Nick Winikoff was set up in the corner of the field for another Gamecock try, making the score 48-0. With the match time remaining dwindling, Chris Pullen found the end zone to touch down the last points of the match, making the final score 53-0 for Carolina’s 2nd XV. Men of the match were Bryan Dixon and Ryan Pile for their efforts in pushing the ball forward and causing Gamecock takeaways and points. For the day, the Gamecocks scored 111 points to the Bulldogs’ 8 points, giving a total margin between the two matches of 103 points in Carolina’s favor. Coach Morris and Darnell were very proud of their boys and it did not go without saying that they were beaming as a result of the 2nd XV’s effort and improvement.
Carolina heads into spring break on top of the SCRC East with a 4-0 record. With two games remaining against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, respectively, USC looks to finish the season on a high note and clinch a playoff berth. South Carolina has also been recognized as a Top 25 team by RugbyMag.com and its writers, giving more incentive to maintain the ranking they’ve worked so hard to achieve.
Carolina’s 1st XV started the match out by attacking harder than the Georgia defense could hold; about eight minutes into the match, wing Avery Darnell touched one down in the corner to make the score 5-0 in Carolina’s favor. Georgia was granted a series of penalties as the Gamecocks proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot and the Bulldogs took advantage of a penalty opportunity about 30 meters from the posts. With a 5-3 score and with the Gamecocks clawing their way back to the top of this match, Dana Corcoran broke across the goal line in the corner of the end goal, increasing the Gamecock lead to 10-3. Without hesitation, Carolina received the next kick, and after turning the ball over once, stole the ball back and made another statement as Matt Berenato broke through the Bulldog backline after an impressive display of hands in Carolina’s backs, making for an easy Tim Hamill try on the sideline. Carolina was up 15-3 and they had no plans to hold back. However, Georgia felt the pressure from Carolina and they took advantage of an easy scoring opportunity on the outside because of disorganization and lack of communication from the Gamecock defensive line. These would be the last points Georgia scored though, as Carolina put 12 unanswered points up before the half on tries from Dana Corcoran and Matt Berenato along with one conversion from Brian Keown. Corcoran’s score was preceded by a Matt Augustine chip towards the sidelines, forcing a lone Georgia wing out of bounds at his own 5-meter line. Augustine, who also made an amazing showing with his defensive aptitude, saw the weakness in the defense and because Carolina continuously stole Georgia lineouts, he knew it was the right decision to pressure the Bulldogs deep in their territory. Carolina stole the lineout and mauled the ball into the end goal area with Corcoran touching the ball down. Before the half, one more break would be made as the Carolina defensive pressure proved to be too much for Georgia’s backline and a mistake in handling for the Bulldogs resulted in a quick transition from Matt Augustine to Matt Berenato who sliced and diced the Georgia defense, taking the ball for a 50-meter try-scoring endeavor. This set the first half score at 27-8.
With Carolina hungry for more points, a Georgia turnover would set up a few phases in Bulldog territory and with the Gamecocks’ attacking mindset, flyhalf Luke Bolembach broke through the Georgia backline, eventually drawing two Georgia defenders and making a beautiful offload to Mike Mahon who took it under the posts for the first second half points. With the score at 34-8, Michael Rudzinsky broke the Georgia line for a 40 meter run off of a perfect pop-pass from Colin McKeon, who finally scored on the series of phases after a penalty was taken advantage of. Keown followed with the conversion, setting the score at 41-8. Georgia kept the ball in its hands for much of the next fifteen minutes, as neither team could seem to make much advancement in field position. However, with lots of kicking, Avery Darnell was given a chance to make a play happen as he performed a pristine offload to a streaking Matt Berenato, allowing for another long Gamecock try with a conversion to follow. As Carolina continued to attack the goal line after another counter attack that turned into a Gamecock try, with no time on the clock, another kick was thrown towards the Gamecocks and countered effectively, bringing the ball down to the Georgia 22-meter line; as Brian Keown set up at a ruck on the right side of the field and noticed the wing’s mistake, wing Tim Hamill got a big head start on a Brian Keown box kick, placed perfectly for Hamill to run onto from an onside position, allowing for the final points of the game. Carolina won 58-8 after these final points, and they made a statement heading into the next two weekends of rest.
Men of the match for the 1st XV were 8-man Mike Mahon and captain Matt Berenato. Mahon showed his superior ability to attack gaps in the defense and allow for offloads to find his breadbasket while Berenato’s attacking ability was stupendous and his decision-making of when to offload and when to keep the ball in hand was optimal.
With the 2nd XV set to take the pitch after, Carolina had many new players either new to the sport itself or new to the club. Getting everyone on the sidelines a chance to play, Carolina displayed its dominance throughout the entire match, putting up a surplus of points and shutting out the Bulldogs. Ryan Pile started the game off in his usual fashion, as he got the ball and hacked the Bulldog defense in half, side-stepping his way into the end goal for the first Carolina points. Lucas Paff converted the kick, and from this point on, Carolina continued to attack, as Pile was given the ball again and he took advantage of the space on the outside that he was given. Mark Holkenborg also added to the score report as he took a ball off of the base of a ruck and danced to avoid the Georgia defense, spinning and twirling like a ballerina, to end up across the goal line for another try. With that, Carolina was winning 19-0, but it was still only the first half. Adam Satz touched one down to set the score at 24-0 and with that, the half came to a close.
Despite the score, there were simple things that USC understood they had to do to assure that they were learning from their mistakes. Running sideways and taking away from the space on the pitch was a major focus at halftime, and coming out in the second half with a “fast ball-movement” attitude, it didn’t take long for Bryan Dixon to show his man of the match qualities by individually making a great effort to run through the Georgia defense and touch the ball down close to the posts. Mere minutes after the restart, Alex Smolen perfectly placed a pooch kick behind the Georgia defense, allowing for Ryan Pile to retrieve the ball and set up a pick and go that was finally pushed across the goal line by Lawson Ballard. This set the score at 36-0. Carolina was not finished, and with another tremendous individual effort from Bryan Dixon, more points were added onto the Gamecock total. Shortly after, Nick Winikoff was set up in the corner of the field for another Gamecock try, making the score 48-0. With the match time remaining dwindling, Chris Pullen found the end zone to touch down the last points of the match, making the final score 53-0 for Carolina’s 2nd XV. Men of the match were Bryan Dixon and Ryan Pile for their efforts in pushing the ball forward and causing Gamecock takeaways and points. For the day, the Gamecocks scored 111 points to the Bulldogs’ 8 points, giving a total margin between the two matches of 103 points in Carolina’s favor. Coach Morris and Darnell were very proud of their boys and it did not go without saying that they were beaming as a result of the 2nd XV’s effort and improvement.
Carolina heads into spring break on top of the SCRC East with a 4-0 record. With two games remaining against Vanderbilt and Tennessee, respectively, USC looks to finish the season on a high note and clinch a playoff berth. South Carolina has also been recognized as a Top 25 team by RugbyMag.com and its writers, giving more incentive to maintain the ranking they’ve worked so hard to achieve.
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Carolina Shakes up the West, Improves to 3-0
Tuscaloosa, AL - .
Starting off the season with a strong 2-0 record and sitting
atop the SCRC East division, Carolina Rugby headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama this
past weekend for the first road game of the season for Gamecock Rugby. Carolina prepared efficiently despite the shortened
week due to three consecutive days of cancelled classes. The team took form in a parking garage when
they could not practice outdoors, proving that no matter what form of adversity
would be thrown at them, Carolina would bind together and accomplish their
goal. With this mindset, USC’s 1st
and 2nd XV took on the University of Alabama on a brisk yet clear
day.
With a decent crowd from Alabama, Carolina knew it had to prove something to knock off the Crimson Tide, who were at the top of the SCRC West division at the time. Play was sloppy around the breakdowns and there were a few handling errors since the pitch was moist and softer than expected, especially in sporadic areas that held a thin layer of standing water. With that, the Gamecocks knew they could take advantage of the outside, and after drilling it deep into Alabama territory, Carolina put the first points on the board, courtesy of RJ Bell. With the score at 5-0, the Gamecocks had no desire to slow down, and on a great push from Alabama’s pack in a Carolina scrum, ball sloppily reached the back of USC’s forwards, forcing sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown to slap the ball to his outlet, sophomore wing Tim Hamill, who took the ball up a gap almost the length of the field until he hit a streaking Zak Gorman in stride for another 5 points. Keown made the kick and put Carolina up 12-0. Alabama continued to use a big-man mentality as they kept it in their sizeable forwards, but South Carolina’s speed and fitness was used to their advantage, setting up two scores for captain Matt Berenato on the wing. Carolina’s ball movement and set piece efficiency was strong in the first half and helped set up clean ball to the Gamecock backline. Colin McKeon’s line breaks as well as his golden boot were also treasured during the match as he pushed a kick ahead and got a perfect bounce, leaving an opportunity for Matt Berenato to nudge the ball towards the try line for a streaking McKeon to touch down right before the half. This score gave Carolina a demanding 29-3 lead.
USC displayed strong defense and efficient counter-rucking, which kept the ball out of Alabama’s hands for much of the first half. In the second half, the Gamecocks stormed onto the pitch with a fire in their belly. Mike Mahon quickly found his way into the end goal to touch down another Carolina try, setting the score in USC’s advantage, 34-3. There was a minor lapse in the strategy of Carolina, as Alabama continued to pound away with their forwards, inching their way downfield towards the South Carolina goal line. With a few penalties pushing the Gamecocks on their heels, Alabama scored its first try of the game on a pick and drive, making the score 34-8. Carolina was not satisfied with the lapse in defense, and they fought to keep Alabama off of the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. However, Carolina scored one more try, touched down by Colin McKeon, setting up a Brian Keown conversion to set the score at 41-8. Within the final minutes of this match, Carolina was determined to end the game only giving up 8 points, but Alabama scrapped to take anything they could get, and on some weak defense shown by USC, Alabama touched one more down, ending the game at 41-13 in Carolina’s favor.
Co-men of the match for University of South Carolina were 8-man Mike Mahon and fullback Colin McKeon, both setting up several plays that led to Carolina scores. With a stellar defensive prowess, Carolina was able to attain a 28-point margin of victory, giving the Gamecocks a lot to look forward to for the next match against the University of Georgia.
South Carolina’s 2nd XV took the field after the premier side displayed its demanding victory, and they planned to attack in ways very similar to the 1st XV. Carolina struggled from the first kickoff until a Carolina player was yellow carded for illegal use of the feet. The breakdowns were sloppy in the beginning of the game, with the ball bouncing around in the feet of most rucks. However, playing a man down for ten minutes of the first half lit a fire under the Gamecocks, and as soon as Ryan Pile was given the opportunity, as he has done all semester, he turned on the jets and burned through the Alabama defense, eventually touching down a try and ultimately, setting up for the kick after, converted by Thomas Coar. With the score set at 7-0 in Carolina’s favor, there was a lot of back-and-forth play between both teams’ 22-meter lines. With a strong defensive presence, and after learning to be more disciplined around the breakdowns, Carolina kept Alabama from scoring in the first half.
The second half started with a different level of intensity, as both sides, evenly matched, continuously combated over the ball to put more points up. Each team hit harder with every tackle and each breakdown required quicker recycled ball out to the forwards or backline as the pace of play significantly increased. Alabama finally touched one down on the outside with ten minutes left in the match, but it would not be enough to convert the kick and even out the score. Carolina held Alabama scoreless for the remainder of the game, despite being pinned in its own end for quite some time in the second half, especially in the final minutes of the match. Working hard to finish the game strong, Carolina’s 2nd XV closed the match out in a nail-biter, 7-5, showing just how important the conversions are for each try scored. Men of the match were Bryan Dixon and Ryan Pile.
Carolina has a bye week and is following that with a trip to Athens, GA on March 1st to take on the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Carolina seeks to improve upon its undefeated record and looks for any chance to increase the margin in the standings between the Gamecocks and other SCRC East rivals.
With a decent crowd from Alabama, Carolina knew it had to prove something to knock off the Crimson Tide, who were at the top of the SCRC West division at the time. Play was sloppy around the breakdowns and there were a few handling errors since the pitch was moist and softer than expected, especially in sporadic areas that held a thin layer of standing water. With that, the Gamecocks knew they could take advantage of the outside, and after drilling it deep into Alabama territory, Carolina put the first points on the board, courtesy of RJ Bell. With the score at 5-0, the Gamecocks had no desire to slow down, and on a great push from Alabama’s pack in a Carolina scrum, ball sloppily reached the back of USC’s forwards, forcing sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown to slap the ball to his outlet, sophomore wing Tim Hamill, who took the ball up a gap almost the length of the field until he hit a streaking Zak Gorman in stride for another 5 points. Keown made the kick and put Carolina up 12-0. Alabama continued to use a big-man mentality as they kept it in their sizeable forwards, but South Carolina’s speed and fitness was used to their advantage, setting up two scores for captain Matt Berenato on the wing. Carolina’s ball movement and set piece efficiency was strong in the first half and helped set up clean ball to the Gamecock backline. Colin McKeon’s line breaks as well as his golden boot were also treasured during the match as he pushed a kick ahead and got a perfect bounce, leaving an opportunity for Matt Berenato to nudge the ball towards the try line for a streaking McKeon to touch down right before the half. This score gave Carolina a demanding 29-3 lead.
USC displayed strong defense and efficient counter-rucking, which kept the ball out of Alabama’s hands for much of the first half. In the second half, the Gamecocks stormed onto the pitch with a fire in their belly. Mike Mahon quickly found his way into the end goal to touch down another Carolina try, setting the score in USC’s advantage, 34-3. There was a minor lapse in the strategy of Carolina, as Alabama continued to pound away with their forwards, inching their way downfield towards the South Carolina goal line. With a few penalties pushing the Gamecocks on their heels, Alabama scored its first try of the game on a pick and drive, making the score 34-8. Carolina was not satisfied with the lapse in defense, and they fought to keep Alabama off of the scoreboard for the remainder of the game. However, Carolina scored one more try, touched down by Colin McKeon, setting up a Brian Keown conversion to set the score at 41-8. Within the final minutes of this match, Carolina was determined to end the game only giving up 8 points, but Alabama scrapped to take anything they could get, and on some weak defense shown by USC, Alabama touched one more down, ending the game at 41-13 in Carolina’s favor.
Co-men of the match for University of South Carolina were 8-man Mike Mahon and fullback Colin McKeon, both setting up several plays that led to Carolina scores. With a stellar defensive prowess, Carolina was able to attain a 28-point margin of victory, giving the Gamecocks a lot to look forward to for the next match against the University of Georgia.
South Carolina’s 2nd XV took the field after the premier side displayed its demanding victory, and they planned to attack in ways very similar to the 1st XV. Carolina struggled from the first kickoff until a Carolina player was yellow carded for illegal use of the feet. The breakdowns were sloppy in the beginning of the game, with the ball bouncing around in the feet of most rucks. However, playing a man down for ten minutes of the first half lit a fire under the Gamecocks, and as soon as Ryan Pile was given the opportunity, as he has done all semester, he turned on the jets and burned through the Alabama defense, eventually touching down a try and ultimately, setting up for the kick after, converted by Thomas Coar. With the score set at 7-0 in Carolina’s favor, there was a lot of back-and-forth play between both teams’ 22-meter lines. With a strong defensive presence, and after learning to be more disciplined around the breakdowns, Carolina kept Alabama from scoring in the first half.
The second half started with a different level of intensity, as both sides, evenly matched, continuously combated over the ball to put more points up. Each team hit harder with every tackle and each breakdown required quicker recycled ball out to the forwards or backline as the pace of play significantly increased. Alabama finally touched one down on the outside with ten minutes left in the match, but it would not be enough to convert the kick and even out the score. Carolina held Alabama scoreless for the remainder of the game, despite being pinned in its own end for quite some time in the second half, especially in the final minutes of the match. Working hard to finish the game strong, Carolina’s 2nd XV closed the match out in a nail-biter, 7-5, showing just how important the conversions are for each try scored. Men of the match were Bryan Dixon and Ryan Pile.
Carolina has a bye week and is following that with a trip to Athens, GA on March 1st to take on the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Carolina seeks to improve upon its undefeated record and looks for any chance to increase the margin in the standings between the Gamecocks and other SCRC East rivals.
Premier Scoring Report
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Reserve Scoring Report
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Gamecocks Tame the Wildcats, Improve to 2-0
Columbia, SC - After
a successful match against a strong Florida opponent, Carolina rugby worked
hard throughout the week to prepare for the second match of the SCRC season
with much to improve on. The team made
it a priority to fix any errors around the breakdowns that may have hindered
their opportunities to close out the game against Florida early on. The 1st and 2nd XV
hosted the Kentucky Wildcats while the Palmetto Side took on a well-coached
Furman University squad.
The Palmetto Side hosted Furman at noon to start the rugby-packed Saturday, and the Gamecock premier side took on Kentucky at the conclusion of that match, with the 2nd XV kicking off after the 1st XV match. Since the Palmetto side started off the day containing a full roster of players who are either new to the club or new to the sport, there was a lot to be skeptical about towards the experience and the chemistry in the lineup. This did not affect the Gamecocks as they took the field with a will to fight and a winning mentality. “I was glad we had an opportunity to get the freshman and new players the chance to play even though it was against an excellently coached contender for a Division II National Championship,” commented Head Coach Mark Morris. South Carolina Rugby alumnus John Roberts is the head coach of the Paladins, and after founding the team and bringing them to the level they are at, the experience for the Palmetto side was not only about the end result, but it was also about educating the men and giving the players more chances to play.
The game was fairly even but Furman could not be kept out of the in-goal area, and they put 19 well-deserved points up on the scoreboard. There was much to be proud of, especially in terms of tackling and passing, on the Carolina squad. Furman shut out the Palmetto side unfortunately, but there is only room for improvement after this game, and the test has given a true foundation for the developmental side to build on.
The next match was between the 1st XV of USC Gamecocks and the UK Wildcats, and with the sun shining down on the field, the premiers were ready to brighten the Gamecock mood after the loss to Furman. Carolina stepped up to the test in the beginning of the game and scored an early try, taking the lead 5-0 after a great display of hands by the Gamecocks and a powerful run by senior wing and captain Matt Berenato. Quick ball recycle was key to the Gamecocks’ early success. Although USC seemed to start the day on such a high note, it would not be enough to keep Kentucky from putting up some points. A successful penalty kick by the Wildcats just inside the Gamecock 10-meter line put them within 2 points of the team that scored 100 points on them in 2012 and 50 points in 2013.
The Gamecocks responded by snaking their way into Kentucky territory and getting the ball out wide after a great display of quick hands and a superb skip pass from senior fullback Colin McKeon to sophomore wing Tim Hamill. Carolina followed up with a run by junior center Michael Rudzinsky, hitting the gap and offloading to McKeon who got it into the hands of Berenato again, setting him up for his second try of the game.
With the score set at 15-3, Carolina took the restart at pace, appearing to set up a solid phase or two until lack of communication led to a few errors, and eventually, a penalty kick attempt from Kentucky inside the Gamecock 22-meter line and directly in front of the posts. Knowing it was a live ball off of the kick, Carolina set up for the slight possibility the Wildcat placekicker did not make it, and sure enough, the ball just grazed the left upright, bouncing into the in-goal area for a Carolina player to touch it down and take a 22-meter dropkick. Noticing Kentucky was not aware of its surroundings, McKeon nudged a little chip just across the 22-meter line and Rudzinsky was there to receive it, taking the ball up another 5-10 meters before seeing McKeon towards the center of the field with no pressure; it was at this point that McKeon made a great scan of the field and recognized that the deep three for Kentucky were very shallow, so without uncertainty, McKeon boomed a ball deep into UK territory, where the defensive coverage on the kick would be too much for the Wildcats to overcome, while McKeon wrangled the legs of the Kentucky fullback, forcing him into making a pass that senior center RJ Bell saw coming. As a result, Bell intercepted it, leading to an effortless try underneath the posts and setting up sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown for his first conversion of the day.
With the score set at 22-3 at halftime, Carolina brought it together and discussed some changes they would have to make in order to come out of this match with a well-deserved victory. Despite making three lineup changes at the half and with senior captain Josh Walsh coming out early in the game due to an elbow to the eye, four reserves were used by halftime, giving the Gamecocks a diverse look on the pitch. Sophomore flanker Mark Holkenborg played for the injured Walsh and at the half, freshman hooker Emerson Underwood replaced junior hooker Drew Busbee, while the backline substituted senior Matt Augustine and senior Avery Darnell for Rudzinsky and sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach. Regardless of the fact that USC knew what it had to do to close out this match, Kentucky would come out on a completely different level, knowing they had to attack Carolina avidly.
A few minutes into the second half, sophomore prop Ben Mather would be replaced on the pitch by sophomore prop JoJo Johnson. The changes in the lineup were helpful for the Gamecocks because getting some fresh legs on the field and a little more of a spark from the reserves is just what USC wanted. The attack from Kentucky proved to be too much to handle for the first five minutes of the second half, and Kentucky did a good job of keeping the ball in their forwards, sucking in the Carolina defense, and setting up an easy try out wide for the Wildcats. This brought the score to 22-8. Carolina would not yield to this attack though, and after battling to gain excellent field position, just outside the Kentucky 22-meter line, a Carolina scrum would be all the Gamecocks needed to start the second half on the right note. Sophomore 8-man Mike Mahon would pick the ball from his feet in the back of the scrum and wheel it around the right side, selling a fake pass and allowing him to go untouched into the end-goal, to put Carolina up 29-8 after the Keown conversion.
Senior forward Zach Bregovi was brought into the mix after junior second row Zac Gorman had spent just about all of his energy in a very well-played 50+ minutes. From this point, aside from the several opportunities Carolina had to attack on the Kentucky side of the field, pace of play seemed to slow down with the fatigue of many players getting the best of them and as infractions became more relevant because knock-ons and forward passes were frequent. Eventually, Carolina took a ball from Kentucky after a maul and on a Kentucky penalty, Keown quickly tapped the ball and gained some ground, sticking Carolina deep into Kentucky territory. A few phases of quick ball in the forwards led to Emerson Underwood scoring his first South Carolina premier-side try. With the score at 36-8, USC was not done, but just as they had motivation to finish strong, Kentucky was hungry for more points as well, getting to the Carolina endzone fairly quick to touch one down and convert the kick after. USC took the ball back into the Kentucky zone and Avery Darnell hit a line that was unable to be covered, increasing the lead to 43-15. With no time on the clock, South Carolina struggled to find a way of turning the ball over into their hands again, and as the forwards on Kentucky bruised their way down field, they put one over the try line in the very last play, leaving a sour taste in Carolina’s mouth, but creating a realization that each game must be played with every last ounce of effort until the final whistle is blown.
Coach Morris had something to say about the performance after the match, and although the score wasn’t the same as it has been the previous two seasons, this is a much improved Kentucky squad that has proven they must be taken seriously in each game. “We improved on a lot of the phases that we were short on in last week’s game against Florida. The team corrected their mistakes at practice this week and worked on doing the simple things right all of the time; still, there’s room for improvement, but the main thing we accomplished was getting a little lead at half time, giving us the chance to put in 6 of our 8 reserves for almost the entire second half,” Morris explained. It was evident that the team worked great together interchangeably, allowing a lot of diverse looks that positively affected the team’s chemistry. “It was great to see that we do have quality reserves that can continue to produce points and play stout defense.”
The co-men of the match were sophomore second row Zach Mullineaux and senior captain and wing Matt Berenato. Both men played excellent defense, and with two tries from Berenato, the help on the wing was critical in a match of such pressure from the opposition. Mullineaux stood out defensively, tackling just about any and every ball carrier in his surroundings.
With the second XV for Carolina set to play against Kentucky’s other side, which consisted of several players that had just taken the field in the premier match, Carolina looked to pick up where the first XV left off: attacking and winning. However, Kentucky’s continuous play within the forwards created opportunities in the Wildcats’ backline, and they took advantage of maintaining possession deep in Gamecock territory, scoring early in the game. Carolina marched downfield though, and after a series of good runs, senior Quinn McClure put through a pooch kick that was mishandled by Kentucky and landed on the goal line, making it easy for freshman wing Zak Blechman to fall on top of the ball and score the first Carolina points of the match. With the score even at five points apiece, Kentucky forwards continued to demand the ball, leading to another Wildcat score. At this point, handling errors troubled the Gamecocks and any progress made to move forward, until a solid retention of possession led to a series of pick-and-drives, leading to a try from freshman hooker Eric Lucci. The hard work leading up to the try was insurmountable and Kentucky could not stop the Gamecocks from driving.
At the half, with the score tied at 10-10, Carolina wanted to come out and immediately put some points up on the board, but it took a few minutes before either team really had any chance to attack. With several runs throughout the match from freshman back Ryan Pile, Carolina’s chances off of a break from the speed demon were great, but no one could take advantage of the opportunities presented. Getting pinned deep in their territory early in the second half, it became nearly impossible for Carolina to move the ball anywhere past midfield. Kentucky controlled the remaining 20 minutes of the match and scored 29 unanswered points to give the Wildcats 2nd XV a 39-10 edge over a hard-working Carolina side that had most of its athletes playing in at least two games on Saturday.
Coach Morris had a few remarks about the B-side game as well. “It was a tough loss against a big Kentucky side, and playing without 7 of the regular starters because they were used as reserves in the premier game was unfortunate; however, the play was good overall and we had our chances out there. Next match, we’ll just need to focus on capitalizing and playing at a faster pace.” Coaches Morris, Darnell and Franz were all pleased with the basic knowledge displayed on the pitch on Saturday, as well as above average passing. Playing at a faster pace is definitely going to be the challenge for the 2nd XV in this week of practice. Two players that stood out on Saturday in both the 2nd XV and Palmetto matches against Kentucky and Furman, respectively, were Eric Lucci and Ryan Pile. Lucci made an incredible amount of tackles and threw the ball in well on lineouts as well as scoring a hard-fought try. Pile had some great breaks on the day, and although he couldn’t fight free to touch one down in the end zone, his presence was made known by clearly running for the most meters when the ball was in-hand.
The Men’s Rugby Club at the University of South Carolina has recognized what must occur for them to play a successful match against the University of Alabama this weekend. Mike Mahon had some words for his boys after the matches “Everyone needs to know that this Kentucky team was physical, and they played at a level that we didn’t think they would at first; that should give everyone something to think about: we need to play until that final whistle goes, because if a team scores in the end, we all have our heads down because we didn’t ‘finish strong.’ That feeling is terrible and even though we won, we need to end games on a high note.”
The University of South Carolina’s first side is slotted to kick off at 1 PM on Saturday, February 15th in Tuscaloosa, AL. After starting the season off on a positive and sitting atop the SCRC East division with a 2-0 record, Carolina is set to take on a 2-0 Alabama team that has handily beat Auburn and Mississippi State. The cross-division clash is the only game Carolina will play against a team from the SCRC West division.
The Palmetto Side hosted Furman at noon to start the rugby-packed Saturday, and the Gamecock premier side took on Kentucky at the conclusion of that match, with the 2nd XV kicking off after the 1st XV match. Since the Palmetto side started off the day containing a full roster of players who are either new to the club or new to the sport, there was a lot to be skeptical about towards the experience and the chemistry in the lineup. This did not affect the Gamecocks as they took the field with a will to fight and a winning mentality. “I was glad we had an opportunity to get the freshman and new players the chance to play even though it was against an excellently coached contender for a Division II National Championship,” commented Head Coach Mark Morris. South Carolina Rugby alumnus John Roberts is the head coach of the Paladins, and after founding the team and bringing them to the level they are at, the experience for the Palmetto side was not only about the end result, but it was also about educating the men and giving the players more chances to play.
The game was fairly even but Furman could not be kept out of the in-goal area, and they put 19 well-deserved points up on the scoreboard. There was much to be proud of, especially in terms of tackling and passing, on the Carolina squad. Furman shut out the Palmetto side unfortunately, but there is only room for improvement after this game, and the test has given a true foundation for the developmental side to build on.
The next match was between the 1st XV of USC Gamecocks and the UK Wildcats, and with the sun shining down on the field, the premiers were ready to brighten the Gamecock mood after the loss to Furman. Carolina stepped up to the test in the beginning of the game and scored an early try, taking the lead 5-0 after a great display of hands by the Gamecocks and a powerful run by senior wing and captain Matt Berenato. Quick ball recycle was key to the Gamecocks’ early success. Although USC seemed to start the day on such a high note, it would not be enough to keep Kentucky from putting up some points. A successful penalty kick by the Wildcats just inside the Gamecock 10-meter line put them within 2 points of the team that scored 100 points on them in 2012 and 50 points in 2013.
The Gamecocks responded by snaking their way into Kentucky territory and getting the ball out wide after a great display of quick hands and a superb skip pass from senior fullback Colin McKeon to sophomore wing Tim Hamill. Carolina followed up with a run by junior center Michael Rudzinsky, hitting the gap and offloading to McKeon who got it into the hands of Berenato again, setting him up for his second try of the game.
With the score set at 15-3, Carolina took the restart at pace, appearing to set up a solid phase or two until lack of communication led to a few errors, and eventually, a penalty kick attempt from Kentucky inside the Gamecock 22-meter line and directly in front of the posts. Knowing it was a live ball off of the kick, Carolina set up for the slight possibility the Wildcat placekicker did not make it, and sure enough, the ball just grazed the left upright, bouncing into the in-goal area for a Carolina player to touch it down and take a 22-meter dropkick. Noticing Kentucky was not aware of its surroundings, McKeon nudged a little chip just across the 22-meter line and Rudzinsky was there to receive it, taking the ball up another 5-10 meters before seeing McKeon towards the center of the field with no pressure; it was at this point that McKeon made a great scan of the field and recognized that the deep three for Kentucky were very shallow, so without uncertainty, McKeon boomed a ball deep into UK territory, where the defensive coverage on the kick would be too much for the Wildcats to overcome, while McKeon wrangled the legs of the Kentucky fullback, forcing him into making a pass that senior center RJ Bell saw coming. As a result, Bell intercepted it, leading to an effortless try underneath the posts and setting up sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown for his first conversion of the day.
With the score set at 22-3 at halftime, Carolina brought it together and discussed some changes they would have to make in order to come out of this match with a well-deserved victory. Despite making three lineup changes at the half and with senior captain Josh Walsh coming out early in the game due to an elbow to the eye, four reserves were used by halftime, giving the Gamecocks a diverse look on the pitch. Sophomore flanker Mark Holkenborg played for the injured Walsh and at the half, freshman hooker Emerson Underwood replaced junior hooker Drew Busbee, while the backline substituted senior Matt Augustine and senior Avery Darnell for Rudzinsky and sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach. Regardless of the fact that USC knew what it had to do to close out this match, Kentucky would come out on a completely different level, knowing they had to attack Carolina avidly.
A few minutes into the second half, sophomore prop Ben Mather would be replaced on the pitch by sophomore prop JoJo Johnson. The changes in the lineup were helpful for the Gamecocks because getting some fresh legs on the field and a little more of a spark from the reserves is just what USC wanted. The attack from Kentucky proved to be too much to handle for the first five minutes of the second half, and Kentucky did a good job of keeping the ball in their forwards, sucking in the Carolina defense, and setting up an easy try out wide for the Wildcats. This brought the score to 22-8. Carolina would not yield to this attack though, and after battling to gain excellent field position, just outside the Kentucky 22-meter line, a Carolina scrum would be all the Gamecocks needed to start the second half on the right note. Sophomore 8-man Mike Mahon would pick the ball from his feet in the back of the scrum and wheel it around the right side, selling a fake pass and allowing him to go untouched into the end-goal, to put Carolina up 29-8 after the Keown conversion.
Senior forward Zach Bregovi was brought into the mix after junior second row Zac Gorman had spent just about all of his energy in a very well-played 50+ minutes. From this point, aside from the several opportunities Carolina had to attack on the Kentucky side of the field, pace of play seemed to slow down with the fatigue of many players getting the best of them and as infractions became more relevant because knock-ons and forward passes were frequent. Eventually, Carolina took a ball from Kentucky after a maul and on a Kentucky penalty, Keown quickly tapped the ball and gained some ground, sticking Carolina deep into Kentucky territory. A few phases of quick ball in the forwards led to Emerson Underwood scoring his first South Carolina premier-side try. With the score at 36-8, USC was not done, but just as they had motivation to finish strong, Kentucky was hungry for more points as well, getting to the Carolina endzone fairly quick to touch one down and convert the kick after. USC took the ball back into the Kentucky zone and Avery Darnell hit a line that was unable to be covered, increasing the lead to 43-15. With no time on the clock, South Carolina struggled to find a way of turning the ball over into their hands again, and as the forwards on Kentucky bruised their way down field, they put one over the try line in the very last play, leaving a sour taste in Carolina’s mouth, but creating a realization that each game must be played with every last ounce of effort until the final whistle is blown.
Coach Morris had something to say about the performance after the match, and although the score wasn’t the same as it has been the previous two seasons, this is a much improved Kentucky squad that has proven they must be taken seriously in each game. “We improved on a lot of the phases that we were short on in last week’s game against Florida. The team corrected their mistakes at practice this week and worked on doing the simple things right all of the time; still, there’s room for improvement, but the main thing we accomplished was getting a little lead at half time, giving us the chance to put in 6 of our 8 reserves for almost the entire second half,” Morris explained. It was evident that the team worked great together interchangeably, allowing a lot of diverse looks that positively affected the team’s chemistry. “It was great to see that we do have quality reserves that can continue to produce points and play stout defense.”
The co-men of the match were sophomore second row Zach Mullineaux and senior captain and wing Matt Berenato. Both men played excellent defense, and with two tries from Berenato, the help on the wing was critical in a match of such pressure from the opposition. Mullineaux stood out defensively, tackling just about any and every ball carrier in his surroundings.
With the second XV for Carolina set to play against Kentucky’s other side, which consisted of several players that had just taken the field in the premier match, Carolina looked to pick up where the first XV left off: attacking and winning. However, Kentucky’s continuous play within the forwards created opportunities in the Wildcats’ backline, and they took advantage of maintaining possession deep in Gamecock territory, scoring early in the game. Carolina marched downfield though, and after a series of good runs, senior Quinn McClure put through a pooch kick that was mishandled by Kentucky and landed on the goal line, making it easy for freshman wing Zak Blechman to fall on top of the ball and score the first Carolina points of the match. With the score even at five points apiece, Kentucky forwards continued to demand the ball, leading to another Wildcat score. At this point, handling errors troubled the Gamecocks and any progress made to move forward, until a solid retention of possession led to a series of pick-and-drives, leading to a try from freshman hooker Eric Lucci. The hard work leading up to the try was insurmountable and Kentucky could not stop the Gamecocks from driving.
At the half, with the score tied at 10-10, Carolina wanted to come out and immediately put some points up on the board, but it took a few minutes before either team really had any chance to attack. With several runs throughout the match from freshman back Ryan Pile, Carolina’s chances off of a break from the speed demon were great, but no one could take advantage of the opportunities presented. Getting pinned deep in their territory early in the second half, it became nearly impossible for Carolina to move the ball anywhere past midfield. Kentucky controlled the remaining 20 minutes of the match and scored 29 unanswered points to give the Wildcats 2nd XV a 39-10 edge over a hard-working Carolina side that had most of its athletes playing in at least two games on Saturday.
Coach Morris had a few remarks about the B-side game as well. “It was a tough loss against a big Kentucky side, and playing without 7 of the regular starters because they were used as reserves in the premier game was unfortunate; however, the play was good overall and we had our chances out there. Next match, we’ll just need to focus on capitalizing and playing at a faster pace.” Coaches Morris, Darnell and Franz were all pleased with the basic knowledge displayed on the pitch on Saturday, as well as above average passing. Playing at a faster pace is definitely going to be the challenge for the 2nd XV in this week of practice. Two players that stood out on Saturday in both the 2nd XV and Palmetto matches against Kentucky and Furman, respectively, were Eric Lucci and Ryan Pile. Lucci made an incredible amount of tackles and threw the ball in well on lineouts as well as scoring a hard-fought try. Pile had some great breaks on the day, and although he couldn’t fight free to touch one down in the end zone, his presence was made known by clearly running for the most meters when the ball was in-hand.
The Men’s Rugby Club at the University of South Carolina has recognized what must occur for them to play a successful match against the University of Alabama this weekend. Mike Mahon had some words for his boys after the matches “Everyone needs to know that this Kentucky team was physical, and they played at a level that we didn’t think they would at first; that should give everyone something to think about: we need to play until that final whistle goes, because if a team scores in the end, we all have our heads down because we didn’t ‘finish strong.’ That feeling is terrible and even though we won, we need to end games on a high note.”
The University of South Carolina’s first side is slotted to kick off at 1 PM on Saturday, February 15th in Tuscaloosa, AL. After starting the season off on a positive and sitting atop the SCRC East division with a 2-0 record, Carolina is set to take on a 2-0 Alabama team that has handily beat Auburn and Mississippi State. The cross-division clash is the only game Carolina will play against a team from the SCRC West division.
Premier Scoring Report
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Reserve Scoring Report
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Gamecocks Swamp the Gators, Prep for Kentucky
Columbia, SC - The This
past Saturday, Carolina Rugby opened its SCRC matrix season at home, hosting
the University of Florida Gators for a rematch of last season’s SCRC opener. It was a dim day, though a perfect one for
rugby as the Gamecocks were set to kickoff at 1:00pm. With the success of last
spring’s 15s season, Carolina was ready to take its first step in the right
direction, towards a victory.
The game started very up-tempo, with the Gators managing to string together some forward phases in the beginning, until a miscue on their part led to a scrum and positive gains for Carolina. With the Gamecocks deep in Florida territory, the Gators pressed up hard on defense, though gaps in their line allowed sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach to put the ball to foot on a beautiful chip kick over the defense to sophomore wing Tim Hamill who caught the ball in the right corner of the in-goal area. Hamill had a great jump on the perfectly placed kick, and just like that, the Gamecocks were on the scoreboard. With the ball close to the posts, Brian Keown made an easy conversion, making the score 7-0 in the first five minutes of the match. From here, Carolina 's intensity only increased, putting pressure on Florida and forcing turnovers by both poaching the ball and counter-rucking. With possession of the ball just inside Florida's 22, a deep pass from Bolembach to junior center Michael Rudzinsky zipped by the hand of an outreached Gator, and on a gap up the middle, Rudzinsky passed it off to senior center RJ Bell who touched it down with ease underneath the posts, bringing the score to 14-0. At only ten minutes into the game, Carolina knew that they could not let up one bit.
Florida became adamant about keeping the ball in the hands of the forwards, pounding it into Carolina’s territory and using their size difference to retain possession in the rucks. Despite the Gators’ efforts to keep the ball in tight, Carolina worked hard to attack the ball carrier as well as make an attempt to steal possession of the ball. Unfortunately, this worked against Carolina, as they were plagued with several penalties, pushing them all the way to their own goal line, and, ultimately, giving up a try on a series of pick-and-go’s put together by the Gator forwards. After missing the kick, USC bounced back on the kickoff and attacked Florida’s defense with a great move for the gap by Bolembach who took it deep into Florida’s territory before passing it to Bell, who would trot across the goal line close to the posts for yet another score, making it 21-5 Carolina, following the conversion from Keown. Towards the end of the half, Carolina dealt with offsides penalties as well as tackling infringements. Neither USC nor Florida could get moving in the right direction towards the end of the half, leading to a 21-5 halftime score.
After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Carolina began driving after several opportunities finally presented another chance to make some points: Brian Keown slotted an additional 3 points on a penalty about 10-15 meters from the posts, giving the Gamecocks a 24-5 lead over Florida. Regardless of the score, Carolina was aware that Florida would fight until the end of the game so knowing that they were going to take risks, Carolina did the same but it resulted in back-to-back yellow cards within three minutes of each other. With roughly twenty minutes left in the match, Carolina was down two men, in a 13 v. 15 situation. Rudzinsky came into the forwards and worked as a flanker and 8-man for the set pieces, while the backs continued with copious amounts of pressure on the Gator backline. Despite the brave efforts of Carolina’s defensive stands, Florida took advantage of the 2-man difference and pushed one over the try line and with a conversion to match, making the score 24-12 in Carolina’s favor. At the 78th minute, the Gators managed to get one more try on the board, closing the Carolina lead to 24-17. Although Florida played hard and made an incredible effort in the end, using the 2-man sin bin to their advantage, it was not enough to knock the Gamecocks off as they held onto the ball until they reached full time and the final whistle was blown. The final score was 24-17, and what seemed like a great game from USC was definitely a wake-up call that there is no easy team in this conference play, and every game is a new one.
Coach Mark Morris and Coach Steve Darnell were proud of the finish from Carolina, though despite the Gamecocks’ now 1-0 SCRC record, they told the team that this has to be a foundation to build on and learn from. Man of the match was awarded to sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown due to some great decision-making to go along with the 9 points he accounted for. Best Back was awarded to RJ Bell and Best Forward was awarded to Dave Mysona.
As the Reserve side set to kick off, after Carolina’s first side was victorious, a certain eagerness to sweep Florida came over the second side, and with the rest of the team cheering on their fellow Gamecocks in what proved to be a pretty even match, USC was the first team to put points on the scoreboard, after freshman wing Ryan Pile took off down the left side of the pitch, nearly untouched, to score a try under the posts. As Carolina pressed against the Gator attack, penalties and infringements seemed to be a negative factor working against the Gamecocks, just as they had in the first game of the day. However, holding off Florida and leading 7-0 heading into the half, the Gamecocks knew that there was little room for error in this match.
Florida drew the first blood of the second half on a try in the corner, giving the Gators momentum to start the half. When an aggressive counter-ruck turned a Florida ball quickly into a Gamecock attack, Carolina set up a great series of passes down the line and set up a great try from freshman Griffen Marge. The kick was no good, so the score stood at 12-5 in Carolina’s favor. Off of a Florida restart, USC managed to maintain possession, slowly but surely eating away at the Florida territory with every phase, until prop Lawson Ballard ran up the middle of the field where he tapped the ball in the middle of the posts, setting up a successful conversion from freshman scrumhalf Alex Feltman. With Carolina up 19-5, and still plenty of time left on the clock, the Gators responded with a hard-fought try in the corner of the in-goal area, although setting up a very challenging conversion to follow. The kick was no good, though with the Gators getting the ball back and a few mental lapses on the Gamecock defense, Florida had another opportunity deep in Carolina territory, resulting in a Gator try followed by a successful conversion. With USC’s lead dwindling down to two points in a 19-17 lead with little time left, Carolina took the ball over after a series of Florida mistakes and scored another try as Griffen Marge touched down his second of the day, to end the game on a strong note. The Gamecocks were victorious, 24-17. The Best Back was awarded to Avery Darnell and Best Forward was awarded to Zach Bregovi.
Although both games were close in score, the Carolina Gamecocks knew that their fitness levels are what helped them in situations of uncertainty, such as the 2-man deficit in the first side’s game, and the unlucky calls that seemed to keep Carolina on its heels for much of the 2nd half in not only the first match game but also the reserve side match. Overall, a sweep on the day left Coaches Mark Morris and Steve Darnell with only positive remarks, stating that, “You’ll get out of it what you put into it; at this point, we’ve got to realize that we can only increase the intensity and improve on different miscues.”
The coaches also made it clear that a focus on this weekend’s home game will be crucial to Carolina’s success in the near future. “Taking it step-by-step now, it’s time to concentrate on our next opponent and prepare all week for a big match on Saturday. We control our own destiny, and that starts with organization and keeping our focus on Kentucky.” University of South Carolina’s first side is slotted to kick off at 1 PM on Saturday, February 8th on Strom Thurmond WFC fields, hosting the University of Kentucky in another SCRC Eastern Division clash.
The game started very up-tempo, with the Gators managing to string together some forward phases in the beginning, until a miscue on their part led to a scrum and positive gains for Carolina. With the Gamecocks deep in Florida territory, the Gators pressed up hard on defense, though gaps in their line allowed sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach to put the ball to foot on a beautiful chip kick over the defense to sophomore wing Tim Hamill who caught the ball in the right corner of the in-goal area. Hamill had a great jump on the perfectly placed kick, and just like that, the Gamecocks were on the scoreboard. With the ball close to the posts, Brian Keown made an easy conversion, making the score 7-0 in the first five minutes of the match. From here, Carolina 's intensity only increased, putting pressure on Florida and forcing turnovers by both poaching the ball and counter-rucking. With possession of the ball just inside Florida's 22, a deep pass from Bolembach to junior center Michael Rudzinsky zipped by the hand of an outreached Gator, and on a gap up the middle, Rudzinsky passed it off to senior center RJ Bell who touched it down with ease underneath the posts, bringing the score to 14-0. At only ten minutes into the game, Carolina knew that they could not let up one bit.
Florida became adamant about keeping the ball in the hands of the forwards, pounding it into Carolina’s territory and using their size difference to retain possession in the rucks. Despite the Gators’ efforts to keep the ball in tight, Carolina worked hard to attack the ball carrier as well as make an attempt to steal possession of the ball. Unfortunately, this worked against Carolina, as they were plagued with several penalties, pushing them all the way to their own goal line, and, ultimately, giving up a try on a series of pick-and-go’s put together by the Gator forwards. After missing the kick, USC bounced back on the kickoff and attacked Florida’s defense with a great move for the gap by Bolembach who took it deep into Florida’s territory before passing it to Bell, who would trot across the goal line close to the posts for yet another score, making it 21-5 Carolina, following the conversion from Keown. Towards the end of the half, Carolina dealt with offsides penalties as well as tackling infringements. Neither USC nor Florida could get moving in the right direction towards the end of the half, leading to a 21-5 halftime score.
After a back-and-forth start to the second half, Carolina began driving after several opportunities finally presented another chance to make some points: Brian Keown slotted an additional 3 points on a penalty about 10-15 meters from the posts, giving the Gamecocks a 24-5 lead over Florida. Regardless of the score, Carolina was aware that Florida would fight until the end of the game so knowing that they were going to take risks, Carolina did the same but it resulted in back-to-back yellow cards within three minutes of each other. With roughly twenty minutes left in the match, Carolina was down two men, in a 13 v. 15 situation. Rudzinsky came into the forwards and worked as a flanker and 8-man for the set pieces, while the backs continued with copious amounts of pressure on the Gator backline. Despite the brave efforts of Carolina’s defensive stands, Florida took advantage of the 2-man difference and pushed one over the try line and with a conversion to match, making the score 24-12 in Carolina’s favor. At the 78th minute, the Gators managed to get one more try on the board, closing the Carolina lead to 24-17. Although Florida played hard and made an incredible effort in the end, using the 2-man sin bin to their advantage, it was not enough to knock the Gamecocks off as they held onto the ball until they reached full time and the final whistle was blown. The final score was 24-17, and what seemed like a great game from USC was definitely a wake-up call that there is no easy team in this conference play, and every game is a new one.
Coach Mark Morris and Coach Steve Darnell were proud of the finish from Carolina, though despite the Gamecocks’ now 1-0 SCRC record, they told the team that this has to be a foundation to build on and learn from. Man of the match was awarded to sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown due to some great decision-making to go along with the 9 points he accounted for. Best Back was awarded to RJ Bell and Best Forward was awarded to Dave Mysona.
As the Reserve side set to kick off, after Carolina’s first side was victorious, a certain eagerness to sweep Florida came over the second side, and with the rest of the team cheering on their fellow Gamecocks in what proved to be a pretty even match, USC was the first team to put points on the scoreboard, after freshman wing Ryan Pile took off down the left side of the pitch, nearly untouched, to score a try under the posts. As Carolina pressed against the Gator attack, penalties and infringements seemed to be a negative factor working against the Gamecocks, just as they had in the first game of the day. However, holding off Florida and leading 7-0 heading into the half, the Gamecocks knew that there was little room for error in this match.
Florida drew the first blood of the second half on a try in the corner, giving the Gators momentum to start the half. When an aggressive counter-ruck turned a Florida ball quickly into a Gamecock attack, Carolina set up a great series of passes down the line and set up a great try from freshman Griffen Marge. The kick was no good, so the score stood at 12-5 in Carolina’s favor. Off of a Florida restart, USC managed to maintain possession, slowly but surely eating away at the Florida territory with every phase, until prop Lawson Ballard ran up the middle of the field where he tapped the ball in the middle of the posts, setting up a successful conversion from freshman scrumhalf Alex Feltman. With Carolina up 19-5, and still plenty of time left on the clock, the Gators responded with a hard-fought try in the corner of the in-goal area, although setting up a very challenging conversion to follow. The kick was no good, though with the Gators getting the ball back and a few mental lapses on the Gamecock defense, Florida had another opportunity deep in Carolina territory, resulting in a Gator try followed by a successful conversion. With USC’s lead dwindling down to two points in a 19-17 lead with little time left, Carolina took the ball over after a series of Florida mistakes and scored another try as Griffen Marge touched down his second of the day, to end the game on a strong note. The Gamecocks were victorious, 24-17. The Best Back was awarded to Avery Darnell and Best Forward was awarded to Zach Bregovi.
Although both games were close in score, the Carolina Gamecocks knew that their fitness levels are what helped them in situations of uncertainty, such as the 2-man deficit in the first side’s game, and the unlucky calls that seemed to keep Carolina on its heels for much of the 2nd half in not only the first match game but also the reserve side match. Overall, a sweep on the day left Coaches Mark Morris and Steve Darnell with only positive remarks, stating that, “You’ll get out of it what you put into it; at this point, we’ve got to realize that we can only increase the intensity and improve on different miscues.”
The coaches also made it clear that a focus on this weekend’s home game will be crucial to Carolina’s success in the near future. “Taking it step-by-step now, it’s time to concentrate on our next opponent and prepare all week for a big match on Saturday. We control our own destiny, and that starts with organization and keeping our focus on Kentucky.” University of South Carolina’s first side is slotted to kick off at 1 PM on Saturday, February 8th on Strom Thurmond WFC fields, hosting the University of Kentucky in another SCRC Eastern Division clash.
Premier Scoring Report
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Reserve Scoring Report
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Carolina Rugby Opens SCRC Season With Win Over Florida
Columbia, SC - "Expected to be a close game from the onset, South Carolina (1-0) took a 19-5 lead into the half only to see the Gators mount a tremendous comeback on the road. Florida (0-1) has to be disappointed with result, but should be encouraged by the effort the team put forth in the second half. The Gamecocks are one of the top teams in the SCRC and playing them at home is a tough task for anyone. It’s tough having such a pivotal game right out of the gates, so South Carolina must be please to get their season off to a good start with a 24-17 finish. The win gives South Carolina an early pole position in the East Division. Florida faces Georgia next week and then takes on Tennessee at home in what will likely be a must-win game for the Gators. South Carolina plays host to Kentucky next weekend."
Click here for a complete recap on all SCRC matches provided by ThisIsAmericanRugby
Click here for a complete recap on all SCRC matches provided by ThisIsAmericanRugby
Carolina Prepares For Season Opener Against Florida
Columbia, SC - The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference home opener is only two days away! Show your support for Carolina Rugby by cheering for them on the sideline on Saturday, February 1st at the Strom Thurmond WFC Field, with kickoff set for 1:00 PM. South Carolina is hosting the University of Florida Gators, who are seeking redemption after last year's 35-28 loss in the Swamp.
Last year it was Carolina's control over the rucks and solid back line play which thwarted Florida’s attack on the outside. With many of the same starters from last time, Carolina hopes to have a repeat showing in Columbia in front of a boisterous home crowd. Admission of free though parking is limited. Show up early and cheer your Gamecocks to victory this Saturday! Go Cocks!
Last year it was Carolina's control over the rucks and solid back line play which thwarted Florida’s attack on the outside. With many of the same starters from last time, Carolina hopes to have a repeat showing in Columbia in front of a boisterous home crowd. Admission of free though parking is limited. Show up early and cheer your Gamecocks to victory this Saturday! Go Cocks!
Another Season in the Books
Happy New Year,
I hope everyone had a great holiday season with your family and friends and that the new year brings you all peace and prosperity. Coach Darnell and I have been dealing with rugby withdrawal since the final whistle blew back in November, though that’s ok, as we have plenty of planning to do to get ready for the spring season. If you recall my previous letter, we were preparing for COB Weekend, celebrating 46 years of Carolina Rugby, and we were also gearing up for the team’s first National run at 7’s. I would like to use this opportunity to wrap up the fall season and to bring you up to date on where we finished as a team.
The alumni weekend turned out to be one of the best years ever not ending in a 0 or 5. We had well over 40 participate in the Old Boys match against the reserve and developmental sides. It was great to see all the recent alumni come back and give the boys a hard fought match, especially one that resulted in a 25-17 victory. The evening was accompanied by a great sit down dinner planned, prepared and facilitated by COB Board member, James Farrar. A big thank you from the Old Boys and the USC team for all of Jimmy's help and planning over the years. Another big thank you to Butch Setser and Howard Hunt for helping with all the planning, communications, and logistics. The weekend would not have been a success without you. The Old Boys had a great time socializing after the match Friday night and kept it going through the USC vs Florida Football game the next day at our usual Shuman-Owens tailgating spot. Special thanks to Doc’s BBQ for the wonderful buffet spread. Everyone enjoyed it.
Nationals was a great experience for us, and I know some of you have heard the outcome, though a quick overview for those who did not. Carolina lost their first match of the tournament in a tough game to Cal Poly SLO. It was 12-12 at half, though Cal had the motor and extra fresh legs in the 2nd half to score 24 unanswered points. The second match against Dartmouth, held inside the main stadium, was a clear reminder as to why Dartmouth, coached by Alex Magleby won the USA 7's CRC last season. With 45 unanswered points, the "Big Green" dominated the match and exploited every weakness in our line. The third match would be a turning point for Carolina as we defeated ACC and border rival NC State in a commanding fashion with a 29-10 victory. With a 1-2 finish in pool play, we set ourselves up to play for the Shield the following afternoon.
On day two, Carolina came out strong and defeated fellow SEC opponent Arkansas 35-7 in the first match of the morning. The second game saw a rematch against NC State, though the Wolfpack was unable to slow us down from finishing 40-14 in the semi-final. The final saw a match up against D1A power Colorado State who had defeated both Auburn and San Jose earlier in the day. While the match was close and came down to the final play, the Gamecocks pulled a hat trick and won the Shield with a 17-12 finish. Carolina scored a point differential of 96 to 33 on day two with a record of 3-0.
On the heels of the Shield win, the team received a #19 National ranking by Rugbymag. Coach Darnell and the 7's side have done an exceptional job this season. When we received the invitation to Nationals we felt we had an opportunity to prove not only to the selection committee, though the entire nation that we belonged in the upper tier of College rugby and the team did just that. Congratulations to Coach Steve Darnell and the 7's team on a great season.
The only thing left to do in the season was to have our Awards Banquet and recap our accomplishments and what we wanted to do in the Spring. Five deserving players received awards in the Fall 2013 season. Team MVP- Colin McKeon, Best Back- Tim Hamill, Best Forward- Dana Corcoran, Most Improved - Luke Bolembach, and Rookie of the Season - Thomas Coar.
Overall, the fall of 2013 was another first for the club with our participation in the USA Rugby National 7's Championship. We also played some great competitive 15's rugby against some noteworthy ACC opponents. We used the season to break in some fresh talent and strengthen the overall foundation of the Club, and we look forward to using our depth to win our first SEC title and move on to play for a D1 National title this spring.
With so much post season travel and play now and in the upcoming future, I am reaching out to all of our alumni, supporters, parents, and fans to pledge your support in helping us reach these goals. That being said, I have some exciting news for all of you, though I will address that in our next communication in the coming days. Please keep an eye on your inbox for the next letter from the Carolina Foundation and Carolina Rugby.
Best Regards,
Mark Morris
Head Coach
South Carolina Men’s Rugby
I hope everyone had a great holiday season with your family and friends and that the new year brings you all peace and prosperity. Coach Darnell and I have been dealing with rugby withdrawal since the final whistle blew back in November, though that’s ok, as we have plenty of planning to do to get ready for the spring season. If you recall my previous letter, we were preparing for COB Weekend, celebrating 46 years of Carolina Rugby, and we were also gearing up for the team’s first National run at 7’s. I would like to use this opportunity to wrap up the fall season and to bring you up to date on where we finished as a team.
The alumni weekend turned out to be one of the best years ever not ending in a 0 or 5. We had well over 40 participate in the Old Boys match against the reserve and developmental sides. It was great to see all the recent alumni come back and give the boys a hard fought match, especially one that resulted in a 25-17 victory. The evening was accompanied by a great sit down dinner planned, prepared and facilitated by COB Board member, James Farrar. A big thank you from the Old Boys and the USC team for all of Jimmy's help and planning over the years. Another big thank you to Butch Setser and Howard Hunt for helping with all the planning, communications, and logistics. The weekend would not have been a success without you. The Old Boys had a great time socializing after the match Friday night and kept it going through the USC vs Florida Football game the next day at our usual Shuman-Owens tailgating spot. Special thanks to Doc’s BBQ for the wonderful buffet spread. Everyone enjoyed it.
Nationals was a great experience for us, and I know some of you have heard the outcome, though a quick overview for those who did not. Carolina lost their first match of the tournament in a tough game to Cal Poly SLO. It was 12-12 at half, though Cal had the motor and extra fresh legs in the 2nd half to score 24 unanswered points. The second match against Dartmouth, held inside the main stadium, was a clear reminder as to why Dartmouth, coached by Alex Magleby won the USA 7's CRC last season. With 45 unanswered points, the "Big Green" dominated the match and exploited every weakness in our line. The third match would be a turning point for Carolina as we defeated ACC and border rival NC State in a commanding fashion with a 29-10 victory. With a 1-2 finish in pool play, we set ourselves up to play for the Shield the following afternoon.
On day two, Carolina came out strong and defeated fellow SEC opponent Arkansas 35-7 in the first match of the morning. The second game saw a rematch against NC State, though the Wolfpack was unable to slow us down from finishing 40-14 in the semi-final. The final saw a match up against D1A power Colorado State who had defeated both Auburn and San Jose earlier in the day. While the match was close and came down to the final play, the Gamecocks pulled a hat trick and won the Shield with a 17-12 finish. Carolina scored a point differential of 96 to 33 on day two with a record of 3-0.
On the heels of the Shield win, the team received a #19 National ranking by Rugbymag. Coach Darnell and the 7's side have done an exceptional job this season. When we received the invitation to Nationals we felt we had an opportunity to prove not only to the selection committee, though the entire nation that we belonged in the upper tier of College rugby and the team did just that. Congratulations to Coach Steve Darnell and the 7's team on a great season.
The only thing left to do in the season was to have our Awards Banquet and recap our accomplishments and what we wanted to do in the Spring. Five deserving players received awards in the Fall 2013 season. Team MVP- Colin McKeon, Best Back- Tim Hamill, Best Forward- Dana Corcoran, Most Improved - Luke Bolembach, and Rookie of the Season - Thomas Coar.
Overall, the fall of 2013 was another first for the club with our participation in the USA Rugby National 7's Championship. We also played some great competitive 15's rugby against some noteworthy ACC opponents. We used the season to break in some fresh talent and strengthen the overall foundation of the Club, and we look forward to using our depth to win our first SEC title and move on to play for a D1 National title this spring.
With so much post season travel and play now and in the upcoming future, I am reaching out to all of our alumni, supporters, parents, and fans to pledge your support in helping us reach these goals. That being said, I have some exciting news for all of you, though I will address that in our next communication in the coming days. Please keep an eye on your inbox for the next letter from the Carolina Foundation and Carolina Rugby.
Best Regards,
Mark Morris
Head Coach
South Carolina Men’s Rugby
Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive
On
campus, the Carolina Rugby Team is a regular partner with the annual
Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive, wherein players assist the American Red Cross
in its on-campus operations and donate blood throughout the week. The
Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive is a longstanding tradition of the Carolina
community. As the largest collegiate blood battle in the nation and the largest
blood drive in the Southeast, it has been helping area residents for more
than 29 years. Since 1985, the Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive has
yielded more than 100,000 units of blood, potentially helping 300,000
patients in need
“I am proud of the team for their 13th consecutive year of involvement with the American Red Cross and for donating the most blood of any sports club team on campus,” comments Head Coach Mark Morris. “ Participating in charitable events such as the Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive enables our young men to give back to the community, and we believe that altruism leads to a better sportsmanlike attitude both on and off the pitch.”
This year, the coveted blood drive trophy was awarded to the University of South Carolina during the Carolina-Clemson football match for its donation of 4,124 pints to Clemson's 3,293, giving USC six wins in a row and fifteen wins overall. Carolina Rugby is proud of its contribution to the annual blood drive, though more importantly it is thankful for all those who give the "Gift of Life."
Click here for a special article in the USC Times on Carolina Rugby alumnus Jeff Smolka, recognizing him last year for his 12 years of service and leadership with the Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive Campaign.
“I am proud of the team for their 13th consecutive year of involvement with the American Red Cross and for donating the most blood of any sports club team on campus,” comments Head Coach Mark Morris. “ Participating in charitable events such as the Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive enables our young men to give back to the community, and we believe that altruism leads to a better sportsmanlike attitude both on and off the pitch.”
This year, the coveted blood drive trophy was awarded to the University of South Carolina during the Carolina-Clemson football match for its donation of 4,124 pints to Clemson's 3,293, giving USC six wins in a row and fifteen wins overall. Carolina Rugby is proud of its contribution to the annual blood drive, though more importantly it is thankful for all those who give the "Gift of Life."
Click here for a special article in the USC Times on Carolina Rugby alumnus Jeff Smolka, recognizing him last year for his 12 years of service and leadership with the Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive Campaign.
Carolina Rugby Wins the Shield Division at USA Rugby 7's Nationals
Greensboro, NC - Carolina Rugby participated in the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship held this past weekend in Greensboro, NC and walked away the winners of the Shield Division with a final record of 4-2.
Carolina lost their first match of the tournament in a tough game to Cal Poly SLO. It was 12-12 at half, though Cal had the motor and extra fresh legs in the 2nd half to score 24 unanswered points. The second match against Dartmouth, held inside the main stadium, was a clear reminder as to why Dartmouth won the USA 7's CRC last season. With 45 unanswered point, the "Big Green" dominated the match and exploited ever weakness in the Carolina line. The third match would be a turning point for Carolina as they would defeat ACC and border rival NC State in a commanding fashion with a 29-10 victory. With a 1-2 finish in pool play, the Gamecocks set themselves up to play for the Shield the following afternoon.
On day two, Carolina came out strong and defeated fellow SEC opponent Arkansas 35-7 in the first match of the morning. The second game saw a rematch against NC State, though the Wolfpack was unable to slow down the Gamecocks from finishing 40-14 in the semi-final. The final saw Carolina match up against Colorado Sate who had defeated both Auburn and San Jose earlier in the day. While the match was close and came down to the final play, the Gamecocks pulled a hat trick and brought home the hardware with a 17-12 finish. Carolina scored a point differential of 96 to 33 on day two with a record of 3-0.
Carolina lost their first match of the tournament in a tough game to Cal Poly SLO. It was 12-12 at half, though Cal had the motor and extra fresh legs in the 2nd half to score 24 unanswered points. The second match against Dartmouth, held inside the main stadium, was a clear reminder as to why Dartmouth won the USA 7's CRC last season. With 45 unanswered point, the "Big Green" dominated the match and exploited ever weakness in the Carolina line. The third match would be a turning point for Carolina as they would defeat ACC and border rival NC State in a commanding fashion with a 29-10 victory. With a 1-2 finish in pool play, the Gamecocks set themselves up to play for the Shield the following afternoon.
On day two, Carolina came out strong and defeated fellow SEC opponent Arkansas 35-7 in the first match of the morning. The second game saw a rematch against NC State, though the Wolfpack was unable to slow down the Gamecocks from finishing 40-14 in the semi-final. The final saw Carolina match up against Colorado Sate who had defeated both Auburn and San Jose earlier in the day. While the match was close and came down to the final play, the Gamecocks pulled a hat trick and brought home the hardware with a 17-12 finish. Carolina scored a point differential of 96 to 33 on day two with a record of 3-0.
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Saturday Pool Matches:
South Carolina (12) vs. Cal Poly (36) South Carolina (0) vs. Dartmouth (45) South Carolina (29) vs. NC State (10) |
Sunday Shield Matches:
South Carolina (35) vs. Arkansas (7) South Carolina (40) vs. NS State (14) South Carolina (17) vs. Colorado State (12) |
Following the event, Head
Coach Mark Morris took an opportunity to reflect upon the weekend. “Congratulations
to the USC sevens side and Coach Steve Darnell. Coach Darnell has done a excellent
job preparing the boys for the national spotlight, as the extra practices and
conditioning they put in this year have certainly paid dividends for our program.
In order to improve our presence on the national stage we knew we had to strengthen our sevens program and compete against the elite teams. In a short year and a half from hardly any emphasis on sevens play, the team has made great strides. With the addition of new, talented players over the past few seasons, we have a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores that we expect great things from in the years ahead.
I would like to personaly show my appreciation to the Carolina Foundation and our alumni network for their financial and loyal support over the course of the weekend, especially those who made the trip to Greensboro to cheer our boys on to victory. I would also like to extend a special thank you to the several families who made the trip and braved the cold to cheer us on, to include friends of Coach Darnell who provided some of our meals, as well as supported the team while we were in Greensboro. Your hospitality was truly appreciated by the players and coaches.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the entire team on a great fall semester with the A-side going updefeated in 15’s play and a 14-5 record in 7’s play. The rest of our team gained valuable experience in 15’s, recording wins over other reserve side competition from teams such as Florida State, The Citadel, NC State, and Kennessaw State.”
With the fall season at a close, the team now looks ahead to the spring matrix where they plan to capitalize on last year's success and compete for the SEC Conference Championship.
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This is first time that South Carolina has been invited to the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship. Please click here to show your support for Carolina Rugby and how you can contribute to the cause. For more information on the event and for the complete list of brackets and scores, click here. For play by play recordings of all Championship matches, click here. Thank you and Go Gamecocks!
In order to improve our presence on the national stage we knew we had to strengthen our sevens program and compete against the elite teams. In a short year and a half from hardly any emphasis on sevens play, the team has made great strides. With the addition of new, talented players over the past few seasons, we have a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores that we expect great things from in the years ahead.
I would like to personaly show my appreciation to the Carolina Foundation and our alumni network for their financial and loyal support over the course of the weekend, especially those who made the trip to Greensboro to cheer our boys on to victory. I would also like to extend a special thank you to the several families who made the trip and braved the cold to cheer us on, to include friends of Coach Darnell who provided some of our meals, as well as supported the team while we were in Greensboro. Your hospitality was truly appreciated by the players and coaches.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the entire team on a great fall semester with the A-side going updefeated in 15’s play and a 14-5 record in 7’s play. The rest of our team gained valuable experience in 15’s, recording wins over other reserve side competition from teams such as Florida State, The Citadel, NC State, and Kennessaw State.”
With the fall season at a close, the team now looks ahead to the spring matrix where they plan to capitalize on last year's success and compete for the SEC Conference Championship.
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This is first time that South Carolina has been invited to the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship. Please click here to show your support for Carolina Rugby and how you can contribute to the cause. For more information on the event and for the complete list of brackets and scores, click here. For play by play recordings of all Championship matches, click here. Thank you and Go Gamecocks!
Carolina Rugby Advances to Nationals
Columbia, SC - Carolina Rugby has accepted an at-large bid to the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship which will be held in Greensboro, NC on the weekend of November 23-24. Carolina was unsure of their future this semester in 7s after losing a close game to Auburn, 12-10, however, the Gamecocks now get a second chance to compete towards a national 7's championship.
Games will be streamed live online on Saturday on USA Rugby TV and select games will be streamed Sunday on ESPN 3. Tune in on Saturday and watch Carolina match up against:
Cal Poly SLO @ 10:20 AM / Dartmouth College @ 1:40 PM / NC State @ 4:20 PM -- Click here for video link
If you plan to make a trip to Greensboro, there is no charge for admission, though attending fans are required to purchase a parking pass for their vehicles. Parking is $15 for 2 days and $10 for 1 day per car.
For traveling parents, alumni, and supporters, parking permits may be purchased on-site or online. To purchase parking passes online please visit Youthleagueusa.com
This is first time that South Carolina has been invited to the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship and would appreciate your help in getting there. Please click here to show your support for Carolina Rugby and how you can contribute to the cause. Thank you and Go Gamecocks!
Games will be streamed live online on Saturday on USA Rugby TV and select games will be streamed Sunday on ESPN 3. Tune in on Saturday and watch Carolina match up against:
Cal Poly SLO @ 10:20 AM / Dartmouth College @ 1:40 PM / NC State @ 4:20 PM -- Click here for video link
If you plan to make a trip to Greensboro, there is no charge for admission, though attending fans are required to purchase a parking pass for their vehicles. Parking is $15 for 2 days and $10 for 1 day per car.
For traveling parents, alumni, and supporters, parking permits may be purchased on-site or online. To purchase parking passes online please visit Youthleagueusa.com
This is first time that South Carolina has been invited to the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship and would appreciate your help in getting there. Please click here to show your support for Carolina Rugby and how you can contribute to the cause. Thank you and Go Gamecocks!
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2013 Alumni Weekend Information - 46th Anniversary
Pay Your Annual Dues By MailCarolina Olde Boys
P.O. Box 2023 Columbia, SC 29202 Include "Alumni Weekend" on the memo line $60 if received before Oct 31, 2013, $75 on game day. Tailgate parking spots are available for $25. Schedule of EventsFriday, Nov. 15
- 4:00pm Pre Match Social (Thirsty Fellow) - 7:00pm Carolina Match (Strom Field) - Food Provided by Carolina Rugby @ 7:30pm - 9:30pm Post Match Social (Cover 3 @ 5 Points) Saturday, Nov. 16 - 3:00pm Pre Football Tailgate (Shuman Owens) - Food Provided by Doc's Southern BBQ - 7:00pm Carolina v Florida Football Game (Williams Brice Stadium) - 11:00pm Post Football Tailgate (Shuman Owens) Saturday, Nov. 16 - 11:00am Foundation Board meeting (Clarion Hotel) |
AccommodationsCOB has established a $149 + tax rate at The Clarion. Contact them today at 803-771-8711 or 800-277-8711 to reserve your room. All rooms include 2 double beds, a $8.95 breakfast buffet, and 2 nights available. Be sure to ask for 'USC Rugby - Carolina Olde Boys' promotion.
The Clarion Hotel Downtown 1615 Gervais Street Columbia, SC 29201 Website & Directions COB MerchandiseMatt Godek is producing COB jerseys for the COB 2013 Weekend. The jersey will be the same design as the 40th Anniversary. It is a nice looking jersey with the COB logo.
Please contact him to order yours ASAP. Also, ask him about personalizing your jersey by adding a number on the back. The Sales price is $55. Remaining Jerseys: Mediums : 9, 11 Large : 2, 7, 14 XL : 2 XXL : 1, 4, 5 Godek Rugby / 2929 Eskridge Rd / Fairfax, VA 22031 / (703) 560-1919 |
2012 Alumni Weekend Information - 45th Anniversary!
The 2012 Palmetto State Champions welcomed back the ruggers of yesteryear to celebrate 45 years of Carolina Rugby the weekend of November 9th. The 2012 Carolina Olde Boys Weekend began at 7:00pm on Friday with the 11th annual alumni match followed by a Premier match against the Charleston Outlaws at 8:30pm.
A slow start by the Gamecocks and multiple infractions called on both teams hindered the early progression of the game, however, as soon as Carolina showed their determination to focus on team defense and breakdowns at the ruck they were able to develop a strong support system and string together a few break away runs. After scoring a few tries and setting the pace for the game, Carolina did not let up one bit, playing a well-fought match against COB, coming out victorious in the end, 20-12.
Click here for a special message from Carolina Olde Boys Vice President Rick LaBel celebrating 45 years of Carolina Rugby.
A slow start by the Gamecocks and multiple infractions called on both teams hindered the early progression of the game, however, as soon as Carolina showed their determination to focus on team defense and breakdowns at the ruck they were able to develop a strong support system and string together a few break away runs. After scoring a few tries and setting the pace for the game, Carolina did not let up one bit, playing a well-fought match against COB, coming out victorious in the end, 20-12.
Click here for a special message from Carolina Olde Boys Vice President Rick LaBel celebrating 45 years of Carolina Rugby.
Carolina Finishes 4th in SCRC 7's; Four All-Conference Players
Knoxville, TN - The Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference hosted its annual Olympic Rugby Championship last weekend in Knoxville, Tenn. at the Tennessee Rugby Park. A new champion was crowned, as Auburn needed all 10 minutes of the last half of the championship to secure its first SCRC Olympic Rugby crown, beating Florida 28-22.
The Tigers defeated South Carolina to reach the final, while the Gators bested Tennessee. The Volunteers got past the Gamecocks to claim third. LSU secured the Bowl Championship with a hard fought win over a very strong Missouri squad.
Cup Final: Auburn 28, Florida 22
Semifinal: Auburn 12, South Carolina 10
3rd Place: Tennessee 26, South Carolina 14
Bowl Final: LSU 32, Missouri 28
Bowl Semifinal: LSU 26, Alabama 5
Bowl Semifinal: Missouri 40, Mississippi State 5
The Gamecocks went 2-0 in pool play, coming out victorious over the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee's 2nd side, winning 28-5 and 24-5 respectively. In the Cup Quarterfinal match, Carolina shut out Vanderbilt 42-0 in a commanding fashion to finish the day 3-0 with a scoring differential of 94-10 on the day.
On Sunday, the Gamecocks were set to face off against Auburn University in the cup semifinals. Unfortunately, Carolina couldn't capitalize on the mistakes made by Auburn, resulting in a 12-10 loss to the Tigers. Carolina played Tennessee in the last game of the weekend, in a rematch of 2 weekends ago, playing for 3rd place in the cup bracket. Unfortunately, USC lost another tight matchup, 19-14, to finish 4th overall.
Some outstanding rugby was played throughout the weekend and many players stood out. SCRC Performance Director Renaldo Arroyo sought input from every coach for the selection process. Based on that input, 12 players were named to the first team and another 12 were named to the second team, to include four players total from the University of South Carolina.
The complete SCRC All-Tournament Team (listed alphabetically by school) is:
The Tigers defeated South Carolina to reach the final, while the Gators bested Tennessee. The Volunteers got past the Gamecocks to claim third. LSU secured the Bowl Championship with a hard fought win over a very strong Missouri squad.
Cup Final: Auburn 28, Florida 22
Semifinal: Auburn 12, South Carolina 10
3rd Place: Tennessee 26, South Carolina 14
Bowl Final: LSU 32, Missouri 28
Bowl Semifinal: LSU 26, Alabama 5
Bowl Semifinal: Missouri 40, Mississippi State 5
The Gamecocks went 2-0 in pool play, coming out victorious over the University of Georgia and the University of Tennessee's 2nd side, winning 28-5 and 24-5 respectively. In the Cup Quarterfinal match, Carolina shut out Vanderbilt 42-0 in a commanding fashion to finish the day 3-0 with a scoring differential of 94-10 on the day.
On Sunday, the Gamecocks were set to face off against Auburn University in the cup semifinals. Unfortunately, Carolina couldn't capitalize on the mistakes made by Auburn, resulting in a 12-10 loss to the Tigers. Carolina played Tennessee in the last game of the weekend, in a rematch of 2 weekends ago, playing for 3rd place in the cup bracket. Unfortunately, USC lost another tight matchup, 19-14, to finish 4th overall.
Some outstanding rugby was played throughout the weekend and many players stood out. SCRC Performance Director Renaldo Arroyo sought input from every coach for the selection process. Based on that input, 12 players were named to the first team and another 12 were named to the second team, to include four players total from the University of South Carolina.
The complete SCRC All-Tournament Team (listed alphabetically by school) is:
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1st Team:
JB Easterling (Auburn) Ben Winiarcyzk (Auburn) Lucas Baistrocchi (Florida) Kyle Burnett (Florida) Ryan Gilbert (Florida) Jonathan Brown (Georgia) Derrick Mitchell (Mississippi State) Luke Rosner (Missouri) Tim Hamill (South Carolina) Colin McKeon (South Carolina) Lee Bogitsh (Tennessee) Jake Rosner (Vanderbilt) |
2nd Team:
Tyler Hoffman (Alabama) Matthew Schick (Alabama) Paul Rice (Florida) Austin West (Georgia) Alex Creede (LSU) Will Middleton (LSU) Daniel Dowd (LSU) Omar McClendon (Mississippi State) Shane Glascott (Missouri) Dana Cocoran (South Carolina) Brian Keown (South Carolina) Joe Carpente (Tennessee) |
With the championship, Auburn also gains the automatic qualifying spot in the USA Olympic Rugby National Championship Tournament to be held in Greensboro, North Carolina on November 23 & 24. Florida and South Carolina also received at large invitations. Associate conference member Arkansas qualified through the Heart of America Conference event while Tennessee is unavailable so declined a possible invitation.
This is first time that South Carolina has been invited to the USA Olympic Rugby National Championship Tournament and would appreciate your help in getting there. Please click here to show your support for Carolina Rugby and how you can contribute to the cause. Thank you and Go Gamecocks!
This is first time that South Carolina has been invited to the USA Olympic Rugby National Championship Tournament and would appreciate your help in getting there. Please click here to show your support for Carolina Rugby and how you can contribute to the cause. Thank you and Go Gamecocks!
Carolina Sweeps Knoxville 7's; Prepares for SCRC in Two Weeks
Knoxville, TN - This past weekend, Carolina Rugby traveled to Knoxville, TN & came away victorious over the top three 7's teams in the SCRC Eastern Division. Carolina came away victorious over the 2011 SCRC 7's Runner-Up University of Florida with a commanding score of 44-0. In the second match, Carolina cycled in more of their reserves to pull out a close victory of 24-15 over the 2012 SCRC 7's Runner-Up University of Georgia. In the third and final match of the round robin series, Carolina came from behind to beat the two time SCRC 7's Winner University of Tennessee with a final score of 19 - 15. In the championship match, the Gamecocks once again defeated the Volunteers in a come from behind win of 21-19 for a 4-0 round robin sweep.
These were great team wins, setting a solid platform to continue to improve upon. Carolina Rugby will play in the Southeastern Olympic 7s Qualifier on November 9th.
These were great team wins, setting a solid platform to continue to improve upon. Carolina Rugby will play in the Southeastern Olympic 7s Qualifier on November 9th.
Gamecocks Continue Win Streak; Defeat Kennesaw
Marietta, GA - This past Saturday, Carolina Rugby looked to improve upon its 5-0 fall season and remain undefeated. Your University of South Carolina Gamecock rugby team took on Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA, and they came out victorious in both premier and reserve matches. The premier game kicked off at 1 PM with the reserve-side to follow. The field turf surface allowed for a faster pace of play, giving Carolina a bit of an advantage with the speed and fitness level they have.
The game started off even, with possession switching frequently due to turnovers and simple penalties. Carolina finally settled the ball down and stuck to its phase play, maintaining possession of the ball, and, eventually, putting the first points on the board after a great kick and chase by sophomore wing Tim Hamill allowed him to touch the ball down for five points. Sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown followed up with the conversion, giving the Gamecocks some life and momentum as they lined up to receive the next kick. Since Carolina was up 7-0, they continued to hold onto the ball, showing good ball movement as they used the width of the field, patiently waiting for another moment to strike. The Gamecocks took it from inside their own end as junior center Michael “Rudy” Rudzinsky got the ball out from a breakdown between Carolina’s own 10 and 22-meter line, allowing Sean Barnes, a freshman in his first premier-side start, the freedom to evade the Kennesaw backline, making a great pass to Hamill, who then took advantage of his quickness, cut the ball back towards the middle of the field, dished the ball back inside to Barnes, who then found senior captain Matt Berenato on a beautiful offload, setting up an easy seven points as “Nato” touched the ball down right under the posts and keeping it close for Keown to follow up with the conversion. Carolina didn’t let off at all, and they put another try on the board after keeping the ball in the forwards and setting up a solid series of phase-play, leading to Brian Keown picking the ball and keeping it tight to the ruck, touching down the ball for another 5. The score was 21-0, with Carolina taking full advantage of ball possession, and on a broken backline play, freshman Sean Barnes weaved through the Kennesaw defensive line with an impressive individual effort, scoring his first premier-side points in his first premier start. At 28-0, the Gamecocks didn’t have much time left on the clock for another score, and they took the penalty set up in the center of the field, as Keown split the uprights to make the score 31-0 at half.
Carolina regrouped at the half, discussing better defensive strategy and maintaining possession of the ball. However, Kennesaw kicked it into high gear early in the second half as they scored 2 unconverted tries in the first six minutes of the second half. At 31-10, the Gamecocks could not rest and knew they had to answer the 10 points scored by Kennesaw. Immediately, sophomore Mike Mahon displayed a strong will to score as he neared in on the goal line in an attempt to give Carolina a little motivation to finish strong. Needless to say, South Carolina picked up the tempo and intensity of their game, leading to a long counter-attack resulting in a try scored by sophomore Dana Corcoran. This left the score at 43-10; however, Carolina was not finished yet, as Rudzinsky set up a try by drawing his defender in a textbook 2 on 1, springing free sophomore Mark Holkenborg for his first premier try, joining Sean Barnes in the excitement of touching down their first points at this level of competition. Rudzinsky followed through with a conversion, and then decided that a Mike Mahon offload would create enough space to provide more support in the Gamecocks’ big victory. With one more try touched down and converted, both scored by Rudzinsky, Carolina continued its great winning streak on the fall season with a final of 57-10 over Kennesaw State University. The Gamecocks proved their strength in support on attacking plays and they showed that they can recover in the case of a mistake here and there. After the game, Dave “Gator” Mysona was named forwards man of the match after standing out, making constant plays on the ball in defensive situations. Luke Bolembach was named as Gator’s counterpart in the backs as his display of tackling and spreading the ball in the backline was brilliant throughout the duration of the match.
The reserve game started shortly after Carolina’s premier side showed their dominance over the Kennesaw State first XV. The game started in a manner very similar to the result of the first match, with the Gamecocks scoring early as Billy Bartlett recognized a mismatch on the outside and barreled his way into the end zone for the first points of the day. Jon Sternfeldt, an Australian student currently playing with Carolina, scored one as well, making the score 10-0. Shortly after, Carolina scored 3 more tries before the half, as wing Isaac Myers touched down two tries, back-to-back, on great individual efforts, carving up the defense and placing the ball perfectly in the middle of the field to set up for one conversion. Newly joined player Bryan Dixon scored just before the half as well, keeping the game in Gamecock control, as they headed into the half up 29-5.
After watching the premier squad give up two quick tries to Kennesaw in the beginning of the 2nd half, Carolina’s reserves would not tolerate the same thing, and they controlled possession of the ball for much of the second half, and despite Kennesaw’s fast pace in the defensive line, Carolina displayed its patience, setting up two more tries by the end of the test, scored by Bryan Dixon (giving he and Isaac Myers both two tries on the day) and Andres Irizarry, who tallied his first ever South Carolina points. The final was 41-5, as Alex “Bubbles” Feltman tacked on 6 points on the day in conversions, giving the Gamecocks their second demanding victory of the day.
Alex Smolen was the backline’s man of the match after successfully stealing the ball from Kennesaw several times and after showing why he is one of Carolina’s strong tacklers. The man of the match in the forwards was Chris Pullen, especially recognized for his exceptional work in the breakdowns and sealing off the ball from Kennesaw.
The Gamecocks premiers are 6-0 on the fall season up to date, as the reserve side is 3-3 (including the Union Cup games which the reserves played in the same division as Carolina’s A-side), and look to continue their successful season as they head into the 7s portion of the schedule. Although a panel of 15 will be practicing and playing 7s over the next couple of weeks, in preparation to qualify for the National 7s Championship, 15s will still be played by the remainder of the Carolina Rugby program, with games against Coastal Carolina, Lander University, and the Citadel.
The game started off even, with possession switching frequently due to turnovers and simple penalties. Carolina finally settled the ball down and stuck to its phase play, maintaining possession of the ball, and, eventually, putting the first points on the board after a great kick and chase by sophomore wing Tim Hamill allowed him to touch the ball down for five points. Sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown followed up with the conversion, giving the Gamecocks some life and momentum as they lined up to receive the next kick. Since Carolina was up 7-0, they continued to hold onto the ball, showing good ball movement as they used the width of the field, patiently waiting for another moment to strike. The Gamecocks took it from inside their own end as junior center Michael “Rudy” Rudzinsky got the ball out from a breakdown between Carolina’s own 10 and 22-meter line, allowing Sean Barnes, a freshman in his first premier-side start, the freedom to evade the Kennesaw backline, making a great pass to Hamill, who then took advantage of his quickness, cut the ball back towards the middle of the field, dished the ball back inside to Barnes, who then found senior captain Matt Berenato on a beautiful offload, setting up an easy seven points as “Nato” touched the ball down right under the posts and keeping it close for Keown to follow up with the conversion. Carolina didn’t let off at all, and they put another try on the board after keeping the ball in the forwards and setting up a solid series of phase-play, leading to Brian Keown picking the ball and keeping it tight to the ruck, touching down the ball for another 5. The score was 21-0, with Carolina taking full advantage of ball possession, and on a broken backline play, freshman Sean Barnes weaved through the Kennesaw defensive line with an impressive individual effort, scoring his first premier-side points in his first premier start. At 28-0, the Gamecocks didn’t have much time left on the clock for another score, and they took the penalty set up in the center of the field, as Keown split the uprights to make the score 31-0 at half.
Carolina regrouped at the half, discussing better defensive strategy and maintaining possession of the ball. However, Kennesaw kicked it into high gear early in the second half as they scored 2 unconverted tries in the first six minutes of the second half. At 31-10, the Gamecocks could not rest and knew they had to answer the 10 points scored by Kennesaw. Immediately, sophomore Mike Mahon displayed a strong will to score as he neared in on the goal line in an attempt to give Carolina a little motivation to finish strong. Needless to say, South Carolina picked up the tempo and intensity of their game, leading to a long counter-attack resulting in a try scored by sophomore Dana Corcoran. This left the score at 43-10; however, Carolina was not finished yet, as Rudzinsky set up a try by drawing his defender in a textbook 2 on 1, springing free sophomore Mark Holkenborg for his first premier try, joining Sean Barnes in the excitement of touching down their first points at this level of competition. Rudzinsky followed through with a conversion, and then decided that a Mike Mahon offload would create enough space to provide more support in the Gamecocks’ big victory. With one more try touched down and converted, both scored by Rudzinsky, Carolina continued its great winning streak on the fall season with a final of 57-10 over Kennesaw State University. The Gamecocks proved their strength in support on attacking plays and they showed that they can recover in the case of a mistake here and there. After the game, Dave “Gator” Mysona was named forwards man of the match after standing out, making constant plays on the ball in defensive situations. Luke Bolembach was named as Gator’s counterpart in the backs as his display of tackling and spreading the ball in the backline was brilliant throughout the duration of the match.
The reserve game started shortly after Carolina’s premier side showed their dominance over the Kennesaw State first XV. The game started in a manner very similar to the result of the first match, with the Gamecocks scoring early as Billy Bartlett recognized a mismatch on the outside and barreled his way into the end zone for the first points of the day. Jon Sternfeldt, an Australian student currently playing with Carolina, scored one as well, making the score 10-0. Shortly after, Carolina scored 3 more tries before the half, as wing Isaac Myers touched down two tries, back-to-back, on great individual efforts, carving up the defense and placing the ball perfectly in the middle of the field to set up for one conversion. Newly joined player Bryan Dixon scored just before the half as well, keeping the game in Gamecock control, as they headed into the half up 29-5.
After watching the premier squad give up two quick tries to Kennesaw in the beginning of the 2nd half, Carolina’s reserves would not tolerate the same thing, and they controlled possession of the ball for much of the second half, and despite Kennesaw’s fast pace in the defensive line, Carolina displayed its patience, setting up two more tries by the end of the test, scored by Bryan Dixon (giving he and Isaac Myers both two tries on the day) and Andres Irizarry, who tallied his first ever South Carolina points. The final was 41-5, as Alex “Bubbles” Feltman tacked on 6 points on the day in conversions, giving the Gamecocks their second demanding victory of the day.
Alex Smolen was the backline’s man of the match after successfully stealing the ball from Kennesaw several times and after showing why he is one of Carolina’s strong tacklers. The man of the match in the forwards was Chris Pullen, especially recognized for his exceptional work in the breakdowns and sealing off the ball from Kennesaw.
The Gamecocks premiers are 6-0 on the fall season up to date, as the reserve side is 3-3 (including the Union Cup games which the reserves played in the same division as Carolina’s A-side), and look to continue their successful season as they head into the 7s portion of the schedule. Although a panel of 15 will be practicing and playing 7s over the next couple of weeks, in preparation to qualify for the National 7s Championship, 15s will still be played by the remainder of the Carolina Rugby program, with games against Coastal Carolina, Lander University, and the Citadel.
Premier Scoring Report
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Reserve Scoring Report
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Carolina Proves Strong Against a Rival Program from Florida
Columbia, SC - On the eve of September 27th, 2013, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks Rugby Club lined up in the most important game for Carolina as a 15s squad for the fall semester against Florida State University Seminoles RFC. Carolina spread word about the incredibly opportunistic match, knowing that fan support and recognition around campus will lead to more respect and legitimacy as a program. With fans lining the sidelines under the lights, and with two games to be played on the warm, clear night, the Gamecocks were ready for their first test against a collegiate team they could see later on in the season.
After sizing the Noles up, Carolina was set to start the game, with a certain energy inside them, giving a spark to the offense and leading to an early Gamecock try from Colin McKeon, set up by a nice kick from Luke Bolembach. As the Gamecocks spread the ball and used their strengths to their advantage, FSU gained a quick opportunity close inside the Gamecocks’ territory, with penalties and mistakes plaguing Carolina. Florida State eventually made their mark on the scoreboard by posting their first points, but it was not too long before Matt Berenato was fed the ball from McKeon and had the chance to take off on a long run, resulting in a try and a conversion to follow, making the game 12-5. FSU then answered, taking advantage again of Carolina’s blunders and drilling a penalty kick to keep the score within one score at 12-8. Carolina continued to maintain possession, eventually having an overload on the outside, and springing Tim Hamill free on a great backline play after a patient series of phases. Hamill’s shifty moves allowed him to touch the ball down close enough to the posts so Keown could follow up with an easy strike to make the game 19-8. With this, FSU kept the ball inside their forwards, and after pinning Carolina deep against their own goal line, they touched the ball down and converted the kick to follow just before the half, setting the score at 24-15 in the Gamecocks’ favor.
Carolina knew that Florida State would come out on a different level for the second half, so in preparation, they made sure that they would not make the same faults as they had in the first half, allowing for the Seminoles to stay in the game. On this, Colin McKeon found a weakness in the FSU defense, kicking the ball far over the fullback’s head, setting up a foot race in which McKeon, Rudzinsky and Hamill were all in pursuit of the ball which had so conveniently landed in the try zone. Even though it appeared either McKeon or the FSU player had touched the ball down, it was both Rudzinsky and Hamill that put downward pressure on the ball at the same time, setting up another Keown conversion, to make the score 31-15. Carolina had a big slipup in the next minutes, and after attempting to take the ball out of their own end, the Gamecocks threw the ball directly into the hands of the FSU wing, setting up an easy Seminole score and making the score 31-20. Although time was running out, Carolina needed to tighten up their defense, because another inside play to the forwards on Florida State would set up an easy touchdown by the Noles. With the score at 31-25, and the Gamecocks looking to end on a strong note, South Carolina was given the opportunity to take a shot at making it a two-score game with a penalty kick in the middle of the field. Keown sent the ball through the middle of the uprights, putting an exclamation point on the defeat over Florida State with a final score of 34-25.
Carolina put on a great show under the lights, in front of fans that will hopefully be back to support their Gamecock rugby club in the near future. This was a great way to continue the season undefeated, and as Head Coach Mark Morris was impressed with the play of the squad, he was especially pleased with sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach and sophomore prop Robert McCracken as they were both continuously productive with their respective responsibilities. As a result, these two second-year players were named co-men of the match in the premier side game.
Although Carolina was plenty excited after a great win over Florida State’s first side, the second match was set to follow, and the reserves were prepared for a sweep over the strong side out of Tallahassee, FL. Right off of the opening kickoff, Carolina set the standard for pace and style, as they touched down two tries to FSU’s zero in the first half of the game. The forwards worked together well as a series of phases kept close to the inside set up Bartlett on a great team try, giving the Gamecocks the 5-0 lead. From this point on, Carolina put the foot on the pedal, and Isaac Myers, who is always finding work on the pitch, touched one down for five points after a great transfer through the hands of the backs, started by Alex Smolen. The conversion to follow was good, and although Carolina looked like they could really open it up before the half, Florida State proved strong enough to defend the Cocks, keeping it at 12-0 at the half.
Even though the score didn’t show it at halftime, Carolina was truly dominating, and as soon as the second half began, the Gamecocks poured it on, scoring five tries (converting only one kick) and ending the game with a statement, holding the Seminoles to zero points. Tries were scored by Zach Bleckman, on a beastly individual effort, Ryan Pile, who scored two tries on great runs with hard angles and phenomenal field vision, and Isaac Myers, who seems to find his name in the scoring report rather frequently, especially after scoring two more tries in the second half to complete his hat trick. Billy Bartlett and Alex Smolen were named men of the match in the forwards and backs, after a great display of leadership and hustle helped push the Gamecocks through on a victory. Carolina’s reserves certainly had a match to remember, winning 39-0 over Florida State’s second XV, and with multiple players recently picking up their first experience in rugby, it is amazing to see the solid foundation that Carolina has laid for the remainder of the year, let alone the semester.
After sizing the Noles up, Carolina was set to start the game, with a certain energy inside them, giving a spark to the offense and leading to an early Gamecock try from Colin McKeon, set up by a nice kick from Luke Bolembach. As the Gamecocks spread the ball and used their strengths to their advantage, FSU gained a quick opportunity close inside the Gamecocks’ territory, with penalties and mistakes plaguing Carolina. Florida State eventually made their mark on the scoreboard by posting their first points, but it was not too long before Matt Berenato was fed the ball from McKeon and had the chance to take off on a long run, resulting in a try and a conversion to follow, making the game 12-5. FSU then answered, taking advantage again of Carolina’s blunders and drilling a penalty kick to keep the score within one score at 12-8. Carolina continued to maintain possession, eventually having an overload on the outside, and springing Tim Hamill free on a great backline play after a patient series of phases. Hamill’s shifty moves allowed him to touch the ball down close enough to the posts so Keown could follow up with an easy strike to make the game 19-8. With this, FSU kept the ball inside their forwards, and after pinning Carolina deep against their own goal line, they touched the ball down and converted the kick to follow just before the half, setting the score at 24-15 in the Gamecocks’ favor.
Carolina knew that Florida State would come out on a different level for the second half, so in preparation, they made sure that they would not make the same faults as they had in the first half, allowing for the Seminoles to stay in the game. On this, Colin McKeon found a weakness in the FSU defense, kicking the ball far over the fullback’s head, setting up a foot race in which McKeon, Rudzinsky and Hamill were all in pursuit of the ball which had so conveniently landed in the try zone. Even though it appeared either McKeon or the FSU player had touched the ball down, it was both Rudzinsky and Hamill that put downward pressure on the ball at the same time, setting up another Keown conversion, to make the score 31-15. Carolina had a big slipup in the next minutes, and after attempting to take the ball out of their own end, the Gamecocks threw the ball directly into the hands of the FSU wing, setting up an easy Seminole score and making the score 31-20. Although time was running out, Carolina needed to tighten up their defense, because another inside play to the forwards on Florida State would set up an easy touchdown by the Noles. With the score at 31-25, and the Gamecocks looking to end on a strong note, South Carolina was given the opportunity to take a shot at making it a two-score game with a penalty kick in the middle of the field. Keown sent the ball through the middle of the uprights, putting an exclamation point on the defeat over Florida State with a final score of 34-25.
Carolina put on a great show under the lights, in front of fans that will hopefully be back to support their Gamecock rugby club in the near future. This was a great way to continue the season undefeated, and as Head Coach Mark Morris was impressed with the play of the squad, he was especially pleased with sophomore flyhalf Luke Bolembach and sophomore prop Robert McCracken as they were both continuously productive with their respective responsibilities. As a result, these two second-year players were named co-men of the match in the premier side game.
Although Carolina was plenty excited after a great win over Florida State’s first side, the second match was set to follow, and the reserves were prepared for a sweep over the strong side out of Tallahassee, FL. Right off of the opening kickoff, Carolina set the standard for pace and style, as they touched down two tries to FSU’s zero in the first half of the game. The forwards worked together well as a series of phases kept close to the inside set up Bartlett on a great team try, giving the Gamecocks the 5-0 lead. From this point on, Carolina put the foot on the pedal, and Isaac Myers, who is always finding work on the pitch, touched one down for five points after a great transfer through the hands of the backs, started by Alex Smolen. The conversion to follow was good, and although Carolina looked like they could really open it up before the half, Florida State proved strong enough to defend the Cocks, keeping it at 12-0 at the half.
Even though the score didn’t show it at halftime, Carolina was truly dominating, and as soon as the second half began, the Gamecocks poured it on, scoring five tries (converting only one kick) and ending the game with a statement, holding the Seminoles to zero points. Tries were scored by Zach Bleckman, on a beastly individual effort, Ryan Pile, who scored two tries on great runs with hard angles and phenomenal field vision, and Isaac Myers, who seems to find his name in the scoring report rather frequently, especially after scoring two more tries in the second half to complete his hat trick. Billy Bartlett and Alex Smolen were named men of the match in the forwards and backs, after a great display of leadership and hustle helped push the Gamecocks through on a victory. Carolina’s reserves certainly had a match to remember, winning 39-0 over Florida State’s second XV, and with multiple players recently picking up their first experience in rugby, it is amazing to see the solid foundation that Carolina has laid for the remainder of the year, let alone the semester.
Gamecocks Prepare for the Seminoles of Florida State
Columbia, SC - Come out and support the Carolina Rugby team on Friday, September 27th for an 8:00pm premier side kickoff, followed by a 9:30pm reserve side match against the Seminoles of Florida State University. Matches are free to the public and each is expected to be a closely contested. The Gamecocks seek to improve on their 4-game winning streak and an undefeated fall season. Go COCKS!
Carolina Gets Revenge in Battle vs. NC State
Columbia, SC - On Saturday, September 14th, Carolina Rugby’s premier side took on North Carolina State at 1 PM on Strom Field. Carolina was seeking to continue their winning streak after coming off of a great weekend of rugby and earning the 2013 Union Cup the previous weekend. Carolina dropped a tough match last fall when taking on this ACRL squad, so coming out victorious could help continue the success and continuity in the Gamecocks’ pursuit for a national championship and the team knew this. As a result, your Carolina Gamecocks came out on top in a tough game against the Wolfpack with a score of 57-21.
Carolina started the game off with a high tempo, creating space with the outside, leading to the Gamecocks first score of the day on a try from Tim Hamill, which would be converted by sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown. The Gamecocks continued their intense play, and despite a few penalties, they stuck it to the Wolfpack by keeping them off of the goal line. Carolina then had a great series of phases as quick recycle of the ball set up a second try from Cock Rugby, scored by Zach Mullineaux. Carolina had displayed great hands and ball movement leading up to this try, so as they took the kickoff, they retained possession, spreading the width of the field, and finding space. Eventually, the offloads and recognition of lapses in defense led to another Gamecock try, scored by Michael “Rudy” Rudzinsky on a beautiful offload. Keown converted and made the score 21-0, which is exactly how the first half ended.
Carolina knew that they could play a little better and improve on the little things, such as passing and controlling the ball into tackle. Here’s where Coach Mark Morris was coming from when talking about the first half, “As we all agreed the first half was sloppy in many areas. However, our two goal line stands were a good illustration of aggressive and persistent attacking defense, with multiple tackles and pushbacks behind the gain line.” Now, Cock Rugby knew the defensive aspect of the game, but it was maintaining possession that they struggled with.
As soon as the second half whistle blew, with Carolina set to kickoff, the energy was evident while the Gamecocks sprinted downfield, pinning NC State deep in their own territory. Defense continuously maintained its form, leading to a turnover and, in the end, another Gamecock try from Mullineaux under the posts off of great forwards play deep in the Wolfpack end. Keown followed up with a successful kick and put Carolina ahead 28-0. After NC State took possession over the ball, they made a strike for the try line, and eventually, they made their mark on the scoreboard. There was a lapse in communication of the defensive line, leading the Wolfpack score, to make it 28-7. Senior fullback/center Colin McKeon took one almost a full distance of the field on a great individual effort in putting some more points on the board, making it 33-7. South Carolina hadn’t had enough and Tim Hamill added 3 tries on great offensive work from the back line that really picked apart the North Carolina State defense. Keown continued to strike with the conversions, and he wound up converting 6/8 attempts on the day.
As the game wound to a close, after a few cheeky plays by NC State and capitalization on South Carolina’s defensive mistakes and penalties, the Wolfpack put two more tries up, converting both. But, to leave their mark on the game, Carolina scored with just minutes remaining as reserve wing Isaac Myers took off down the sideline, scoring his first A-side try, leaving the score at 57-21 in a fashionable victory to your Carolina Rugby.
The reserve side match followed at about 2:30 PM, with many of Carolina's own playing full games for the NC State team, due to lack of numbers for the Wolfpack. There were multiple players gaining their first experience in a full rugby game, and all of the rookies stepped up. It started at the right pace, with the young squad of Cock ruggers putting together some great series of plays, leading to a try scored by Bryan Dixon. Sean Barnes next took control and took advantage of the overload given by NC State, allowing Barnes to step up into the attacking line and take a ball on at full pace, placing it down in goal for another 5 points. With the score at 10-0, South Carolina wasn’t comfortable with a 10-point lead and Mark Holkenborg scored on a long try off of a good heads-up play by Holkenborg. The conversion was good from Cameron Campbell, making him 1/3 on conversions in the first half, and Matt Kurtin, a junior with a great boot, struck one through the uprights from roughly 35 meters, making the score at half 20-0 with Carolina in the lead.
The second half wasn’t much of a difference and South Carolina continued to pour it on the Wolfpack, with Billy Bartlett scoring on good play in the forwards and Lawson Ballard scoring on a 15-meter break thanks to the individual effort shown. This made the score 30-0, and, as the Gamecocks continued to take the ball away and secure their tackles, 2 more tries were tacked on by Zak Blechman and Piles. Overall, this ended the game, but NC State did manage to squeak one by the Cocks, leaving the final score as 40-7.
After a great day of rugby and a better day of realizing who they are as a team, Carolina Gamecock Rugby is finding its identity and training to improve and get in better shape. Inexperience is beginning to no longer matter, as most players got in a full game of rugby this weekend and helped themselves and their teammates in two big victories over NC State. The players that played for NC State did a great job especially, considering they weren’t aware of calls and even names of the other team. It’s a learning experience every time that we step on the field, so Carolina’s looking to work on anything they can in order to prepare for this weekend’s game.
Next up on the schedule is a game against Florida State on Friday, September 27th at 7 PM on Strom Fields. Come out and support your favorite ruggers on Friday as the premier side kicks off at 7 PM with the reserve match to follow. Stay posted for the possibility of a third game to be scheduled for Saturday between the third sides. Details to come this week.
Carolina started the game off with a high tempo, creating space with the outside, leading to the Gamecocks first score of the day on a try from Tim Hamill, which would be converted by sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown. The Gamecocks continued their intense play, and despite a few penalties, they stuck it to the Wolfpack by keeping them off of the goal line. Carolina then had a great series of phases as quick recycle of the ball set up a second try from Cock Rugby, scored by Zach Mullineaux. Carolina had displayed great hands and ball movement leading up to this try, so as they took the kickoff, they retained possession, spreading the width of the field, and finding space. Eventually, the offloads and recognition of lapses in defense led to another Gamecock try, scored by Michael “Rudy” Rudzinsky on a beautiful offload. Keown converted and made the score 21-0, which is exactly how the first half ended.
Carolina knew that they could play a little better and improve on the little things, such as passing and controlling the ball into tackle. Here’s where Coach Mark Morris was coming from when talking about the first half, “As we all agreed the first half was sloppy in many areas. However, our two goal line stands were a good illustration of aggressive and persistent attacking defense, with multiple tackles and pushbacks behind the gain line.” Now, Cock Rugby knew the defensive aspect of the game, but it was maintaining possession that they struggled with.
As soon as the second half whistle blew, with Carolina set to kickoff, the energy was evident while the Gamecocks sprinted downfield, pinning NC State deep in their own territory. Defense continuously maintained its form, leading to a turnover and, in the end, another Gamecock try from Mullineaux under the posts off of great forwards play deep in the Wolfpack end. Keown followed up with a successful kick and put Carolina ahead 28-0. After NC State took possession over the ball, they made a strike for the try line, and eventually, they made their mark on the scoreboard. There was a lapse in communication of the defensive line, leading the Wolfpack score, to make it 28-7. Senior fullback/center Colin McKeon took one almost a full distance of the field on a great individual effort in putting some more points on the board, making it 33-7. South Carolina hadn’t had enough and Tim Hamill added 3 tries on great offensive work from the back line that really picked apart the North Carolina State defense. Keown continued to strike with the conversions, and he wound up converting 6/8 attempts on the day.
As the game wound to a close, after a few cheeky plays by NC State and capitalization on South Carolina’s defensive mistakes and penalties, the Wolfpack put two more tries up, converting both. But, to leave their mark on the game, Carolina scored with just minutes remaining as reserve wing Isaac Myers took off down the sideline, scoring his first A-side try, leaving the score at 57-21 in a fashionable victory to your Carolina Rugby.
The reserve side match followed at about 2:30 PM, with many of Carolina's own playing full games for the NC State team, due to lack of numbers for the Wolfpack. There were multiple players gaining their first experience in a full rugby game, and all of the rookies stepped up. It started at the right pace, with the young squad of Cock ruggers putting together some great series of plays, leading to a try scored by Bryan Dixon. Sean Barnes next took control and took advantage of the overload given by NC State, allowing Barnes to step up into the attacking line and take a ball on at full pace, placing it down in goal for another 5 points. With the score at 10-0, South Carolina wasn’t comfortable with a 10-point lead and Mark Holkenborg scored on a long try off of a good heads-up play by Holkenborg. The conversion was good from Cameron Campbell, making him 1/3 on conversions in the first half, and Matt Kurtin, a junior with a great boot, struck one through the uprights from roughly 35 meters, making the score at half 20-0 with Carolina in the lead.
The second half wasn’t much of a difference and South Carolina continued to pour it on the Wolfpack, with Billy Bartlett scoring on good play in the forwards and Lawson Ballard scoring on a 15-meter break thanks to the individual effort shown. This made the score 30-0, and, as the Gamecocks continued to take the ball away and secure their tackles, 2 more tries were tacked on by Zak Blechman and Piles. Overall, this ended the game, but NC State did manage to squeak one by the Cocks, leaving the final score as 40-7.
After a great day of rugby and a better day of realizing who they are as a team, Carolina Gamecock Rugby is finding its identity and training to improve and get in better shape. Inexperience is beginning to no longer matter, as most players got in a full game of rugby this weekend and helped themselves and their teammates in two big victories over NC State. The players that played for NC State did a great job especially, considering they weren’t aware of calls and even names of the other team. It’s a learning experience every time that we step on the field, so Carolina’s looking to work on anything they can in order to prepare for this weekend’s game.
Next up on the schedule is a game against Florida State on Friday, September 27th at 7 PM on Strom Fields. Come out and support your favorite ruggers on Friday as the premier side kicks off at 7 PM with the reserve match to follow. Stay posted for the possibility of a third game to be scheduled for Saturday between the third sides. Details to come this week.
Premier Scoring Report
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Reserve Scoring Report
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Carolina Rugby Sweeps the Field to Obtain the 2013 Union Cup
Columbia, SC - The weekend of September 8th/9th was a big one for the University of South Carolina, with the football team traveling to Athens to take on Georgia, and, unfortunately dropping a loss to the Dawgs. However, back in Columbia, Carolina Rugby was playing in the 2013 Union Cup 15s Tournament, hosted by Columbia Olde Grey RFC at Owen’s Field by Owen’s Airport.
The Gamecocks started off their Saturday morning with a game against the Charleston Outlaws, a Division II Men’s Club team. Charleston has lots of experience, allowing them to work well together as a team, while Carolina was coming off of one game-speed event the prior weekend in an intrasquad Garnet & Black Scrimmage. Other than this, the Gamecocks have only been training for a couple of weeks, trying to get back on the same page as they left their book open in the spring after their Sweet 16 Nationals run.
On a hot and humid day in Columbia, Cock Rugby gathered early in the morning before their first game, ready to go, scanning the field for imbalances and holes. Owen’s used to be a runway so they knew it was going to be a suspect playing surface. Carolina came out with the switch turned on, and even though Charleston maintained possession early on in the game, the Gamecocks played strong defense, being pushed back all the way to the goal line before a Charleston try at about the 8 minute mark. After the conversion was no good, USC grouped together and came back to put some points on the board with a try scored on the outside by the Gamecocks’ newly acquired senior fullback, Michael “Henj/Zinc” Hendry of Australia. Henj was also kicking for points and missed the conversion, leaving the score at 5-5 roughly 13 minutes into the game of 30-minute halves. 4 minutes later, the Gamecocks had a small breakdown in defense, giving up another Charleston try and making the score 10-5. Carolina didn’t let this rattle them, and they came out, and, on a perfectly placed box kick by sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown, Michael “Rudy” Rudzinsky took off down the sideline, with no one in front of him, for an easy catch off of one bounce, just in front of the goal line, giving him the chance to touch the ball down in between the posts. The conversion to follow was good, giving the Gamecocks their first lead of the game at 12-10. Even though Carolina seemed to be running with all cylinders pumping, Charleston wound up punching it back into Gamecock territory, and on one of Carolina’s several penalties, Charleston had the chance to strike a penalty kick placed in the middle of the field about 30 meters out. The kick was converted, making the score 13-12 in Charleston’s favor at the half.
South Carolina came out in the 2nd half with more of a motor, using the high level of fitness on a warm day to their advantage. After several great plays and scores from Rudzinsky and Mahon, the Gamecocks finished their day on a strong note, winning the match 33-20 over Charleston. South Carolina was guaranteed one more game on the day, giving them a matchup against one of Coastal Carolina’s two sides. South Carolina controlled the entire match and didn’t allow any errors to throw them off their game plan. South Carolina went into the half up by 40, giving them a chance to go into the depth of their reserves.
The final score was 83-0, leaving the final to come down to the two teams that played the strongest up to that point. Carolina was set to play Old White, a men’s team based out of Atlanta. To leave off where they ended in the previous match, South Carolina started out on a fast foot and high tempo, leading to a try from Michael Hendry at the 16-minute mark with a conversion to follow from the Australian. The Gamecocks were matched up against a bigger team that has the cohesion it takes to win games, however, on a smart play by Luke Bolembach, after splitting two defenders, an offload to Rudzinsky for a 20-meter run would put Carolina ahead of Old White 14-0 after the kick by Hendry was converted. As Carolina continued their high pace on the pitch, mistakes were made, and Old White took advantage of these miscues and scored their first points of the day, making the score 14-7.
This was the score at half, and although the Gamecocks were fired up for the beginning of a new half and maintaining the lead, Old White touched one down on a break in defense by Carolina, but this didn’t stop them from continuing to battle it out on the field. Old White scored two tries in the first twenty minutes of the second half, making one of two conversions, and setting the score at 19-14. Carolina knew they had enough time to rush back with their own scoring, however, they knew it would not be an easy victory. After Brian Keown set one down for a try to tie the game up, it was up to Henj to try to give Carolina the upper hand and spring the Gamecocks ahead with the lead; despite a missed conversion at roughly the 69-minute mark, Carolina held onto the ball and tried to attack and get one more on the scoreboard. Sure enough, with no time left on the clock, the Gamecocks were awarded a penalty in the middle of the field, roughly at Old White’s 40-meter line. Hendry lined it up, and as Carolina watched the kick sail over the middle of the posts for a confirmed 3 points, the referee blew his final whistle, giving the Gamecocks the victory as well as the 2013 “Battle of the Borders” Union Cup. 22-19 was the final score, in Carolina’s favor, giving them the 3-0 record to begin their 15s season.
While this team was preparing and taking on these three opponents, the reserve side featured a majority of the team that had never played in a real 15s match, giving many players their first experience on the pitch. Needless to say, the Gamecock reserve side had a tough weekend, but they matched up across from the same clubs that the premier side played against, including Old White and Columbia Olde Grey RFC, two men’s club teams. The new additions to the club proved they are learning the game, and this tournament was a big step in the right direction for Carolina’s start to the season, despite having a record on the weekend that didn’t quite mirror the effort and grit displayed by Carolina’s reserve side.
The Gamecocks started off their Saturday morning with a game against the Charleston Outlaws, a Division II Men’s Club team. Charleston has lots of experience, allowing them to work well together as a team, while Carolina was coming off of one game-speed event the prior weekend in an intrasquad Garnet & Black Scrimmage. Other than this, the Gamecocks have only been training for a couple of weeks, trying to get back on the same page as they left their book open in the spring after their Sweet 16 Nationals run.
On a hot and humid day in Columbia, Cock Rugby gathered early in the morning before their first game, ready to go, scanning the field for imbalances and holes. Owen’s used to be a runway so they knew it was going to be a suspect playing surface. Carolina came out with the switch turned on, and even though Charleston maintained possession early on in the game, the Gamecocks played strong defense, being pushed back all the way to the goal line before a Charleston try at about the 8 minute mark. After the conversion was no good, USC grouped together and came back to put some points on the board with a try scored on the outside by the Gamecocks’ newly acquired senior fullback, Michael “Henj/Zinc” Hendry of Australia. Henj was also kicking for points and missed the conversion, leaving the score at 5-5 roughly 13 minutes into the game of 30-minute halves. 4 minutes later, the Gamecocks had a small breakdown in defense, giving up another Charleston try and making the score 10-5. Carolina didn’t let this rattle them, and they came out, and, on a perfectly placed box kick by sophomore scrumhalf Brian Keown, Michael “Rudy” Rudzinsky took off down the sideline, with no one in front of him, for an easy catch off of one bounce, just in front of the goal line, giving him the chance to touch the ball down in between the posts. The conversion to follow was good, giving the Gamecocks their first lead of the game at 12-10. Even though Carolina seemed to be running with all cylinders pumping, Charleston wound up punching it back into Gamecock territory, and on one of Carolina’s several penalties, Charleston had the chance to strike a penalty kick placed in the middle of the field about 30 meters out. The kick was converted, making the score 13-12 in Charleston’s favor at the half.
South Carolina came out in the 2nd half with more of a motor, using the high level of fitness on a warm day to their advantage. After several great plays and scores from Rudzinsky and Mahon, the Gamecocks finished their day on a strong note, winning the match 33-20 over Charleston. South Carolina was guaranteed one more game on the day, giving them a matchup against one of Coastal Carolina’s two sides. South Carolina controlled the entire match and didn’t allow any errors to throw them off their game plan. South Carolina went into the half up by 40, giving them a chance to go into the depth of their reserves.
The final score was 83-0, leaving the final to come down to the two teams that played the strongest up to that point. Carolina was set to play Old White, a men’s team based out of Atlanta. To leave off where they ended in the previous match, South Carolina started out on a fast foot and high tempo, leading to a try from Michael Hendry at the 16-minute mark with a conversion to follow from the Australian. The Gamecocks were matched up against a bigger team that has the cohesion it takes to win games, however, on a smart play by Luke Bolembach, after splitting two defenders, an offload to Rudzinsky for a 20-meter run would put Carolina ahead of Old White 14-0 after the kick by Hendry was converted. As Carolina continued their high pace on the pitch, mistakes were made, and Old White took advantage of these miscues and scored their first points of the day, making the score 14-7.
This was the score at half, and although the Gamecocks were fired up for the beginning of a new half and maintaining the lead, Old White touched one down on a break in defense by Carolina, but this didn’t stop them from continuing to battle it out on the field. Old White scored two tries in the first twenty minutes of the second half, making one of two conversions, and setting the score at 19-14. Carolina knew they had enough time to rush back with their own scoring, however, they knew it would not be an easy victory. After Brian Keown set one down for a try to tie the game up, it was up to Henj to try to give Carolina the upper hand and spring the Gamecocks ahead with the lead; despite a missed conversion at roughly the 69-minute mark, Carolina held onto the ball and tried to attack and get one more on the scoreboard. Sure enough, with no time left on the clock, the Gamecocks were awarded a penalty in the middle of the field, roughly at Old White’s 40-meter line. Hendry lined it up, and as Carolina watched the kick sail over the middle of the posts for a confirmed 3 points, the referee blew his final whistle, giving the Gamecocks the victory as well as the 2013 “Battle of the Borders” Union Cup. 22-19 was the final score, in Carolina’s favor, giving them the 3-0 record to begin their 15s season.
While this team was preparing and taking on these three opponents, the reserve side featured a majority of the team that had never played in a real 15s match, giving many players their first experience on the pitch. Needless to say, the Gamecock reserve side had a tough weekend, but they matched up across from the same clubs that the premier side played against, including Old White and Columbia Olde Grey RFC, two men’s club teams. The new additions to the club proved they are learning the game, and this tournament was a big step in the right direction for Carolina’s start to the season, despite having a record on the weekend that didn’t quite mirror the effort and grit displayed by Carolina’s reserve side.
Players Return to Campus - Celebrate 46 Years of Gamecock Rugby
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Fall 2013 Practice Schedule:
Tues. & Thurs. 7:00-9:00 PM Beginning Thursday, August 23rd STWFC Rugby Field 1000 Blossom St, Columbia, SC 29208 Strength & Conditioning: Mon. & Wed. 3:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM STWFC Strength & Condi. Room 1000 Blossom St, Columbia, SC 29208 Player Information: Forms & What You Need to Know |
Team members are expected to be booted and ready to warm-up 15 minutes early. Please show up to practice with all necessary forms filled out and ready, if possible. Incoming players, please contact Team Administrator Luke Bolembach.
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