Blacksburg Rugby

The first official training sessionfor the Blacksburg Rugby Club will be held Tuesday, 10 August, at 6:00 p.m. at Blacksburg's home "Rose Garden" match ground on Country Club Drive near the Kroger supermarket on South Main Street. Sessions will be held each Tuesday and Thursday after that through the month of October, with occasional Saturday afternoon sessions included. Players are encouraged to plan ahead in order to attend sessions as oftenas possible. New players are welcome at all training sessions, regardless of background or experience level.

After the second training session on Thursday, 12 August, a brief meeting will be held at the London Underground on South Main Street to determine club leadership and address related administrative business.

In the meantime, all players and interested new players are encouraged to attend summertime offseason training and touch rugby sessions held every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Drillfield.

The August start should allow Blacksburg a chance to get new and returning players match-ready and up to speed before the Fall 2010 fixtures commence. The first match in Blacksburg's competitive Virginia Rugby Union Senior Men's Division III season will be at home Saturday, 18 September, but there will be some warm-up matches and a likely intrasquad scrimmage match in the weeks leading up to the competition opener. Keep an eye on Blacksburgrugby.com for the full match schedule, which will be finalized by August.

If revenge is a dish best served cold, Old Gaelic of Pennsylvania served up a feast for Blacksburg by sending the defending Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) Senior Men's Division III champs packing with a playoff road loss. Just a day short of one year after Blacksburg bested the Pennsylvania club in the 2009 MARFU semifinals, Old Gaelic ended the visiting Blacksburg side's hopes of a repeat MARFU title by pinning a 26-13 scoreline on the incumbent champions in a tense 2010 MARFU quarterfinal match.

Blacksburg opened the scoring early through a try to midfielder Mark Seiss, and the enusuing conversion by halfback Kurt Goddard brought the score to 7-0. Old Gaelic found a rhythm shortly thereafter, though, and amassed a 14-7 lead by halftime. Blacksburg whittled the deficit to 14-13 through two Goddard penalty goals, but an unconverted Old Gaelic try gave the hosts some breathing room at 19-13 midway through the second half. After about 75 minutes of play without more than a converted try separating the sides, the wheels came off for Blacksburg as an Old Gaelic loose forward took an errant kick half the length of the park to put the match out of reach at 26-13. Although both sides showed flair and fortitude through the match, Old Gaelic's scoring power and staunch defense will be valuable tools in the remaining playoff rounds.

Blacksburg thanks all of its players, supporters, and sponsors for an excellent season and wishes Old Gaelic well in the upcoming MARFU finals weekend. Thanks are also owed to the referee who traveled to Old Gaelic's home ground to manage the match.

Although the competitive schedule for Blacksburg's 2009-2010 season is complete, a series of casual matches, touch rugby sessions, and seven-a-side tournaments are being planned. Keep an eye on Blacksburgrugby.com for more information.

Blacksburg traveled just over the state line to Johnson City, Tennessee, to wra the last of a series of friendly matches before the onset of the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) Men's Division III territorial playoff rounds next week. The match served as a useful trial match for both sides, as Johnson City is currently in the midst of a playoff fight of its own in the USA Rugby South territorial union.

The final tally favored Blacksburg, but both clubs showed moments of brilliance and spotted a few rusty patches to smooth out before their respective knockout matches to come. Blacksburg also put on strong showing in a reserves match that featured some dangerous attack and bruising defense.

Blacksburg thanks Johnson City very much for their hospitality and wishes the club luck in their semifinal match against Hilton Head, South Carolina, in two weeks. Blacksburg also appreciates the referee's service. Next week, it's another road trip for Blacksburg for a MARFU quarterfinal tie against Old Gaelic in Pennsylvania awaits Blacksburg. That match is win or weep, with the winners headed to the territorial finals weekend and the losers packing up the kit for the year. Blacksburg hopes to repeat its 2009 territorial championship, but Old Gaelic is hungry to avenge a territorial semifinal loss to Blacksburg last year.

Great weather conditions and a quality host made for a good tune-up match as Blackburg traveled to Radford to work out the kinks as the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Senior Men's Division III playoff rounds loom.

With both sides eager to experiment with positional combinations and get a lot of dfferent players on the park, the match was played over three 30-minute periods rather than the traditional two 40-minute halves. Radford will have plenty to be pleased with after running out to a big early early lead in the first period and maintaining a five-point advantage after two periods. In the end, Blacksburg got ahead on the ledger in the third period, but given that both sides experimented liberally with players throughout the result could best be described as a productive outing for both organizations.

All told, Blacksburg ended up with 48 points from 8 tries and four conversions, while Radford notched five tries and converted them all. Blacksburg owes gratitude to Radford for the positive match experience and appreciates referee Robert Seiler's quality match management. Next up for Blacksburg is a trip to Johnson City, Tennessee, before the knockout rounds begin.

Led by a strong contingent of players from Blacksburg's Via College of Osteopathic Medicine VCOM, Blacksburg made a trip to Philadelphia to contest for the inaugural "A. T. Still Osteopathic Cup" against the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) rugby club. The charity match was played to benefit the Center for Autism and was covered by American Rugby News, RugbyMag.com, and some local media outlets. Although fundraising totals are still being finalized, the amount of money raised for the Center of Autism through donations and t-shirt sales totals more than $1,000 so far. The charity match, organized by the osteopathic medicine students representing each club, was the first of its kind, but it is hoped that the charity match will become an annual event.

Although both clubs made the event a success in its fundraising aims, it was Blacksburg that prevailed on the match ground. Blacksburg sported something of a new-look lineup, resting some regular starters to showcase more of the club's osteopathic school representatives, and the changes worked out for Blacksburg as the side came off victors by a 27-12 margin.

There was some hard going early as neither side managed to get on the board for about twenty minutes, at which point Blacksburg halfback Matt McCarthy knocked over a penalty goal for a 3-0 lead. The points came easier for Blacksburg after that, though, with Blacksburg scoring a try later in the half and three in the second stanza. Loose forward Eric Jackson led the scoring with a brace of tries, while loose forward Dave Merrifield and outside back Mark Seiss got five-pointers of their own. Charging down kicks was a key Blacksburg scoring method, as both Jackson and Merrifield picked up tries on charge downs. McCarthy notched a pair of conversions. PCOM managed a try near the end of each half, converting one of the tries. McCarthy's leadership at the forwards-backs frontier and solid goalkicking earned him a Man of the Match award among a number of strong performances.

Blacksburg thanks the PCOM club for its cooperation and hospitality in the charity match, as well as both osteopathic schools and the Center for Autism for their cooperation and support. Thanks are also owed to the many donors who made the event a success.

Blacksburg continued to gear up for next month's Mid-Atlantic Rugby Fooball Union territorial knockout rounds with an "Old Boys" match against luminaries from the club's past.

Complemented by a smattering of current players including some very promising reserves, the "Old Boys" side gave Blacksburg plenty of work in a match that was amicable but spirited. The "Old Boys" side's performance was particularly impressive given that many of its players traveled to town for the match with no opportunity to train together in advance.

The final scoreline flattered Blacksburg's current regime, especially considering that the Blacksburg side had difficulty shaking off the rust at times, but all in all there was plenty of strong moments from both sides and plenty of examples of how Blacksburg's past, present, and future are filled with talented footballers.

After the match, which will hopefully develop into a classic annual tradition, players adjourned to the sponsoring London Underground tavern for a reminiscing session.

Blacksburg appreciates the efforts of its players new and old in contributing to a great match, and also thanks referee Barry Cross (a Blacksburg "Old Boy" himself) for his excellent management of the contest.

Next week Blacksburg will travel to Philadelphia to challenge the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in a match that will showcase many of players from the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine as part of the "A. T. Still Osteopathic Cup" charity match.

Rugby players representing two American schools of osteopathic medicine will square off against each other for the first time ever when a Blacksburg side featuring a large contingent of students from the Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) Virginia Campus travel to challenge students from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in the inaugural A. T. Still Osteopathic Cup. The match, which will be held on April 3 at 1 p.m. at PCOM's home match ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will benefit the Center for Autism.

"This charity game between the two schools provides just another avenue in which physicians, students and their friends are trying to make a difference,” said Cris Mathew, a VCOM student and Blacksburg Rugby member who helped to organize the match. "Doctors are known for saving lives, but they are definitely not known for playing Rugby!"

The charity rugby match is named after Andrew Taylor (A.T.) Still, who lived from 1828 to 1927 and is recognized as the father of osteopathic medicine. Players are raising money by selling t-shirts and securing donations to benefit the Center for Autism, which is the United States' oldest specialized autism treatment center and is located in Philadelphia.

The PCOM club, founded in 1973, competes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union at the Senior Men’s Division III level and welcomes students and other affiliates of the PCOM school as well as others from the Philadelphia area. The VCOM campus rugby organization was founded in 2009 and is made up of students, staff and friends of the VCOM school in Blacksburg, Virginia, but VCOM players do not compete for a school-specific rugby club. Instead, VCOM's players are members of the Blacksburg Rugby Club, which is based in Blacksburg and competes in the Virginia Rugby Union at the Senior Men’s Division III level. Although both the PCOM and Blacksburg clubs both have members from outside of the osteopathic community, the teams playing in the charity match will be comprised primarily of players affiliated with the two schools.

Osteopathic medicine and rugby may not seem to have much in common, but Mathew sees clear connections between the profession and the sport. “Having such a strong emphasis on musculoskeletal medicine, rugby has also helped us hone our manipulation skills," said Mathew. "We had so many players coming to us asking if we could help them out, we started bringing our treatment tables to games and practices.”

Donations to benefit the Center of Autism can be sent by check to VCOM (2265 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060, made out to VCOM Rugby with “Center for Autism” in the subject/memo line) or given to either club’s representatives at the event, which will be located at 4162 Monument Road in Philadelphia between the Target and Pathmart supermarkets. There will be no charge to attend.

Blacksburg found the going tough from start to finish against a game Roanoke side, but in the end Blacksburg managed to win their first match of 2010 under sunny conditions at home. The going was even tougher for Blacksburg's developmental side who battled tooth and nail but lost by a whisker to a Radford side primarily composed of reserves.

In the first match, Blacksburg spotted Roanoke the first try but opened up a reasonable lead by half time through aggressive play at the fringes from the forwards and scorching runs from the outside backs. Blacksburg opened the second half similarly strong, but hit a flat spot and allowed a hard-working Roanoke crew to rally back late. Despite a few scares and some inconsistent performance over the course of the 80 minutes, Blacksburg managed to get home by the end with a clear 52-35 win. Among a number of strong performances were a massive debut from halfback Matthew McCarthy, a few tries through line breaks by midfielders Mark Seiss and Noah Thrope, and powerful work leading the charge from front-rowers Eric Gartenberg, Nate Gaertner, Cris Mathew, and Jon Post.

The second match was a tale of two stanzas. The strong Radford reserves, bolstered by a couple of handy first-grade players early on, side piled on the points in the first half. Blacksburg's developmental crew did just the same in the second half but came up just short in a match that was scored 31-28 but could only be described as a contest that either side deserved to win. It would have been a challenge to single out a top individual performance from among a field of hustling developmental-side players who gave their all, almost to a man.

Blacksburg thanks Roanoke and Radford for visiting to play on a beautiful Spring day, and appreciates the services of referee Steve Myers. Next Saturday Blacksburg will be home once more in a contest against an "Old Boys" side made up of former Blacksburg players from throughout the club's recent history.

The Blacksburg Rugby Club's match against nearby rival Roanoke on 20 March has been moved from Roanoke to Blacksburg after a match ground in Roanoke became unavailable.

The clubs will now play at Blacksburg's "Rose Garden" match ground, located on Country Club Drive SW near the South Main Street Kroger supermarket, at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, 20 March. The match is a "friendly" in preparation for both sides' appearance next month in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union Senior Men's Division III territorial playoff rounds, and will mark Blacksburg's first hit-out of 2010.

Blacksburg's Spring 2010 opener, originally scheduled for this Saturday against Radford University, has been postponed due to weather conditions. Although temperatures have warmed considerably in the Blacksburg area in the past week, uncertain match ground conditions have prompted club president Chuck Rockwell to delay the match.

An alternate date for the match has not yet been established, leaving the start of the Blacksburg season unclear. At present, Blacksburg's next match will most likely be at Roanokeon 20 March, but keep watching Blacksburgrugby.com for updates.