Making A Splash

Hawaii Rugby has been making the news lately.

The Honolulu Advertiser posted an article and some pictures about the La'ie women's team winning the Las Vegas Invitational 7's tournament last month.

eRugbyNews posted an article about the Islanders on March 10th.

A little late, but here's some information from Ma'afu about the youth tournament going on this week at Kapiolani Park and a Positive Coaching Alliance Clinic:

ALOHA TO ALL RUGGERS!

12 NOON: WEDNESDAY KAPIOLANI PARK on the rugby field during the ALOHA 7's.

The POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE CLINIC sponsored by USA Rugby, Hawaii Youth Rugby and Rugby Hawaii Union ..... invites coaches, players, parents and fans to attend.
Please bring your own chair and coaches a pen.

See you all there ! Invite your friends.

SPRINGBREAK YOUTH RUGBY at KAPIOLANI PARK ... get your keikis out!

ALOHA 7'S youth rugby.... Monday 3/15, Tuesday 3/16 and Wednesday 3/17.

Hawaii Youth Rugby Invitational 15's starts 8:30am on Thursday 3/18, Friday 3/19 and Saturday 3/20.

D1 Ranking

Islanders Rugby (Oahu, Hawaii) have been ranked 14th in Division I by eRugbyMagazine. Since they have been pretty much unbeatable lately, that's fitting. Congratulations guys!

Good Rugby

I got to watch one game yesterday. Islanders vs Tama Sulu Ie. It was a great game, the best one I’ve seen here. The Islanders won 3-0 in a tough fought match. The teams were pretty evenly matched and played pretty much the same. There were a couple of breaks throughout the game, but defense was good on both sides, and a little more discipline could be had on offence for both. Missed opportunities from either not passing when they should or passing when they shouldn’t. Pretty common in the level of rugby I always played, but can be overcome with practice.

Tama Sulu Ie played noticeably better than the last time I saw them play last year. They have new uniforms too, but I’m sure their playing has more to do than just new jerseys.

I have to say that the Union (Hawaii State Rugby Union) has really made an impact. This game, while very physical as is typical here, was well played. The push for clean, disciplined play is taking hold. Also, spectators are kept back away from the field about six feet or so, which adds a level of control over the whole game and field. Union officials are also on-hand to monitor and keep things under control. Good job guys and girls. Union Secretary Shelly was on the ball, keeping tabs of things and taking notes for future improvements.

I also have to mention the refereeing. The two referee clinics that have taken place recently are really paying off. Ikuna, who is also a player for Kalihi Raiders did an exceptional job, not only of calling the game, but keeping it well under control. The touch judges, who were both trained and qualified as referees added an extra level of professionalism.

Keep up the good work everyone, and good luck to all the teams.




Adopt-A-Rugger Hug-A-Rugger

Hawaii Rugby News

There's going to be a rugby game this Saturday. It's a pre-pre-season game between the Islanders and Harlequins. The game will start at 4:00 pm at Kapiolani Park.

It looks like the Harlequin's Rugby Tournament will being going on. October 24th and 25th, also at Kapiolani Park. There will be teams from Canada, Australia, Maui, and they're expecting New Zealand, along with the home teams of the Islanders and Harlequins.

Check out the Islanders Rugby Club's website (link included in the Rugby Related Links list). Nothing fancy, but provides contact info and location of their practices. And best of all, it's free using GooglePages. I put it together for them, and I'll be getting with Lofi to add some pictures, some history of the team, and some other information. Oh, got to update it to put in their practice times of 7:30 - 9:30 pm (under the lights). I should probably include the days too, but need to look that up real quick (Tues/Thur?).

And don't forget to Adopt-A-Rugger and Hug-A-Rugger, where all proceeds are donated to USA Rugby (so the girls - the Women's National Team - don't have to pay their own way to play in games).

Islanders Rugby Club Fundraiser

The Islanders Rugby Club is having a fundraiser and dance this Saturday.

Place: Kathy's Bar, 1336 Dillingham Blvd, Honolulu (that's in Kalihi, by the Zippy's)

Date: Saturday, June 28, 2008

Time: 6:00 pm - 2:00 am

Entertainment: DJ Kelemeke

Cost: Whatever the cover charge is at Kathy's (didn't get that info)

Should be a fun time, so stop on by.

Hawaii State Rugby Union Championship

I ran into fellow ref Shelly at Starbucks this afternoon and found out the results from the Union Championship game on Saturday (I was in Chicago on Saturday). It sounds like it was a good game. Tied 9-9 at the end of regulation time, the game went through two overtime periods with no score. The game was then decided by kicking.

The Islanders Rugby Club defeated UH for the Hawaii State Rugby Union Championship.

Congratulations to the Islanders! And congratulations to Union President Ma'afu and everyone who was involved in this wonderful and successful season. We've got a great foundation for bigger and better things next year.

Next week will be the Select Side Trials. I don't have the details yet, but will post them when I get them. I'm assuming they'll be held at the regular field at Kapiolani Park, but I can't say with certainty. Hopefully we'll get a good squad of players that can train together for some games on the road. Fitness will have to be emphasized, along with a firm grasp of basic skills. Learning to play with new people is always good, and the increased competition of being among other select side players will be a plus. Good luck to everyone trying out.