FURFC's Charleston Tour Reflection

New Rugger Rich Podpirka reflects on FURFC's Charleston Tour

On Thursday afternoon, FURFC  were treated to a three-hour long bus tour of the prestigious city.  Some highlights of the excursion included historical sites like Battery Park, Fort Sumter, and the Old Slave Mart Museum.  Fordham student-athletes learned firsthand of the significance of the Battery, a civil-war coastal defense artillery battery that stretches along the shores of the Charleston peninsula.  The well-experienced tour guide navigated us to Fort Sumter, a brick sea fort located in Charleston Harbor.  It is best known as the site of the shots which initiated the American Civil War on April 12, 1861.  The Fordham Rugby team was privileged enough to walk through the Old Slave Mart Museum, which recounts the history of Charleston's role in this inter-state slave trade by focusing on the story of the museum and the slave sales that occurred in that very location.

Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston, SC

On Saturday, August 17^th, the USA Eagles battled the Canada Maple Leafs in a 2015 Rugby World Cup Qualifier at Blackbaud Stadium.  Despite the tenacious effort of the American side, the young Men’s Eagles fell to the large and experienced Canadians 9 – 27.  The Canadians started perfectly with a try in the first minute of the game by Phil Mack, who chased his own kick into the try zone and touched it down to give the visitors a quick lead.  The Eagles had a tough time responding to the endless pressure of the Canadians who went up 13 - 0 at halftime.  In the 43^rd minute, Chris Wyles scored the first 3 points for the Eagles with a 25—meter penalty kick.  Despite the Eagles’ offensive pressure, Canada responded minutes later with a try from Harry Jones and a 2 point conversion from Pritchard to go up 20 – 3.  Despite two more penalty goals from Wyles, the determined Eagles could not defeat the quick started Canadians.  On August 24, the Eagles will travel to Toronto for the second leg of the Rugby World Cup Qualifier and look to defeat the Maple Leafs on Canadian soil.

FURFC enters Blackbaud Stadium

USA and Canada prep to test the new scrum laws

Fordham Rugby’s first tour was an enormous success on both personal and team levels.  The grueling three-a-day practices in the intense heat and ceaseless rain enhanced the team’s rugby skills as well as strengthen team camaraderie. Fordham Rugby was especially blessed to work with elite coaches Luke Gross and Josh Sutcliffe.  Being a new player to rugby, I loved the ability to bond with my team and further improve my knowledge and skills of the game from some of America’s top tier coaches.  Never in my life have I fathomed the opportunity to meet and work with professional rugby coaches and players, but Fordham Rugby has surpassed any of my dreams and expectations.  Furthermore, tour gave Fordham Rugby the ability to progress to the next level and start this fall season on the right path without any distractions from home in the Bronx, New York.    

Take it to the Limit

The Fordham Rams attended a second clinic led by Luke Gross this morning, continuing to focus on the fundamentals of the game. Gross led drills that placed on emphasis on honing the most basic yet essential skills for a player, as well as when to use said skills. The drills were explained and demonstrated thoroughly, while also stressing player safety. The new scrum rules were also explained again, a boon for both Fordham players and coaches, as the new scrum procedure takes effect for the upcoming season. It was a great opportunity to interact with and learn from a player with extensive overseas rugby experience, as well as three World Cup squad appearances.
The team is now getting ready to go watch the Eagles take on Team Canada. For many, it is the first time watching a professional rugby match in person. It should be a fun opportunity, as well as a chance to see high level rugby that can be educational. And never let it be said that FURFC turned down an educational opportunity.

FURFC with former Eagles Luke Gross

USA Eagles Train the Fordham Rams

Man of the Match Ben Mancuso blogs from Charleston

Ben Mancuso (left) with former FURFC Capt. Chris Moore (right) at Rugby Golf 2012; Ben discusses tour in this entry

After a long day of practicing in torrential downpours we had the opportunity to get turned up with a clinic led by one of the US Eagles coaches, Luke Gross.  We were all hurting after three days of tough practices, but every member of our team was filled with a new excitement when Coach Gross began to run drills.  The session was heavy on forward gameplay and strategy in the ruck, some things our team really needs work on.  Everyone paid attention to the drills and it showed when we began our scrimmage with the outlaws.

 Coach Luke Gross instructs our forwards; Gross was capped 62 times by the Eagles,the second most in USA history.

Head Coach Ed Cullen (left), Coach Luke Gross (center), and Senior Connor Wimsatt (right)

The Charleston Outlaws were some big southern boys and I’m sure they were not too impressed by our team's size going into the game.  However, we came out tough and showed them we were there to play starting off the first half.  We had lots of guys in new positions including myself playing fullback for the first time ever which added a bit of anxiety to the game.  Also, we had lots of young guys filling out our pack.  Led by Captain Jack and the new sheriff in town, Nicky Boots, our young players stepped up making hard tackles refusing to shy away from very intimidating players.  Despite the monsoon that had begun, our backs were able to get the ball and move it through the hands with impressive speed breaking the Outlaws' line for a few big runs.  Handling the ball in hurricane conditions was difficult especially trying to field kicks from full back, not always successfully.  The Outlaws were able to earn one try with quick back play and a momentary lapse in defense, but it would be the last time they saw the try zone.  Coming out of the half excitement was high and we were eager to put some points on the board. However, about five minutes in due to inclement weather and the field lights shutting off the game was forced to an end.  It was a bit disappointing for everyone to have the game end as our play was beginning to develop, but nonetheless it was an impressive showing.  

FURFC brings it in before half against the Charleston Outlaws

One of the biggest things for us was the confidence that came from this past week and capped by our Outlaws scrimmage.  Going into the season we will be better prepared and should have no fear facing teams from the empire conference.  We have made great strides towards our season goals this past week and look forward to continuing this momentum into the rest of our preseason.

FURFC vs. Charleston Outlaws - Pre-Scrimmage

                                                           15 hour bus rides can be tough 

As day two in Charleston starts, we look to our scrimmage preparation in the morning.  Our first three hours consisted of six half-hour meetings based on positions.  These individualized sessions gave the coaching staff an opportunity to cover our strategy of play while keeping in mind the unpredictable nature of the current weather conditions.   After our positional meetings, we gave the players some time to come together as a team in running some phase play and stressing our fundamental attack options.  Tonight will be our first opportunity as a team to play together and give the guys some exposure to high level rugby.

Currently, our team is eating lunch, and we are about to leave for a tour of Charleston.  This will give guys the chance to relax before our first scrimmage tonight against the Charleston Outlaws.  We are definitely excited to play on The Citadel pitch, while continuously increasing our game sense knowledge with a scrimmage and some guest coaching from the USA National Team.    

Getting Going

We had a great start to the tour this morning with a very productive, intense, and physical practice in warm and humid conditions. We worked on our defense and emphasized physicality, aggressiveness, and intensity in everything we did. The main focus of the practice was to concentrate on the fundamentals of the tackle, the counter work, poaching, and our structure around the ruck.

                           

  First Session - West Ashley Park

I was very happy to see a great amount of hunger throughout the team, especially among the younger players on whom we are depending to step up and fill the shoes of our graduated seniors. One of the most important things that we need to get them ready for is the physicality of the Empire Conference, so it was good to see them taking on board what the coaches were telling them about their technique and putting in some quality hits outs there. Personally, it felt great to finally get back on the field and start preparing for the upcoming fall season.

                                                              Coach Cullen running drills

However, it is early days yet and we have a colossal amount of work ahead of us in order to meet our goal of being a contender for the Empire Conference title and win a National Playoff bid.

Jack Kelleher
Captain

Carolina on our Minds

Greetings from South Carolina!  We've just crossed the South Carolina border and the excitement is palpable. We've managed to watch all 6 Rocky films, to overcome some mechanical issues with our tour bus, and to weather the monsoon that washed through then tri-state area this morning.   All in all it's been a great teambuilding experience for the guys.

Following yesterday's fitness tests, the Coaching Staff is ready to put our players through 3 training sessions tomorrow in preparation for our scrimmage with the Charleston Outlaws. Players will be reintroduced to contact in the morning with a focus on tackle and defensive technique. Following a break for lunch, we will train within our offensive system. In the early evening, we will review our defensive structures.   Players will then head to dinner to reload on some much needed calories. Our tour bus will be pulling up to CaliforniaDreamin' Restaurant for some seafood and views of the Charleston waterfront.

I'm proud and thankful of the efforts that Fordham athletics and our staff have put forth to make this trip a reality. We are excited to break new ground for the program and most importantly to prepare for our 2013 Empire Conference campaign. We are hungry to prove we belong, and hope that this is the first step forward to a great season.

Stay tuned for an update from our players next.

Andrew Gheraldi
Director of Rugby