Rugby (everything really!) Here & There

Welcome to the newest edition of Rugby Here & There! There has been tons going on in the rugby world, and in the world outside of rugby. I know, is there a world out there that doesn’t involve rugby? Hardly!

• A Quicker Scrum Half Pass
  From Rugby Coach and Wendy Cook

  In a recent issue of Rugby Coach, Stephen Aboud, National Coach Development Manager at the Irish RFU, described an alternative way of increasing the speed of your scrum half’s pass. Coming soon in Better Rugby Coaching, Stephen will also look at how improving your player’s foot positions can improve the speed and accuracy of the pass.
  The mechanics of the pass:
  The scrum half pass is like a sling-shot. It has a slow, deliberate start, followed by a long “pull”, resulting in the final explosive release of the ball. The traditional key factors for coaching a scrum half (9) pass are:

  * A low body position to keep the pass from rising too high.
  * A wide base to help give the player a long sweep to gain distance.
  * A long follow-through with the hands to ensure accuracy.

  The challenge is to develop a quicker, more efficient pass while not compromising on accuracy and distance. This is not just about getting the ball there quickly, but also in a manner that is best for the receiver. That means, at the right pace, at the right height, and in the right place. A quick pass is not measured by the speed of the ball. The speed of the ball does not make a quick pass. My definition of a quick pass would be in relation to the time the ball is in the passer’s hands. I call this the “T”-time.
  Key measures of a good quick pass:

  * Speed: Reduce the “T”-time through the hands.
  * Accuracy: Correct the depth and appropriate height of the pass.
  * Distance: Achieve the required distance to launch attacks.
  * Empathy: Passing for, rather than to the receiver. A pass should begin to decelerate
  rather than still be accelerating when it reaches the fly half (10).
  * Support: After passing, the next function of the passer is to provide support in order to
  maintain quick continuity of play.

  In order to achieve these outcomes it is necessary to modify specific key factors of the “traditional pass” and produce a quicker, more flexible pass.

  Shorten the “base width” (the distance between the feet)
  A wide base provides more stability and the opportunity to swing the ball longer, resulting in a longer pass. A shorter base is less stable but means the ball spends less time in the hands and moves through the hands quicker (“T”-time).
  The distance of the pass may be shorter initially, but with practice and the other adjustments below, it will not be significantly affected and may even be improved.

  Weight-transfer and momentum
  In the pass, the body momentum and therefore weight is better off going towards the receiver. Therefore the scrum half should approach and address the ball from a more side on stance. This also has the benefit of allowing the passer to “see” the receiver for longer, allowing a more accurate pass.

  Body-height, head and shoulders
  The traditional pass promoted a lower body position, keeping the head down which kept the pass from rising too high and helped with greater distance and control. However with the adjustments to the approach, base and momentum modifications to body height, head position and shoulder positions must also be changed:

  * More bend at the knees than at the waist.
  * Keep the head up (think of a discuss thrower).

• American Gladiators RETURNS

  I hope this show is as AWESOME as the version I watched when I was a kid. I loved Laser and Blaze…god they were amazing!

• Gareth Jones Tournament Reminder (Youth Rugby)

  Entry form is at www.aggierugby.com/garethjones.htm. Fill it out and send along with payment to the address listed. I cannot reserve a spot until check is in hand. Please note that I can only allow one team per division until Feb. 15, at that time I will allow additional teams from the same club into the same division…as space allows.

  Obviously, I want your teams specifically at this tournament as you guys have been supporters to A&M and myself personally, but it is starting to take on a life of it’s own. I would encourage all of you to get this done asap. I have been contacted by quite a few schools and I am afraid I might have to turn teams down… I do not want it to be one of yours.

  As of right now, all divisions are are contact except the u12’s, who are non contact.

  Also, the 15’s will play 15 min halves and the u12’s are 10 minute halves. The field space is absolutely maxed out to the minute and that is with the championship game at 630 pm under the lights. The web page is updated with all required info. Cheers.

• Tips on Pumping Gas (came to my inbox!)

  I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline. Here in California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every gallon. Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

  1) Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel
  and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

  2) When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.

  3) One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gaso
  line evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

  4) Another reminder. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up–most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

  As we all try to make the world a greener place, I think these tips go a long way!

• WARNING – IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC

  Why to not wear jewelry while playing rugby…click here for the images. WARNING, it is quite graphic.

• Referee Love!

  This email is from my friend Steve, the Swedish guy who reffed the Dallas 7’s Debutante Ball! Great work Steve!

  One of my Swedish refereeing colleagues (Joacim Gustafsson) was appointed to the match, but on Friday morning I got the message that he was ill and couldn’t travel. My initial reaction was – we can’t find a replacement and FIRA, the European Rugby Association, in Paris would have to sort it out. However, I had a rethink and thought, why not? So – I e-mailed FIRA, told them the situation and said I could travel, if it was OK with them; they gave the go ahead and I flew to Riga on Saturday morning. Match went OK (even thanked by the losing team’s manager) – well looked after by the Latvians and a very pleasant, but short stay in Riga, which is a city well worth a visit. The old town is “chocolate box” pretty.

  First (and probably last!) international, albeit by default, but my career as a ref is complete! See the match report here and some (not very good) pictures here.

  Hope all is well. Best wishes,
  Steve

• U-19 Women’s All Star Tournament Champions – Midwest Thunderbird Rugby

  Thanks to Toni, I have the photo of the winning team! Great job ladies!

  
  

• Texas Rugby Union U-23 Tryouts – Jan 26 & 27, 2007

  The Texas Rugby Union (TRU) Women’s Under-23 team will be having tryouts in Austin, TX on Jan 26th and 27th. The tryouts will be from 9am – 4pm on Saturday and from 9am – 1pm on Sunday. The location in Austin will be announced sooner to the event. The tryouts are open for EVERYONE and are FREE, so please encourage all eligible players to come. Playing on the TRU women’s U-23 team is a super fun experience where you get to meet and play against some of the top players in the West. The TRU women’s U-23 team won the LAU U-23 tourney last year (beating the other unions) and we hope to do it again.

  More specifics will be sent out closer to the date. Please let me know if you have any questions or need housing.

  Thanks,
  Anna Kunkel aliinwond@aol.com
  TRU Women’s U-23 Coach
  UT Head Coach

• Texas Rugby Union Senior Tryouts – April 26 & 27

  Planning for the West Senior Women’s All Star XVs 2008 season is underway!

  For the 2008 season we will have an LAU tournament as in 2007. The tournament will be in Ft. Worth April 26 & 27 , in conjunction with the men’s DI, DII and DII club championships. It will be a big weekend- so plan to attend! There will be a trophy for the top team.

  There will most likely be 4 LAU teams- ER, HOA, TX and MO. OZ, RG and GP, as unions will combine with one of these 4 teams, depending on numbers.

  The 4 LAU teams and their contacts are:

  Eastern Rockies- Karl Ohlsen, ohlsenk@hotmail.com
  Heart of America- KJ Abel, kjrstena@hotmail.com
  Missouri- Thomas Wong, tcw@asianpacificbancorp.com
  Texas- Devin Keller, keller.devin@gmail.com

  The other LAU contacts are:

  Great Plains- Darrin Barner, wscrugby@hotmail.com
  Ozark- Karen Monson, kmonson2004@yahoo.com
  Rio Grande– Allegra Howell, carpintonta@yahoo.com

  Matches will be played on Saturday. If possible, our head coach Mark Bullock will meet with the teams at check in to express expectations for the weekend. I will also be sending out information beforehand.

  The intent of the matches is to observe players in a competitive situation for selection to the West All Star pool. Saturday night there will be a get-together to announce selections. Selected players will have training from 9:30 am- 1 pm on Sunday. Please make your travel plans accordingly.

  To be considered for the West pool, players MUST be available for the following:

  Training and warm up matches vs (TENTATIVELY) the Pacific All Stars on May 10-11 in Glendale, CO. Two matches- so all will play in a competitive match.

  Training and the NASC tournament June 12- 15 in a location to be announced.

  Please contact your L
  AU rep listed above or myself to participate.

  Let’s have a great season!
  See you in Ft. Worth!
  Susan Stabler
  Manager, WRFU Senior Women’s All Stars
  sswest04@aol.com, 970-222-7379