This past Saturday, March 6^th, Shippensburg State came to NC State for a friendly match, and to kick off their spring break. Unfortunately they had their tour bus break down midway through the trip, forcing the match to be postponed until 3pm. They also have had the misfortune of having to practice on asphalt, since their fields are covered in snow. So they enjoyed it when they stepped out into the sunny 60 degree weather on Saturday.

The game started off in NC State’s favor, where they took it into the Raiders half and forced a penalty. Will Teague converted the penalty kick from in front of the posts, to put NC State on the score board 5 minutes into the game. The Wolfpack kept the ball in the Raiders half on the attack again, and a well placed pass by Bryan Maxwell allowed Will Teague to break some tackles along the right sideline and put a try down in the corner. The conversion was not made, and NC State was up 8-0 at this point. NC State, on the attack again forced another penalty, and Will Teague converted this one to put NC State up even more, 11-0. The Raiders weren’t giving up at this point, and hadn’t in the previous parts of the game, and their forwards put up a try near the end of the first half. Bryan Maxwell finished out the first half scoring, by kicking a penalty kick to end the half, with the score 14-5.

The second half was much better for the Raiders than the first, and they were able to even up the score with NC State eventually. The Raiders posted two trys back to back, putting themselves on top, 14-15.  Shortly after the Raiders second try, NC State answered, with a break down the left side of the field, where the ball was offloaded several times until it end up in the hands of Robby Dow who was able to touch the try down between the posts. NC State was next to score again, when Bryan Maxwell, on a valiant single effort, caught the pass off the scrum and put it down in the try zone. The Raiders answered 3 minutes later with their own try, keeping them in the game in the 75^th minute. Both teams fought hard at this point since the game could go either way, but a penalty kick converted by Bryan Maxwell ended the game.

Both teams were down some of their usual starters, Shippensburg State claimed they were missing 20 of their guys. NC State was missing about 5 of their normal starters as well. The game was close for both teams for the full match, but the home team won, 27-20. This was a friendly match so the outcome wasn’t as important for the Wolfpack, but they increased their record to 5-0-1 on the semester. The B side game went forth, NC State with a motley side of current B side players and old players taking on a mix of a and b side Raiders. The game in the first half was largely on the Raiders side, with a halftime score of 5-12 in the Raiders favor. NC State B side turned it on in the second half, and came back to win 26-19. Trys were scored by David Milbern, Will Durway, Jorrie Bower and Jason Batt. Santiago Rubio converted two penalties.

The man of the match for his A side performance was Bryan Maxwell, who was also the man of the match vs ECU last weekend. He played well from the fullback position, stepping in for Greg Hesler since he was out of town for the game. Bryan stepped in and kicked for Will Teague, since he had to leave the game for a bloody nose. Bryan has been playing rugby for most of his life, and the Wolfpack has benefit from his knowledge and skill in the game this semester.

A side starters

1 Mark Addison

2 Stephan Bahner

3 Abe Harman

4 Aaron Mclean (Captain)

5 Eddie Youngs

6 Matt Pace

7 Jason Batt

8 Dylan Martin

9 Craig Maxwell

10 Robby Dow

11 Will Durway

12 Phillip Burcal

13 Will Teague

14 Tim Vinick

15 Bryan Maxwell

Subs

Alex Compton

The Wolfpack faced off against both Wake Forest and Appalachian State this past weekend, and came up with two good victories. They started off on Saturday morning by traveling to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest. With the nicest playing conditions that either teams had experienced so far, the game kicked off at noon. The Wolfpack looked the best they have all year, playing well together and  coming out strong against Wake Forest. The Wolfpacks scoring started with fullback Greg Hesler within the first ten minutes of the first half, although the conversion was missed. The second scoring of the match was a penalty kick put through the uprights by inside center Will Teague, increasing the score 8-0. Wake had their fair share of attacking opportunities, pressing within 5 meters of the Wolfpack tryzone at one point. Immediately after getting close to the Wolfpack’s tryzone, an intercepted pass by second row Aaron Mclean make its way into the hands of outside center Brandon Mosiman, who ran the ball back for a try under the posts nearly the full length of the field. The try was converted, and the score increased to 15-0. The situation was not looking well for Wake Forest, as they could not seem to get anything going. The first half scoring was concluded with second row Matt Daniels putting a try in off of a pick and go on the goal line. The score at halftime was 20-0, NC State.

The second half went very similarly to the first half, with the Wolfpack shortly taking control of the game and scoring. Second half scoring was lead by a 10 meter drop goal kicked by Greg Hesler. The Wolfpack continued to attack, in the effort of getting a bonus point for the league standings by scoring four trys in one match, and their effort was rewarded when Brandon Mosiman put up his second try of the day. Wake Forest had one great attacking opportunity in the second half, and nearly put up a try lead by their captain, although an injury in the tackle did not allow him to put the ball down in the tryzone. Wake failed to score for the duration of the match, and NC State put up one more additional try scored by Bryan Maxwell. The final score of the match was 37-0, NC State.

The NC State team really came together this weekend and played the best they have together all season. Wake Forest has always been a  formidable opponent and beat the Wolfpack in their most recent matches, although Wake had hit a streak of bad luck and had their side weakened by injuries. A weakened Wake Forest backline allowed the athleticism and skill of the Wolfpack’s backs to triumph. Strong forward play from the Wolfpack allowed the ball to transferred to backs successfully, which resulted in a great day for the Pack. The man of the match was elected to be Greg Hesler, for his excellent play from the fullback position.

A side scoring:
Brandon Mosiman, 2 trys, 10 points
Will Teague, 1 penalty kick, 3 conversions, 9 points
Greg Hesler, 1 try, 1 drop goal, 8 points
Matt Daniels, 1 try, 5 points
Bryan Maxwell, 1 try, 5 points

The Packs weekend was not over with their victory over Wake Forest, they had to travel back to Raleigh and face off against App State at home on Sunday, for a re-scheduled match due to weather. As always, the matches between App State and NC State are close matches, and played very physical by both sides. First half scoring was started out by App State, who put up the first try although missed the conversion. NC State answered shortly on a try scored by an intercepted pass. Flanker Matt Pace took the ball out of the air on a pass thrown by App State in their tryzone, and touched it down for 5 points. The score was now all tied up. A 39th minute penalty kick from App State closed out the first half scoring, and at halftime the score was 5-8, with AHO on top.

The second half started with some App state scoring, who converted a penalty kick early in the second half which was the conclusion of their scoring. Not but 10 minutes later, Will Teague kicked a clean penalty kick and the Wolfpack inched closer to AHO, 8-11. The rest of the game involved both teams slugging it out, both in search of a try. On a failed attempt for a clearance kick from their tryzone, App kicked a linedrive into the hands of Will Teague, who ran it forward and passed it out to Brandon Mosiman who put a try down in the corner in the 78th minute of the match. The conversion was missed, and the final score of the match was 13-11 to NC State.

NC State held in there for the whole match against App State, and managed to capitalize on their mistakes. App State is looking like one of the better DII schools, and it is likely that the Wolfpack may meet them again somewhere down the line. The Man of the match was Will Teague, whose hard running from the inside center position held the Wolfpack close the whole day.

A side scoring:
Matt Pace, 1 try, 5 points
Brandon Mosiman, 1 try, 5 points
Will Teague, 1 penalty kick, 3 points

At the conclusion of the weekend, NC State’s record in the CRL moves to 3-0-1. This places the Wolfpack at the top of the standings, tied with UNC for 15 points. UNC and NC State have played the same number of games, and their points are tied even though NC State beat UNC head-to-head since UNC has received multiple bonus points for their wins. It may come down to who gets the bonus points in the next coming matches for these two teams, to determine the winner of the CRL. USC cannot be discounted either, they have only played three matches so far, and are sitting at 10 points. Another result of the Wolfpack’s performance is that they have effectively clinched the home playoff berth, since it does not look like any other DII team will finish above them in the CRL rankings. Hopefully moving forward the Wolfpack can distinguish themselves and make their way to the top of the CRL, by winning and receiving bonus points for their next two matches.

NC State’s B side also had matches following the A side, although both were considered forfeits for the other teams B side due to a lack of players. Against Wake Forest, the B side lost 10-29. Scoring for the Wolfpack was accomplished by Santiago Rubio, who put up a try in the first half. The scoring was concluded on an amazing single effort try by Jason Batt, who chased the tackle down on the kickoff, forced a fumble of the ball, picked it up broke a tackle to score. Note that the B side will go in as a win, since Wake Forest had to forfeit. Against App, the B side started to roll forward. The final score of the match was 32-0, NC State B. Trys were scored by Brett Simpson, Jon Rogers, David Milbern, Dylan Martin, and Jason Batt. Santiago Rubio kicked, and made two conversions and one PK.

Starting A side lineup(both matches)

1 Mark Addison
2 Stephan Bahner
3 Abe Harman
4 Aaron Mclean
5 Matt Daniels
6 Phillip Burcal (Captain)
7 Matt Pace
8 Andrew Birch
9 Craig Maxwell
10 Robby Dow
11 David Hunt
12 Will Teague
13 Brandon Mosiman
14 Bryan Maxwell
15 Greg Hesler
subs:
Eddie Youngs
Will Durway
Tim Vinick

A side scoring totals:

Will Teague: 4 conversion, 6 PK, 26 points
Brandon Mosiman: 4 try, 20 points
Greg Hesler: 2 trys, 1 drop goal, 13 points
Bryan Maxwell: 2 trys, 10 points
Matt Daniels: 1 try, 5 points
Matt Pace: 1 try, 5 points

Article by: Phillip Burcal

The weather has got the best of the Carolina’s Rugby League(CRL) the past two weekends, forcing both of the Wolfpack’s games to be rescheduled. The weather almost got them again this weekend, but both teams decided to play through it. USC came to the Wolfpack’s back-up field located on Method Rd, which at the start of the day, was covered in snow. The snow melted as the day went on, to reveal the lack of grass, and the sloppy mud underneath. Needless to say, it was a messy day for rugby, as the final score suggests.

NC State won the toss, and opted to receive the kick to start off the game. During the first half, both NC State and USC were pretty fairly matched. USC was the first to close in on scoring, although NC State held strong and kept a 5 meter penalty run from slipping in. USC skillfully used slowball to press the Wolfpack’s defense, although it did not result in a try, a penalty kick in front on the posts placed USC on the board first 3-0. Shortly afterwards, USC ended up in the same situation and were closing in on the Wolfpack tryline, though this time the Wolfpack failed to keep them out and allowed a score. USC Missed the conversion to make the score 8-0. The Wolfpack did not back down, and went on the attack. On USC’s half, a penalty was awarded to the Wolfpack. Will Teague put the ball through the uprights for a clean penalty kick, changing the score to 8-3. In the last minute of the half, a chip and chase by outside center Brandon Mosiman allowed him to outrun the defense and score a try on the corner. The score was all tied up at 8-8.

The second half was controlled by the Wolfpack for all but the last 10 minutes.The Wolfpack had their fair share of attacking opportunities to put up more points, although a combination of the weather and USC’s defense kept us out of the tryzone. In a questionable call, tighthead prop Abe Harman carried a few USC players into the tryzone, although the try was ruled held-up. NC State’s scrums were strong, producing a clean ball for our backs to work with, but the unsure footing prevented them getting into their rythm. As mentioned before, NC State controlled much of the second half, although USC put together a strong comeback in the last 10 minutes lead by their forward pack. USC’s pack executed a slowball very well, going phase after phase in hope that they could grind down the Wolfpack forwards and suck in the backline. USC used this technique move farther and farther into the Wolfpack’s territory, retaining possession very well. The last 5 minutes of the game was held within 10 meters of the Wolfpack’s try zone, and NC State stood strong in their defense of the slowball. USC pressed the Wolfpack hard, but a penalty was awarded to the Wolfpack on the 1 meter line, and the game was ended with the ball making it to touch.

The Wolfpack have got off to a a great start in this Carolina’s Rugby League, beating one D1 team and drawing with the other they have played so far. Around the league, UNC beat App State 20-16 at home, Wake Forest beat Clemson 21-15, and on Sunday UNC beat Wake Forest 75-19 at Wake Forest. Vists the CRL website at http://www.carolinasrugby.com/ to get the official standings. This weekend, the Wolfpack travels to Wake Forrest, and on Sunday hosts App State. Come support the Wolfpack, as they attempt to win the first CRL cup!

NC State’s starting lineup:

1 Mark Addison

2 Steven Bahner

3 Abe Harman

4 Eddie Youngs

5 Matt Daniels

6 Phillip Burcal

7 Matt Pace

8 Andrew Birch

9 Craig Maxwell

10 Robby Dow

11 Tim Vinick

12 Will Teague

13 Brandon Mosiman

14 Bryan Maxwell

15 Greg Hesler

Subs: none

A side scoring:

Will Teague: 1 pk, 3 points

Brandon Mosiman: 1 try, 5 points

A side scoring totals:

Will Teague: 1 conversion, 4 PK, 14 points

Greg Hesler: 1 try, 5 points

Bryan Maxwell: 1 try, 5 points

Brandon Mosiman: 1 try, 5 points

Article by: Phillip Burcal

(Click to enlarge)

The Wolfpack met Carolina on the Erhinghaus fields of UNC-CH campus this past Saturday, January 23^rd 2010. The Wolfpack won, prevailing over Chapel Hill 21-18 in a tough match for both sides. Both teams played very well, although the Wolfpack came out on top. The win was substantial for the Wolfpack, since the two teams had just met at the end of last semester for the State Championship, and the Tarheels won 14-9. NC State took advantage of everything that Carolina gave them, scoring three penalty kicks with one in the 79^th minute by Will Teague to win the game.

The first points of the game were scored by NC State, a penalty kick taken by Will Teague in the 21^st minute. The Tarheels shortly answered in the 23^rd minute with a penalty kick of their own to make the score 3-3. Carolina put up the first try of the match in the 29^th minute, and had a successful conversion. Carolina controlled the first half of the game, which was mostly played in NC State’s half. The score at half was 10-3, with Carolina on top.

The second half was much more prosperous for the Wolfpack, who largely controlled the game in the second half. The Wolfpack put up their first try in the 58^th minute, which was scored by Greg Hesler off of a nicely placed kick to the sideline by Robby Dow. The try was unconverted, which put the score to 10-8. Carolina answered with a penalty kick in the 60^th minute, and the score changed to 13-8. NC State took advantage of a UNC penalty and Bryan Maxwell took a useful quick-tap to score a try. Will Teague converted to make the score 15-13, with the lead transferring to NC State. Will Teague also scored another penalty kick in the 71^st minute to increase the Wolfpack’s lead to 18-13. Carolina answered in an explosive long run in the 74^th minute, to place a try under the posts. The Tarheels did not convert, and the score was all tied up at 18-18. The final points were scored in the last few minutes of the match, from a penalty kick by Will Teague. The Wolfpack held the 21-18 score until the ref blew the final whistle. NC State named the new player to the club Stephan Bahner, the man of the match for his useful role as a substitute. Stephan played hooker, and his notable game-changing accomplishments were his 5 steals in the scrum.

The B side game was better for Chapel Hill, and they prevailed 37-7. Santiago Rubio scored NC State’s only try and converted it as well in the second half. It was the first weekend of the Carolina’s Rugby League, and around the league Clemson beat ECU 12-4 and USC beat Wake Forest 20-17. NC State hosts Appalachian State next weekend on January 30^th.

NC State’s starting lineup:

1 Mark Addison

2 Matt Pace

3 Abe Harman

4 Aaron Mclean

5 Matt Daniels

6 Phillip Burcal

7 Chris Pearce

8 Andrew Birch

9 Craig Maxwell

10 Robby Dow

11 Tim Vinick

12 Will Teague

13 Brandon Mosiman

14 Bryan Maxwell

15 Greg Hesler

Subs: David Hunt, Will Durway, Stephan Bahner

A side scoring:

Will Teague: 11 points, 3 penalty kicks and one try conversion

Greg Hesler: 5 points, one try

Bryan Maxwell: 5 points, one try

B side scoring:

Santiago Rubio: 7 points, one try and one conversion

Match Summary by: Phillip Burcal

Due to the weather and NC State field conditions, the state final match had to be rescheduled yet again, but this time it has only changed locations. Carolina has offered to play on their field, which is astro-turf and can be used under wet conditions. It will be A side only, kicking off at 8PM, today, Thursday 11/19. The feld is Carolina’s Ehringhaus field, a map is shown http://maps.google.com/maps?q=stadium+drive+%26+ridge+rd.+27514&spn=0.537865,0.936722&hl=en. We hope that our Wolfpack fans can re-adjust again to these changing weather conditions. Go Pack!

Due to the massive amounts of rain, the first re-schedule of the State Finals match, with NC State vs UNC-Chapel Hill, has been re-scheduled again. The game will be played at the same time and the same place, only now it will occur on November 19th. B side will kick off at 6:30pm and the A side will kick off at 8pm. The match will be played on the NC State IM fields, closest to Dan Allen Dr. Please inform everyone you know of this change, and we hope to see you out there next Thursday, cheering the Wolfpack on to a great victory!

Phillip “Yoshi” Burcal

Due to unfortunate weather, NC State was unable to square off against Carolina for the state finals match Sunday, Nov. 1st in Danville, VA. The NCRU state tournament is a two day tournament, though due to the location of the fields, the heavy rain in the night brought about unsafe playing conditions for the fields Sunday, and the games were forced to be cancelled.

The tournament was recently re-arranged this year, with NC State, ECU, Wake Forest and UNC playing in the top tier, for the state championship. The match up Saturday was NC State vs ECU, and Wake forest vs UNC. UNC end up beating Wake forest in their one full length match on Saturday. NC State beat ECU 31-3, in their match on Saturday. A notable try scorer for NC State is Brandon Mosinan, who put up 3 trys himself. Trys were also scored by Robby Dow, and newcomer to the NC State squad Matt Daniels. Will Teague kicked 2 successful penalty kicks. NC State was looking strong, and also looking forward to Sunday, to match up against their long time rival.

The game has since been rescheduled to be played on the NC State IM Fields, Thursday November 12th. The A side will kick off at 8pm, with the B side kicking off before that at 7pm. If you need directions to the field, check the “Fields” section of the website. We would be honored to have as many NC State Rugby club fans out there as possible, so that you may witness our State Championship victory. The NC State Squad is more rounded and stronger than ever, this wont be a game you will want to miss.

Article written by: Phillip Burcal

All players interested in rugby for the Fall, 2009 should come out on Thursday August 20^th, to the IM fields between 5:00 and 8:00, where the men’s rugby club will be greeting will all prospective players. The Club Sports Expo is new to 2009, as it replaces club sports day in the Brickyard. Instead, clubs will have a spot on the IM fields to put on a demonstration, and pass out information about their clubs. The Men’s and Woman’s rugby club have teamed up, and are sharing a space to put on a demonstration for rugby, by playing 7s rugby and rotating out every half. The woman’s team will play 7 minutes, then the men’s team will play 7 minutes, and so on. While the woman are on the field, our players on the sideline can talk to you about our club, and give you all the necessary information to come out and play. You are encouraged to hang out and chat with us, get to know us better before that first practice.

Now if you have played rugby before, BRING your BOOTS to the field on the 20^th, we will be happy to let you play. We will be playing the equivalent of a friendly 7s match, so it wont be too intense or too rough, since we will just be coming back from the summer.

Additionally, practice will be starting the Tuesday after this, August 25^th, so it is advised you start doing a little running before school starts if you are interested in playing. Regular practices times will be EVERY Tuesday and Thursday(rain or shine) on the IM Fields by Dan Allen Dr, from 5:30 to 7:30. Bring boots and mouth piece everyday, and try to get to field as close to 5 as possible. Practice will start at 5:30, so have your boots on before then and be ready to go.

I look forward to meeting all of the prospective players, and I hope to see you at the Club Sports Expo on August 20^th.

Phillip “Yoshi” Burcal - President/ Captain

The Wolfpack, a D2 team now has an exciting opportunity to now play our rival UNC, a D1 team, in matrix spring 2010. How is this possible? The creation of the Carolina’s Rugby League.

Traditionally, a fundamental problem has held back the potential of many college rugby clubs in this state, money. Money and our associated school’s support was the key factor that kept D2 clubs in D2 and allowed D1 clubs to continue in their division. D1 clubs in more recent times have had long distances to travel during matrix season, such as UNC having to travel to Arkansas State University, once every two years. D2 clubs, in just about all cases, feel they can hang with any D1 club in the area, only they cannot afford to travel. The solution? The Carolina’s Rugby League, organized by Andy Richards, former UNC Rugby head coach, and current NC Collegiate Allstar coach.

Andy got the ball rolling and has organized everything, following him receiving support from the majority of the affected clubs. The Carolina’s Rugby League has taken all the D1 and D2 teams in the Carolina’s, and allowed them all to play each other, while still allowing a D1 and two D2 teams to advance in the men’s collegiate championship tournament. The affected teams are D1 teams Clemson, UNC, and USC; D2 teams NCSU, Wake Forrest, ASU, and ECU. What this will effectively do is shorten overall travel distances for the D1 teams, while increasing collegiate rugby competition in the Carolina’s. The matrix season will now be 5 games long, effectively creating the schedule in the spring.

The proposed schedule for NC State is as follows:

-January 23^rd NC State @ UNC

-January 30^th App State @ NC State

-February 6^th NC State @ Clemson

-February 13^th USC @ NC State

-February 20^th NC State @ Wake Forrest

-February 27^th ECU @ NC State

NC State is excited for this opportunity, although it will force us to start very soon after we get back from winter break. We are especially excited about a season opener at UNC, our long-time rivals. This up and coming spring matrix season will be the trial run for the League, and hopefully will gain more support from the region, and the South. American Rugby News has posted an article which mentions our new League. Click on the link for this additional article.

http://www.americanrugbynews.com/artman/publish/college/FSU_USF_step_up_to_DI.shtml