rhino sled

Narberth & Media Big Winners in Rugby PA Raffle

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On Sunday, February 23, 2014, Rugby PA held the drawing for two prizes.  The grand prize, a Rhino Rugby Predator Scrum Sled with pads signed by the New Zealand Maori All Blacks front row players (and a set of extra pads so the signed ones can go in a trophy case) was won by Narberth Rugby Club.  Second prize, a set of 7′s Jerseys from Boathouse Sports, was won by Media Youth Rugby.

According to Narberth coach Andrew McKendrick, “The best part for a relatively small club like ours is going to be the proper scrimmaging the boys can do. We never have enough to do 2 full packs at each age, so looking forward to having ‘tight’ forwards!”

Narberth’s high school team’s coach, Robb DeLuca said “This opens up so many opportunities to properly coach and develop a stronger and more effective forward pack. Historically our club has not had the ability to practice solid scrummaging with an opposing pack and this will be an awesome opportunity.”

Media’s Larry Elias, on hearing the news that his team would receive a new set of jerseys, said “We will certainly put the 7’s jerseys to use at several tournaments this year, and we plan to field a 7’s team for the first time this fall in the Rugby PA 7’s Season.   The new jerseys will help create the buzz we need to grow the competitiveness of our 7’s program.   On behalf of the Media RFC, thank you Boathouse Sports and RugbyPA!”

Proceeds from the raffle were used to offset the cost of some expenses (including the cost of the sled itself) related to the international match between the USA Eagles and the New Zealand Maori All Blacks at PPL Park in Chester, PA last year.

2014 Competition Brackets & Schedules

The Rugby PA Commission has published revisions to the 2014 Spring Competition Schedules.  These changes were necessary to accommodate new teams, remove withdrawn teams and facilitate full 35 minutes halves for quarter-final, semi-final and final state championships matches.

NOTES:

  • Schedules were most recently revised and updated on January 30, 2014
  • Youth Schedules are still being finalized and will be posted.

Direct any questions to Competition@RugbyPA.org.

Please be sure to verify that you are using the latest version of the schedule dated1/30/2014 in the upper right hand corner.

Kiski Valley_South Pittsburgh2014 Schedules:

2014 USA Rugby National Development Summit

USA Rugby Announces Agenda for National Development Summit in Philadelphia February 21-23 at Penn’s Landing

USA Rugby has released the agenda for the National Development Summit taking place at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing from February 21 through February 23.  Separate tracks have been developed for Coaching, Referees, and Administrators as well as a Speciality track that includes seminars on subjects from fitness to wheelchair rugby!  Check out the Agenda below and register at www.usarugby.org/nds! Continue reading →

Upcoming Coach Certification Courses in Pennsylvania

Level 200 Coach Certification Courses

Upcoming Courses in Pennsylvania:

  • January 25, 2014 – Hosted by Cumberland Valley RFC @ Eagleview Middle School, Mechanicsburg, PA - Register Now
  • January 26, 2014 – Hosted by Cumberland Valley RFC @ Eagleview Middle School, Mechanicsburg, PA – Register Now
  • March 1, 2014 – Hosted by Pittsburgh Harlequins @ Founders Field, Pittsburgh, PA - Register Now

Check out USA Rugby’s complete listing of upcoming Level 200 and Level 300 courses.

RugbyPA East and West Sevens Squads Show Well at NYC 7′s

East Drops Cup Final - West Wins Bowl

Congratulations to the players and coaches who represented Pennsylvania as members of the Rugby PA High Performance 7′s program in the 2013 New York 7′s. These 24 players, representing 13 different programs, played impressive rugby against international competition and set a high standard for the program moving forward.2013 RPA Sevens at NYC

The East team, selected from a very strong pool of 25 players who attended the Rugby PA East 7′s Development Camp on November 10 and 17, opened up against Titans M, a club side from Quebec, Canada. The first half saw nervous but athletic play from the boys.  Lead by the efforts of Doug Wilson, Tyler May, and William Reyes, PA East entered the half up 21-0. Following a second half try by Raekwon Caswell, the East closed out their first match 26-5.  In the second match against the home team, New York RFC, the boys showed excellent skill and athleticism, dominating play the entire game on their way to a 26-0 victory. Strong first half play by William Reyes and Manny Soto was supported by great second half effort from Casey Breuer, Alex Galantino, Brendan McCabe, and Okon Hammock. Continue reading →

St. Joe's Prep raises the Rugby Pennsylvania 7's State Championship trophy in the Boys High School division.

St. Joe’s, Doylestown Win Rugby Pennsylvania 7′s State Championships

Doylestown U-15, Doylestown High School Girls, and St. Joe’s Prep High School Boys each became answers to future trivia questions when they won their respective divisions at the inaugural Rugby Pennsylvania 7′s State Championships on November 3, 2013.  The championship tournament was hosted on the pristine playing fields of Cumberland Valley High School in Carlisle, PA. Continue reading →

Public Rosters Now Available

In response to our membership concerns over the confusing process of registering to play rugby, Rugby Pennsylvania has worked hard to design a system that simplifies the process and can be used as a resource for all of its members.

Rugby Pa has brought the last piece of its membership registration system online today with our Public Rosters feature.

Much like the predecessor USA Rugby system, the Public Rosters system at www.rugbypa.org/public-rosters/ is designed to permit coaches, administrators, and referees to view official club rosters including coaches, players, and volunteers.

Remember – Do NOT register (CIPP) at USA Rugby’s website.

All Rugby PA teams, players, coaches, and volunteers should continue registering directly through Rugby PA at: www.rugbypa.org/membership/.

Continue reading →

Registration is Now Open and Much Easier!

One of the most frequent complaints we receive is about how confusing it is to register and “CIPP” players and coaches under the USA Rugby system.

We heard you!  And we spent the off season building a new CIPP registration system that will make it easier for everyone to register and get started playing rugby faster and with all of the same protections provided under the old USA Rugby procedures.

Under the new system, Rugby PA will collect all of the information and fees required and coordinate each CIPP with USA Rugby.  This should eliminate most of the guesswork and give you one less thing to worry about while you plan for a successful rugby season.

You can access the appropriate registration forms under the “Membership“ tab from the Main menu above.

Important Information:

  • Teams should register before any Players, Coaches, or Administrators/Volunteers for that Team.  This will help make sure that your registrations are processed properly by Rugby PA and USA Rugby.
  • There is a significant (2-3 Week) lead time for Coaching registrations.  USA Rugby conducts criminal background checks on coaching applicants every other year.  As a result, some coaching registrations will be processed more quickly, but you should allow 2-3 weeks for USA Rugby to list you as an Active Certified Coach.
  • Public Rosters will be available in late September and will be updated on a weekly basis.  If you have questions about your roster, or need a copy in the meantime, please email membership@rugbypa.org.