MATCH REPORTS


Spring 2007 | Fall 2006 | Spring 2006 | Fall 2005 | Spring 2005 | Fall 2004 | Spring 2004 | Fall 2003 | Summer 2003 | Spring 2003 | Fall 2002 | Spring 2002 | Fall 2001 | Spring 2001

Spring 2006

Fall 2006

Spring 2006

Fall 2005

Spring 2005

Fall 2004

Spring 2004

Fall 2003

Summer 2003

Spring 2003

Fall 2002

Spring 2002

Fall 2001

Spring 2001

  • 4/14/01 - EUGENE DEFEATS PENINSULA 60-0
  • 3/28/01 - Bend @ Eugene - EUGENE LOSES TO BEND 20-36
  • 3/17/01 - Olympia @ Eugene - EUGENE DEFEATS OLYMPIA 64-5
  • 3/4/01 - UO Bs @ Eugene - EUGENE DEFEATS DUCKS Bs
  • 2/24/01 - ORSU U23 @ Portland - EUGENE DEFEATS ORSU UNDER-23's

SPRING 2007

10 March 2007
Eugene 22, Seattle Quake 7
REDMOND, WA--Strong scrum versus open field play and capitalization on mistakes was today's match. The Quake has a scrum that has become increasingly powerful. With the exception of around 10 minutes in the second half they dominated the Eugene scrum; however, their use of that tool was not always used to the most effective results. Eugene had powerful runners that were breaking the gainline, and had a more dynamic attack off of loose play. The results was a match that on the scoreline consistently favored Eugene, but always left the fans wondering who would come out on top.

Eugene's captain(Jon Sowins) and scrumhalf opened the scoring by having the Quake pay for an infraction 12 minutes in with a penalty kick from the about the 22 meter. Ten minutes later the Eugene #8(Mic Dunston) took a Quake lineout and scored from 22 meters out. Defense took hold by both teams and this took us to half time with a 8-0 Eugene lead.

At the 50 minute mark, the Eugene scrumhalf pressed the lead by picking up a loose ball and diving in for a try which he converted. The Quake pushed and had multiple scrums close to the Eugene tryline and finally got a score when the 8 man picked at the 57th minute. He converted his own score taking us to a 15 - 7 with 23 minutes left.

The Quake threatened often through the power of the scrum and their prowess through most of the lineouts. However, they could not take this set piece play and translate it to points.

The match ended with a Eugene try at the 80th minute when the left winger finished a movement started when the ball was stolen from a Quake player. The scrumhalf converted from the corner and left Eugene up 22-7.
--Referee David Pelton.




FALL 2006




SPRING 2006*

29 April 2006
Highwaymen Named 'Most Honored Side' at 30th Annual Maggotfest
MISSOULA, MT--Comprised of Players from Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Western Oregon University, Eugene and Portland, the motley crew of 'Interstate Highwaymen' traveled to Missoula, Montana, won two of three matches, and took home a large maggot trophy for "the team with the best overall rugby attitude, both on and off the pitch". Approximately thirty teams made the trek this year from as far away as Texas and Northern Manitoba. The Highwaymen defeated University of Montana Alumni, The Red Deer Titans and lost to to the Regina Rogues. For More information, click on the Highwaymen link.


15 April 2006
Eugene 75, Portland Avalanche 5

PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD--In forty degree weather and torrential rain, Eugene defeated The Portland Avalanche 75-5. The match concludes Eugene's confrence play in which they finished 8-2. Mike Arnold scored once, Stuart Smith, Jason O'Connor and John Hanan scored multiple tries to bring the halftime score to 60-0. O'Connor also assisted scrumhalf Shane Card's try; Hanan kicked five converstions. Eugene players Justin Burgin and Matt Springer finished the match playing for the Avalanche as Portland became low on numbers. Burgin was awarded the Avalanche's lone try as Eugene defended from offside near its own try zone. "A bunch of other people scored, I think," said Corey Withroe, "but I forget who and how many. I also forget who man-of-the-match was, but I'd give it to, like, The Weather." Several Eugene players will continue their season in Missoula, Montana for the annual Maggotfest. In May, Eugene will likely play Oregon Tech, Oregon State University and host Southern Oregon University


11 March 2006
Eugene Defeats Quake in Seattle, 39-12
REDMOND, WA -- Though Jason O'Connor scored five tries, fellow back and conversions kicker, John "Drop Kick" Hanan's long runs and kicking earned Man-of-the-Match honors. Prop Ron Portante took a 20-meter run from a prolonged, authoritative maul and Mike Arnold scored the try in support. "I guess O'Connor being surly and running over guys and shoving them away and scoring a lot of tries was also a highlight," noted scrumhalf Shane Card. Winger Tyler Gray scored from a penalty on the last play to finish the scoring and the match. Two halves of nine-to-a-side play followed as both teams came with decent numbers.


4 March 2006
Eugene Scrapes by Budd Bay, 31-26
LACEY, WA -- Having traded lopsided victories in the most recent matches, this one went down to the wire--Eugene surviving Bay's 2nd half comeback by one unconverted try. Two first-half tries by Jason O'Connor, one each from Corey Withroe and new player, Ned Stearns had Eugene up 24-5 at the break (O'Connor was 0 for 2 conversions; Shane Card was 3 for 3). Justin Vaughn scored to open the second half and it appreared a rout may have been on. Budd Bay held tough however and scored three converted tries without answer (among them a penalty try awarded for offsides) yet it wasn't enough. Man of the Match honors went to all six new players who made the trip: Stearns, Brandon Abbott, Jeremy Adkins, Corey Nelson, Noelan Smith, and Dominic Tringali. Eugene Next travels to Seattle this weekend.


FALL 2005*

29 October 2005
Eugene Defeats Budd Bay, 58-13 to Finish Fall Campaign
PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- Down 12-13 Just before the half, Eugene would go on to score forty-six unanswered points to avenge a 7-49 loss from the Spring. Jason O'Connor scored twice; Matt Springer, Mike Johnson, Mike Arnold, Shane Card, Justin Vaughn, and Mike Flexman scored one try each. Rookies James "Peaches" Ericksen and John "I don't need no stinkin' tee" Hanan scored their first tries as Eugene Players (Hanan was 0-4 conversions). Eugene named hooker Trevor Emmett Man-of-the-Match. A costume party and spirited singing follwed the match. Thanks to Budd Bay for making it down; we look forward to future matches.


22 October 2005
Bend 52, Eugene 3
BEND, OR -- They beat us good; I got a concussion. But the good news is, I just saved 15% on my car insurance (YEAH BABY, You can DOOOO it!)


16 October 2005
Eugene Defeats UO in forefit
SOUTH BANK PARK, EUGENE -- I know it was a Sunday, schoolboys, but you gotta learn how to finish.


8 October 2005
Eugene 91, Portland Avalanche 7
PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- An overcast afternoon saw the Eugene Men's Rugby Club score 80+ points for the second consecutive week. Pledging all players would be within its opponent's twenty-two meter line upon a score, Eugene improved not only its offensive production but its conditioning and discipline as well. The emphasis on support play yielded eight players scoring fifteen tries--among them, backline players Justin Burgin, Shane Card, Garth Hiassen, Lorenzo Montoya and Mike Flexman (two tries each). Playing from the forward pack, flanker Eric Portratz sprinted 50+ meters down the sideline for his try and 8-Man Matty Springer completed a hat-trick. Returning to match play after an eight month hiatus, flanker Mike Arnold returned triumphantly with a second-half try and Man-of-the-Match honors for his aggressive, deliberate play. Captain Jon Sowins kicked true eight of 15 conversions to sustain a 0.621 average on the year.

Eugene's size, athleticism, speed and experience dominated all aspects of the game but will be tested in the upcoming month. In an 12 p.m. kickoff Sunday, October 16, Eugene will face its intra-city rival, the University of Oregon for what is now referred to as the Clegg-Snyder Cup. The following Saturday, Eugene travels to Bend for another rivalry match, the Carpenter Cup--a match which perennially decides a playoff berth. Eugene now leads PNRFU's third division with 12 league points.


1 October 2005
Eugene 81, Seattle Quake 7
PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- Though close for the first five minutes, Eugene would score 13 tries in its second league match. Backs Jason O'Connor, Mike Flexman, and John Hanan would score 4, three and one respectively. The forwards scored five, two each from Garth Hiassen and Matty Springer plus prop Mike Johnson's twenty-meter line-out interception return. Johnson was also named Man of the Match. Jon Sowins was 7 of eleven conversions; John Hanan was 1 of two. Sowins narrowly missed a drop goal as time expired. Eugene now leads division III with eight league points. View The Quake's photos of this match.


24 September 2005
Eugene Survives Scare against Peninsula, 24-18
BREMERTON, WA -- Jon Sowins' outstanding kicking (three of 3 conversions; one of 2 penalty kicks) was the difference in first league match, one that would end as Penninsula drove within ten feet of the try zone. Traveling with only thirteen players, and shut out in the second half, Eugene got all it asked for from an inspired OPSU team. Tries from Jason "Aussie Rules" O'Connor, Justin "Dr. J" Vaughn and rookie Jim Benvie had Eugene up 24-5 at the half. Without the benefit of substitutions (a rare luxury for Penninsula but one it would enjoy) Eugene's defense just managed to take home the victory.


16 September 2005
Portland Pigs 13, Eugene 3
PAGE PARK -- A tough match played on an equally tough field, Eugene struck first with a penalty kick from Jon Sowins. After missing one of their own, the Pigs eventually tied the match before the half. Several unsuccessful chances to score tries in the second half kept the match tied until the last twenty minutes when a Portland forward crossed the line and touched down. Five minutes later, Portland would score in the corner off a penalty to cap the scoring as both conversions failed. Enjoyment abound afterward upon a gift from Eugene's new sponsor, Rogue Brewery.


SPRING 2005

23 April 2005
Bend 25, Eugene 7
BEND, OR -- Rain and cold...first half lots of penalties as both sides failed to make the ball available quickly...by second half both teams cleaned it up and produced good quick ball with few penalties.



9 April 2005
Eugene 50, Peninsula 10
BREMERTON, WA -- Jason "Angry Irish Guy" O'Connor, Jason "Buddy" Waterman, Ron "Fire! Fire!" Portante, Nhan "Chicken Bones" Nguyen, Tyler "The Joke Teller" Gray, Corey "Dancing Humboldt" Withroe, Matt "Rumspringa" Springer and Lorenzo "Hop On" Montoya pushed north and picked up Shane "Boochie" Card on the way. The team of nine arrived in Bremerton at about the scheduled kickoff time. Peninsula had a team of about 10 or so still lining the pitch, the ref left shortly after and the Peninsula numbers eventually filled out to 13. The captains met and decided to play 3 twenty minute periods of ten's with the recently knee surgeried Peninsula coach reluctantly agreeing to ref. Eugene picked up rookie "just tell me who to hit" Corey, from Peninsula and the match was on.

The first period went quite well for Eugene with lots of open play (the ref was quite hobbled and preferred to keep the whistle quiet which was a positive for this friendly encounter). Peninsula had a couple of strong runners that Eugene weakly attempted to tackle which led to a Peninsula try and other than that it was mostly free running for the Eugene team touching down 4 tries and converting 3 for a first period lead of 26-5. The second period consisted of lots of sloppy uncommitted play from both sides, highly forgettable rugby. I don't remember what happened and nobody scored. The third period was much like the first except Peninsula scored 2 tries and Eugene converted 2 of 4 tries for a final of Eugene 50 Peninsula 15. It was wide open play in the third with lots of long runs, long kicks chased by a few players hoping to be superstars and weak attempts at tackling committed runners. Almost everyone seemed to have a good time so there was some level of success attributed to the trip despite the disappointing numbers.

Eugene wraps up the season hoping to avenge a 2 point last minute drop goal home loss to Bend by travelling to play Bend on 23 April.



26 March 2005
Bend 15, Eugene 13
PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- More like typical spring weather in oregon, with wet & misty conditions. the pitch was solid and not slipery, though wet from several days of light rain. this one was a barn burner, physical match, as usual. missing was some of the physically contentious play that often accompanies this match-up. a better time was had by all ! Eugene scored 1st, at about 10 minutes; after a fast start by both sides. play went back and forth for the next 20 minutes. bend scored a converted try at the 30 min mark. Eugene came right back. while attempting to crash for a try from a 5 metre penalty; Eugene's #12 went down with a head injury, @ 35 min's and had to leave the match. eugene failed to score and bend came back to score at the close of the period. 5-12 bend at haltime.

The 2nd period started just like the 1st and Eugene got into the try zone at 5 minutes into the half. Again the match raged for more than 25 minutes before Eugene would finally slot a penalty at 32 minutes. (having missed two kickable conversions and one penalty) until then bend had been content to play somewhat conservativly, having had a 2 point lead. Now with Eugene ahead they came back to life in full force. Off a lineout just inside the Eugene 22, Bend's English fly-half dropped a goal, at 35 minutes, that stunned everyone at the pitch! After the restart, Bend again stayed on attack near the Eugene 22 until the final whistle.



12 March 2005
Eugene 32, Seattle Quake 12
REDMOND, WA -- Quake's pack had a slight advantage in the scrums but Eugene shaded the lineouts with a good athletic display by their front jumper, Matt Springer. In the loose honors were shared. The main difference was in the backs where Eugene managed to break through several times to punish the Quake.

The first half was punctuated by various niggles. All handbags at 10 paces. The referee warned both captains on two occasions. On the last occasion the captains were sent back to their teams to warn the players that the next transgressors would be carded. In the second half things seemed to improve at first but then the two hookers started wrestling after some name calling. Both were yellow carded. We moved to uncontested scrums as Eugene did not have another trained front row player or any trained reserve.

With 12 minutes to go, a Eugene player backwards head butted a Quake player in the face in full view of the referee. Thankfully the effect was slight. The Eugene player was red carded and the Quake player was yellow carded for his continued reaction though there was no retalliation to speak of.

Even with all of the cards, this was a well played game with some great commitment and skill shown by both sides. No player gave the referee any grief about the cards and they are to be commended that once the heat of battle was over they realized what a waste of energy it was.


23 February 2005
Budd Bay 49, Eugene 7
LACEY, WA -- Bay came today firing on all cylinders dotting down in the glory zone 9 times to Eugene's one try. Eugene a bit outmanned from the start. The Bay squad seemed to be clicking together from the outset scoring handily in the opening minutes, and not letting up from there. A lot of good 2nd & 3rd phase rugby paid off. The boys from Eugene just couldn't muster any cohesive attacks. Weather was good with sun out in 2nd half. Pitch well marked with good lines and flags.


9 Februrary 2005
Eugene 34, Peninsula 5
PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- The Eugene Rugby Club had an eventful first outing of their season on Saturday, February 9, 2005. As the rain poured down, the home town club and mud ruled the day. The sloppy pitch and incliment weather caused both sides to fumble the ball frequently, and the majority of the game the ball remained amongst the big boys in the forward packs. Peninsula rucked well and initially it seemed the Eugene squad might be in trouble. Fortunatley some great individual play, including a fantastic short kick by Jason O'Connor (who scored the match's first try) landed squarley in the hands of Dr. J (Justin Vaughn), who despite a recent ankle surgery put on the afterburners to set up a try late by Jaime "Tennessee" Meadows in the first half of play. Several other scores occured off of break-away plays involving Jonathan Sowins who delivered well-timed passes, allowing others to score. Eugene eventually won 34-5. The second match of the day saw the newly formed Portland Avalanche side in one of its first matches since being founded last fall. The team, comprosed of smaller rookie players played extremely well, but lost to a powerful, if not tired, Eugene squad. Eugene 44 - Avalanche 0. Tries by Matty Springer, Nahn Nugyn, others. Jon Sowns 4/8 conversions.



FALL 2004*

2 October 2004
Eugene 43, Seattle Quake 17
Justin Burgin scores four first-half tries in Eugene's second win

PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- Still plagued by forward-heavy play, Eugene's backline scored five of its six tries and pulled away from a suprisingly physical Quake team after the 60th minute. Playing from the flyhalf position, Justin Burgin scored two quick tries to open the first half. Progressing slowly into Eugene's end, Seattle answered with one of its three tries--all of which would come from its forwards. Burgin then followed with two further tries and managed to place the ball well enough to allow "Tennessee" Jayme Meadows his third and fourth conversions in as many attempts. Again relying on its forwards--unquestionably a strength--The Quake managed one more unconverted try just before the half to bring the score to 28-10.

With fewer than five minutes gone from the second half and sensing a potentially close match, Eugene opted for a thrity-meter penalty kick, giving Meadows his second this fall. Then, yeilded from an episode of poor tackling, The Quake answered with its last try on the day--this one it would convert. Fatigue ensued from both sides (each team had a player ejected) but Eugene found its second wind. Taking a quick-tap penalty, prop Ben Figard passed to Man-of-the-Match Justin Burgin who then assisted flanker/ lock Corey Withroe's try. Clearly showing its experience and speed at this point, Eugene pulled away as center Jason O'Connor ran fifty meters through an unprepared Quake defense to end the scoring--Meadows missed his conversion for just the second time this fall.

See professional photos from this match by Ian Elliott.



25 September 2004
Eugene defeats Budd Bay, 15-14
Outcome decided on final play with missed penalty kick

PAGE PARK, SPRINGFIELD -- Underutilizing its backline and unrehearsed as a whole, the Eugene Men's Team narrowly escaped Budd Bay's valiant second-half comeback by the smallest possible margin. First-half tries by forwards Mike Arnold and Corey Withroe, along with player/coach Jayme Meadows' one of two conversions and penalty kick proved just enough after being shut out in the second half. Having traveled from Olympia with only fifteen active players (several of whom are new to rugby) Budd Bay's effort was commendable, as it came literally less than two feet from victory... with no time remaining, a thrity-meter penalty kick attempt sailed just left of the goalpoasts.

In b-side action, Eugene's several breakaway runs were far too much for a new and much improving Portland Avalanche team. Playing fourteen players to a side (each of which included at least one female player), The relative experience and talent clearly showed on the feild. Eric Pakulak and Tyler Gray scored multiple tries en route to an "eightysomething" point victory.


SPRING 2004

Saturday, March 27, 2004 - Eugene 12 - Bend 11
Eugene, Oregon - by Jon Sowins & Bruce Brown

On a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, the Eugene Rugby Football Club defeated the Bend Roughriders 12-11. In the past Eugene and Bend have played numerous times for the Pacific Northwest Rugby Football Union Division III title.  However, due to Eugene's tie with Budd Bay Saturday's match was all for pride on the Eugene side.

The game started well for Eugene from the kick off.  Eugene possessed the ball in Bend's red zone, but were unable to score a Try.  The Roughriders were able to clear the ball out and capitalized on a Eugene penalty call. The next play resulted in Eugene's Outside Center Justin Burgin cutting through numerous defenders and scoring a try for Eugene with Eugene Prop Jayme Meadows successfully kicking the conversion kick giving Eugene the lead.

The offensive attack of Eugene's play was fast and consistent using well placed kicks against Bend's back three players.  The next score from Eugene came from a kick by Eugene's Fly Half Jason O'Connor who broke the gain line and carried three Bend defenders into the try zone, with the conversion not being made; the score was 12-3 with Bend kicking a Penalty Kick just before half time.

The second half was played sloppy on both sides having penalties called on both teams. The Roughriders were able to convert 1 of 3 penalties in the second half to make the score 12-6 Eugene.

Two major possessions by Eugene in the Red Zone gave the opportunity for Eugene to score, but the defense of Bend held the attacking offense from scoring. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the match, the ball was passed to Bend's flyhalf Mike Abbott within Bend's 22.  Eugene Flanker Mike Arnold was awarded a Yellow Card for laying into a Bend lock who didn't have the ball and without wrapping while in pursuit of Bend flyhalf Mike Abbott, who was attempting a kick.  As a result of the Yellow Card, Arnold was sent off and the Roughrider's were awarded a Penalty Kick.  The kick landed in touch five meters from the Eugene try zone.

After the lineout and a missed tackle, a Bend forward was successful in scoring a try making the game 12-11.   With their conversion kick unsuccessful. Eugene was able to play one man short the last 10 minutes and had a very valiant team effort the whole game leaving the pitch with a win.

The Man of the Match for Eugene and Carpenter Award went to hard-hitting center Darren Polamalu for laying the wood in all of his tackles.


3/6/04 (Seattle) - Eugene 49 - Seattle Quake 12

The first half was dominated by Eugene with excellent breakaway runs by their backs. Final Score: Eugene 49 - Seattle Quake 12
SCORING: 8 tries, 1 penality, 3 conversions
Dustin McCloskey, 3 Tries
Jayme Meadows
Tyler Gray
Jason Waterman
James Alford
Justin "Dr. J" Vaughn
Jon Sowins 1/2 Penalties; 3/8 conversions


2/28/04 (Olympia, WA) - Eugene 17 - Budd Bay 17

There is no love lost between these two clubs. It was a very intense, hard-hitting game. There was just a little too much chatter amongst the players. There was back and forth scoring throughout the match. Eugene was down by a try in the second half. In injury time at about the 82nd minute, they won a scrum deep in their own territory. They spun it all the way out to their looping flyhalf who proceeded to gallop 80 meters for the tying score under the post. Unfortunately, they did not convert.
SCORING
Justin Burgin - 1 Try
Eric Pakulak- 1 Try
Jason O'Connor - Try
John Sowins - 1/3 Conversions



FALL 2003

October 4, 2003 - Eugene 91, Seattle Quake 5
Eugene in Remains in First Place (2-0)

(Eugene, Ore.) - On October 4, 2003, Eugene saw a much improved Seattle Quake side.  Their pack was larger than the Eugene pack.  Additionally, their backline was more organized under the leadership of a much improved flyhalf.  They were tackling harder and rucking more consistently as well. 
 
The match started off with inside-center Justin “Dr. J” Vaughn breaking four tackles in a twenty-yard breakaway in Quake territory.  A quick pass in contact allowed Justin Burgin to seal the deal for a try, which was converted by Jon Sowins.  Eugene 7, Quake 0. 

The next try occurred after a Quake lineout on their own 5-meter line.  A tip by 8-man Matty Springer stole the lineout.  A quick pass by scrumhalf Shane Card was followed by a dummy to the inside center and a pass to Burgin who ran in for the try.  Sowin’s conversion was good.  Eugene 14, Quake 0.  Burgin’s next try was unconverted.  Eugene 19, Quake 0.
 
The next try was the result of a great series of mauls.  The breakaway occurred and Burgin went to Springer and then to Dr. J who scored the try, which Sowins converted.  Eugene 21, Quake 0.  Springer’s first try of the day was assisted by some great playmaking by flyhalf Dave Lent and again converted by Sowins.  Eugene 28, Quake 0. 
 
A few minutes later Dr. J had a brilliant 20-meter run up the middle and put a big stiff arm on a Quake back; he then passed it to JQ Schaller who scored the try 10 meters from the left touchline (unconverted).  Eugene 33, Quake 0.
 
Playmaker Lent scored the next try from his own kick which he recovered for the unconverted try.  Eugene 35, Quake 0.
 
The next try occurred with no time left on the clock.  Dr. J had another big run up the middle and kicked it deep to the Quake flyhalf who bobbled it, ultimately dropping it while feeling the pressure by Burgin.  Card recovered it and touched it down for the try (no conversion).  40-0 at half.
 
While the first half saw nine tries by Eugene, the second half saw only six plus a well-earned Quake try, their first ever against Eugene.  Some memorable tries in the second half included Harland Allen’s first ever men’s side try.  Allen is an alumnus of the Corvallis High School rugby team.  Prop Jayme Meadows got the pack’s second try of the day from great support after a fake kick by Lent. 
 
The Quake’s try occurred after a questionable penalty was called on Eugene’s 40 and the resulting five-meter lineout.  The Quake’s big-man barreled in for the score.  Lent earned the next two Eugene tries with some good dummies and cuts back inside.  Springer’s second try of the day was reminiscent of his three tries from kickoff returns in Eugene’s 116-0 victory over the Quake in their charter season.  This time Springer made a 70-meter return breaking several tackles along the way.  Springer next closed out the day with Eugene’s fifteenth try and Sowins made his seventh conversion, leaving the final score Eugene 91, Quake 5.
 
The last time Eugene scored fifteen tries in a match was March 22, 2003, in an 87-7 victory at home over Peninsula (Bremerton, Wash.). Eugene is now 27-14 overall since the fall of 2000 (.659) and 16-4 in league play (.800).  Eugene has averaged 33 points scored and only 15 points against in that same time frame (1347 PF, 623 PA).  Eugene’s quest for a berth at the Regional playoffs continues.

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September 27, 2003 - Eugene 53, Peninsula 10
Eugene in First Place

(Bremerton, Wash.) - Peninsula mounted a commendable attack on Eugene’s typically stellar offense in Eugene’s 53-10 victory.  However, Eugene was its own worse adversary as their play was plagued by poor ball handling and untimely passing decisions.  By the end of the day, Eugene had logged almost 20 knock-ons and forward passes and at least 10 penalties.  Despite rusty individual play, Eugene dominated in virtually every phase of the game. 
 
There were several notable performances by young newcomers to the club.  Dave Johnson and Harland Allen both played with Corvallis High School last year.  Johnson had a powerful day at hooker and Allen played a smart game at fullback, making beautiful kick return choices all day long.  Ian Harrison, who played high school rugby in Seattle, had a stellar day at lock, scoring his first try with a men’s club - one of Eugene’s 9 tries. 
 
8-man Matty Springer scored twice.  The first was off a penalty five meters out, reminiscent of Refrigerator Perry breaking through the lines - but with less grace and mass.  His second was off of a stolen lineout when he ran up the sideline 15 meters for the try.
 
Bill Terrill scored when an opposing back threw a bad pass that went wide.  Terrill picked it off the ground and ran for about 10 meters.  He then passed to Justin Burgin inside who passed it back to Terrill outside.  It was a foot race to the try zone where Terrill beat out their fullback and flanker for the try. 

Prop Steve Haley got his try when with a ten-meter barreling run up the gut, running over three defensive players in the process (including star flyhalf Ollie at the try line).
 
Flanker Mike Arnold scored when Bill Terrill had a breakaway. He came into traffic at the 22 when he made the short pass.  Arnold then ran through the defensive players until he was bounced aside at the five.  He maintained his balance rolling to the left and then dove in for the try while being tackled by two of the opposing backs. 
 
Justin Burgin had two tries in the match, one on clean up in the loose on the try line and one from 20 meters out.  Jayme Meadows also finished the day with a try.
 
Jon Sowins scored 8 points going 4/7 on conversion attempts.  He made two incredible shots close to the touch lines. 

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September 20, 2003 - Eugene Takes 1st Place at Eugene 10's Tournament
Seattle Mudhens Win Women's Championship

(Eugene) - Eugene RFC hosted its annual Eugene Celebration Rugby 10’s Tournament on Saturday, September 20, 2003, at the UO’s South Bank field.  Eugene’s A-side took the men’s tournament trophy with a 15-14 come-from-behind win over ORSU’s (Portland) A-side.  The Emerald City Mudhens (Seattle) took home their second consecutive championship for the women.

The format of the tournament and the skill of the participants allowed for several exciting matches with close scores. Last year’s champion Bend won a tough first-round match in overtime over Eastside with only five points (1 try in overtime) scored all game.  Bend then faced its rival and tournament hosts Eugene.  Eugene squeaked by with the 30-28 victory.

The men’s championship match saw ORSU come out hard and fast, putting the first try and conversion on the board.  Eugene came back after the kick off with Bill Terrill intercepting a pass in the backline.  He ran it in untouched for the try.  This seemed to epitomize the rest of the match.  ORSU rambled hard in the loose and dominated the scrums.  However, Eugene seemed to capitalize on every ORSU mistake and turn it into a fast-running try.

At the awards ceremony, the hosts gave the traditional cup along with individual medals to the victors.  The ceremony was sponsored by the Wild Duck Brewery and Alaskan Brewery with Wild Duck’s Glens Best Bitter and Alaskan Pale Ale.

Men's Final Results

Women's Final Results

1st Eugene
2nd ORSU A (Portland)
3rd Eugene B
4th Bend
5th Eastside Axeman (Seattle)
6th ORSU B
7th Reed College (Portland)
1st Mudhens (Seattle)
2nd ORSU (Portland)
3rd University of Oregon
4th Eugene Housewives
5th Reed College (Portland)

Men's Prelims

Group A

Group B

ORSU A 57 - Reed 0
ORSU A 17 – Eugene B 10
Eugene B 41 - Reed 5
1. ORSU A
2. Eugene B
3. Reed
Bend 5 - Eastside 0 (Overtime)
Eastside 14 – ORSU B 0
Eugene A 20 – ORSU B 0
Eugene A 30 - Bend 28
1. Eugene A
2. Bend
3. Eastside
4. ORSU B

Men's Playoffs

Championship:
Eugene A 15 - ORSU A 14

ORSU B 44 - Reed 0
Eugene B 15 - Bend 12
Eastside 17 - ORSU B 7

Women's Prelims

Scores:
Mudhens 52 - Reed 0
ORSU 22 - UO 7
Mudhens 25 - Eugene Housewives 0
UO 19 - Reed College 10
ORSU 20 – Eugene Housewives 12

Post-Prelim Ranings:
1. Mudhens
2. ORSU
3. UO
4. Housewives
5. Reed

Women's Playoffs

Championship
Mudhens defeated ORSU

Housewives 15 - Reed 7
ORSU 39 - UO 0

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September 7, 2003 - Eugene Takes 2nd Place at Cascade Classic

(Eugene) - Eugene traveled to Bend for the Cascade Classic Rugby Tournament where the winner takes home a $500 prize.  Eugene, one of two Division III teams in the tournament, was in Pool A with ORSU (D1 from Portland) and the Portland Pigs (D2).  Pool B consisted of Bend (D3), Tri-Cities (Wash.), Snake River (D2 from Idaho), and the Colorado B.E.A.R.S. (Denver; a tournament side of former Super League players).
 
Eugene 40 – ORSU 12
Eugene opened the tournament against the much favored ORSU Jesters.  Eugene came out hard and fast putting up two quick tries.  Matty Springer pulled a hat trick with three tries off of good explosive runs.  Justin Burgin had a long 30 meter run, passing the ball to Bill Terrill who left the ORSU winger in the dust for the try.  Justin Burgin had another long run for a try.  After a deep kickoff by winger Joey Latteri, Mike Arnold stole the ball on the bounce for a 25-meter run for the try.  Latteri finished the day five of six on conversations.  ORSU had 2 tries and a conversion.  This was Eugene’s first victory over a Division 1 opponent in the modern era.
 
Matty Springer - 3 tries
Mike Arnold - 1 try
Bill Terrill - 1 try
Justin Burgin - 1 try
Webb Ellis - 1 try
Joey Latteri - 5/6 conversions
 
Eugene 24 – Portland 5
After a one hour break, Eugene took the field against a much bigger Portland Pigs side.  Tom Gordon started off the game scoring a try from a kick to the corner.  Justin Burgin and flyhalf Dave Lent both scored tries off of explosive backline plays.  Forward Webb Ellis also scored after a rambling set of forward plays in the loose.  Joey Latteri had two conversions. 
 
Tom Gordon - 1 try
Justin Burgin - 1 try
Dave Lent - 1 try
Webb Ellis - 1 try
Joey Latteri - 2/3 conversions
 
These two victories put Eugene in first place in its pool.  Pool B saw same hard play by all teams.  Snake River defeated Tri-Cities and Colorado.  Bend defeated Tri-Cities and Snake River.  Colorado defeated Tri-Cities.  This pitted Bend against Colorado in the final Pool B game.  At the end of a hot Saturday, Colorado’s backline dominated Bend with many long runs.  Due to the high numbers put up by Colorado, it advanced to the finals against Eugene Sunday morning.
 
Tournament Finals: Eugene 14 – Colorado B.E.A.R.S 32
The underdog Eugene again played its hard rambling style or rugby.  While the much larger pack dominated Eugene in the scrums, Eugene’s pack destroyed Colorado in the mauls, at one time driving a rolling maul 30 meters down the pitch.  Colorado’s spectacular backline was controlled by Eugene much better than opponents had the previous day with quality tackling and communication in the backline along with the assistance of Eugene’s back three. 
 
Colorado was awarded the first try as a questionable penalty try.  A pop kick to the corner of the try zone resulted in fullback Bill Terrill breaking up the score with a sliding kick, knocking the ball out the back.  However, he was ruled playing the man, not the ball.
 
Bill Terrill struck back with a try of his own.  Justin Burgin continued his dominance in the open with another backline try.  Joey Latteri was good with both conversions.  Eugene surprised the spectators and its opponents playing with a lot of heart. 
 
Bill Terrill - 1 try
Justin Burgin - 1 try
Joey Latteri – 2/2 conversions
 
Eugene finished the weekend with a hard fought second place. If Sunday’s match is any indication, Eugene should have a solid season.  This is one of the most solid sides Eugene has seen in years.  However, recruitment must be the priority.

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August 23, 2003 - 30th Anniversary Celebration and Alumni Game:
Eugene 25 - Old Boys 17

(Eugene) - Eugene hosted former players from 1973 to the present day in a spectacular day of rugby. Many of the Old Boys haven't played in years and many will never play again. Teh website will soon publish many photographs of the players, young and old. More details and complete roster to come... 

Eugene: 25 points
Steve Haley - 1 try
Chris Hoffman - 1 try
Jayme Meadows - 1 try
Sean Peters - 1 try
Mike Arnold - 1 try

Eugene Old Boys: 17 points
Dick Dunn -1 try
Bill Terrill - 1 try
Ross Shepard - 1 conversion
Shawn Waterman - 1 try

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SUMMER 2003

July 19, 2003 - Eugene Hosts 7's Matches 

(Eugene) - On Saturday, July 19, 2003, Eugene Rugby Club and Thurston High School Rugby Club hosted sevens matches at Thurston High School. 

Match 1: Eugene 29 - Bend 5: Eugene scored fast and frequently, defeating archrival Bend.
Tries: Mike Arnold 2, Sean Peters 2, Shane Card 1
Conversions: Joey Latteri 4/5

Match 2: South Eugene/Thurston 29 - Bend 7

Match 3: Eugene 24 - Thurston/South Eugene 12: The high school boys showed some promise against a much stronger Eugene side.
Tries:  Mike Arnold 2, Sean Peters, Jon Sowins
Conversions: Jon Sowins 2/4,
For Thurston/SEHS:
Tries -  Jake Grange
Conversions - Joey Latteri 1/2

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June 14, 2003 - Eugene Rugby Advances to Semi-finals in Tatunka 7's Tourney  

2100 Highway 99 N in Eugene(Olympia, WA) - Eugene went 2-2 at the annual Tatunka 7's Rugby Tournament, hosted by Budd Bay Rugby Club.  On June 14, 2003, the following played for Eugene: Mike Arnold (1 try); Joey Latteri (1 penalty, 3/4 conversions), former SEHS player; Jon Sowins (1/2 conversions); Andrew Sorg (1 try), former SEHS player; Trevor Leung of SEHS;  Mike Wight (3 tries), former Vancouver Sharks H.S. player; and Joey Amaral (1 try). 

Only Mike Arnold and Joey Amaral are not rookies; Sowins of Eugene and Latteri, Sorg, Leung and Wight of SEHS are all first-year players and had an impressive showing against much more experienced opponents.  Sevens rugby is a fast-paced game played on a full-sized field with less than 1/2 the normal players. This makes for lots of space and lots of running and tackling.

Match #1: Bye

Match #2 - Quarter-finals: Eugene 24 - Special Forces (Fort Lewis, WA) 5
Try (Conversions)
Joey Amaral (Joey Latteri - good)
Mike Wight  (Joey Latteri - good)
Andrew Sorg (Jon Sowins - good)
Penalty goal
Joey Latteri
Summary: Youth, speed, good tackling and passing were the keys to victory. Also, Joey Latteri, a U-19 All-Star, made
his Penalty goal from 40+ meters, surprising the opposition.

Match #3 Semi-finals: Eugene 12 - UW 34
Try (Conversions)
Mike Wight  (Joey Latteri - good)
Mike Wight  (Joey Latteri - no good)
Summary: ERFC came out strong. Score was tied at half but UW dominated the second half. UW's scrum half dominated play; UW scored 4 tries in the half to win.
 
Match #4 Consolation Semi-finals: Eugene 5 - Special Forces 14
Try (Conversions)
Mike Arnold (Jon Sowins - no good from the sideline)
Summary: Mike Arnold played hard scoring late in the first half off of a lineout by running over the Special Forces winger.  ERFC lead 5-0 at half, but Special Forces made key substitutions at the half and had very fresh legs. Special Forces scored two quick tries and forced ERFC to play from behind. ERFC had some great play from Andrew Sorg, Jon Sowins and Mike Arnold late. The game ended as Andrew Sorg was just short of scoring a try. 

Eugene will be traveling to other sevens tournaments throughout the summer.  All interested parties should come to touch practice on Tuesdays/Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. at Tugman Park (36th/Hilyard).

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May 3, 2003 - Eugene Kicks-off Summer 7's 3-1

(Corvallis, Ore.) On June 7, 2003, 10 ERFC members made the trip to Corvallis to kickoff summer sevens.  Those in attendance included, Justin Burgin (4 tries, 0/1 conversions), Matty Springer (3 tries), Jon Sowins (4/8 conversions), Garth Hiaasen (1 try), Craig Stankus (1 try), Shane Card, TC Hales, Mark Baldwin, Stefan Alexander*, and Chris Hoffman*. 

Match #1: Eugene 17 - Corvallis 0
Try (Conversions)
Garth Hiaasen (Justin Burgin – no good)
Matty Springer (Jon Sowins – no good)
Justin Burgin (Jon Sowins – good)
Summary: Good tackling and smart passing were key. Justin Burgin and Matty Springer had long try-scoring runs.
 
Match #2: Eugene 24 - Corvallis/OSU (mixed side) 7
Try (Conversions)
Justin Burgin (Jon Sowins – good)
Justin Burgin (Jon Sowins – no good)
Matty Springer (Jon Sowins – no good)
Matty Springer (Jon Sowins – good)
Summary: Shane Card played well as ERFC dominated all match and only gave up a try late.
 
Match #3: Eugene 12 - Corvallis/OSU 10
Try (Conversions)
Justin Burgin (Jon Sowins – no good)
Craig Stankus (Jon Sowins – good)
Summary: ERFC came back from 2 tries late in second half.
 
Match #4: Eugene 0 - OSU Old Boy's 40
Try (Conversions)
None
Summary: Eugene was tired and it was hot. They simply had more old boy tricks.

Eugene will be traveling to other sevens tournaments throughout the summer.  All interested parties should visit www.EugeneRugby.com or come to touch practice on Tuesdays/Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. at Tugman Park (36th/Hilyard).

(* Also played with either Corvallis or OSU Old Boys.)

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SPRING 2003

June 7, 2003 - Eugene Defeats Young Oregon State 17-0

(Corvallis, Ore.) Eugene traveled to Corvallis to play a young Oregon State side in the season’s final 15s match.  A more experienced Eugene side dominated most aspects of the game.  Eugene Rugby Club won its first match sporting a new set of Green/Blue/and Black jerseys with a final score of Eugene 17 – Oregon State University 0.  The club has retired the blue-white-black hoops and will auction them off at the Spring Awards Banquet.

Scoring by Eugene:
Stefan Alexander – 1 try
Chris Huffman – 1 try, 1 conversion
Craig “Quaker” Young – 1 try

A spirited B-side match saw several Corvallis High School players on the pitch and most of the Eugene men pulling double duty. 

Eugene summer touch has been postponed to protect the marshy fields.  The club will travel to several Sevens tournaments this summer and will begin the 2003-2004 season fall with its Annual 10s Tournament celebrating 30 years of Eugene Rugby!

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April 12, 2003 - Eugene Loses to Hard-Running Portland Pigs 12-45

(Portland, Ore.) After a tough loss to Bend the week before, Eugene traveled to Portland to play the Pigs. The Bend match took its toll on Eugene, as several players were still out of commission and several more were playing at far less than 100%. Nonetheless, Eugene made the trip intent on giving the Pigs a good run before they travel to Boise to take on Snake River for a slot at the Division II Regionals.

Eugene started off the match very flat and seemed to lack their typical early-game flair. As the match wore on, the visitors had many bright spots--some good, aggressive rucking and nice running. However, it was mostly upstaged by some non-committal defense of the turnstile/matador variety. The defense seemed to have a particularly difficult time with a rather large islander center. Scrumhalf Shane Card did an especially good job dragging him down from behind on several occasions when his teammates weren't tackling. Inside-center Jayme Meadows proved to a formidable tackler, driving back the offense with each blow.

Eugene's first try came late in the first half after blasting their way into the red zone. Two phases of crashes found scrumhalf Card buried deep beneath the pile. From the back of a ruck, flanker Mike Arnold fed Joe Dierickx, visiting lock from Snake River RFC (Boise). Dierickx made contact with two Portland defenders at the goal line and banged his way in for the try just right of the uprights. The conversion was no good.

Eugene's only other try of the match came in the second half after a string of good offense by Eugene on their half of the pitch. Near Eugene's own 40, Card fed Arnold a pass off the back of a ruck. Arnold broke through the line and made it to the Portland 35 when the Portland fullback and winger came within striking distance. He put his foot to the ball for a pop kick into space. The ball bounced once, and, as luck would have it, it found its way back into Arnold's hands for a short dash for the try. The conversion was made by Card.

Good luck to the Pigs as they battle it out for a playoff berth this weekend in Boise. Fun is always found on the pitch with our friends from the Pigs. Flanker Mike Arnold was named Eugene's man of the match.

Scoring:
- Joe Dierickx (Boise) - 1 try (5 pts.)
- Mike Arnold (Eugene) - 1 try (5 pts.)
-
Shane Card (Corvallis) - 1/1 conversions (2 pts.)

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April 5, 2003 - Eugene Suffers First Division Loss to Bend 0-17
Bend to represent NW at Regionals

(Bend, Ore.) Eugene lost another tough match to Bend with the final score of 0-17. Although Eugene played well, dominated the scrums, and played very disciplined rugby, it wasn't enough to overcome Bend's speed and excellent tackling.  After several easier matches in which Eugene was able to slice through defenses and break tackles, this match was very frustrating. ERFC was just unable to break through to the goal line despite a huge advantage in possession and field position.

Bend was able to make a few long breaks down the field early in the match and put up a 12-0 lead at halftime. One try was scored after their hooker had been sin-binned for a flagrant, not to mention offside, raking with the boots of Eugene flanker Sean Peters' head. 

Eugene clearly dominated the second half of play except for the most important aspect, the score.  ERFC was parked inside Bend's 22 meter line for at least 20 minutes of the second half.  Stefan Alexander did get the ball over the line and onto the ground but the ref called it no try because he didn't see the grounding.  ERFC was also able to get the ball over the line on at least two other occasions but was unable to ground the ball.  Jayme Meadows had a nice pickup at the back of a ruck and dove over for a try. However, the ball had just been knocked on by a Eugene player so another 5-meter scrum was called. 

All credit goes to Bend for somehow keeping Eugene out of the try zone despite being dominated at numerous 5-meter scrums (losing a number of their own put-ins), being solidly driven at Eugene's lineouts, and standing up to charge after charge from Eugene. 

The last play of the match saw an exciting run down the touchline by Chris Hoffman who chip kicked the ball ahead and was just unable to reach the ball before it went over the dead ball line. That play pretty much summed up the entire game: tries were just out of Eugene's reach. 

Although it was a disappointing outcome, no one let their teammates down. The effort from ERFC was outstanding. The commitment was first rate. But the finishing touch was just missing. Flyhalf Justin Burgin (Lowell) was named man of the match for doing his typical hard hitting, hard running rugby.

Congratulations to Bend; they were the better team on Saturday and deserved to win. This was the first time that Eugene has been shutout in a league match since records began to be kept in the Fall of 2000.

Bend, who was defeated by Eugene in the fall 33-21, will represent the Pacific Northwest at the Pacific Coast Regionals in Arizona. Eugene plays the Portland Pigs this weekend.

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March 29, 2003 - Eugene Defeats Budd Bay 67-7

(Eugene, Ore.) Eugene defeated league opponent Budd Bay 67-7 by scoring 11 tries and 6/11 conversions. 

  • Justin Burgin (Lowell) 3 Tries
  • Chris Hoffman (Corvallis) 2T, 4/7 Conversations
  • Stefan Alexander (Corvallis) 1T 
  • James Alford (UO grad student) 1T
  • Mike Arnold (Eugene attorney) 1T
  • Dave Bell (captain) (Eugene lab tech) 1T 
  • Shane Card (Corvallis father of two) 1T
  • Sean Peters (Eugene bartender) 1T
  • Phil Kelly (Eugene) 2/4 C 

Eugene came out pretty flat and was surprised by Budd Bay's early-match vigor.  Budd Bay's game plan was pretty simple if not very effective. They ran their forwards right and left off the side of the rucks, not much more than an arm length to the side. They did it over and over, just running their forwards and crashing back with the backs. Eugene met them and met them, usually driving them back. However, Budd Bay was persistent and hitting very hard, wearing down the Eugene defense.

Budd Bay had a couple of breakaway runs off of stolen rucks. They scored their try on defense off of a gift pass from Eugene, but they didn't really generate much offense on their own.  Matty Springer (Eugene social worker) and Justin Burgin gave great chase on their fullback's 55-meter breakaway to keep him out of the try zone for what would have been their 2nd try.

Offensively Eugene had a huge advantage with their speed, but Budd Bay wore Eugene down a little in the beginning. Eugene's set piece play went pretty well. Scrums were solid against a bigger team.

Both scrumhalf Shane Card and winger James Alford scored tries with smart pick-ups from the backs of rucks. Each saw the hole and ran through. Alford's try (his second of his career) saw him blowing past two defenders. Sean Peters' try was the result of equally good field vision off the back of a set piece that ended with a 40-meter run into the try zone. Peters showed explosive speed. Mike Arnold's try came late in the first half when scrumhalf Card fed him the ball off the back of a ruck at the 35-meter line. A stiff arm to a defender left Arnold to make a move around the fullback. However, finesse in the open didn't make up for speed, as the Budd Bay winger caught him from behind at about the five-meter line. Arnold fell just shy of the goal line, reaching forward upon noticing the field position for the outstretched try. Both of Chris Hoffman's tries illustrated that power and speed can equal 30- to 50-meter tries.

Card had what would have been his second try of the match when he made contact at the goal line. His momentum plus a push from behind planted him firmly in for the try. However, by the time the referee got in range, the smart Budd Bay back may have slipped his hands under the ball, which was ruled "held up" and a five-meter scrum was awarded. Off the next scrum, the scrumhalf fed the flyhalf who was flattened by the simultaneous blows of flanker Stefan Alexander's left shoulder and outside center Mike Arnold's right shoulder.

Hooker Mike Peters (Corvallis) was named man of the match. He ran the ball up field, secured the ball numerous times, communicated well with teammates, hit the jumpers in the lineouts, and made many tackles on Budd Bay's very large forwards running off of the rucks.

Eugene plays archrival Bend this weekend. The winner advances to regionals in Phoenix, Arizona.

Spring 2003 Statistics
League: 4-0 League Record (Points for & Against: 312-14 or 22:1) (Avg. PPG: 78-4)
Overall:
5-1 Overall Record (Points: 346-62 or 6:1)

Since Fall 2000: (14-3 League Record) (22-11 Overall Record) (Points For & Against: 1096-497 or 2:1) (Avg. PPG: 33-15)

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March 22, 2003 - Eugene Defeats Peninsula 87-7

(Eugene, Ore.) This past Saturday Eugene Rugby dispatched Peninsula 87-7.  Eugene played fairly well, moving the ball at will, only really getting held up while trying to maul.  The tries came in a variety of manners: long runs through the defense, the ball going quickly through several hands to take advantage of overlaps, powerful runs by the forwards, chasing kicks, and scores off of set pieces.   

ERFC's defense was overall very solid but Eugene was scored on by ERFC alum Kevin Graham, who was in town from Seattle.  He took the ball from about 5 meters out and powered over for the score.  Justin Burgin made another showcase for tackle of the season, blasting the Peninsula ball carrier with such force that he shot back like out of a cannon--truly marvelous.   

Many thanks go out to Bruce Brown who agreed to ref since the scheduled referee was unable to attend. Bruce also reffed the morning high school match between Thurston and South Eugene.   

Man of the match went to a deserving but not unanimous Darren Polamalu.  Many played very well but Darren played just a little bit better than the rest.

Eugene scored 15 tries and made 6 of 15 conversions:

ERFC has two more matches left to win in order to capture the PNRFU crown and travel to the Pacific Coast playoffs in Phoenix in April.  Next Saturday, March 29th, ERFC takes on league rival Budd Bay in Eugene at an as yet determined location (most likely kicking off at 1pm).

Spring 2003 Statistics:

  • League: 3-0 League Record (Points for & Against: 245-7 or 35:1) (Avg. PPG: 82-2)
  • Overall: 4-1 Overall Record (Points: 279-55 or 5:1)

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March 15, 2003 - Eugene Defeats Seattle Quake 91-0

(Eugene, Ore.) On March 15, 2003, Eugene Rugby took on the overmatched Seattle Quake this past weekend and ran away with the 91-0 victory.  Eugene was too fast, more aggressive and much more organized than the Quake.  However, Seattle was greatly improved from last season.  They were much more aggressive in the rucks and made some tackles.  At the beginning of the game, they were competitive in the scrums.  Most likely they could have kept the score down if they would have kicked to touch on penalties instead of continually running the ball and knocking it on in the tackle. 

For the most part Eugene stuck to their best style of play: fast break, run-and-gun rugby, as the backs ran in 11 of the 15 tries.  Eugene was very aggressive on defense, regularly hitting the Quake ball carrier hard and driving them back and/or causing a knock on.  Darren Polamalu had an especially big tackle in the first half, leaving his opposite crumpled up in a ball for about a minute. 

Since neither team was kicking the ball after penalties, there were very few lineouts, all of which were won by Eugene. 

Chris Hoffman was named Man of the Match with his 4 tries and 7 conversions (34 points). Other scorers were:

  • Justin Burgin (flyhalf) (LCC student), 3 tries (15 pts)
  • Mike Arnold, (flanker) 2 tries (10 pts)
  • Darren Polamalu (center) (UO student), 2 tries
  • Landon Stroebel (winger/rookie) (LCC student), 1 try (1 point)
  • Shane Card (scrumhalf) (Corvallis), 1 try
  • Ben Figard (prop) (Corvallis), 1 try
  • Eric Pakulak (lock) (UO grad student), 1 try
  • Phil Kelly (flyhalf), conversion (2 pts)

The A-side match was followed by an abbreviated B-side match.  The team in the ERFC jerseys came out winners with 4 tries.  South Eugene High School senior winger Tyler Grey showed excellent speed in scoring 2 very nice tries. The future looks bright for Eugene/Springfield-area rugby. 

Pacific NW D-III Standings
1st     Eugene 6-0
2nd    Bend 5-1
3rd    Budd Bay (Olympia) 3-3
4th    Seattle Quake 1-4
5th    Peninsula (Bremerton, Wash.) 0-6

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March 8, 2003 - Eugene Defeated by Tough Div. I Foe
Eugene 5 - ORSU 36

(Portland, Ore.) – On Saturday, March 8, 2003, Eugene traveled to Portland to take on the Division I ORSU Jesters. This was the best side ORSU has put out against Eugene in the last 2 years and far and away the best they have played against Eugene.  ORSU demonstrated that they are a good, solid Division I team who last weekend traveled to Seattle and put up 39 points in the first half against another Div I team.  ORSU has already qualified for the D-I Regionals.

In Saturday's match, Eugene started flat but went knocking on the door to ORSU's try-zone on several occasions in the first half. Throughout the day Eugene did some good things and had it rolling in their favor. However, the high points would often end with Eugene turning over the ball in a tackle or scrum.

Although ORSU dominated in the scrum Eugene stabilized things in the second half. ORSU was knocking on Eugene's door for many minutes in the second half and were kept out. There is no way you can see a better tackle than the one fullback Justin Burgin (Lowell, Ore.) made at the goal line to keep them out by inches. He stopped the ORSU back dead in his tracks as he dove in for the try.

The final score was Eugene 0 - ORSU 36. Eugene's lone try was scored by flyhalf Chris Hoffman (Corvallis, Ore.). Shane Card was named Eugene's Man of the Match.

Eugene traveled to Portland with 22 players. After a physically demanding A-side match, took on the fresh legs of ORSU's second side. Ross Shepard captained the B-side match at 8-man. Shepard founded ERFC 30 years ago in 1973 and co-founded ORSU a year later in 1974. B-side results: Eugene B's 0 - ORSU B's 25.

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March 1, 2003 - Eugene Defeats Peninsula 67-0

(Bremerton, WA) – On Saturday, March 1, 2003, Eugene dominated Peninsula in unseasonably clear weather in Bremerton, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula.  The play was clean and well done during the first half, where Eugene scored most of their points in the 67-0 win.  The second half was sloppier on both sides, but Eugene was able to prevent any effort to score on Peninsula’s part.  This is Eugene's highest point spread against Peninsula since a 68-0 victory September 22, 2001, and this is Eugene's 6th shutout since the fall of 2000.

A memorable try was scored by Justin Burgin after Matty Springer’s breakaway run and pop kick into the try-zone; Justin Burgin outran the opposition and touched it down for the try.  Another try was recorded by Mike Arnold after receiving a pass from scrum-half, Shane Card, who passed off as he took the final hit, leaving a clear run for Mike to score on.  Chuck Young, a recent addition to the team, made a fantastic run along the sideline, only to trip up at the end; he managed to pass the ball to JQ Schaller to finish the run for yet another try.   

Justin Burgin was also on fire with his kicking this weekend, managing 7/10 on conversion kicks and 1/1 on penalty kicks, scoring 17 points on kicking alone.

The following players scored two tries each: Mike Arnold, Sean Peters, and JQ Schaller.  Single try-scorers included Matty Springer, Justin Burgin, TC Hales, Shane Card, and Darren Polamalu.

The B-side match was cut short due to an injury of a Peninsula player.  The B-side won 17-0.  Jayme Meadows scored 2 tries and Eric Pakulak scored one.  First-side injuries for Eugene included winger Steve Strickland with a dislocated finger. 

After the match, Eugene coach Sean Peters asked for both teams to take a moment of silence to reflect on all of the Peninsula players that have been deployed or are being deployed overseas.  Peninsula Rugby consists mainly of Navy players.  Eugene player Bruce Brown, also Navy, could be deployed soon as well.  Eugene RFC wishes them all the best.  

Saturday's victory put Eugene one step closer to a slot at the Pacific Coast Regionals in Phoenix, Arizona, in April.  If Eugene qualifies, this will be their first time attending since 1994.    Eugene is now 4-0 against league opponents this season (fall/spring).  Since the fall of 2000, Eugene is 20-10 overall, 12-3 in their league, and has outscored the opposition 933-454.   

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February 8, 2003 - Eugene Defeats Portland Pigs

(Monroe, Oregon) – Eugene's Spring 2003 season got off to a great start with a 29-12 preseason win against the Portland Pigs at Monroe High School on 2/8/03.  This is the first Eugene victory over the Pigs in many years.

With great weather on a great pitch, play got underway.  Eugene played well over the entire match.  Portland played hard, but Eugene had some fantastic individual and team effort that overcame the opposition.   Tries for Eugene were scored by Justin Burgin (2), Sean Peters (2), and Dan Tichy (1).  Portland scored twice with one conversion.

This was an excellent start to our season; many new faces were out with a lot of veterans returning as well.  Eugene's Man of the Match was JQ Schaller for his hustle and excellent play during the match.

Eugene starts league play on March 1st in Bremerton, Washington, against Peninsula.  Eugene is currently 1st Place among D3 teams in the northwest.   Eugene practices Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. in west Eugene.  Visit www.EugeneRugby.com or call 338-9111 for more information or directions.

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FALL 2002

November 16, 2002 - Eugene Defeats Southern Ore. Univ. & Redding RFC

(Ashland) – Eugene travelled down to Ashland to play a season-ending round robin.  It seemed that the theme of the day was injuries as player after player came off the pitch during the 3 matches.  Southern Oregon University started off playing Redding Rugby Club (Cal.) and won pretty handily.

Eugene then faced off against SOU.  The final score was 17-12.  It was a close game against a very big and strong SOU side.  Eugene's play was very sloppy with many errors and penalties.  Eugene had 4 guys go off injured, including a wobbly Sean Peters with a broken nose.  Against his claims of being okay, he was done for the day.

Next, was Redding, a division-III team, versus Eugene.  Arnie Jones from SOU really stood out in this match scoring 3 tries after having already played the 2 previous. Imagine a clone of Matty Springer and you get this guy.  Eugene won this match 19-7.  Mike Arnold was 2-2 on conversions.  Again, a number of players went off injured. 

After the match SOU offered up a rookie for a zulu and Sean made up some thing about scoring a hat trick for a men's club means a zulu, so Arnie joined his teammate. 

The social, hosted at Arnie's house (the guy did it all this weekend) was highlighted by a virtual deadheat in the boat race between Eugene and Redding and a spirited rookie lift featuring about a dozen rookies, including our own Bub, Steve, and Jeff.

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October 19, 2002 - Eugene Defeats New Team - Eugene 116 - Seattle Quake 0

(Seattle) – On Saturday, 10/19/02, after observing a moment of silence for the lost lives in the Bali tragedy, the Quake kicked off to the visitors from Eugene.  The match was pretty one-sided in the backs with forward play more even and well contested at set pieces.  It was a dry day with good rugby conditions played on a decent pitch at Marymore Park.   

Eugene put up 72 unanswered points by half with hard running and good ball handling.  Few penalties from either side kept things moving along.  Both sides had their share of rookies and all played with heart.  There were no disciplinary problems at all.  The match was played on the field with only 5 or 6 lineouts all match.  

Eugene was unstoppable in the second half as well, finishing with 116 unanswered points total.  Rookie prop Rufus “Bub” Crump scored his first-ever try from a pass on a penalty kick, barreling 35 meters and running over 5 Quake players.  Following the try, a great show was made of his breakfast at midfield. 

A total of 24 tries were scored by Eugene on the day--half of which occurred on kickoff returns after the Quake repeatedly kicked the ball to the track-meet-ready backline.  Eugene finished the day with its 3rd-consecutive league victory.

Scoring:
Justin Burgin – 4 tries, 1 conversion
Josh Bloomquist – 2 tries
Rufus “Bub” Crump – 1 try
Joey Frizzell – 3 tries
TC Hales – 4 tries
Jayme Meadows – several conversions
Matt Mulholand – 1 try
Sean Peters – 3 tries
JQ Schaller – 2 tries
Matty Springer – 4 tries

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October 13, 2002 - Eugene Defeats Archrival - Eugene 33 - Bend 21

(Springfield) – On Saturday, October 12, 2002, Eugene came out hard and secured an early lead, beating Bend only the second time since 1994.  For most of the second half it appeared Eugene was in protection mode, attempting to sit on the lead.  The match was well-played with both sides hitting the rucks hard.  Bend's score would have been much higher had it not been for several strings of try-saving tackles by Eugene while Bend was within Eugene's 22.  Eugene held off some late-game heroics by Bend despite having a man sin-binned for 10 minutes.  Matty Springer was Eugene's Man of the Match.

Eugene is right on track to traveling to Arizona for the Pacific Coast Regional Championships in May.  Last October Eugene narrowly defeated Bend at home, but missed the playoffs when Bend handedly won in the spring.

Scoring:
Justin Burgin - 1 try; 4/5 conversions; 0/1 penalties (13 pts)
Matty Springer - 2 tries (10 pts)
Steve Strickland - 2 try (10 pts)

Eugene plays the Seattle Quake this Saturday away.  For more information, visit www.EugeneRugby.com or call 463-9483. Eugene is always looking for new and used players.

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October 8, 2002 - Eugene Wins Big in 1st League Match - Eugene 50 - Budd Bay 0

(Olympia) – On Saturday, October 5, 2002, Eugene put up 8 tries against a hard-hitting Budd Bay. Eugene appeared to be out matched in the set pieces but were able to hold strong in the loose. Eugene's backs dominated, scoring all the day's tries. Micah Bronitsky had a phenomenal 5 tries on the day.

Scoring:
- Mark Baldwin, winger - 1 try (5 pts)
- Justin Burgin, center - 1 try, 2/6 conversions, 2/3 penalty kicks (15 pts)
- Micah Bronitsky - 5 tries, 0/2 conversions (25 pts)
- Steve Strickland - 1 try (5 pts)

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September 29, 2002 -