Halftime Sevens and Recruitment BBQ!

The Stanford Men's Rugby season is about to kick off with a unique sevens scrimmage match that will be held during halftime of the Stanford vs. Washington football game at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, September 26. The club will pit a solid returner side (Doug Cantwell, Josiah Hall, Walker Clayton, Dan Ibarra, Connor McKenna, Nick Mendoza, Chase Richard, Julian Brooks and Sean Rose) against a formidable young alumni side (Shane Moise, Ian Abernathy, Steve Brown, Brad Bachelder, John Clark, Travis Lehman and Jonathan Hofius) in what is sure to be a spectacular showing. Don't miss it!

Additionally, for those interested in joining the club, mark your calendars for October 2, the official recruitment BBQ for both the Men's and Women's teams. The Men's BBQ will begin at 6 PM. Even if you're remotely curious about playing at Stanford; whether you're learning the game for the first time or a seasoned rugger, come on out, meet other club members, and grab a bite to eat!

Gearing Up For Another Great Season

As the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year approaches, the Stanford Men's Rugby Club is excited to start another year of lightning quick, hard hitting rugby. Having only said goodbye to a handful of seniors last year, the club especially can't wait to welcome back the mass of returners and integrate the rookies into practices beginning in early October. Check back soon for the practice schedule and games details!

Stanford vs. Dartmouth

Stanford played their last game of the year on Saturday, March 28th against Dartmouth. It was the final game of Dartmouth's tour of California. Because of the friendly nature of the match, Stanford invited a number of alumni to join the First XV. Participants included Ian Abernathy, Richard Jones, Tim Lew, Brennan Corbett, and Jonathan Hofius. Dartmouth led off the scoring, with tries at ten and twelve minutes. Walker Clayton, starting his first A side game at fullback, put the Cardinal on the board in the 20th minute with a darting twenty meter run. At this point, the Cardinal's two weeks off, combined with the hottest weather of the season, began to wear the team down. The fitter Dartmouth side was able to rattle off nine successive scores to take a sizable lead. Former coach Tim Lew, subbing in at scrumhalf, scored again for the Cardinal with a long run in the 67th minute. Dartmouth answered with two more scores. Julian Brooks, playing at wing, added another score for Stanford at seventy three minutes. The game ended with a try by captain and flyhalf John Clark, a fitting end to a superb five year career for Stanford. The final score: Dartmouth 79, Stanford 22. The match was followed by a game between the L.A. Cougars and Jesuit High School, two of the top high school teams in the nation. Later, Stanford hosted both the Cougars and Dartmouth at the Alpine Inn (formerly Zots) off-campus for a good-natured rugby social.

Stanford vs. Reno

On Saturday, March 21st, Stanford made the long journey up to Reno to play the last league game of the year. There was heavy snow in the pass and gusting winds and hail made game conditions unpredictable. Stanford led off with a try by wing Connor McKenna, who dodged several Reno players to touch down in the corner. Soon after, inside center Tommy Kramer scored after breaking through the middle of the Reno line. Unfortunately, despite the early momentum and Stanford's continued success at gaining territory with their kicking game, Reno swung the game with five successive tries. Stanford outside center Steve Brown responded with ten minutes left, exploiting an overlap on the outside for a try between the posts, but the Cardinal were not able to recover. The final score: Stanford 17, Reno 34.

Stanford vs. Chico State

On Sunday, March 15th, Stanford hosted the Chico State Wildcats in another game pivotal to the Cardinal's playoff aspirations. It was the second league game of the weekend for the Cardinal, having just completed a hard-fought win against Sac State the previous Friday night. Kickoff for Chico was less than forty-eight hours later and despite the Cardinal's best efforts, the game ended in a heartrending loss. Stanford started by putting the Wildcats on their heels, with number eight Johnny McCormick converting a kick for points from five meters out. Chico answered two minutes later with a try. Coming off another penalty inside the Chico twenty-two, McCormick made another kick to bring Stanford within one. Chico again responded, making a kick of their own and a try. The last score before halftime was by Stanford prop Andrew Thompson, punching it in at following a long tap and go run by scrumhalf Dan Ibarra. After the half, Stanford took the lead with a long highlight reel run by wing Marcus Henderson, who broke the Chico line inside the Stanford twenty two and never looked back. Despite the Cardinal's best efforts, Chico was able to score the winning try with two minutes left on the clock. With so little time remaining, the Cardinal were not able to mount a counterattack. The final score: Stanford 20, Chico 22.

Stanford vs. Sacramento State

Owing to a rained out match against earlier in the season, Stanford hosted Sacramento State on Friday, March 13th. The game was the first night game to ever be hosted at Steuber Family Rugby Stadium and was a must-win in order for the Cardinal to preserve their playoff hopes. Having lost a closely contested match against Sac State earlier in the year in Sacramento, this game was especially important to the Club. This urgency was apparent throughout the day in the Cardinal's defense, which managed to stifle the physicality of the Sac State side. Though there were several goal line stands for both teams, the game stood scoreless until the 37th minute, when Stanford lock Alex Rabkin punched in the ball to put the Cardinal up 5-0. The teams ground it out for another twenty minutes before wing Julian Brooks scored a sixty meter try off of an intercepted pass. This was followed less than ten minutes later by number eight Johnny McCormick's try, scoring between the posts after weaving through the heart of Sac State's forward pack and breaking several tackles. However, despite the 17 point lead, Sac State mounted an impressive rally in the game's final twenty minutes, scoring in the 70th and 75th minute to bring the game within a single try. The game ended with a brutal five minute stand deep in Cardinal territory, highlighted by two instances where the Sac State scorer was held up by the Cardinal defense. At the end of the day, Sac State was not able to equalize, leaving the score at Stanford 17, Sac State 10.

Stanford vs. UC Davis

On Saturday, March 7th, Stanford's First XV played their second game of the year against UC Davis, this time hosting the Aggies at the Steuber Family Rugby Stadium. Davis got the first try, touching down in the 2nd minute off the kickoff. However, senior flyhalf Travis Lehman equalled the score with a try of his own five minutes later. Unfortunately, from there on the Cardinal offense struggled, getting shut out for the next sixty minutes despite several deep forays into Aggie territory. During that time, Davis managed to score five tries and a drop goal, owing mostly to inopportune penalties against the Cardinal. Captain and blindside flanker Josiah Hall scored Stanford's second try of the day at seventy minutes, followed seven minutes later by number eight Johnny McCormick. Despite the late rally, Stanford did not have enough time to close the gap. The final score: Stanford 17, Davis 39.