Yeah we won although the score appears to be closer than it should of been. After a 12 to 11 lead at half time we came out sluggish and they converted a penalty kick to make it 12-14 after that it was all United. We scored three unanswered tries and Jonathon was the man with the foot and the difference as he coolly slotted 4 for 4 on the conversions. The only let down came with two tries from Severn River due to us being tired.-----Norm your reporter

More commentary by Dan Bicehouse on the 30th--

This was a hard fought match, to say the least, and evident by our side collapsing in exhaustion as the ref blew the final whisltle. Everything was left on the pitch and that is all you can ask of your mates. A new found composure is apparent as the team retreated quickly after penalties and kept mouths shut. What United--not arguing with the ref? It was great to see United face the adversity while Severn River discipline fell apart arguing with themselves and the ref.We looked like a class act. United supported all over the field. Lineouts and scrums looked good most of the day. Our rolling maul was deadly inside Severn's 22. Special mention to our props Mirza and Ben. A great day for UNITED RFC.

I've heard nothing but great things about the old boy event at Dorey. Special thanks to Reyn Kinzey,Jerry Manning,and Cary Kennedy. It's a tribute to our Club strength to produce two separate events simultaneous in different states!

Cheers,
Dan Bicehouse

We won this one. Special thanks to Murphy,Hansen,Butler,Schmitt for filling out NN RFC
--Dan Bicehouse reporting

Ben The PROP

A win is a win and we can be thankful for that. We prevented a needless disaster in this match by holding on behind our own 22 for what seemed an eternity and the whistle finally blew. We showed clear superiority in our pack and the backline yet the scoreline shows that this match could have been snatched away. The match never established any rhythm or shape with countless re-starts by the ref who thought he had a jazz clarinette in his mouth rather than a whistle. Yet, in the end, we cannot hold the ref responsible for our poor adjustments to his incompetence. Nevertheless,our driving mauls are a marvel of power and lethal scoring intent. Tim and Tyler are the ringleaders. To our credit,we turned it on when it was really important. Norm sailed up to a perfect pass by Jonathon, gathered in full stride, beat about 3 or 4 defenders on his own , and touched down between the sticks. Irish Tom continues to display supporting skills that astound, scoring a nice try in the corner. Our connection between scrumhalf and fly ,however,flickered on and off all day. We did not involve our massive and powerful loose forwards off the countless scrumdowns in this match. The ref just about eliminated second phase ball. We were too predictable in our ball distribution passing out to the fly no matter how poor the platform. We have lots of power in Phil,Shawn,and Crazy; lets use them around the base of the scrum.

We cannot be too negative, in that , the season is young. Lets nuture our connection between scrumhalf and fly and the scrumhalf with our loosies. We are now seeing only a glimmer of the power and options we can impose on our opponents. What a great game this rugby is!

MIRSA the PROP

Although the score shows that we pulled away at the end,River matched up with us in many ways. The lads showed maturity and a will to win that would not allow River to re-enter the match. Our character above and beyond the actual rugby exeution saw us to victory. This writer senses a new hardness and instinct for victory that should serve us well in the coming weeks. Ball retention was patient and consistent. Trys were delivered by Norm,Tom,Tim,Tyler,and Jonathon with a trey!

Tom with a try v Charlottesville

Norm injected pace and the ability to penetrate time after time. Norm got a try for himself and delivered an assist to Tom up the right touchline with an unbelievable pass as he stumbled forward. Tom has an exceptional ability to support at the right moment. He sees, he glides, and knows when to burst. Jonathon is awesome when he squares up to the tryline with a little depth and pace. Great power and will to score. Tim scored from the base of a driving maul and helped Tyler score his off a carbon copy driving maul. Our attacking mauls were a joy to witness and reminds us that the maul is still alive and well in our modern rugby world. We are not that mobile as a pack and it makes sense to use our power with the maul. We could link some backline moves off the driving maul in time.

Try of the match came from a kick and chase started by Norm. Tom was there again to get his hands on the ball. Transfered it to Brian who broke for the right touchline and moved it to a streaking 220lb fly ,Jonathon, who was not to be denied. That try had it all, enterprise,speed,luck,handling,power,and best of all,"will to score."

Todd Sowder,veteran flanker and center

Special mention for flanker,Todd Sowder, who has been around since the early 80's. Todd tackles low and hard and lead the defense around the breakdowns. He is contentious and hard; we need his example.

Man of the match goes to Norm for his unceasing enterprise with a big handshake for Jonathon for his three power trys.

We qualified! Most sides never make it this far. I don't intend to dwell on the matches today but we can mark the return of Jerry O'Connor,welcome back mate.

Special thanks to Jonathon and Darryl who lead us this summer. These two guys attended all the training sessions and laid it on the line every Tourney we entered. The rest of our side was in and out all summer making it difficult to establish continuity at training and on Sat. Jonathon and Darryl were warriors; we tip our hats to you. We never could have gone as far without your committment.

Our side today included Jonathon,Darryl,Steve Griffin (our new mate from Michigan),Pat (Va Tech), and Mike,Pete,and Nick from River. Team Picture We started our day a bit shakey v Quantico but as the day progressed we seemed to gain strength,defensive resolve, and deadly scoring ability. Jonathon and Darryl Picture of Darryl decided to select Pat at wing rather than rotating him at center. It was a stroke of genius in that we set up Pat with 6 trys for the day! Pat has power and speed and when the ball hits his hands his surge to the tryline is awsome. Steve ,our wily veteran from Michigan, was the magic catylst during our attack in that he has an outstanding ability to attack the gap or glide behind his ball carrying mates to retain or reverse the flow. Our River mates played their heads off and we destroyed Towson State and PAC II in the afternoon to win the Plate competition. Jonathon looked fabulous at hooker and Darryl as usual turned in a great effort as he has all summer.

Photo of high performing Norfolk 7's side

We qualified because we beat Penn State. Age and treachery triumph over youth and enthusiasm. It was a match to remember. Pat scored over the line twice with a nice assist from Darryl and one from Yallo,our guest player from Raliegh. We ran in 21 unansered points before Penn State realized they were in a match. Final 25 to 5. Great defense from Jonathon and Yallo and Pat has a predatory striking ability. Well done! Other matches included an easy victory over Norfolk B and defeats to National Club Champions, Philly Whitemarsh, and Norfolk A, the eventual winners of the day over the legendary NOVA side. Norfolk was very strong that day. Interesting that we scored the first 10 points v Norfolk before they could catch up and surpass us. We did as well as could be expected today and we have an intriguing potential to compete with the big boys.

Sat May 27th Monk Vaughn 7's

Norfolk captured the 6 team round robin championship but United RFC can claim a slice of the victory in that our mates Hansen and Murphy served on their side all day and produced some admirable rugby in the championship match against the physical and powerful side from Cherry Point. Murphy was there with the quick passes and Hansen continues to produce defense and tackling with poetic finality. When Hansen tackles, the ball carrier is engulfed feet rising into the air and Rhys , also,shows an instinct for the try zone, too.

Our side had mixed results yet special mention to new members, Norm from Michigan and Pat of Va. Tech who blasted through the defense time after time. Ben Brown showed awesume power in contact and Bailey came up with some fabulous defense and match saving tackles during our victory over Fort Bragg. We will get better. "The ruggers most difficult opponent is always himself." Victory begins on tues and thurs evening at training.

cheers,
Cary

Reported by Dan Bicehouse

Firstly, thanks to the wives and girlfriends who helped run concessions at the tournament.

Secondly, thanks to all the old boys who came out to watch and support United RFC.

Although battered and bruised,the Boys pulled it together and dispatched Blacksburg for third place. Eightman attacks by new member "Crazylegs" Walker and scrumhalf Cassidy had Blacksburg on their heels. The only score came in the second half after some beautiful rucking and ball handling creating enough space for Leach to touch down. I wish I could say more but this prop did not see much playing at second row. Jerry, it's time to run a second row clinic for props.

April 1st Sat Porter Cup

Sorry guys but my attention to our matches on Sat was intermittent. Norfolk was too much. Norfolk's #14 Ed was all moves and speed. This match is already a distant memory.

Afternoon match v Roanoke was a beauty. Darryl had many devastating runs. We linked some nice possession together and won with grace.

click here Crazy Legs Crashes in for 5

Sat March 25 Newport News/United

This not a first person account but my sources inform me that we won this one easily running in over 30 points. Concensus Man of the Match, Rhys, with a deuce.

North Bay 3/United 32

Reported by C. Kennedy

This was a pleasant victory. Consisting of 5 trys from Jonathon,Paul,Tim,Scott, and Jerry with a penalty kick and two conversions by the indominable Paul Keal. Paul Keal dominated this match setting up Jonathon for his touch down in the left corner. Jonathon had the space and used his considerable power to go through two defenders in contact to touchdown. Bret asked for 4 trys at the halftime chat and the lads responded in kind. Paul scored one after looking off the defense with a couple of dummy passes and high stepped into the try zone. Tim Brown scored one of his signature power trys, you know, swatt two defenders off with the arm then head up the pitch dragging , at least, three defenders into the try zone. How original! Scott our new winger was on the spot for an nice assist from the talented Paul Keal and Jerry inserted,drew a bead on the try zone, split the defense, out paced the pursuit, and scored. Superb cover defense by Shaggy. Bucket served up some nice hits and looked powerful in contact.

Special mention about Woody Woolfolk who served at second row in this match. Woody played his first match for Richmond RFC in 1968! His pace and range over the pitch was remarkable vs North Bay. Woody is da man.

On a final note,we demonstrated confidence and lethal scoring instincts when the space is apparent but we continue to show impatience and inconsistent retention when going into contact with the ball. Somehow we will gain confidence with the close contact stuff and we will explode with a rugby performance beyond belief.

Sat March 4th 2000

United 12 Norfolk 54

Reported by Cary Kennedy

This match had a similar pattern to our match with Norfolk last fall as reported by Carl. I have no desire to dwell on the negatives contained within this match better that the Captain,Vice Captain, and Coaches deal with our shortcomings at training. Let's review some of our remarkable highlights.

Huge lineout take by our new lock , Joel, and quick toss back to Chris Bowman,the thrower, who powered in for the touchdown. Bowman is turning into a dominant prime "Alfa" pack leader. Caught Norfolk sleeping on that one.

Frank , at wing, made some courageous open field tackles during the first half. Frank is quick as they come and will only get better as he learns the game.

Jonathon at the other wing had some penetrating runs and showed lots of power while in contact

Darryl at outside was the danger man. He had some some nice penetrating runs and has developed poise with the ball in hand looking off the defense and delivering the ball at the right time.

Boomer was under tremendous pressure at inside and showed great courage as the Norfolk defense engulfed him. Boomer has nice power in contact.

Tom was the cool one at flyhalf. He can find touch with both feet!

Jerry O'Connor was steady at full back,excellent hands, good running, and kick ahead.

Our rugby was more attractive than Norfolk in that our running and passing had enterprise and daring. We really like to run with the ball and our handling is well above average. We were able to reverse the attack with passing using the entire width of the pitch on several occassions. It was a joy to see.

We had a beautiful team try that was started by Joel fielding a Norfolk 22 drop. Joel penetrated with grace well into the Norfolk defense and unloaded the ball to Shaggy flying up on the left side. Shaggy had great pace and made a daring French style pass to Jerry to Tom,to Bucket, to Darryl who touched down! What a beautiful try!

Our tackling was committed. We all tackled well and low. Rhys Hansen came on the second half. His tackles were huge driving impacts that sent the Norfolk players into the air feet up!

Brian Burnett at scrumhalf showed lots of vision and would not hesitate to take the ball forward if the space was there.

We have the courage, skill,committment,and enterprise to win. We simply must convert that to more consistent ball retention in contact,more attacking options at the base of the scrum and off the high ball and we will win with breathtaking grace.

Cheers
Cary

Oct 30/31 1999
State Championship Tournament (Ed Lee Cup)
Reported by Tom Oxenham

After a disappointing season which culminated in a disheartening loss to Virginia, United was hoping for an opportunity to redeem itself at the Ed Lee Cup. Unfortunately,injuries and player unavailability took too great a toll, and United was unable to match its third place finish of the previous two years.

Our first match was against Blacksburg which had gone undefeated in Division 3 during the regular season. The coaches' worst fears were confirmed when it came time to make selections Saturaday morning. Counting both coaches and Aussie newcomer Rhys Hanson, we had 17 available bodies. Having to play people out of position and put a 49 year old wing on the pitch was not a formula for success, and United lost a spirited match to Blacksburg to drop us into the losers bracket.

The Virginia men had recognized that they would not have the numbers to compete in this years tournament, and had advised the host club that they would not be coming. Their withdrawal created a hole in the seedings which the tournament organizers tried to fill with a "tournament team" motley crew. The motleys failed to materialzie against number 1 seed Norfolk forthe morning match, so the Blues were given a bye. As the number 4 seed, United was in the same bracket as Norfolk, so we were scheduled to play the tournament team in the afternoon match.

An Old Boys match had been scheduled for the same time as our match. When the tournament team failed to materialize, the Roanoke Old Boys agreed to form the nucleus of a opposition XV for United. Denied the opportunity to play old boys rugby, Club President Carl Schmitt promptly selected himself for the match.

Tim Brown approached his alma mater, Mary Washington, and located some of their boys who were looking for a match. With the help of the the young bucks, United was able to sit its two forty plus players. Even lacking the mature guidane of Marc Butler and this reporter, the team ran out to abig lead and coasted home against the motleys. Frank Tallarico made up for the botched try he had against Virginia with a legitimate try on a nice effort set up by Frank "El Diable" Cassidy. Carl Schmitt scored a massive physics try,"Mass times Acceleration equals Force." It's good to be the largest man on the pitch.

Sunday morning games are always ugly, especially when you are playing for fifth place. The coaches were actually thinking we would have to forfeit due to a shortage of players but the lads had other ideas. They got themselves to the pitch and organized a side, again with the help of some of the Mary Wash boys. Roanoke was far from a gracious host and the match turned ugly . Referee Phil Mitchell had to blow the match early due to a punch-up. Thus we finished 1-2 for the tourney.

As the designated scribe for the tournament, let me take a moment to express my personal thanks to all the players, coaches, old boys, supporters, and friends of United Rugby for the many kindnesses you have shown me in our years together. As I told the players at the team dinner, I appreciate your tolerating an old guy who enjoyed being a part of the team. I hope that somewhere and sometime in all that I said at practice or on the touchline a little good was accomplished. I know I am the better for my association with each of you. I shall miss you all, but hope to be affiliated with rugby in some capacity so I hope to see you around. While I had hoped for more success on the pitch, I trully believe that the Club has a bright future. The foundation is laid, the spirit is there, we just need to continue to believe in ourselves and persevere. UNITED,SUPPORT,SUPPORT,SUPPORT,SUPPORT!

Cheers,
Otis

Oct 23, 1999
United vs Virginia
Reported by Carl Schmitt

United was defeated 42-20 in Charlottesville, in a match that followed a pattern we have struggled with all season. The match once again was not without bright spots. Strong start followed by a let down for 40 minutes followed by intense play for 20 minutes. We will ponder what went wrong with a season that had so much promise. We will begin again with January running. As two of the Old Boys who played B-side observed with wide grins,"Its still rugby." The B-side came back from a 19 point deficit to tie the match.

Reported by Carl Schmitt

Lost 65 to 14. It was a case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. The first half was some excellent rugby by the boys, fast hard attacks by the forwards, good tackling,and ball movement by the backs. good scrums and lineouts. Score at the half Norfolk 17 United 14. In the second half Norfolk put it all together and scored 40 unanswered points.

Oct 9, 1999
United vs Raleigh

Reported by Cary

We lost bigtime. Raleigh has some big,strong, mobile forwords. No need to sift through the ashes. So lets look at some bright spots. Bicehouse scored a nice try after some tough work by the forwards in close. Tyler forced a try in with one of his prodigious efforts in close. When Tyler gets low and in close, he is just about unstoppable. We could take advantage of Tyler's particular gift by going to our number 6 jumper in close to the try line and let Tyler go to work driving on the opposition's lighter forwards at the end of the lineout. Good things will happen.

Oct 2, 1999
United vs Rocky George

Reported by Cary Kennedy

Okay, we lost but the contest was in doubt until the final whistle. No need to dwell on the negatives at this stage so lets look at the good points. Tyler's try was a huge effort from 12 meters out. He crushed 5 defenders to get to the try zone. Metzlers opportunistic try was a joy. Leo was violent, agressive, agile, and difficult to bring down with the ball. Our counter attacks were encouraging. We look good in the open field. Daryl's individual runs were devastating and support in the open field is excellent. We have the elements for successful play; our club plays the game with joy and courage. We simply have to put the parts together into a consistent pattern and we will begin to win.

At some risk I am compelled to report an unfortunate altercation between members of the Club on the touchline immediatley after the disappointing loss. It is self evident that our members share a common passion for the game of rugby yet as humans our passion for the game can become misdirected and counter productive at times. Let us hope that we can all find some peace, grace, and respect for the best in each of us. Negativety will get us nowhere.

All the best,

Cary Kennedy

Basil Nesbit commentary

We lost 25-10: nothing positive to report except that our scrummaging and lineouts are encouraging.

September 18
United vs James River

Reported by Basil Nesbit

We dropped this on 48-15. Without the ball you cannot play the game. We simply could not keep the ball in contact. Although we had some encouraging breaks, the support was rather feeble. Our tight five is outstanding, however. Special mention to our front row in particular, Bicehouse,Bowman, and Tyler. They can dominate and that is encouraging. James River to their credit was laced with Welsh ringers at center and #8 and, of course, the ever cagey Mark Fowler at fly. Understand their #8 has run out for Pontypridd first 15. We were overwhelmed in many respects.

We were down 21-7 in the first half but we came back to finish 35-21. Well done. We simply outlasted them in the second half

Reported by Basil Nesbit

Although we lost to the Exiles 32-16 , we played well considering the time of year and the level of competition we faced. Lets look at some of the highlights. The Chris to Jamie connection in the lineout is superb,accurate, and consistent. Frank at scrumhalf provided excellent ball service with quick hands and feet and was there when the forwards were ready to provide it. Marc Butler, our ageless prop, was a steady presense with some nice runs and mistake free passing. Marc's support in the loose is remarkable for his senior club status. Mr. Oklahoma,Rod, was aggressive and pressured well in defense.

Lets look at some of our deficits. Our rucking is a mixed effort. Our mobiliy as a pack is average and would recommend that we keep the ball tight as possible during our possession before we attempt to go wide. We are getting to the breakdown but not finishing the clean-out of our opponents contesting for the ball. Our tackling is good but we are allowing them to attack us rather than pressuring them behind their gain line. Good defense requires risk. Better to get across the gainline and make them sidestep than to watch them run down our throats.

We have the ability and the information to be successful. We simply must re-inforce what we already know. Play to our strengths and know the tendencies of all your teammates. Play and support the best element of each and every mate and we move the mountain.

Reported by Darryl Lowery

The Norfolk 7's was attended by a side consisting of Jerry,Chris,Tomas,Shawn,Eric,Brian,Scott,Neil,and Darryl. A strong side under any circumstanse but we faced a very competitive field of teams contending for qualification points. Although we did not secure any victories, we did have a superb performance against the PAC A side holding them to a 17-5 margin. Our defense was committed and we laid on the tackles. Special mention to Scott Weidner for his defense while pressuring the ball and in pursuit. Nice speed.

July 3-4 1999

Reported by Darryl Lowery

Well we made it to Fear with 4 warriors consisting of David,Tomas,Shawn, and Darryl. We picked up some rugby whores and proceeded to thrash our first opponent on Sat. (Wash II) 12 nil. Tomas crashed through for two trys off a penalty tap. Nobody wanted this raging Agentinian. Our second match vs Charlotte II was lost but it was a try fest of highlights. 6 trys to 4 trys. Hat trick for Lowery. First touchdown came on a Bailey break through the defense and nice touch pass to put Lowery away down the middle. Second try came off a superb unload of the ball in the tackle for Tomas as he dragged three defenders and got it to Lowery. Just some good old power rugby. The rest of the matches were of mixed character we need not dwell on. The Heat was brutal.

June 26, 1999

Reported by Jerry O'Conner

We entered the Pac 7's Tourney this morning with a total of 2 United mates for the first match at 10:00am, Jonathan Leach and Jerry O'conner. Fortune smiled on us as we picked up some rugby whores from NOVA and Argentina, of all places. How come a mate from Argentina came make his 10:00 am kick-off but our mates from Richmond, Va. (alot closer) cannot get there? Anyway, our international side trounced Pac River 22-0.

Saw a full contingent of United mates at our second match vs Wash Irish II lead by our captain and rugby globe trotter, Shawn Bailey and a remaining guest player from Argentina to keep Tomas company on the pitch. We flew around,over, and through the Irish for 52 unanwered points.

Next match United 30-10 over Wash II,however, heat and fatigue was beginning to set in.

We lost in the semi-finals against a combined military side from Ft. Meyers and the Fighting Docs 34-12.

High scorers for the day were Tomas Loboz with five rampaging trys. Not bad for his second 7's tourney. Jerry O'Conner with 4 and John Leach with a deuce and a handfull of conversions.