September 24, 2008 – A quick look at women’s DI college rugby shows us that most games went to form.

If any game could be called an upset it was New Mexico’s 46-17 defeat of Air Force. Not that the Lobos weren’t expected to win, but it was more the margin of victory. The old saying that forwards decide who wins and backs decide by how much was evident there, as the New Mexico backs had plenty of influence.

Also out there in the West, two other teams many should be wary of got going. BYU (aka Women’s Cougar Rugby) began their season with a 34-0 victory over Utah Valley University.

Head coach Tom Waqa said his smallish forward pack dominated the larger UVU forwards. He is still wondering whether his program can repeat the good performances of last year with all the graduation losses.

”It was a decent start but we have a long way to go,” Waqa said. “We are rebuilding again, and I’m happy with what we have.”

Also victorious was Colorado State, 56-0 over Northern Colorado. Following their good stretch at the Jackalope Tournament, CSU could well be the up-and-comers of the 2008-09 season.

”We've added some talent but mostly improved the focus of the team and trainings,” said coach Dustin George. “This weekend we scored 10 tries by seven different players so everyone is contributing. The even better news is we have two seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores, and two freshman in our starting lineup. Lots of depth to build for the future.”

CSU moved up to DI from DII last year and the resulting change in attitude among the players has made a massive difference. They join Colorado, Air Force and New Mexico in what may be the toughest women’s collegiate league in the country.

Thanks to the University of Northern Colorado Bears, the Rams were able to get another game under their belts before their first league match against CU (game scheduled for 9/28). The sidelines were packed with fans, the weather was great and the Rams swept the Bears to a 56-0 finish. The first half started off slow with some minor mistakes but after the half-time gathering, the Rams knew that they needed to get their heads into the game--that is exactly what they did, as they finished it up strong with at least more than 5 players on the team scoring. Way to go Rams!

The 2008 Women's Rugby team hit the road Saturday and drove to Laramie, Wyoming for their first games of the year at Jackalope, an annual tournament held in Wyoming hosting multiple men's and women's collegiate teams. Saturday, the Rams were matched up against home team Wyoming and the Buffalos from University of Colorado. The Rams won their matches 7-5 and 15-0 respectively as countless rookies and veterans fielded both games and worked to get back into the swing of things. Sunday, the Rams played the Air Force Academy and prevailed through an intense match to end the score 12-3. The weekend was full of great rugby as the team was able to bond and get a great start for a fun season!

This afternoon’s game against the University of Wyoming was a big win for us. Today was the last league game for our seniors, myself included, it’s hard knowing that after rugby and college all there is only the “real” world to look forward to. Winning against a truly tough team and rival ensured that seniors walked off the pitch with some teary eyes but also some big grins. Today’s game demonstrated the power that this team has within each of the forwards but also the skill within each member of the backline and what type of domination can ensue when both communicate and integrate with each other flawlessly. Our next step is to perfect our strategy and prepare for our upcoming regional tournament. Only good things are to come. Also, please remember that we will be participating in a fund raiser with Cold Stone Creamery the 24th of this month and we hope to see everyone there helping us in our efforts of making it to the National Championship tournament this May.

Just an FYI for all of you CSU Women’s Rugby fans out there, we are going to Regionals this April with the hopes of going all the way to the National Championship Tournament in Stanford California. This means a lot of great rugby but also a lot of travel. Sadly, travel isn’t cheap and we need help. So mark your calendars, on March 24th from 7-9pm our team takes over Coldstone Creamery on the corner of Laurel and College Avenue. So please come by enjoy the treats and make sure to mention that you would like a portion of your ice cream costs to go to the CSU Women’s Rugby Team.

Also if the generous mood does strike and you would be willing to donate to the teams travel fund that would be greatly appreciated. Just make sure to contact one of the team officers. Thank you.