WOW! The Tide is IN and the ships are all at the same height, or very nearly there!
IF you don't know what I am talking about, a rugby coach and administrator I admire greatly is fond of stating, "A rising tide raises all ships." Meaning, that if a team (or group of teams) gradually raise the standard of rugby across the board by playing teams that are better, their play will get better. Men's and Women's Collegiate Rugby in America experienced a high tide today!
In the Women's pools, Norwich made the most of their possession. Running in and out and through opposition defenses seemingly at will. Cal proved a tough, tough defense to crack as none of the opponents in their pool found the Bear's in-goal. Although Cal's offense was not as prolific as expected, the tries they did put together were all team tries resulting from persistent support and consistent communication. Navy is fit, fast, and ready to break some hearts. The middies had a game plan. They played the game plan and played it VERY well.
Although they lost to Norwich, I was impressed with Ohio State (or the "Ladybugs" as they called each other). There's some real speed there and they played well against Sam Houston and surprised Stanford early. They may not be a force this year, but they can be in years to come.
I batted .500 on my women's pool predictions. So I'll try to make up for it now. Cup Final will be Norwich and Navy with the Cadets winning a close one that looks lop-sided due to late tries. Princeton wins the Plate, Oregon State - the Bowl, & Texas Tech - the Shield
The men held some surprises in store today. Life, Arkansas State, Navy, & Central Washington did very well, as was too be expected. Kutztown played well too and moved ahead to the Cup QFs after finishing pool play behind Central Washington because they put up so many points earlier in the day (for a point differential of 59). Delaware & St. Mary's were not dominant in their pools. Delaware won their pool by point differential (27 points) after a 3-way 2-1 tie between themselves, San Diego State & Lindewood (Yes, Davenport went 0-3 in pool play and I'm thinking they're the faves for the Shield tomorrow). St Mary's went 3-0 in Pool E, but they had to come from behind to beat Texas A&M. The hosts (A&M) moved to the Cup QFs because their point differential of 50 was 10 more than the PD of the Pool B 2nd place team, Cal.
Make no doubt about it, Cal was good today. The Cal-ArkSt match was - hands down - the best rugby of the day. With the exception of three scores, this fast-paced, hard-hitting affair was played between the 22s. It will be a tough task to best Cal for the Bowl.
In my men's pools predictions, I went 4 of 6 - my predictions regarding Navy & Delaware were way off. For tomorrow, I'll predict that we see Life & Arkansas State in the Cup Final. At that point, it's a toss-up as to who wins. Texas A&M to take the Plate, Cal - the Bowl, & Davenport - the Shield.
If I were you, I'd tune in at 9:20am to USA Rugby's feed or This Is American Rugby's feed. Texas A&M has it in them to be the spoiler. Either way, you will NOT want to miss the Men's Cup QFs.
IF you don't know what I am talking about, a rugby coach and administrator I admire greatly is fond of stating, "A rising tide raises all ships." Meaning, that if a team (or group of teams) gradually raise the standard of rugby across the board by playing teams that are better, their play will get better. Men's and Women's Collegiate Rugby in America experienced a high tide today!
In the Women's pools, Norwich made the most of their possession. Running in and out and through opposition defenses seemingly at will. Cal proved a tough, tough defense to crack as none of the opponents in their pool found the Bear's in-goal. Although Cal's offense was not as prolific as expected, the tries they did put together were all team tries resulting from persistent support and consistent communication. Navy is fit, fast, and ready to break some hearts. The middies had a game plan. They played the game plan and played it VERY well.
Although they lost to Norwich, I was impressed with Ohio State (or the "Ladybugs" as they called each other). There's some real speed there and they played well against Sam Houston and surprised Stanford early. They may not be a force this year, but they can be in years to come.
I batted .500 on my women's pool predictions. So I'll try to make up for it now. Cup Final will be Norwich and Navy with the Cadets winning a close one that looks lop-sided due to late tries. Princeton wins the Plate, Oregon State - the Bowl, & Texas Tech - the Shield
The men held some surprises in store today. Life, Arkansas State, Navy, & Central Washington did very well, as was too be expected. Kutztown played well too and moved ahead to the Cup QFs after finishing pool play behind Central Washington because they put up so many points earlier in the day (for a point differential of 59). Delaware & St. Mary's were not dominant in their pools. Delaware won their pool by point differential (27 points) after a 3-way 2-1 tie between themselves, San Diego State & Lindewood (Yes, Davenport went 0-3 in pool play and I'm thinking they're the faves for the Shield tomorrow). St Mary's went 3-0 in Pool E, but they had to come from behind to beat Texas A&M. The hosts (A&M) moved to the Cup QFs because their point differential of 50 was 10 more than the PD of the Pool B 2nd place team, Cal.
Make no doubt about it, Cal was good today. The Cal-ArkSt match was - hands down - the best rugby of the day. With the exception of three scores, this fast-paced, hard-hitting affair was played between the 22s. It will be a tough task to best Cal for the Bowl.
In my men's pools predictions, I went 4 of 6 - my predictions regarding Navy & Delaware were way off. For tomorrow, I'll predict that we see Life & Arkansas State in the Cup Final. At that point, it's a toss-up as to who wins. Texas A&M to take the Plate, Cal - the Bowl, & Davenport - the Shield.
If I were you, I'd tune in at 9:20am to USA Rugby's feed or This Is American Rugby's feed. Texas A&M has it in them to be the spoiler. Either way, you will NOT want to miss the Men's Cup QFs.