The Bombers to the Sweet 16s!

If you thought the Bombers weren’t going and are now confused, it will all be explained in due time.

Back  on April 27th was the West Tournament up in Omaha and the Bombers would fell to Glendale in the opening match which meant that the Bombers season had come to an end. It was a hard blow to everyone that put so much time and effort into the season to see it just end.

Prior to any of the game all players are checked by an official to make sure they are on the roster, have photo ID, CIPP’d, and meet the numbers of games played regulations. If everything clears, you are free to play.

The Bombers challenged the eligibility of a key Glendale player, citing his CIPP registration and number of upper level games played. The basic rules are that if a team has two Division teams all players can play in both Divisions, but once a player has played in 50% or more of their League matches, that player is ineligible to play in the lower Division. And the deadline to have CIPP registration in was March 15th.

• a) Player must be CIPP registered for the club, either upon initial enrollment or submission of an official waiver request seeking an in-season transfer, by the earlier of:       – Page 7 Section 3.2
                 i) any participation in a League/Qualifying Match, OR
                ii) no later than 11:59 pm Mountain Standard Time Zone on:
                                       ‣March 15th for Men’s competitions.
• d) Any player who has played in 50% or more of a club’s League/Qualifying Matches in a higher division is not eligible to play in a lower division of the USA Rugby Championships. – Page 8 Section 3.3

If either rule is violated and an ineligible player takes the field, the match is ruled of forfeit and the win is awarded to the other team.

The challenge went before the Appellate Committee of the West and was ruled that Glendale “did violate the spirit, intent and letter of the governing rules” and that the match “has been over turned and the STL shall advance to the USA R32″.

Glendale would appeal the West’s decision to USA Rugby and was overturned into Glendale’s favor citing  that there were “miscommunications, decisions and possible errors“, but felt that the decision of the West RFU “should not have imposed such a dramatic and impactful ruling“; forfeiting the game to the Bombers.

The Bombers would appeal USA Rugby’s decision and on Tuesday night the Bombers found out they would be going onto the Sweet 16s in Dallas.

The Bombers will face against Santa Rosa (CA) on Saturday at Spring Trail Park, kick off at Noon on field #2. From here on out it’s win or go home, and after 3 weeks from the original appeal the Bombers aren’t planning on going home anytime soon.

Rules cited: http://www.usarugby.org/documentation/membership/Eligibility_Regulations_2012-13.pdf

Last weekend the Bombers, along with 9 other DII and DIII teams, traveled up to Omaha, NE for the Rugby Westerns and a chance to more onto the Sweet 16s in Dallas.

The Westerns is composed of four DII teams and the victors of Saturday’s matches would play for the championship on Sunday and continue on the Sweet 16.

In Saturday’s match the Bombers would face the Glendale Raptors from Colorado and the Omaha GOATS would face Tulsa. The Bombers were first on the board with a 30 meter penalty kick from James Sills. Glendale was first to score a try with kick from their #10 to an on running winger caught on the fly. The Bombers kept up the defense and the offense was able to score their first try near the end of the first half. The Bombers struggled getting control of the ball from the kick off and Glendale was able to score right at half, making it 13-12 at half in favor of the Bombers.

The Bombers offense played exceptional rugby in the second half with two tries called back and had many opportunities to score but it was the small things that kept the Bombers from the try zone. Glendale would defeat the Bombers 34-16 and face Tulsa on Sunday for the Westerns Championship. Man of the match went to Dave Klug for hard work and leaving it all on the field.

The defeat meant that the Bombers season has come to an end but not before taking on the Omaha GOATS on Sunday. The match gave both sides a chance to play all their players and those who didn’t get to play in Saturday’s match. Both teams went back and forth on taking the lead and the Bombers had many opportunities to take the lead. The GOATS lead the majority of the second half 14-10 and wasn’t looking to good for the Bombers as time was about to expire with Omaha having the ball. The final play of the game was to be a scrum to the GOATS, deep in their zone, but the Bombers pack weren’t finished yet. The Bombers took control of the scrum, gained possession of the ball and was taken in for the winning try. The conversion was made by Jim Morrison making the final score, 17-14 in favor of the Bombers.

Photos

We may not be going to the Sweet 16s, (or might*) or to the National Championship, but the club has seen many improvements over the season and would not have gotten as far as we did without the coaching, all the players, and heart everyone has put in.

To those who have been playing with the Bombers for many years, the new recruits, and those hanging up the boots, Thank You!

Make sure to keep checking the website and Facebook Page for updates with summer 7s and upcoming events. We have a lot of things planned such as the Crawfish cook-out, award ceremony, float trip, and golf tournament.

To the All Mighty Bombers!

This year marked the 65^th Annual St. Louis Gateway Ruggerfest and had been two years since the Bombers had entered a side.

Ruggerfest featured teams from across the country with Men’s A/B, Women’s A/B, College, and High School teams; needless to say there was a lot of rugby to be played.

The Bombers would open up against the Gents of Dubuque for the first match of the tournament. The tournament allowed for open subs which allowed everyone playing time. The Bombers started off quick with two tries but Dubuque would come right back with a try. The Bombers would defeat Dubuque 41-10 and would face Fox Valley in the second match of the day.

Much like the first game the Bombers were off to a strong start controlling the ball and setting the D-line. Fox Valley was a tough team and would be the closet game the Bombers had the whole tournament, but Fox Valley would fall 22-7 to the Bombers.

Sunday was the final day for the tournament and each team would have one or two games. Lincoln Park, from Chicago IL, was the first match and whoever won would go onto playing in the Championship game for the Men’s A side. The Bombers got off to the quickest start ever and never let up. Dave Klug kept reminding players after every try what the game plan was, “same plan guys…”. The Bombers would defeat Lincoln Park 36-10 and would face KU Jayhawks for the Championship.

The KU Jayhawks were last year’s Ruggerfest champs and looking for a repeat, but the Bombers had different plans. The championship game was a physical match and people hurting from three previous games of rugby wasn’t making it easy. The Bombers dominated the scrums and line outs and would go on to defeat the Jayhawks 31-13 making the Bombers the 2013 Ruggerfest Men’s A Division Champion.

Photos – Day 1

Photos – Day 2

Man the match would not go to one person but the whole Bomber squad because it was a team effort from everyone. It was a great effort from both the veterans and new players to the club.

We’re less than three weeks from Westerns in Omaha as we work our way to the National Championship. The season is not over and we need everyone to come to practice and be ready to go!

This week the Bombers A side will face the Ramblers in the last League match of the season in Forest Park. There may be a friendly B side game following the first game, just check back for updates.

*UPDATE* The match against the Ramblers has moved up from 1PM to NOON. It’s still at Forest Park and there will be another match following the first game.

Don’t forget to register your team for the Bomber’s Trivia Night. It’s on April 20^th and less than two weeks away. This is a great time for everyone and you can really help out the club with new equipment.