Apr 24-25: DC Ruggerfest
Posted on Monday May 17th, 2010 @ 03:51:03 pm

The Leonas traveled down to our nation’s capital this weekend to play at the 30th annual Ruggerfest. The weather was cool and cloudy, but the anticipated showers held off for the weekend, leaving the uneven grass fields inside the racetrack nice and soft for tackling, but without the killer puddles present in years past. Standings after match play on Saturday determined seeding for Sunday morning’s games, and the Lions rose to the occasion and went 3-0.

Lions v. UMD
First up were the University of Maryland Terrapins. The youngsters played with verve and tenacity, but were fairly easily dispatched. The Lions were dominant in the set piece and more streamlined in the backs, and managed to run in 10 tries in 50 minutes.

The terps did have some aggressive runners in the forwards, and the Lions were sometimes a bit complacent about committing to the tackles, allowing one or two of Maryland’s stronger players to make some crushing runs upfield.

Scrumhalf Dana Szakacs (pictured left), however, committed to tackling early and often, and put in a number of good hits on players double her size.

Score: 58-0
Tries: Collins (3), Rogers, Rough, Finlan (2), Berger, Catalano, Dacres
Conversions: Warren (2), Catalano (2)

Lions v. Philly
The Leonas next played Philadelphia’s traveling squad, and it was a shorter version of the spirited match the Lions have come to expect when they play Philly. There was some contentiousness at the breakdowns, and the scrummages were evenly fought, with perhaps the slight advantage going to Philly. The Lions had the edge in the backs though, and both centers Jackie Finlan and Rosie Rough broke through for scores. Willingness to make difficult tackles and stick-to-it-ive-ness (in spite of some highly questionable rucking tactics by Philly, see left) ultimately led the Leonas to victory. Coach Mary commented that, “It was great to see the team gel against Philly and pull out an impressive win.”

Score: 29-7
Tries: Finlan, Rough (2), Collins, Warren
Conversions: Warren, Catalano

Lions v. Furies B
The last game of the day was the Lions against the Washington Furies B-side. Both teams were pretty tuckered out, but the Leonas held it together until the end of the day, and pulled out a confident win. The Furies had a mix of experienced older players and some new talent, and their flyhalf in particular had some strong runs through the center. Breakthroughs by Jackie Finlan helped her win Woman of the Weekend honors, and outside center Rosie Rough also legged out 2 tries. Second row Angie Catalano also deserves mention, not only for her try, run in after she caught a ball thrown long at the lineout, but also for her exemplary kicking of both conversions and penalties. The Leonas don’t often elect to kick for points, but it was great to have a player with the confidence and the ability to slot a quick 3-pointer.

Score: 39-5
Tries: Finlan (2), Rough (2), Catalano
Penalties: Catalano (2)
Conversions: Warren (3), Catalano

With 3 wins in group play, the Lions would advance to the semi-finals on Sunday morning. Meredith Harmon was nominated Silent Force for the weekend for her consistent (and feisty!) play at hooker, and Jackie Finlan was elected Woman of the Weekend, and got the honor of wearing the outfit that goes with it: leafy head-dress with lights, black and white-striped leg warmers and thong, and golden, sparkly jacket.

Ruggerfest’s theme was “Down and Dirty: Turning Thirty” and the Leonas spin on this was “Dirty Jobs.” At the social Saturday night, costumes ranged from scanty stripper-esque outfits to a road kill crew worker (complete with bloody squirrel and bucket for “street meat.”) One Leona was overheard saying that she was initially nervous to appear in public in her outfit, but then realized that everyone in the place had eyes only for Jackie (see photo left), rocking the WOM outfit plus a baby bump. (Ah, motherhood….the dirtiest job of all.)

Lions v. NOVA
Sunday morning the Lions played NOVA, who are also in Division 1 as of Fall 2010′s league season. Accumulated bumps and bruises from the games the day before (along with residual dirtiness from the drink-up), meant that the Lions were not at their sharpest for the match against Northern Virginia. The Piranhas probably slept in their own beds on Saturday night, too. In any case, their play in the morning was crisp and concise, and they seemed well-rested. Nova gained more ground and possession, and strong runs from the forwards put them 3 tries in the lead by the end of 50 minutes.

The Lions had a few nice periods of play when they had possession, but for the most part were on defense. Nova was adept at moving the ball around, and had their own patterns of play to which the Lions didn’t quickly adjust. Off of the breakdown, NOVA would move a few big forwards wide, creating space for an inside punch, and stretching (and weakening) the Lions’ defensive line. In the post-game analysis, Jess Houser, forwards coach for the weekend, emphasized the need for the Lions to adjust their defensive style as needed during the game, by observing and responding to the style of the opposition’s offense.

Score: 0-17

With a loss in the semi-final, Ruggerfest was over for the Lions, and the team trudged back to the vans for the ride back up to NYC. The long van rides to and from DC almost always result in some choice moments, but the favorite this year was when rookie Rebecca Mulder reminisced about visiting her parents’ alma mater and playing in the pep band with them: “My parents were the biggest nerds … in fact, Sharon, you were probably at RPI when I was visiting as a fourth grader.”

The tournament was a great opportunity for younger and older players to bond, and there was also a lot of pride to be taken in the Leonas’ play at the tournament:

WOM Jackie Finlan: “Over the four games, we saw some sick examples of how good the backs’ connection can be when we flooded with support in the open field. We were very dangerous and able to offload at great pace to keep the ball alive. We had continuity issues, but we’ll chalk that up to wear and tear.”

And Coach Mary: “I just really want to emphasize the hard work of the forwards who had to play every minute and did an outstanding job against much bigger opposition. Also, a big shout out to Svet for throwing her body in to the pack for the good of the team.”

Lions team: Taryn Goodman, Kelly Rogers, Meredith Harmon, Sharon Berger, Angie Catalano, Cerra Cardwell, Sari Warren, Jess Beck, Meg Collins, Dana Szakacs, Kim Dacres, Rebecca Mulder, Katy Nishimoto, Jackie Finlan, Rosie Rough, Alia Kate, Caitlyn Colman, Katie Stevens, Sarah “Svetty” Landry

Head Coach: Mary Holmes
Forwards’ Coach: Jess Houser