Invictus

So its time for me to make a recommendation.  Invictus is a film that follows the story of the South African Rugby team, the Springboks, leading up to and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.  The true story is one that any rugby fan can feel for.  The 1995 Rugby World Cup was hosted by South Africa, which had just seen the demolishing of apartheid.

Nelson Mandela had been released from prison 5 years earlier and had recently become the countries president.  His story is a big part of the movies story line.  In my eyes there is no other actor more fit to represent Nelson Mandela in this movie other than Morgan Freeman.  A lot of Mandela’s story is told and it is related to the path of the team toward the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

The main character and the teams best player and captain, Francois Pienaar is played by local actor Matt Damon.  Pienaar has an interesting relationship with Mandela that helps him and the Sprinboks have success in the tournament(without giving too much away).

The 2009 movie directed by Clint Eastwood is a must see for not only any rugby fans but also anyone who enjoys a feel good story.

Differences Aren’t Just on the Field

These days have seen numerous differences between sports.  So far with this bog I have kind of kept my voice pretty quiet.  This is something that needs to be said though.

The NFL has been haunted this season with scandals with some of its more prolific players.  Allegations of domestic violence have plagued the league.  In two particular instances the players were the teams star running backs.  The players have not played since the stories came out.  Early in the season the lack of actions by the leagues commissioner was also a scandal.

This is something we do not see with rugby athletes.  As I have mentioned before rugby brings about a certain culture.  I attribute this to why these issues do not affect rugby.

How To: Lineout

A lineout is the method rugby players use to put the ball back into play after being stopped by the ball going out of bounds.  If a player goes out of bounds, a toss is not caught and goes out, or a loose ball , the opposing team gets to throw in a lineout.  If a team gets a penalty they can elect to kick the ball out of bounds in which case they would get the lineout.

The ball is thrown overhead by the hooker.  Three of his forward teammates form a line in front about 5 meters from the out of touch line where the ball will be thrown from.

These players jump in the air or are lifted by props.  The props are normally the strongest players on the team.  They lift the forwards and hold them by the legs.  When the ball is thrown these players know where it will be thrown to. The defending team sets up a similar line parallel to the other in an attempt to deflect the  pass to gain possession.

Once possession is gained the player with the ball has a few options.  He can run the ball forward or make a toss backwards to one of his teammates.  Another option after lineouts is to form a maul.  A maul takes place when multiple players come together and run the ball forward as a group.

Follow Us On Twitter

In an attempt to spread the word about our blog we have decided that it can only help to add a Twitter account.   This decision will widen our audience and provide more eyes on our information.

We will be tweeting daily on events, information, comments, and opinions about not only FSU Rugby but also the sport of Rugby as a whole.

We encourage all to follow and to spread the word about the our Twitter and our blog.

Give us a follow @RugbyFSU

Tweets by RugbyFsu

PLAYER PROFILE: Andy Krawczynski

Andy Krawczynski has been labeled by some of his teammates as the founder of the Fitchburg State Rugby Club.  At twenty-one years old Krawczynski, being a senior, is beginning to plan out his future.

Krawczynski is originally from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts but moved when he was in the sixth grade to his current hometown of Willbraham, Massachusetts.  Both of these towns are suburbs of the more well known City of Springfield, for those, like myself, that didn’t know.

In high school Krawczynski represented the Minnechaug Regional High School Falcons.  He spent three years of high school with the green and white’s football.  Playing on both sides of the ball, he was a Linebacker and a Defensive End on the defensive side and a Fullback for the offensive side, he showed his versatility as an athlete.  He also spent one year with the schools baseball team and participated in travel baseball playing both first base and designated hitter.  Again showing his wide array of athletic skills.

Krawczynski is studying Exercise Science at Fitchburg State.  His concentration in this major more specifically is Clinical Exercise  Physiology which he explains is, “The nitty gritty study of why the body does what it does.”

Krawczynski was a pivotal character in bringing rugby to Fitchburg State.  He, as said before, has been called the founder of the team.  Krawczynski was given the honor of being the teams captain for the inaugural season.

2014 FSU Rugby Roster Released

There are 15 Rugby players on the field for each team at a time.  Teams are only allowed to substitute three players per game, which mean any player after these three subs that need to leave the game will force the team to play a man down.  The Fitchburg State Rugby team consists of 25 players.  Here is the list of the number, position, and names of the teams 15 starting players along with the names and positions of the 10 reserves.

#1- Loosehead Prop- Eddie Landa

#2- Hooker- Brad Lewis

#3- Tighthead Prop- Will Quilty

#4- Second Row- Aiden Horgan

#5- Second Row- Andy Krawczynski

#6- Blindside Flanker- Anthony Farina

#7- Openside Flanker- Dave Liu

#8- 8 Man- Sean Smith

#9- Scrum-Half- Ben Donovan

#10- Fly-Half- Chris Duplisea

#11- Weak Side Wing- Johnny Mangini

#12- Inside Centre- Ray Gallagher

#13- Outside Centre- Andrew Dascoli

#14- Strong Side Wing- Gabe McLaughlin

#15- Full Back- Ryan Day

Substitutions:

Nicholas Bridge- Prop

David Chauca- Outside Centre

Adrian Chavez- Prop

Ryan Crowley- Wing

James Garand- Outside Centre

Danny Kuhn- Outside/Inside Centre

Alex King- Inside Centre

Mathew Salmonson- Wing

Connor Schramm- Wing

Danny Tavolieri- Flanker

Rising Popularity of the Rugby Culture

North America has seen a recent rapid increase in the population and the popularity of Rugby.  In 2010,  1.1 million Americans said they had played rugby at least once that year.  This participation number has doubled in the past three years.

A majority of this new participation can be seen in the Northwest region of North America.  This is where Kevin Swiryn will become the newest head coach of the University of Washington rugby team.  The University of Washington has seen increased advancements in Rugby that are parallel if not surpassing that of the rest of the region and nation.

Swiryn, in a recently published article on the outlet, “The Seattle Globalist” which not only gives a descriptive  report of rugby as a whole, but also offers a lot of what rugby could be becoming here in the United States, gave his opinion on the unique sport.

“Anyone this is associated with rugby- there is an absolute love for the sport… The culture is so fascinating.  It’s so much different than anything else in American sports culture,” Swiryn evaluated.

This is true.  It parallels that of international soccer.  It is a culture and no matter where you go there is always a big following.

He later explains one of the big positional differences between rugby and American football.  All the players on the rugby field are asked and expected to play both offence and defense, as there is no pause in change of possession.  This differs from football where players only play on one side of the ball.

Swiryn details the benefit that this has for those who want to play rugby.  “Rugby is a sport for any type of athlete.  Any size, height, weight, any speed and any skill set.  The difference is the fastest, strongest, fittest guys aren’t the best, where in football maybe they are.  The more skilled and more tactically savvy player will always be the better player on the field,” argued Swiryn.

This is one of the main reasons that the sport is becoming more and more prevalent.  Almost everyone has the opportunity to give the sport a try.

 

Tony Ursino is the president of the Seattle Rugby Football Club.  In the same “Seattle Globalist” article Ursino concludes the article with immense optimism of what the sport can become:  “Rugby is a juggernaut waiting to happen in the United States.  If we can find the right mix and the right support, it will be ready to explode.”

Unusual global sport gains big following in the Northwest

Learning the Game

The most comprehensible way to describe the sport of rugby is by comparing it to the sport of American Football.  This most resembles- of all sports, the sport of rugby.  The problem is they are still so different.

The violence in each game is comparable.  There are numerous hits, numerous collisions, and numerous injuries that come with each and every game.  One difference is the padding and protective equipment worn by the athletes.  Football consists of a number of pads and a helmet that has been modified to protect the athletes heads to the utmost.  Rugby players were minimal if not no pads and only few wear thin caps to protect their heads.  These variations are dependent on the athletes position and preference.

The playing fields are also a little different.  First, the field of play in rugby is referred to as the pitch.  The pitch is about nine yards larger in length and about 17 yards larger in width than a football field.  The actually size of the pitch is 100 meters by 70 meters.  Another blatant difference is that the goal post is in front of the end zone instead of in front of it.  The playing field of international soccer or futbol game is also designated as the pitch.

Rugby games consist of two 40 minute halves unlike the tradition 30 minute halves of football.  The team has 15 players on the field at the time and one of the more unique aspects of the sport is that the jersey numbers of these fifteen athletes correspond to their positions.

The point system in Rugby is also a bit unique.  Teams gain 5 points when a player gets a try, which is the equivalent to a touchdown.  Following a try, a kicker is given the opportunity to kick off of a tee from 22 meters out for an additional 2 points.  At any point during the game any player can elect to attempt a dropkick through the uprights and be awarded 3 points if successful.

Players must remember that the only way that they can pass the ball is a backwards lateral, which is why when the players are advancing forward they run in a staggered position.

Introduction

Following our blog will provide the readers with not only in depth coverage of the Fitchburg State University Rugby Team but also a better understanding of the sport of Rugby as a whole.

Following our blog will leave the reader waiting for the next post, wanting to know more about the team, and wanting to know more about the sport of Rugby.

Following our blog will educate the reader on the team and the sport.

We will have an active twitter account that will provide more brief informative post on a more user friendly platform

We hope that you are all as excited about this upcoming project as we are.