Six Wake Ruggers Selected to NCRU All-Star Team

Six Wake Forest players were selected to the North Carolina Men's Collegiate All-Star team which will participate in the South Collegiate All-Star tournament this weekend in Columbus, GA. Leading the way was senior flyhalf Tyler Eure, who makes the team for the third consecutive year. Junior Timo Kawira (wing), sophomores Michael Duffy (hooker), Christian Jewett (lock), Steve McMillen (wing), and freshman Matt Storck (loose forward) all made the team for the first time. Additionally, Wake sophomores Ross Hilton (lock) and Kenton Forte (prop) were invited to and participated in the selection camps but did not make the travel squad.

The NCRU faces off against the Georgia Rugby Union at 10:45am on Saturday morning. The winner of this match faces the winner of Mid-South v. Palmetto in the tournament championship at 2:30pm, while the loser plays a consolation match against the Deep South at 4pm.

Spring Matrix Schedule Released

Wake Forest's Spring Matrix Schedule was released last week. This will be Wake's first official foray into Division II.

2/2: @ UNC-Wilmington
2/9: Appalachian State
2/16: East Carolina
2/23: @ North Carolina State

3/22: USARS D2 Quarterfinals
3/29-30: USARS D2 Final Four

Additionally, Wake will be playing a non-league warmup match on 1/26 and plans are in the works for Wake to host a small rugby tournament the weekend of March 1-2 with a four team high school division and a four team college division. Stay tuned for more info on these matches...

Wake Forest Rugby Invitational Cancelled

After 4 months without a drop of rain, the deluge of the past two days has forced the cancellation of the Wake Forest Rugby Invitational in Charlotte, NC. What would have been a fantastic display of collegiate rugby will have to wait until another, drier, day. Apologies to all who were looking forward to participating in or watching this event. Hopefully we can arrange a similar event in the not-too-distant future.

ASU replaces NCSU in Wake Forest Rugby Invitational

North Carolina State graciously informed us earlier this week that they would not be able to participate in the tournament in Charlotte this weekend. Luckily, Appalachian State was anxious to jump in and fill the void. The new schedule for the weekend is now:

9am: ASU A v. WFU A
10:30am: ECU A v. UNC A
12pm: ASU B v. WFU B
1:30pm: ECU B v. UNC B
3:00pm: Loser Game #1 v. Loser Game #2
4:30pm: Winner Game #1 v. Winner Game #2

Directions to the Skillbeck Athletic Grounds in Charlotte can be found at http://www.charlotterugby.com/directions.php.

Wake Rugby Family Get Together Scheduled for 10/26

Wake Rugby's 2nd annual Family Weekend "meet and greet" will take place on Friday, Oct. 26 beginning at 4:30pm at 1121 Barclay Terrace. This event was the brainchild of last year's club president Greg Wagner and is an opportunity for the players' families to mingle and meet the other players, parents, and coaching staff before heading out to dinner on Friday night. Drinks and light food will be provided. We hope all families can stop by for at least a bit. Any questions should be directed to Head Coach Barry Horewitch at horebg6@wfu.edu or Director of Rugby Patrick Kane at pmkane78@aol.com or 336.671.4600.

Wake Forest Ruggers to Coach NCRU U-23 Women's Select Side

Wake Forest senior Andrew Jessiman and junior Matt Gottbrecht have been selected to coach the NCRU U-23 Women's Select Side which will compete in the South U-23 Women's LAU tournament on Nov. 3 in Columbus, GA. Andrew and Matt have both been sidelined for the past year with serious injuries and have served as defacto assistant coaches to the Wake Forest team during that time period. Both have high level rugby experience- Andrew was a member of the NCRU Men's College All-Stars in 2006 and has played with the San Jose Seahawks, a Division I Men's Club in San Jose, CA. Matt played on the NCRU Men's College All-Stars in 2205 and was invited to the All-South selection camp in 2006. Matt also represented North Carolina in the U-19 Challenge Cup in Baltimore, MD in 2006. Matt and Andrew have thrown themselves headlong into their coaching responsibilities and are expecting great success at the LAU Tournament on Nov. 3.

IMPORTANT SCHEDULE CHANGE

Despite the NCRU's best efforts and some incredibly generous work put in by George Daniel, a former Wake rugger, the NCRU was forced to cancel its annual tournament scheduled for Oct. 27-28 due to lack of field availability. Wake Forest, in conjunction with the Charlotte Rugby Club, will now be hosting an unofficial tournament on Oct. 27 with the top 4 men's collegiate finishers from last year's NCRU tournament. The tournament will take place at the Skillbeck Athletic Grounds in Charlotte, NC. The schedule for the day will be as follows:

9am: #1 NCSU A v. #4 WFU A
10:30am: #2 ECU A v. #3 UNC A
12pm: NCSU B v. WFU B
1:30pm: ECU B v. UNC B
3:00pm: Loser Game #1 v. Loser Game #2
4:30pm: Winner Game #1 v. Winner Game #2

While the cancellation of the NCRU tournament is extremely disappointing, this should be a great substitute day of rugby for all involved. Work is already being done to ensure that the NCRU tournament returns next year better than ever.

Wake defeats Furman 24-14, falls to Lander 15-12

Wake Forest's first side defeated Furman, last year's D3 national runner-up, 24-14 in a match consisting of three 25 minute periods. Furman lost much of its team from last year due to graduation, but returned a solid core of players and has had good results so far this fall. In the first 25 minute period Wake had the better of possession and territory, but reminiscent of the match against ECU, could not string together much in the way of phase play. This was partially due to Furman's tremendous counter rucking, which made freshman scrumhalf Dante Merlino's job extremely difficult and prevented Wake from recycling the ball cleanly. Wake also was not helped by yet another shift in player personnel as sophomore flanker Trent Justice was forced to move into the backline in the #12 jersey as Wake's first, second, and third choice inside centers were out with injury. The first period ended with the scoreline knotted at 3, with Wake's points coming courtesy of flyhalf Tyler Eure's 48 meter penalty goal.

Furman had the run of play in the second period and added 8 points to its tally with another penalty goal and an unconverted try, while Wake was shut out for the second 25 minutes. Wake had all sorts of trouble maintaining possession at the breakdown, as Furman continued its excellent counter rucking. At the end of 50 minutes, Furman led 11-3. The second period was marred by a yellow card to the Furman blind-side flanker for foul play in a ruck and a shocking incident in which the Furman scrumhalf, upset with what he thought was a late tackle, blatantly kicked a Wake player in the groin while the referee had turned his back to follow the ball.

The third period belonged completely to Wake Forest, as Furman made some substitutions and brought in some newer players. Wake also subbed in a number of new players, but all of them had had first side experience at some point this year. The result was Wake running in three converted tries, while Furman could muster only a penalty. Wake tries were scored by sophomore wing Perry Salvagne, freshman prop Matt Storck, and freshman scrumhalf Dante Merlino. All three tries were the result of fantastic support and offloading in contact, a hallmark of Wake's play that was sorely missing in the first two periods. The final score was 24-14.

In the second match of the day, Wake's reserves took on D3 Lander University's first side in a match consisting to two 25 minute halves. Lander capitalized on a number of its opportunities in the first half, scoring three unconverted tries, while Wake was blanked on the scoreboard. The second half was a different story, however, as Wake completely dominated play. Unfortunately, Wake could only manage to convert its posession and pressure into two tries and one conversion and trailed 15-12 at the final whistle.

In all it was another good day of rugby as the young Wake team continues to grow. Of the 30 players who took the field for Wake today, 3 were seniors, 2 were juniors, and the rest were freshmen and sophomores.

Wake is off next week as the University is on fall break.

Update on Dave Hines

Dave had extensive surgery yesterday to remove a large brain tumor. The surgery appears to have gone about as well as could have been hoped for and Dave's prognosis at this point appears much brighter than it was just a few days ago. Please continue to keep Dave in your thoughts and prayers as he begins his recovery. I know that he appreciates the support he has received from the Wake rugby family during this incredibly tough time.

Pat

WAKE RUGGER NEEDS YOUR PRAYERS

Wake Rugby Family:

We just received word that David Hines, class of '07, is currently in a Philadelphia hospital awaiting emergency surgery tomorrow for a life-threatening condition. Please keep David and his family in your thoughts and prayers. I will distribute further information as it becomes available.

Patrick Kane
pmkane78@aol.com

Wake Forest defeats Georgia Tech 40-6.

Georgia Tech, a 2007 South Division II Quarterfinalist, travelled to Winston-Salem on Saturday and were dealt a 40-6 defeat by Wake Forest. Georgia Tech was somewhat understrength as some of their first siders were unavailable, and they could not keep pace with Wake's blisteringly fast backline. Freshman fullback Drew Chadwick, who missed the last two games due to injury, notched his second hat trick of the season, while sophomore wings Perry Salvagne and Steve McMillen also touched down. Junior flanker Timo Kawira started the day's scoring with a nicely worked try off of a rolling maul. Senior captain and flyhalf Tyler Eure was solid with the boot, converting 5 of the 6 tries.

Georgia Tech did not travel with a B-side, so Wake's second siders had the weekend off. Both the first and second sides will be in action next weekend in Greenville, SC, where they will play a round robin with Furman and Lander. Wake's extremely young team (6 freshmen and 7 sophomores started against GT) is starting to gel and is proving that Wake will be competitive in Division II.