OU Rugby Gets
New Pitch
I think we all knew this day was coming, our
hallowed grounds sat too undeveloped to last forever. The Al Velie
Rugby Complex/ Tarzan Pitch has hosted its last match. The Clubhouse
will remain ours and OU built us a beautiful complex for about
$50,000 with sprinkler systems and laser graded and a cool berm
near Lloyd Noble Center, but for this man on the street, I do
not hold any piece of turf as close to my heart as “The Pitch.”
In typical OU Rugby fashion we had a party. A wake with a band.
We hosted the Ozark Collegiate All-star and U-19 Championships
and 44 players showed up. Red Bull Energy drink picked up the
tab for the band, “Negative Nancy”, a huge tent, great
chow and showcased our last days, all during the Baylor football
game hoopla surrounding us.
Oklahoma
Gets Scholarships to Icon Academy in South Africa
A number of very exciting things are happening
around OU Rugby. I met with Naas Botha Friday Night and we agreed
on some really great things. He has offered us 4 scholarships
to the Icon Academy for High Performance Athletes. We will work
ou
t the details, but in short Icon is where rugby players with
the skill and athletic ability to become professionals train in
an intensive one year program beginning March 1. The program costs
about $6,000 and covers food lodging and basically allows the
players to concentrate on rugby similarly to a Scholarship Football
Player at OU. Icon is in conjunction with the University of Pretoria.
One of the finest institutions in South Africa and arguably the
best rugby school in the world. Only the top players from Pretoria
and other schools are invited to the Icon Academy. The players
will take classes at Pretoria, which will provide OU credit to
them. Besides the scholarshipped players, others may participate
in the exchange program. There is another academy or playing for
UP is still pretty awesome. The field around 19 sides and when
playing rival RAU have 20,000 in the stands. The facilities are
the finest in South Africa. If this goes well, this may be an
annual situation.
We also discussed establishing the Naas Botha
Rugby Camp which would be similar to the camps College Sports
host at their campuses during the summer months. We would do the
first one, we may put on three others around the country. Both
of these programs should help recruit good high school and college
transfer rugby players to OU. We got our first South Africans
on the exchange December 28, 2001. Richard Knowles, flanker, Ben
DeVilliers, inside back, Francois Prinsloo, center, and Bronson
Saunders, flanker.
Oklahoma U-19
Opens for USA vs. South Africa Test Match
Oklahomaís Under 19 All-stars will play Texasí
U-19 at 11:30 at the University of Houston Football Stadium as
a curtain raiser to the US Eagles vs. South Africa Springboks
Rugby test match. OU players on the squad are Jeff Miller, Eric
Brown, Devon and Sam Holcombe, Joel Smith, Phillip Hobbs, Danny
Dunlop, Roger Gassett and Spencer Shaw. Norman Colt Travis Gatewood
has also been selected. The squad will be coached by Jon Velie
and Larry Naifeh. The test match was instigated by OUís own Michael
DeJong. The game should command an attendance of nearly 10,000.
So by the end of the U-19 match the boys will be playing in front
of a larger crowd than most US ruggers ever see. It is a big weekend
for OU and will serve as a great finale for the season. OU has
been asked to run the drills for the Elite Coaching Seminar Friday
afternoon put on by international coaches from Australia, South
Africa and England. Friday at 6:30 p.m. OU Varsity XV will play
Rice and St. Maryís (California) at 8:00 at Rice University.
OU Hosts Western
Collegiate All-star Trials: Tyson, Sean and Luke named All-Tournament
Team
OU hosted the Western United States All-star
Trials for women in September and Collegiate men in November.
The Roses have been successfully hosting the event for years now,
this is the first time the collegiate men have called it home
since 1987. The first three times the event was held it was in
Norman from 1985-87. Three OU men were selected to the All-Tournament
team Senior Sean Logsdon, Sophomore outside center Luke Turner
and Junior scrumhalf Tyson Meek. This tournament showcased the
top 120 rugby players for the Western Territory comprising of
the states between the Mississippi River and The Rockies, over
one million square miles. Texas won the event with a come from
behind victory over the Heart of America. The Ozark Union was
represented by the following OU players: JT Grant, WC Grenandt,
Chris Boeding, Brent Bloyed, Sean Logsdon, Phillip Hobbs, Danny
Dunlop, Roger Gassett, Luke Turner, and Matt Zimmerman.
OU Reaches
Finals of Ozark Tourney
OU Rugby beat Memphis 21-5 and Kohlfield Scorpions
of Missouri 44-10 to reach the finals against Little Rock. The
finals were a spirited yet whistle-filled affair with well over
40 scrum downs. OU attacked for the last ten minutes but came
up just short with a 13-11 final score. The tourney was a very
positive step for us as a club. Until Wednesday, the thought was
to enter the college division. Instead we entered the club division,
dusted off some old guys not currently playing: Tom Stinnett,
Kenny Keever, Neal Schindler, John Massey, Hans Rose,Kenny Forehand
and Jon Velie. We invited a few friends David Care and Anthony
Holder from Dallas and joined the college guys for a great time.
The experiment was a success, JT Grant really came of age in the
front row, dominating some very large props, Chris Boeding found
that menís rugby deals with a lot more action in the rucks than
just running into the other guys. Chris really learned how to
poach ball and keep from being poached. Roger Gassett and Luke
Turner just keep playing great. At Freshman and Sophomores, respectively,
these guys project to play rugby at the highest level in America.
We also found big Paul ìHow you Doinî Campanell, from Jersey.
Not only a great guy but really brings the load. Paul played great
and also discovered how beautiful middle America is in the middle
of the night. Gotta love the Kazinski Family, Father Hans and
his manacled children Devon and Sam Holcombe. If you donít follow
what I am saying you just have to see these guys.
OU Guts out Victory
over OSU
In what probably made the difference in the
match, OU added the element of fear to transform the formerly
silly prayer to the Sungods into a vicious from the belly Sungod
Haka at the Aggies. It sort of looked like some sort of Lizard
mating ritual, and the lizard scored. OU is now in the driverís
seat for the Ozark Union championship with a 18-17 victory in
a very physical match against Oklahoma State. OU dominated possession
in the game but OSUís defense was tenacious and kept OU out of
the try zone on a couple of attacking possessions. OSU actually
turned little ball into two tries wide to take the lead into the
second half. The play of the match came on a big 70 meter break
by number 8 Phillip Hobbs who was supported by center Matt Zimmerman,
who picked up
from the ruck to feed flanker Joel Smith for the
try. Matt Zimmerman was awarded man of the match. Great work by
our forwards in the set pieces and to our backrow of Hobbs, Smith
and Bloyed who beat their all-star opposites on the day. March
2 is the Ozark All-star tourney in Siloam Springs, AR where OU
will be top seed.
Fall
2001 Archived News 
