Columbia, SC – Fresh off the
heels of their
20-17 victory over
Wake Forest University, the
University of South Carolina men's rugby
team has risen to #20 in the latest
American Rugby
News Top 25 (Tuesday, January
26, 2010). The ranking is the Gamecocks'
highest ever in the ARN poll.
USC's record now stands at 15-3 overall
(7-1 by ARN standards and 7-0 overall in
80-minute, full regulation matches), and
1-0 in Carolinas League play. Should USC
finish atop the Carolinas League
standings, it will go on to the South
Final Four, where two berths to the USA
Rugby National Round of 16 will be on
the line. There, they would face #9
Arkansas State in the first round, with
a possible South Championship match
against #15 Florida (the likely Florida
League winner) or #16 Tennessee (the
likely Southeastern League winner).
The Gamecocks remaining schedule is as
follows:
JAN. 30 - @ East Carolina
FEB. 06 - vs. Appalachian State (1:00 PM
-
STWFC Rugby Field
- FREE Admission)
FEB. 13 - @ North Carolina State
FEB. 27 - @ North Carolina
MAR. 05 - vs. Clemson (7:00 PM -
STWFC Rugby Field
- FREE Admission)
MAR. 27 - @ South Final Four
(Murfreesboro, TN)
MAR. 28 - @ South Championship
(Murfreesboro, TN)
APR. 16 - @ USA Rugby National Round of
16 (Atlanta, GA or Santa Barbara, CA)
APR. 17 - @ USA Rugby National Round of
16 (Atlanta, GA or Santa Barbara, CA)
APR. 30 - @ USA Rugby National Final
Four (Palo Alto, CA)
MAY. 01 - @ USA Rugby National
Championship (Palo Alto, CA)
Carolinas Rugby
League Standings
The next home match for the Gamecocks
will see
USC's Palmetto (C) side will be taking
on 3-time national champion Furman
University on
Saturday, January 30, at 3:00 PM on USC's
STWFC Rugby Field.
Carolina A & B will be traveling to
Greenville, NC to take on East Carolina
University that same Saturday, and will
play its next home match against
Appalachian State University on
Saturday, February 6 at
1:00 PM on USC's
STWFC Rugby Field.
The
Carolinas Rugby
League is USC's new spring matrix, and consists of the top 7 clubs
in North and South Carolina, including
USC, Wake Forest, Clemson, North
Carolina, Appalachian State University,
North Carolina State University, and
East Carolina University. As the league
is a mixture of Division I and Division
II competition, it will send its top DI
school into the South DI Final Four and
its top two DII clubs to the South DII
Quarter-Finals. The CRL will be naming
its own all-star team, as selected by
coaches and referees, and will reward
the top club with its own trophy at the
end of each season. The brainchild of
former UNC head coach Andy Richards, the
league is intended to limit regional
clubs' travel time while promoting local
growth through rivaled competition.
The Gamecocks Palmetto ('C') side is
playing USA Rugby South's Division III
competition, taking on Furman, College
of Charleston, The Citadel, Coastal
Carolina, and Armstrong Atlantic State
in the Palmetto League - a brutal
conference that has produced the last 7
South Championships while capturing 4 of
the last 7 Division III National
Championships. Such competition will do
wonders for the continued growth and
success of USC rugby, as participation
in last year's league is a large factor
behind USC's dominant run in Fall 2009.
The University of South Carolina is the
only school in all of USA Rugby South to
operate 3 full sides in South matrix
competition, with USC A and B
participating in USA Rugby Division I.
Founded in 1967, the University
of South Carolina Men’s Rugby
Club is the oldest club sport at
USC, boasting a long and
distinguished record of success. In 2007, the
club was promoted to
USA Rugby
South
Division 1(one of only 8
Southern universities) where we
have competed against some of
the most renowned
teams in the nation. In 2008 and
2009, USC
continued to demonstrate its
national notoriety with proud
showings in the National Top 25
collegiate rankings (American
Rugby News), reaching as high as
22nd
overall.
Starting
in 2010,
we will be playing in the new
Carolinas Rugby League with two
of our current Division 1 opponents
(North Carolina & Clemson), as
well as four additional teams
which include Wake Forest, East
Carolina, Appalachian State, &
North Carolina State. Our hard
work is evident throughout the
school year, as our season
encompasses both the Fall and
Spring Semesters. In addition to
scheduled matches, we compete in
a number of tournaments
including the
Southeastern Conference
Championship Rugby Tournament
and the
Palmetto
State Tournament,
which we have won more times
than any other club in South
Carolina. Several club members
are also annually selected to
the
Palmetto
Rugby Union Collegiate All-Star
team and compete in
the USA Rugby South Collegiate
All-Star Tournament each
November, where they are
selected to tryout for the USA
Rugby South Collegiate All-Star
side that plays in Glendale, CO
each summer.
With the direction of seven
full-time
USA Rugby
certified coaches, our club not
only teaches the love of the
game, but also the many skills
and techniques that are
necessary to compete. As a note
of great pride for our club,
Head Coach Geoff Mason is one of
only a few former professional players
coaching a collegiate rugby club
in the nation today.
We maintain
a policy that everyone has the
opportunity to play regardless
of ability. With this
philosophy, we are able to
sustain a roster of 70+ players,
which enables us to field three
sides on any given game weekend.
In fact, during the Fall 2009
season,
Men's Rugby at USC was the
nation's
third largest rugby club.
Our C side serves as our
developmental side, currently
competing in Division 3 with its
own schedule and coaching staff. USC Men’s Rugby is proud to
boast that we are the only team
in all of USA Rugby South
competition that has
three sides of competitive ruggers.
The Men's Rugby Club is a proud
tenant of the Strom Thurmond
Wellness & Fitness Center's
showcase
field, and we also
have an
additional
pitch on which we
practice and play when
necessary. Less than three years
old, our field is widely
considered by visiting coaches,
teams, players, and fans as "the
most beautiful pitch in the
South.” The Men's Rugby Club at
the University of South Carolina
is proud to call this pitch home
for many years to come.
Our alumni, the
Carolina
Olde Boys, are among
some of the most dedicated in
the nation, with many donating
both time and money to continue
to support the club that taught
them the game they love. C.O.B.
members regularly attend USC
home matches, including the
club's annual affair with
Clemson, and are generally very
supportive of the the club
through the purchasing of new
equipment and providing
assistance when necessary to
fund the team's playoff runs.
Each fall, C.O.B. members trek
back to Columbia to take on USC
in the annual alumni game and to
recall the many stories of their
college years. In 2007, the club
celebrated its 40th Anniversary
in style, with over 120
participants in the weekend's
activities.
The Men's Rugby Club at the
University of South Carolina
regularly participates in
various
philanthropic activities
through the school year and
beyond. Our commitment to
growing the game, as well as our
community, is a testament to the
character and values instilled
in our players and our program.
On campus, the Men's Rugby Club
is a regular partner with the
annual Carolina-Clemson Blood
Drive, wherein we assist the
American Red Cross in its
on-campus operation. The club
also regularly works with the
South Carolina High School Rugby
league, as the league's founder
and several of its coaches are
among our alumni. In the summer
of 2009, USC began a tradition
of sponsoring a local U19 Sevens
squad, with the side victorious
in numerous tournaments around
the southeast. In 2010, the club
will be supporting the
newly-founded South Carolina
Youth Rugby League through the
donation of various equipment
kits to be used in area
elementary & middle school P.E.
classes, further promoting the
sport of rugby with the players
of tomorrow.
If you require additional
information, or if you like to
arrange a visit during the
season, you may contact us
directly at
sorugby@mailbox.sc.edu. |
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