Chaparral Rugby

More pictures from the state qualifiers

2009-05-09T06:24:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Colorado Rugby Examiner for the pictures.

Photo's of the weekends games

2009-05-06T01:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Colorado Rugby Examiner for these photos

Through to the Semi Finals

2009-05-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

Great weekend of rugby for Chaparral. A steady win for the A-side 42-0 against PAC and then a tightly contested quarterfinal game against SWARM which ended in a 19-19 tie with Chap going through based on scoring more try's.

The B-side had three close games with other teams and gained more valuable experience.

Semi-final will be played at Dicks at noon on Saturday against Aurora. Please encourage everyone you know to come along and support the team.

USA U20's video on demand

2009-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Watch the US U20's play the Cayman Islands online.

http://www.irb.com/jwrt/video/index.html

Win against Boulder

2009-04-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

A hard fought win in our final home game 65-14 against an undermanned Boulder team who never gave up. Next game is away at Aspen on Saturday, then on to the playoffs.

Win against Mountain Vista/Thunderidge/Highlands Ranch

2009-04-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Comfortable 42-14 win against MVTHR. Lots of players got to play and experience a varsity game in our final home league game. One more league game left against Aspen and then the playoffs.

How Rugby Makes Better Football Players

2009-04-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

Alex Goff
Freelance Writer

Your High School season is over. Your players are already making plans to play other sports during the winter and spring. What should they play?

In the spring, especially, football coaches find themselves at odds with their players' choices. But what if your players could play a sport that not only keeps them in shape for football, but actually makes them become better football players? The sport is out there, its called rugby, and strangely enough some football coaches won't let their athletes play the game.

High-school age rugby is played throughout the USA, culminating in a national championship in late May. The game itself is an ancestor of football, and is similar to a no-huddle, wishbone gridiron game with all two-way players. Forward passing is not allowed, so the ball must be advanced by hard running and intricate lateral passing. After a tackle, play continues as teams form essentially a compacted line of scrimmage and try to drive each other off the ball. Players and football coaches who have been involved in both sports agree that playing rugby can make for better football players, and more dedicated athletes.

"The improvement in fitness, hand-eye coordination, and tackling technique after a season of rugby is phenomenal," said Mark bullock, who served as head football coach and head rugby coach for Kentwood High School in Kent, Washington before becoming the USA Under-19 rugby coach. "I always recommended that my football players play rugby if they weren't playing a spring sport."

Everyone Plays the Ball

In rugby, every type of player handles the ball at least a few times. Every player is expected to be able to pass and catch, tackle and break tackles.

You'll have players tackling and trying to break tackles which is great for contact skills in the off-season," said Dave Hodges, former pro football player and currently the captain of the U.S. national rugby team. "They will be working on fitness and should continue with their strength and explosive exercises. They will be handling the ball, which will benefit hand-eye coordination. If they want a sport that complements football, rugby is much closer than the other sports played in high school."

"The ball handling skills are almost unmatched in American sport," explained Tom Billups, who was starting offensive linemen for Augusta College during the school's 49-0-1 stretch in the 1990s. Billups later took up rugby and played professionally in Europe, and for the USA, a record 44 times. A physical trainer by profession, he is currently the USA Rugby strength and conditioning coach. The development of the sense of space, timing and teamwork are even greater than those in basketball. The total number of sets of hands that are involved in a well worked try [touchdown] is much greater than any in basketball."

Narrow loss in Colorado Spring

2009-04-13T20:50:00.000-07:00

Narrow loss on Wednesday 20-14 to a well drilled Colorado Springs team. Everyone is hoping for a rematch in the state championship.

Douglas County Game

2009-04-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

It was COOOOOOOOOOOOLD. Nice 34-0 win in terrible conditions. Coach Wolf was quoted as saying "it is character building for our young men" and wanted to play "skins" in the second half.

For a complete match write up see Colorado Rugby Examiner

Spring Fling

2009-03-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Chaparral competed in a very well organized Spring Fling in North Denver over the weekend. The A side won both their games with a convincing win over an improving Littleton side and then a solid second half performance to pull away from a Tigers team to win 39-12.
The B-Side played well and gained a lot of valuable experience losing two close games to East B side and Ridgeview A side.

Colorado Rugby Examiner

2009-03-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Chaparral mentioned in the Colorado Rugby Examiner including some pictures of our 27-7 win over Regis.
LINK

DICK’S SPORTING GOODS PARK TO HOST STADIUM’S FIRST-EVER RUGBY EVENT ON APRIL 4

2009-03-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

Denver Barbarians to Headline Rugby Tripleheader Including Rugby Super League, College and High School Teams

COMMERCE CITY, COLO. (Friday, February 6, 2009) – Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the Denver Barbarians announced today that the stadium will host its first-ever rugby event on Saturday, April 4, 2009, with a full day of matches set to take place.

The tripleheader event will culminate with the Barbarians taking on the Chicago Lions in a Rugby Super League match, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. The Barbarians-Lions game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park will mark the largest venue any RSL match has ever been played in.

The other two matches on the day feature different levels of the sport as well, with two of the top high school programs in Colorado, Denver East and Chaparral High Schools, starting the action at 12:30 p.m.

The next game will have the University of Colorado Rugby Club facing the Denver Barbarians Division II side at 2 p.m.

General admission tickets (good for all three matches) go on sale Saturday, February 7 at 10 a.m. and are priced at $10. Tickets are available at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Box Office from Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., via phone by calling 1-866-461-6556, at the kiosks inside all Colorado Dick’s Sporting Goods locations, or online at TicketHorse.com.

The Barbarians and the Lions, both charter members of the Rugby Super League founded in 1996, were semi-finalists in the 2008 RSL championships. The Barbarians have been U.S. National Club Champions on two occasions and were established in 1967. The Lions, founded in 1964, won the last outing between the clubs in overtime in the 2006 RSL Quarter-finals in Chicago.

About Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park comprises the 18,086-seat home stadium of the Colorado Rapids and its surrounding 24-field, fully lit professional soccer complex. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is considered the biggest and most state-of-the-art professional stadium and field complex in the world, and is located nine miles northeast of downtown Denver and only fifteen miles from Denver International Airport, just north of the intersection of I-70 and Quebec Street. Stadium amenities include a total of 20 loge-style luxury suites, a unique open concourse design that allows 360-degree sightlines to the field, and a world-class grass field with an underground heating and draining system. The stadium also features cutting edge technology, featuring the largest video scoreboard and the most LED boards for a stadium its size anywhere, as well as the only fully integrated digital signboard system in the world. The stadium opened its doors for the first time to the public on April 7, 2007 when it hosted Major League Soccer’s season opener as the Colorado Rapids defeated DC United 2-1.

About the Denver Barbarians Rugby Club
The Denver Barbarians Rugby Club was founded in 1967. “The Barbos” have supplied many players to all levels of select side play including the Eagles, the United States National Rugby Team. In addition, many referees, coaches, and administrators at all levels have emerged from the Barbos’ ranks. The club has won championships at the national, territorial, and local level in both 15’s and seven-a-side play. The Denver Barbarians Rugby Club is the only Colorado member of the Rugby Super League, the top rugby club competition in the United States. David Hodges, the Director of Rugby and Head Coach of the Denver Barbarians, boasts a sports career that includes being named Collegiate Rugby All-American, Collegiate Football All-American, Kodak All-American, US Eagle (captain and member of the United States rugby team), assistant coach with the US Eagles, playing professional rugby for nine years, and a staff member with the Llanelli Scarlets. For more information on The Barbarians, visit www.DenverBarbarians.com.

www.DicksSportingGoodsPark.com

Mention in Denver Post

2009-02-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

Our scheduled game with East at the Dicks Sporting Goods Park was mentioned in the Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_11654713

Barbarians to play at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City will transform from a soccer stadium to a rugby pitch when the Denver Barbarians play the Chicago Lions on April 4 in the first rugby game at the $131 million facility.

Dick's, with a capacity of 18,086 seats, will be the largest venue to host a Rugby Super League match. Two matches will precede the Barbarians-Lions match at 4 p.m. Denver East meets Chaparral at 12:30 p.m., followed by the University of Colorado Rugby Club vs. the Barbarians Division II side at 2 p.m.

Practice times

2009-02-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

Regular practice has now started.

Monday 4:30 - 6:00pm

Tuesday 4:30 - 6:00pm

Wednesday 4:30 - 6:00pm

Friday fun run with Travis - 4:00pm

Rugby Training venue change

2009-01-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

We will now be having preseason training on Sundays @ 1:00pm weather permitting on the Chaparral Turf.

Adams State

2009-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

More Chaparral Alums.
Tyler Roark playing at Adams State

2009 Rugby Player and Parent Meeting

2009-01-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

2009 Rugby Player and Parent Meeting will be held at 11:00am Saturday January 17th in the Team Room at Chaparral.

Pre season training

2009-01-07T05:51:00.000-08:00

We will be holding pre season training on Sundays for those that are interested at 1:00pm at the park in Stonegate south (corner of Stonegate Parkway and Keystone Blvd). Sessions will be approximately one hour in length so please be there stretched and ready to go at the start time.

Please look at this web site for any changes.

2009 Schedule

2009-01-03T17:49:00.001-08:00

CSU Game

2008-12-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

Chet taking lineout ball for CSU.

If anyone has any other pictures of Chap rugby graduates (playing rugby) please send them in to jakeadman@comcast.net

2008 Summary

2008-12-30T08:25:00.001-08:00

Great season which unfortunately finished with a loss to a very good Regis team in the quarter finals of the state championship.

Many of our senior players have now gone on to play a college season at CU, CSU, UNC and other colleges around the US.

Aurora game

2008-04-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Tough loss in the final league game of the season 27-24 to a physical Aurora team.

Lots of lessons learned in preparation for the state tournament May 3rd.

Message from Western State College

2008-04-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Greg, Rick, Sam and Jay,

We hope this letter finds you and your high school rugby team in the midst of a winning season! On behalf of the Western State College (WSC) Rugby Alumni, I'm writing this recruiting letter to you for distribution amongst your team. In an effort to bolster ranks of the Western State College men's rugby team, we are actively recruiting players from successful programs such as yours.

Western State has much to offer its students in the classroom, on the rugby pitch, and in its surroundings. The college is in Gunnison, which is in Southwestern Colorado approximately 4 hours from Denver. It is 30 minutes from the world-class ski resort of Crested Butte and is nestled in a mountain valley with endless recreation opportunities such as fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking, river rafting and more.

Academically WSC offers small class sizes, high teacher to student ratios, and a well-connected student body. Students get as much out of it as they put in. There are a variety of scholarships available for prospective students and you will find a few of them listed in the attached as well as entrance standards for the school.

From a rugby standpoint, WSC has a proud tradition of winning and a strong alumni network in place. WSC competes in the ERRFU DII competition and has eight matches each fall and spring. The club is unique in that it is run entirely by the players; there are boundless opportunities for leadership. We are looking for players with strong leadership skills as well as sound rugby skills.

Because of this model, players have found great success after graduation in the following industries: Financial Services, Technology, Retail, Medical, Recreation, Education, Publishing, Defense. Their success after graduation is due in large part to their active management of the rugby club. The alumni of WSC Rugby are committed to helping the club function and succeed. We are further committed to assisting students with employment upon graduation.

Coach, if there are seniors in your ranks that have yet to decide on a school for next fall we would like very much for them to contact us. For your underclassmen and junior players, please give each of them a copy of this letter so that they will consider WSC when weighing their higher education and rugby options. All inquiries are welcome, they can email the Rugby Alumni Board at wscrugby@gmail.com

Yours in Rugby,

James Yack

Western State College Rugby Board of Directors

http://www.western.edu/admissions/facts.html

Rocky Mountain Classic

2008-04-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

Excellent description of different positions

2008-04-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Click this link

B TEAM Photos from Ft. Collins Game

2008-04-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

B-Team Ruck and Scrum at Ft Collins

Photo Highlights from Ft Collins and Bailey Game

2008-04-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Ft Collins: Scott is praying to the Rugby gods!

Ft Collins: The hug

Ft Collins: TJ's Conversion kick

Chap Vs. Bailey-The Scrum

Chaparral vs Bailey

2008-04-02T20:33:00.001-07:00

A frustrating game against Bailey and some interesting officiating-but you boys hung in there and pulled out another victory. Way to go Chaparral!

Win at Fort Collins

2008-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Another strong performance led to a 20-15 win away at fort Collins. Two more league matches left against PAC and Aurora. Win them both and we will have an undefeated league season.

Freshman/Sophomore festival tonight. Practice at the usual time on Tuesday and then our last home league game against PAC on Wednesday at 5.

Highlands Ranch Game

2008-03-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Great victory against a good Highlands Ranch team on Wednesday. Slept through the first 45mins of the game - shaking off spring break - and played a passionate last 15mins to win the game 29-26.

Chap vs Co Springs: Second Half

2008-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Some GREAT defensive playing and an extra points

kick by TJ Gallagher=WOLVERINE VICTORY!

WAY TO GO BOYS!

Chap vs Co Springs: First Half

2008-03-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

First Half: A trie by Tony Majka and some great defense to hold CO Springs scoreless in the first half. Way to GO!!

PS: Clips are short because of limited upload size.

Chaparral vs Co. Springs:PRE-GAME REVELRY

2008-03-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

Psyching up for the BIG win!

GO WOLVERINES!

Chap vs. Aspen

2008-03-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Chaparral vs. Aspen game at the Spring Fling Tournament.

Video Clips: Chaparral vs. ThunderRidge

2008-03-11T17:29:00.001-07:00

The sun was brutal on this day and it did not help matters that this was my first attempt at filming a fast moving sport like Rugby-so bare with me. I hope to improve with each game! More posts to follow as time allows.

PS: There is no sound on this clip.

Freshman/Sophomore tournament

2008-03-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

The first Freshman/Sophomore tournament was last night at Dicks Sporting Goods park. We had 12 players present and played 2 close games.

Next tournament is Monday March 31 in Highlands ranch and we hope to take a full side of 15 players to the next event.

Spring fling results

2008-03-11T08:14:00.001-07:00

Excellent performance at the Spring Fling on Saturday.

Starting with a league victory against DC 32 - 5 in a short game and continuing with a solid victory against a big Aspen team 13 - 5.

A big thanks to everyone who turned up to offer support and all the players who turned out for different schools to make up numbers for their squads.

Most importantly we saw continued improvement from everyone which is our main goal for every game this year.

Weekend - March 8th tournament

2008-03-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

All,
The schedule is out for this weekend. We play DC at 2:00 and Aspen at 4:00.
The other games start at 10:00 AM and I will be going early to watch Aurora, Colorado Springs, Cherry Creek, Tigers etc.
Anyone who wants to go early is welcome to meet me at the school (senior parking lot) at 9:00.
Everyone else should plan on getting to the fields by noon. Everyone bring a lawn chair in case the field is wet and plenty of warm clothes.
Bring money as they will provide concessions and Soccer/Rugby Stop will have a tent for gear.

Northwest Open Space Park can be found on www.Mapquest.com at 2100 W. 112th Ave. Northglenn, CO

Parking access west of Pecos on 112th (this is the best option), or 104th to Huron north to Kennedy west to the park, or 104th west to Quivas turn right to the park. Do not park at the apartment buildings because they will tow you.

Also, Duffeyroll's are due on tomorrow at practice. Make sure you have payment for all your orders and checks should be made out to Chaparral High School. Whoever sells the most will receive a brand new Adidas Rugby ball.

Ponderosa Game

2008-03-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Win 24 - 5.

Good game, great weather and everyone in the squad got to play. Thanks to Ponderosa for playing three sessions.

Saturday March 1st

2008-03-01T08:24:00.002-08:00

Home game against Ponderosa. Please meet at the Chaparral Turf field at 12:00 noon. Kickoff is at 1:00pm

2008-03-01T08:24:00.001-08:00

First league game

2008-03-01T08:19:00.001-08:00

Victory in our first league game 37 -22 (7 tries) against Thunder Ridge.

Great start to our league campaign but lots of things to improve on.

Week February 25th

2008-02-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

Practice on Tuesday at normal time.

First league game on Wednesday away at Thunderridge.

Practice on Friday.

Game Wednesday Feb 20th

2008-02-20T07:38:00.001-08:00

Game tonight is away at Denver East. Please meet in the parking lot at the back of Chaparral at 5:45. Maps will be provided before you leave. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

We will play two 30min halfs for the more experienced players and then two 20min halfs for the players new to rugby. Everybody will play.

Please note it will be very cold this evening so please dress appropriately, everyone will be watching for part of the evening.

Why rugby scavengers just love to win ugly

2008-02-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

By Will Greenwood

Last Updated: 1:15am GMT 16/02/2008

Bob Dwyer is a hell of a man. World Cup-winning coach, Australian to his core. He said what he liked and he liked what he said.

Dwyer had a turn of phrase like no other. When you ran with the ball he implored you to move "as if a tiger was chasing you. No! A man with a knife". But best of all was his description of how he wanted you to react when the ball went loose during a match. Bob would scream at you to fall on it as if it were a bomb and your family were in the room. "Smother the bloody thing quickly," he would shout.


	Strong-arm tactics: Ireland's John Hayes (right) and Bernard Jackman (left) get a hold of Lionel Nallet

Watching Italy play last weekend, you got the feeling that Nick Mallett had called for the same sense of urgency. It's no coincidence that England struggled as they lost the battle on the floor in the second half, with Mauro Bergamasco and Sergio Parisse everywhere.

But it wasn't just England who felt the impact of smart guys getting their hands on stray ball. Ireland were smashed on the floor in the first half, with Lionel Nallet stealing the pill for Vincent Clerc's first try. Wales' Martyn Williams pilfered anything that even looked like poking out of a Scottish ruck, thief extraordinaire.

In today's game much is made of keeping the ball in your hands, of running and offloading. But ignore the dirty work on the floor at your peril. Where it was once the realm of the No 7, who prided himself on the art of killing and nicking the ball, today it is the job of every player from one to 15.

This battle for 50/50 possession - a mix of honest Corinthian spirit, a determination to win and great technique - can swing a game.

The set-piece scrums and line-outs have retained their value. However, win the breakdown, snaffle loose ball, and a team can neutralise this threat. Don't knock on, keep the ball in the tackle, run straight, recycle rigorously and viciously, and why do you need to go to set-pieces? Space will appear, gaps come if you are patient and hungry.

For England's disheartened players, this weekend will give them a chance to steel their resolve, and what better way than getting right back into it in the Guinness Premiership.

Now I don't want to make out that there's no technique involved in winning the battle on the floor. It takes hard, painful graft to get it right. On the 1997 Lions tour, Jim Telfer had a stick he used to whack you with if your body position was too high as you practised rucking drills. He didn't just tap you either, especially when you were a 6ft 5in public school threequarter who had always thought rucking was something only forwards did.

When he was England forwards coach, John Mitchell was a nasty man in this area as well. His hard Kiwi edge came through. John used to get four players inside a 3 x 3-metre grid that had long tackle pads for their sides. Men with tackle shields and tackle suits would stand over the pads wanting to cause you as much pain as possible.

The drill was simple and it lasted a minute. The scrum-half put the ball in front of a pad and you had to ruck the men away from it, then you moved on to the next pad. But make any mistake, put a loose foot on the ball, commit an offence by losing your feet and it meant you went back to the start. The more tired you got, the more mistakes you made.

John would shout at us to "let the dog see the rabbit". I think I understood what he meant. Huge bodies were flying and it was chaos. Pad to pad, body position ever lower, aggression increasing rather than diminishing.

In 2005, Eddie O'Sullivan had a net placed over the rucking area in the old Commonwealth Stadium in Christchurch and the Lions midweek team went about whacking lumps out of each other at almost knee height.

The Argentinians in the World Cup were frenzied at the breakdown, while teams such as Munster have been creating havoc for years. For the All Blacks, the loose ball and rucking are almost a right of passage. Bravery is needed - it is a dangerous place to be.

Players have to commit and they have to do so 100 per cent, regardless of who they're playing for, be it Leicester at Welford Road or the local school on a back pitch. Unless that happens there will always be a man on the other team who will want it more.

A pack of hungry scavengers do not need much knowledge about the intricacies of rugby. They don't have to be able to pass off their left hand or have a turn of speed or a scything sidestep. All they need is to boss the breakdown and eat the scraps. This will rebalance power from the fancy player to the ugly player. It is why our game is so beautiful - people with no airs or graces can be almost impossible to beat because they do not mind having their nose rearranged for the seemingly thankless task of re-gathering a loose ball.

Today we will see if that hunger burns bright in many of this island's best.

www.telegraph.co.uk/greenwood

Sheridan's Scrummaging Tips

2008-02-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

Sheridan's Scrummaging Tips

Andy Sheridan’s contribution to England’s emphatic win over Australia on Saturday confirmed his rise to the top tier of world props. England’s dominance in the front 5 proved to be the key that took Australia to their sixth successive defeat.

CoachingRugby rung Andy on Sunday to congratulate him for his all round performance and, together with Phil Vickery, the domination of the Australian scrum.

Andy is now relaxing in Penny Hill Farm Hotel and preparing for next week’s game. We asked him if he had his guitar with him, he said he left it in Manchester but he was able to borrow one from the hotel!

Before we let him get off the line we asked him for his top tips on scrumaging.

Body Position
“Get the crouch right. Crouch, bend the legs, and most importantly keep your back very flat. Look at your target [your opposite man].” – “Listen to the referee.”

Engage
“Get your bind on early. For the loose head, get your head right under the tight head. Make sure your feet are right up, not too far back, back flat, legs bent, ready to explode on the put-in.”

The Drive
“Explode on put-in (or a split second before), pump the feet – small steps, the whole scrum together.”

He is looking forward to putting this into practice again next week when he takes on New Zealand’s Carl Hayman in the much anticipated battle. We wish him the best of luck and I think we all agree with Sean Fitz-Patrick when he wrote yesterday in The Times, on the contest between these two, “It should be worth the admission fee by itself”.

Scrimmage Saturday

2008-02-15T20:43:00.000-08:00

We will have a scrimmage 12 noon at on the turf field at Chap on saturday.

Friday Practice - Feb 15th

2008-02-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

We have the turf at the Parker Field House tomorrow from 2:00 -4:00. Be prompt so we can make the most of our time on the warm, soft turf. Don't forget mouth guards! Jumpers, wear your rugby shorts for line-out practice.

Also, I need forms from several players and I will be checking my list.

Shorts and sock are the same as last year so the new players will receive theirs first.

The All-Comers Tournament scheduled for Saturday is up in the air due to weather. Hopefully I will know more on Friday.

Schedule

2008-02-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Date	H/A	Against	T	Time	League
Feb 16 (Sat)	A	All Commers Festival	Ridgeview	9:00	no
Feb 20 (Wed)	A	East A	East	7:15	no
Feb 27 (Wed)	A	Thunder Ridge	Thunder Ridge	4:30	yes
Mar 1 (Sat)	H	Ponderosa	Chaparral	1:00	no
Mar 5 (Wed)	A	Douglas County	DC Stadium	4:30	yes
Mar 8 (Sat)	A	Spring Fling	North Side	10:00	no
Mar 10 (Mon)	A	Freshman Sophmore	Dicks Sporting park	5:00	no
Mar 12 (Wed)	H	Colorado Springs	Chaparral	5:00	yes
Mar 26 (Wed)	H	Highlands Ranch	Chaparral	5:00	yes
Mar 29 (Sat)	A	Fort Collins A	Fort Collins	11:00	yes
Mar 31 (Mon)	A	Freshman Sophmore	Highlands Ranch	5:00	no
Apr 2 (Wed)	H	Bailey	Chaparral	5:00	yes
Apr 5 (Sat)	A	Rocky Mountain Classic	Robert Easton Park	10:00	no
Apr 7 (Mon)	A	Freshman Sophmore	Mossbrucker Park	5:00	no
Apr 9 (Wed)	A	North Side	North Side	5:00	no
Apr 16 (Wed)	A	Glendale HS	Glendale	5:00	no
Apr 19 (Sat)	A	Tigers RFC	Broomfield	1:00	no
Apr 21 (Mon)	A	Freshman Sophmore	Pleasant View Park	5:00	no
Apr 23 (Wed)	A	Aurora	Aurora Sports Complex	5:00	yes
May 3 (Sat)	A	State Qualifier	Dicks Sporting park	9:00	yes
May 10 (Sat)	A	Sate Semi-finals	Dicks Sporting park	9:00	yes
May 17 (Sat)	A	State Finals	Glendale	9:00	yes
May 24 (Sat)	A	All Star Game	Glendale	9:00	no

Power Step

2008-02-11T09:12:00.001-08:00

Power Step into Contact

The ball carrier must always be thinking about beating the defender in front of him, but there are times when contact is inevitable. The job of the ball carrier when taking contact is to make sure it is on his terms. He wants to try and put the would-be tackler on the back foot, to open up his options for keeping the ball "alive".

The power step into contact gives the ball carrier time and space to do this. It gives him a physical advantage into contact, even if he has received the ball standing still. Moreover, the technique works for all players as it is more about timing and positioning than physical size or strength.

The power step

The power step is a "big step" into contact, which allows the ball carrier to drive from low to high and from a powerful squatting position.

1. The ball carrier must keep the ball in both hands and accelerate towards contact taking small steps. This ensures he stays balanced.

2. Just before contact the ball carrier needs to get low by dropping his hips (taking the squat position), whilst at the same time dipping his leading shoulder towards the tackler.

3. The ball is transferred momentarily into the arm furthest from contact.

4. The ball carrier drives into contact. He must keep his back straight as he drives dynamically up from the squat position. This allows him to use all the power from his legs and glutes (the muscles in the back of the upper legs).

5. The ball carrier then follows through with the non-leading leg to ensure the tackler cannot recover their position easily.

Options from the power step

When correctly performed the tackler will be off balance and on the back foot. This should give the ball carrier a number of options:

If the tackler has been knocked over or knocked back far enough, continue the run.
Make a short pass to a close support player.
Stay upright in a strong position to enable support players to either drive them on or rip the ball away.
Go to ground to enable support players to ruck over without the tackler being able to get their hands on the ball.

Front row play

2008-02-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Borrowed from Dan Cottrell email.

5 Secrets of the Front Row

Andrew Millward is a full time professional prop for the Ospreys, the Heineken Cup team providing the bulk of players to the current Welsh squad. Andrew is, moreover, a WRU level 3 coach. He spoke to me last year about some of the current techniques used by front rows at the top of the game.

1. Engage and chase quickly

At the top level scrummaging is an intense business. "Three second scrums" are the aim (apart from for pushover tries), so the ball is in and out quickly. All the effort comes from the engagement and beyond.

Too often, though, sides across the board stop on the engagement. In fact they should be driving forward as soon as the shoulders touch.

At the Ospreys, we concentrate on the speed of our feet movement going forwards, using quick, short steps. Calls certainly help with our timing. We use "hit, 1, 2, 3, 4", and then a quick step "1, 2, 1, 2". My main piece of advice here is sharpen up your calls.

2. Four locks together

Binding by the flankers at scrum time can be very random. On lots of different levels this can disrupt the scrum effort.

If a flanker can give me some support, then I have more weight behind me. From a communication and timing point of view, if everyone is scrummaging together, we will be better off.

We get our flankers to bind onto the locks BEFORE the locks bind onto the props. This avoids flankers binding late as they wait to find out the back row or backs moves. All our calls therefore need to be sorted out in advance of the binding.

3. Second row binding options

A long armed lock can struggle with binding through the legs. When the shove comes on, their arm can slip forwards and their shoulder disengage from the best pushing position on the behind of the prop.

My solution here is to turn their hand around, so the palm faces away from my shorts. This grip is more like an Olympic lift position, with the hand still wrapped in the drawstring area of the shorts.

4. All change for 5 metre scrums

I always like to try something completely different for a 5 metre scrum. I will use a tactic I have yet to use in the game, like changing the angle of my driving. Their prop won't know what to expect and I will hopefully gain the advantage.

With the 5 metre scrum being so crucial and dangerous to the defending side, this difference can cause the sort of disruption which increases pressure on the whole defence. But I save the tactic for when it's needed. If we don't have a 5 metre scrum I might not use the technique during the game.

5. Boss your opponent

What should I do at the first scrum of the game? Wait to find out how the other guy is going to scrummage, or impose my own style on him? These days I don’t wait.

I am lucky enough to have video analysis and so can look at and prepare an action plan for most of the props I might be playing against. Most props don't have these benefits, but they can consider two things come match day.

First, even if they don't know their opposite number's playing style, they can look at their body shape to give them some clues. In the most simple terms, the big guys will use their weight, whilst the smaller props will use technique.

Second, they want to give the other player the problems. And that is "problems" plural, because it's easier to scrummage against a prop who always does the same thing, no matter how good they do it.

So I suggest that your props learn to vary their approach for each scrum.

Intro

2008-02-04T07:41:00.001-08:00

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