New Carolinas Rugby League Takes the Pitch for Its Inaugural Season

January 18, 2010 (Raleigh, NC) -- The new Carolinas Rugby League for men’s collegiate rugby teams from colleges and universities in North Carolina and South Carolina kicks off its season on January 23^rd 2010. Wake Forest will play South Carolina in Columbia, NC State will take on North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and East Carolina will travel to Clemson. Appalachian State has a bye on the first weekend. This is the inaugural season for the league.

“It was time for a shake-up in collegiate competition in the Carolinas. This league structure will bring together some fierce rivals that will evoke a lot of local interest,” said Carolinas Rugby League Commissioner Andy Richards. 

The cost and time to travel thousands of miles to play other teams was hurting both the financials and player numbers for many of the rugby clubs. Most of the Division One teams were not competitive, so a group of concerned coaches and club directors saw a local league as a way to improve the situation.

            Student-athletes, coaches and club administrators eagerly anticipate the prospect of the league. “The league’s structure will foster healthy rivalry and competitive sportsmanship between teams known for playing at the top level of collegiate rugby”, said junior year student and player at UNC Alex Lee. South Carolina’s Head Coach Geoff Mason said, “The geographic proximity of the league will continue traditional rivalries and also create some new ones. USC – Clemson, UNC – NC State, are already fierce now and playing each other every year with national championship qualification potentially at stake will really ramp up the competition.

Rugby’s increased visibility with the general public was one of the driving forces behind the formation of the league. Appalachian State Club President Ben Llewellyn hopes this type of league will generate new interest and respect for rugby at the local level.

Director of Rugby at Wake Forest Pat Kane adds: “With rugby now the newest Olympic sport, awareness of the game is going to increase dramatically over the next few years. The Carolinas Rugby League, which features well-recognized universities and collegiate rivalries, will serve as yet another step towards bringing rugby into the mainstream of American Athletics. Wake Forest is proud to be part of the league and looks forward to an exciting season of competition.”

You can find out more information about the Carolinas Rugby League at:

http://www.carolinasrugby.com/index.htm

 Fall 2009 - The Clemson Rugby Foundation announces it has established scholarships to support the Clemson University Rugby Football Club (CURFC). The ‘Clemson Rugby Foundation Team Scholar Award’ will be presented for the first time this fall. The ability to provide scholarships for Clemson Rugby team members is a goal that the foundation is pleased to have reached.

 Five individuals were considered for the scholarship based upon contributions to the team, academics, activities, community support and service to the university. There will be two recipients of the ‘Clemson Rugby Foundation Team Scholar Award’. The fall 2009 recipients are Nolton O’Neal a senior from Hopkins, S.C. studying Forest Resource Management and Ethan Picone a sophomore from Danvers, M.A. studying History and Japanese. Ethan came to Clemson with prior rugby experience playing for St. John's Prep, while Nolton has become an integral member of the club with no prior experience. The foundation would like to pass on its congratulations to both students and gratitude to the foundation members/supporters who made the scholarships possible.

 "We are thrilled that Nolton and Ethan were honored with the inaugural Clemson Rugby scholarships. Nolton and Ethan exemplify the successful student athlete on and off the field and have demonstrated the work ethic and determination that which every Clemson Rugby member should aspire” said Head Coach Wright Henry.  “It is our hope that these scholarships will inspire both current and future players to reach their full potential on the pitch and in the classroom."

 While the Foundation continues to strive to reach additional short-term goals there is a clear focus on long-term support. The Foundation will be awarding an additional two $500.00 awards for new members joining the club this fall. The awards will be presented in the spring of 2010 to the new members that show the best potential, promise, and represent the best of Clemson Rugby in all aspects.

 The Clemson Rugby Foundation was established in 2007 as non-profit organization. The mission of the Clemson Rugby Foundation is to guide and assist the student members of the CURFC in any endeavors or goals related to rugby, that the team and the Foundation choose to pursue. The endeavors will be constructive and contribute to the positive image of the sport of rugby or to the CURFC’s status as a student organization at Clemson. To support and/or join the Foundation please visit http://www.clemsonrugby/crf

Press Contact:

James C. Baxter

Clemson Rugby Foundation

Jcbaxter1975@yahoo.com

864-650-0403

New Players: The first practice for rookies will be Tuesday 8/25 @ 5pm on the rugby field. The rugby field is located on the club sports fields between Hwy. 93 and the baseball stadium.

Practice during the Fall season will be on Tuesday and Thursday from 5-7pm on the rugby field (see above for location). Interested players are encouraged to come to practice and meet the players and coaches. 

Questions? Email President, Appie Wells at applinw@clemson.edu or Captain, Tyler Mattler at tmattle@clemson.edu 

The South Collegiate All-Stars dominated Tier B of the National All-Star Championships last week in Glendale, CO.  The South, made up of the best college players from all over the South territory, were led by former Clemson assistant coach Vince Atkinson, current Clemson backs coach Nigel Platt, and current Clemson head coach Wright Henry.  Atkinson took the helm as the South head coach, while Platt and Henry filled in as backs and forwards coach respectively. 

The South competed in Tier B that included the Northeast All-Stars, Combined Service All-Stars and the Midwest All-Stars.  The South took on the Northeast in the first match emerging victorious with a score of 58-22, while the Midwest dispatched of the Combined Services easily, setting up the championship match between the South and Midwest.  The South dominated from the start, jumping out to a 26-0 lead before the Midwest was able to score just before the half.  The South All-Stars completed their impressive victory over the Midwest by adding on 21 more unanswered points to bring the final to 47-5.  The South vs Midwest game can be viewed at http://www.rugbyzone.com/video/infinity-park.

Perhaps even more impressive than the two victories, is the number of All-Americans selected from the South team.  In total, the South added 10 players to the rank of All-American, including 7 full and 3 honorable mentions. 

Coaches Henry, Platt and Atkinson will remain the South coaching staff and will guide the South All-Stars next year as they enter Tier A and compete against the Southern California All-Stars, West All-Stars, and the Pacific Coast All-Stars.