Ohio, Indiana elites eye bigger games

Defending national champ Cathedral leads a field of 8 elite Indiana and Ohio teams set to meet in a showcase tournament March 9 at Ohio State.

The cross-state matches are as intended as more than tough non-league games. Organizers are collating roster info and inviting local college coaches to recruit, while also looking to promote the sport to local media outlets.

Though very few universities offer scholarships, rugby can sometimes be an admissions edge, according to coaches and guidance counselors. And while top college programs have figured out that summer camps help them identify attractive candidates, high school teams have done less to fill the pipeline from their end.

The one-day, single-venue competition comprises 16 matches, with both first teams and reserve grades playing twice. Indianapolis' Cathedral, the 2012 USARFU multi-school titlist, has drawn 2011 Ohio state champ Westerville and St. Ignatius, with some 140 players the Buckeye state's largest school team.

2012 state champ Saint Edward and football power and 2010 champion Archbishop Moeller also line up from the Ohio side, while the Hoosiers counter with 5-time national finalist Brownsburg, recent division 1 qualifier Southeastern, and 2012 USARFU 'single school' runnerup Penn.

Three of the four Ohio entrants are now varsity sports. The state is home to 48 boys teams, most clustered around Cleveland and Cincinnati. There are some 1,400 registered high school-age players, according to Rugby Ohio.

On the other side of the border, Indiana Youth Indiana counts 75 teams (boys and girls) with approximately 1,600 registered players, about two-thirds of whom are high school boys.

Indiana

• Brownsburg HS (Brownsburg single school): 5-time national qualifier, 9 consecutive Midwest appearances, 4-time state finalist
• Cathedral (Indianapolis multi school): 2012 national multi-school champion, multiple national appearances, 3-time Midwest multi-school champion, multiple Indiana division 1 championships
• Penn HS ((Mishawaka single school): 2012 national single-school runnerup, 12-time national qualifier in last 14 seasons, 5 Midwest titles in last 8 years, multiple Indiana division 1 championships
• Southeastern (Indianapolis multi school): 2008 Indiana division 2 state champ, now in division 1

Ohio

• Archbishop Moeller HS (Cincinnati varsity team): 2010 Ohio state champion
• Saint Edward HS (Lakewood varsity team): 2012 Midwest champion and 2012 Ohio state champion
• Saint Ignatius HS (Cleveland varsity team): 7-time Ohio state semifinalist
• Westerville (Columbus multi school): 9-time Midwest multischool champion, 14-time Ohio state champion, most recently 2011

Comments

[College]

Why does the amount of the new sponsorship or any other sponsorship for that matter have to be a secret?? Does anyone know how much the Crispin deal is worth?

[Pants]

If the sponsor wants the amount to remain confidential, it will remain so. Besides, it's bad business to reveal sponsorship dollars. Just because you want to know does not mean you are entitled to know.

[Realist]

The reason no details are given is because it is most likely primarily an "in-kind" sponsorship deal. Meaning Crispin is paying (full or partial) of the sponsorship fee in goods or services rather than cash for the access rights to the exploitable association with that property. Basically, USA Rugby will get a lot of free cider, branded swag, cider girls at events with posters and banners and an appearance of higher sponsorship value for future sponsors. What USA Rugb will not get is a fat check to pay for their costs, or a broadcast sponsor that would pay for the production and broadcast fees to help promote the game via the most powerful media in the world, television. I would much rather have seen a press release that said, "USA Rugby is proud to announce our newest sponsor Crespin Cider and the partnership with ESPN that will see the USA Rugby Men's Club Championship broadcast on ESPN2 live from Infinity Park in Glendale CO with the semi-finals streamed live on ESPN.com from locations TBD." This would mean Crispin would be paying for the production of these events. That's a sports sponsorship deal. Not free cider and cider babes at the club championship.

[failures]

USAR has no choice but to inflate every little bit of good news because, there is so little of it. Chair Kevin Roberts, Vice Chair Bob Latham, CEO Nigel Melville have been long-term underwhelming in sponsorship origination. Got lucky through a rugby parent on the National Guard, but couldn't perform and lost the agreement. Not much more to even critique. Emirate Airlines is a small sponsor for every rugby union in the world, through their IRB sponsorship. This leaves an off and on kit deal trade agreement.

These big shots have failed with TV and sponsorships as with most other business aspects. They accept grants from the IRB and tax the hell out of the membership by way of dues.

[One forward, two back]

So Cal beats Stanford 176-0!
Could be some kind of new record for a highest score?
Fantastic achievement JC - bet your boys are real proud?
Wonder if Stanford will play you next year?

[What's even the point of a game like this?]

I read that as USC, which would have been kind of unbelievable.

I wonder what would be the theoretical maximum points that could be scored in a game...like if the All Blacks took on some D3 club and kept the pedal down the whole time. Is 80 minutes long enough to reach 200?

[What's the point]

Actually the All Blacks beat Japan by the score of 145-17. Not some D3 club team, but a national team.

Japan didn't finch beating Chinese Taipei 155-3.

Hong Kong beat Singapore 164-13. Zimbabwe beat Botswana 130-10. Korea over Chinese Taipei 119-7.

In the South America championships Argentina beat Paraguay and Venezuela 152-0 and 147-7.

Australia beat Namibia 142-0.

South Africa beat Uruguay 134-3.

England beat Romania 134-0.

Japan, Namibia, Uruguay and Romania are not only not D3 club sides they are all teams which have qualified for the RWC.

[keeping score]

Who is keeping track of D1A vs D1AA and D1AA vs D2 teams? It seems D1AA teams are using up the D1A teams.

http://www.rugbymag.com/college-premier-league-/6886-arizona-knocks-off-san-diego-state.html

[D2]

It is too early to tell but the D1A D1AA thing seems smoke and mirrors.

RugbyMag is making a case for D1A in their reporting which is odd. "Central (CWU) beats D1A Santa Clara", really? Now RM is a homer for Central but pumping them for a win over Santa Clara, who is no better than a solid D2 team.

D1A clash winner Cal Poly over UCSB. Sorry but UCSB were horrible last year, the year before and look worse this year. UCSB is a D2 team. They get no A's next to their division unless USA Rugby creates D1-AAAA.

There are going to be some good D1A teams (4-6 teams), but check out how many D1A are just horrible. Looking at the D1A conferences, most are not even a strong D2 teams, but yet making up the numbers in D1A.

How and why did this happen. Why is there a watered down D1A division with so many poor teams in D1A. Don't say its the Varsity Cup, who cares what those 8 teams do. Why didn't USAR create some quality in their top division? Less teams, but good teams. All USAR has done is make fools of themselves and college rugby.

[Johnson]

IMHO,
D1A is going to be schools that have varsity status/school backing and those that don't mind getting trashed by teams with varsity status/school backing.
D1AA will be club status teams or those sent to the naughty step for not wanting to play according USA Rugby's dictat! D1AA will probably just go away or morph into D2.
The Varsity Cup, if a success, is really going to throw a wrench into the works.

[D2]

Johnson- what about the Military Academies? They are club teams who are good and want to play high level rugby?

What about schools like Arizona and San Diego St which just played? They are club teams with a varsity mindset.

Are you saying D1A will be Davenport, Lindenwood and Life type schools and everyone else is in a lower div?

[D2]

The worse thing that could happen is the current teams in D1A remain. The majority are historical underachievers at D1A or D2 teams.

I don't really care what happens to the D1AA division because other than about 12 teams D1AA is D2.

The problem is more than half of D1A is D2.

I get the CPD failed. I get 8 teams left for the VC. But why did USAR so fu*k up what was left of the best teams and create a horrible D1A competition?

[yep]

"1AA will be those sent to the naughty step for not wanting to play according USA Rugby's dictat!"

[Griffin Guy]

In So Cal there is no longer a D2. Only So Cal teams in D1-A, a super weak D1-AA and a D3.

Having a D1-A and D1-AA is a joke. Just call it D1, D2 and D3.

[2009 Rumor]

The cold weather teams and conferences may force the issue within a year or two. They want a split season with 15's in the fall and 7's in the spring. If they don't get it - say bye bye to USAR collegiate comps and possibly a very large chunk of USAR Cipp dues. There will need to be a lot of cider drunk to replace that lot!

[please make the rumor true]

Rumor,
Gez I hope what you are saying is true. What has always upheld USAR's authority is the national championship and now with many of the best teams not even playing in the USAR national championship, the Boulder authority to decide things and TAX college rugby is ending.

So if colleges want to play XV in the fall go for it. With a Varsity Cup concept that will likely expand in the spring for XV's and more schools doing their own thing in the fall we can rid ourselves of USAR's stronghold. This thing needs to breakup before teams will finally ask "what am I paying dues for?"

Just a reminder: football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, swimming, track&field, volleyball...etc. DO NOT CHARGE COLLEGE STUDENTS DUES FOR THE RIGHT TO PLAY SPORT. This practice is somewhat unique to USA Rugby.

USA Rugby is a morally corrupt entity which would die on the vine if not for dues from college and high school kids. Kids subsidize the adult game and pay for salaries of adults. Adults have rugby insurance because kids (many of which all ready have insurance) are required to purchase it from USAR.

The sooner more teams create their own plans the sooner this extortion shakedown ends.

There was a time when the threat of teams leaving USAR competitions was seen as a problem. Now every team that does leave is part of the answer not the problem.

[Fall champs]

The teams that are pushing hardest for XV's in the Fall are among the poorest teams. It doesn't really matter does it? Army is always pushing for Fall XV's, but talk about an underachieving team! The Big-10 played Fall XV's, but please, there isn't a good team in the bunch.

So if there was a split it wouldn't be about the competition being weakened, it would be more about USAr and dues. If USAr wanted to endorse the Fall XV's it would divide the union almost between the good teams and the not so good, with the USAr side having as a product the no so good.

[College]

All Blacks vs a d3 team would break 500 easy. Simply calculate how many times an All Black can sprint 60 meters in 70 minutes and you have your answer. (10 minutes for points after and the d3 team getting back to the 50 to kick off.

Stanford has Matt Sherman and all the money/facilities they would ever need. So the only explanation for such a ridiculous scoreline is a shocking lack of athletic talent. what a shame. Being involved with that team must be a soul sucking endeavor. You have zero chance of ever competing with Cal yet there is the expectation to do so and every year you serve yourself up on a silver platter for an epic bear mauling.

[NorCal]

I was there. It was the official reopening of Witter Rugby Field. The field looks great. Attendance was down, maybe 1500-1750. There was a huge HS tourney in Sac, Kick Off Tournament. Cals get a lot of their fans from youth teams, parents and coaches. JC was quoted in the SF Chron as saying he thought the team was damaged in not having home matches for two plus years and that they would need to work hard to regain their fans base. Maybe this is true, because I've seen 3k at a match like this in the past.

As for the match, wow, a complete mismatch. Cal started substituting player 20 mins in. They had all 2nd teamers in early on. Stanford just couldn't tackle. The ref should had blown up the game early, but the scoreboards have time counting down and it would have been obvious.

To Cal's credit they didn't publish the score in their website story.

[Haystacks Calhoun]

Cal's credit ? Sorry but JC comments in the SF Chronicle show what a douche bag he is. The Cal player saying he couldnt score that many points on a video game were classy too. Cal may have won the game but they hurt themselves in the long run. JC in running his trap in the paper shows just who he is. The University should dump him.

[Character doesn't matter. Wins matter.]

I don't think that douchebaggery and class are things that comes up when a college coach gets a performance review from the athletic department.

#nicksaban #johncalipari #rickpitino #lanekiffin #rickmajerus #adinfinitum #briankelly #justwinbaby

[Haystacks Calhoun]

True but those unclassy coaches get away with it because they make millions for the school.

[Cal Clown]

JC is an ego maniac that is only now after nearly 3 decades feeling the heat as new varsity programs are popping up. He is a failure for the first time (the last 3 years 7s campaign for Cal has been abysmal), and he feels the heat from Life, Davenport and other pure varsity programs. JC is going to be exposed over the next 10 years. For Christ sake he has been crushing volunteer based club teams for over 2 decades. What a joke!

[LOL]

Here's the story below, not too bad really.

Life is pretty good maybe they will beat Cal one day, its just hasn't happen yet. Not in XV's or 7's. Cal beat Life in 2011 in the CPD quarters and in the 2012 CRC 7's. Cal must be really frighten of Davenport and "feeling the heat" :-)

As for the "last 3 years 7s campaign for Cal has been abysmal". I guess one man's abysmal is another's success. Cal 39-11 .780 in 7's over the last three years per their website pasted below. As you say "what a joke".

http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-rugby/cal-m-rugby-body.html

[Cal Clown]

That .780 on a plaque would look nice next to those CRC and USA Rugby 7s National Championship trophies...oh...nevermind.

[Not up to it]

Sounds like Stanford were the ones in clown's clothing on Saturday.

176-0 is just embarrassing.

[What's the point?]

It's just a joke that this was played at all. I get that there is a rivalry between the two universities, but there is exactly no one who benefits from this. It's a waste of time for the Cal players, a waste of time for the Stanford players, a waste of time for anyone who came to watch, and a waste of valuable resources consumed in putting it on. This should be the last Stanford-Cal match for a VERY long time.

[Rocky Mountain High]

If they are in same conference they will play again.