9/7/2006  Baton Rouge Begins 15s Practice
Practice will be held at Highland Road Park and will begin at 6:30pm on the lower softball fields.

Baton Rouge/SLUTS 7s Season Summery

8/26/06 Hurricane 7s- Panama City, FL 
A strong BR 7s side traveled to the 9 team PCB Hurricane 7s tournament last weekend.  10 BR ruggers and 3 former BR rugger now in L.A. put together a tough side that powered their way through the first round of play.  Louisiana was represented by a strong Hammond team the PCB as well as the N.O. West Bank Barracudas.  Several BR ruggers helped fill the Barracuda's side.  All three teams made it to the playoff round, but only BR advanced to the finals.  BR was able to overtake the local PCB team to take their FIFTH consecutive Hurricane 7s win!  The real debauchery began once the tournament was over!!  Stories were made and beer was drank- that is all I have to say.....a special thanks to Angus, who has hosted BR very well over the years and ran a great tournament!  
8/19/06 Horseshoe 7s- Shreveport, LA
Another mixed group of ruggers from BR, SLU, LSU and LSU alumni made competed in this years Horseshoe 7s.  An 8 team tourney saw BR win their first 3 matches to make the playoffs, only to be beaten by Lafayette in the semi-finals.  BR took 3rd in the tournament.  The BR Women's team traveled with 10 ladies in hopes of playing a late coming women's team (no show).  Shreveport set up 2 touch matches for the ladies against 2 lower seed men's teams.  The ladies took their first trophy since their founding last year!  Congrates to the Barbies!
8/5/06 Dead Elvis 7s- Memphis, TN
BR traveled to this great competitive tournament with only 4 players, but with the help of the SLUTS and a few Shreveport ruggers (late coming), were able to put a great and competitive side in the tournament.  BR drew the first match at 8am....a tough loss to the Kenyan Exiles who places 2nd in the tourney.  BR came back to win the next 2 matches and moved into the playoffs- The SLUTS were in the same pool as BR and a tough match was played between both teams.  BR won the first round of the playoffs against a strong Memphis team, but lost their last match to the Arkansas State team.  The Memphis old boys hosted BR at Beal street where great ribs and cold beers were partaken.
7/29/06 Pitch a Tent 7s- Chattanooga, TN
A motley crew of BR, Hammond/SLU and Memphis players traveled to wilds of Georgia to play in the Pitch a Tent 7s tournament.  The Chattanooga Club hosted a few players on Thursday followed by white water rafting and debauchery in the mountains!  One of the best "social" 7s tournaments in the country, Pitch a Tent was held on a large farm where anything goes!  And for rugby players, the sky is the limit!  The entire weekend was laid back and full of great times with slip-n-slides, water sports and a "bomb" wake up on Saturday morning.  Very little sleep was had, but some good rugby was played!  The SLUTS (Southern Louisiana United Touring Side) blew through their bracket, winning 3 matches, but lost to a strong Moose Knuckles side in the first round of playoffs.  The Saturday night party was epic- they ran out of beer a couple times and the hard stuff also!  This was the best and most fun 7s tournament I have been too!  We look forward to next year!  A special thank you goes out to Kirk from the Chattanooga team, who hosted us very well!

7/8/2006  Baton Rouge 7s Red Fish Tournament 

     The Baton Rouge Rugby Club hosted the 30th Annual 7s rugby tournament at Highland Road Park!! 16 teams traveled to BR to compete in a some great 7s rugby; the teams represented-  Battleship Ole Boys, Galveston Scallywags, NO Men's, U-19 All Stars, Jesuit U-19, Hammond Men's, SLU, LSU, BR Men's, Lafayette Ole Boys, LSU Young Alum, JR's Podnah's and the BR Phat Boys.  The BR Women's team- the Barbarians- also play two matches against the NO Women's Half Moons.  The Hammond Men took the "Bowl" winning the tournament.  The U-19 All Stars (last years winner) took the "Plate."  And the NO Men won the coveted "Cup" (hot case of Natural lite).  On the ladies side, the Half Moons won the first match then split up and had fun second match.  A good crowd came out to watch, eat, drink and have a great time!  The tournament ended with the traditional BR slip-n-slide of fun!!  
     A special thank you goes out to JR- he knows how to pulled pork!  To Steve Parrill for setting up some great referees!  To Chet for helping me set up the tournament!  To Coach Doug, Jim Brugh, Robin, Jonny, Beth, Fontenelle, Mark, Tom, Tabor and all the other that help run and make this a great and profitable tournament!  A very special thank you to our Sponsors- Mockler Beverages, Associated Grocers, Cox Communications, Red Bull, Chelsea's Cafe' and Coke.  An after party at Chelsea's Cafe' ensued après tournament....lets just say a lot of fun was had!  Cheers to all that come out- we look forward to next year!!
Cheers and good rugby!
Hunter the Coon

5/27/2006  Baton Rouge Spring Awards Banquet  

      The BR RFC held it's 2005-2006 spring awards banquet at the 3rd Floor Catering Hall (in the Thirsty Tiger Tavern building).  A great event with great food, cold beverages and time to honor those who helped the club have a great season on and off the field.  A special thank you to some of the rugby appreciation recipients- Coach Doug Schooling- for a great season, Robin Schooling for rugby supporter, Hunter for "herding the cats," Johnny Hird for special help running things, John Staub for his assistant coaching help and Rob Miller for his sponsorship.  The retirement award went to Jeremy (he'll never retire!).  Team signed rugby balls were presented to Jack Turner and David Guidry who are leaving BR for greener pastures- good luck to you both. 
The team voted on the "Best of 2005-2006" awards- 
Iron Man of the Year:  Douglas "Gil" Gracie
Rookie of the Year:    Chris "Kelso" 
Most Valuable Forward: Junior Maiava 
Most Valuable Back:    Daniel "Fun Danny" Rosenquist
Most Valuable Player:  Jeremy "the Cheetah" Hubert
Most Improved Player:  Chip "I'm not Rob" Miller

     Our Social Chairman, Jordan "the Midget" Tabor, organized a bus roll for the team and friends of the team.  The bus actually left BR in a timely manner...the scenario-  30 BR men and woman ruggers, several friends of rugby and the Miller brothers piled into a bus with 5 cases of "starter beers" on a wild ride south to the Big Easy.  The first of the "Shady" locations was in Prairieville for Schnapps shots; then onto LaPlace for Bloodies; then onto New Orleans for debauchery, more drinks, a little dancing, singing and yelling.  Somehow, no one died or was arrested- everyone made it back to bus in time to pass out!  The bus made it back to BR for 4am- just in time for Mother's Day Hangovers.

     The Baton Rouge Rugby Club hosted a fundraising party for the "Bike for Others" group- a group raising money for spinal cord injured athletes.  They were biking from St. Augustine, FL to San Diego, CA to raise money and awareness.  BR RFC had a poor turn out, but still managed to raise some money and have a great time!  The event was held at Beauvoir Park.  Special thanks to Les, Johnny, Chet, Francis, Fontenelle and Coach for their help!  Try for Others will be passing through BR next year- we are planning a bigger event to host this great organization.  Donations to the organization are still being accepted. Try for Others was started by rugby players as a non-profit organization.  Please visit their website at www.tryforothers.com. 

      On Friday afternoon, a hodge-podge of Alumni, Baton Rouge and LSU ruggers played an exhibition match at the new LSU rugby field at the LSU Sports Complex dedication.  It was a really fun social match with teams split up with the old, the young and the out of shape.  The Turtles beat the Ninjas by 4 tries to 2. 
      On Saturday, New Orleans RFC hosted the High School rugby playoffs and the LSU Alumni match.  Three halves were played with the old versus the young, the fast versus the slow, the experienced bull versus the young bull, the financially stable versus the plasma sellers....great fun was had and good rugby was played.  New Orleans hosted an après match drink up at the Rugby Club than a get together at F & M's Patio Bar.  

     The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club’s 2005-06 season came to a disappointing end last weekend as they were eliminated in the Texas Rugby Union semi-finals by the eventual champion Austin Huns Rugby Club.  A large crowd turned out for the match that was played under clear skies, but in record heat and a stiff breeze.  Austin played with the wind in the first half and took advantage right away, pinning Baton Rouge back deep in their own territory and then capitalizing on a mental mistake in the lineout to score the first try and taking a 5 – 0 lead.  Austin struck for another score after a brief period of pressure as Baton Rouge’s backs simply couldn’t find space in which to run and couldn’t clear their own lines by kicking into the wind. Another Baton Rouge lineout miscue gave up the third try and Baton Rouge was suddenly staring at a 15 – 0 deficit.  Baton Rouge’s forwards calmed down and produced some quality ball, but nothing came of it and Austin, smelling blood in the water and knowing that Baton Rouge can score a lot of points quickly, added two more tries before half to take a 27 – 0 lead to the break.
     Baton Rouge made some substitutions and, with the wind at their backs, mounted a comeback.  A couple of hard earned tries from the wings made it 27 – 12 after 20 minutes of the second half.  Baton Rouge was now controlling the match and the territory.  They scored again with 15 minutes left to cut the margin to 8 points at 27 – 19 and now it was a real contest.  But Austin, suddenly a little nervous, mounted an impressive period of pressure on the Baton Rouge goal and extended their lead to 32 – 19 with a try with 10 minutes remaining.  Baton Rouge came back at Austin, but a forward drive resulted in a lost possession near the goal and Austin eventually added the clinching try to make the score 39 – 19. Baton Rouge added a consolation try to make the final 39 – 24. Austin defeated Fort Worth 27 - 17 for the Texas Rugby Union championship the next day. 
     Baton Rouge finishes the season with a record of 10 wins vs 4 defeats in the Texas Rugby Union and 12 wins vs 5 defeats overall.  The club wishes to extend its thanks to Doug Schooling for another year of fine coaching and leadership and to Jeremy Hubert for a second year of captaincy.  Jeremy has been recently mumbling something about retirement.  Jack Turner will also be leaving us after two good years.  Good luck guys.  Thanks.
Story submitted by John Godbee

     The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club advanced to the Texas Rugby Union semi-finals on the strength of an exciting 55 – 32 win over the San Antonio Rugby Club on Saturday at Highland Road Park. A nice crowd turned out for the match on an absolutely beautiful spring afternoon. Baton Rouge started quickly and applied all the early pressure which resulted in two tries and a penalty kick to take a 15 – 0 lead after twenty minutes. The hosts were about to score another try when San Antonio’s inside center intercepted a pass and went 75 meters to make it 15 – 7. This seemed to revive San Antonio. A poor decision and sloppy execution by Baton Rouge deep in their own end gave San Antonio two other opportunities which they converted to points to tie the match at 15 – 15 with a minute remaining in the half. But Baton Rouge seized the momentum back in the final seconds of the half with a try to make the score 20 – 15 at the break.
     Baton Rouge came out strong in the second half and soon rebuilt their 15 point lead with a try and a penalty kick to make the score 30 – 15, but the visitors wouldn’t go away, using their speedy and talented backs to close the gap to five points at 30 – 25 and to pull to within eight points at 40 – 32 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the match. But Baton Rouge’s depth and fitness showed in the final 10 minutes, as they scored three tries to make the final count 55 – 32. Overall, it was a clean, fast, penalty free match played by two good Division II rugby clubs. Jens Christensen, Seth Stevenson and Chris Sanford had standout matches for Baton Rouge.
     Baton Rouge will face Austin in the Texas Rugby Union semi-finals next Saturday in Austin with the winner advancing to play either Shreveport or Fort Worth in the finals the following day. Austin beat Baton Rouge 21 – 19 in January in a match also played in Austin. San Antonio’s season is over.
                         Story submitted by John Godbee

09/24/2005   Baton Rouge Falls to Jackson in Season Opener

09/20/2005   Welcome from club president, Hunter Guidry

Gentlemen,

I would like to welcome you to another year of Baton Rouge Rugby.  We have started practice for the fall and begun the long road towards rugby fitness.  We are still looking for anyone interested in coming out to practice, either a novice or old rugger than needs to get the cobwebs off your boots.  We are happy to have Doug Schooling back as our coach this year- he was a great addition to the club last year and showed us how fitness can win games.  After our third place finish in Texas Rugby Union last season, we are looking for an even better year.  We have many guys coming back out from last year as well a few new “rookies” and a couple LSU ruggers.  We always welcome anyone to come out and practice with the team, especially any Old Boys that Doug invites to help out running practice.
With the help of our new officers this year, we expect this to be a great year for Baton Rouge Rugby!!  We are planning an Alumni Day on October 22 (to coincide with the LSU/Auburn game) and the 2006 Mardi Gras Rugby Tournament.  We always welcome any sponsorship to help Baton Rouge RFC with travel and equipment cost.  If you are interested in practice, sponsorship or BR merchandise please contact me at cajunrugby@hotmail.com or any of the other officers. 

Good luck to all the local clubs this season- LSU RFC, ULL RFC, Lafayette Old Boys, Shreveport RFC, LA Tech RFC and especially New Orleans Men and Women’s RFC, Tulane RFC, UNO RFC, SLU RFC and the High School Rugby programs in their rebuilding and reorganization after Hurricane Katrina.

Let’s have great season!  And a little fun….

Cheers,

Hunter “Coon” Guidry
Baton Rouge RFC Presidenth

09/17/2005  Baton Rouge and LSU make contact for annual Pre-Season Scrimmage

09/09/2005  Hurricane Katrina Relief Effort

07/16/2005   New Orleans U-19 Squad takes gold at BR 7's Tournament

05/10/2005   The 29th Annual Baton Rouge 7's Tournament is right around the corner

04/03/2005   Baton Rouge's season ends at the TRU Championships in Dallas, TX

3/19/2005   Baton Rouge pulls away from DARC in the 2nd half

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club advanced to the Texas Rugby Union playoffs for the 5th consecutive year on the strength of a 43 - 15 win over the Dallas Athletic Rugby Club (DARC) in Dallas on Saturday.  The day was sunny and mild, but the pitch was extremely hard.  After seven tense opening minutes, Dallas drew first blood on a penalty kick to take a 3 - 0 lead.  Baton Rouge equalized a few minutes later and shortly after that, scored the game's first try to take an 8 - 3 lead.  It was a lead they would never relinquish.  Baton Rouge put on the pressure and scored two more well earned trys to extend the margin to 22 - 3.  Dallas, however, got a try just before the half to cut the gap to 14 points at 22 - 8.
The second half began with no team clearly taking the initiative.  Finally, Dallas got a try against the run of play to make a contest out of it at 22 -15 with 30 minutes remaining.  With the outcome suddenly in doubt, Baton Rouge finally put their game in high gear and began to play like they practice, scoring three unanswered trys to win a well contested (and well refereed) match.
The B side game was a very hard fought contest with Dallas determined to salvage something for their efforts on the day.  With the score tied at 5 - 5, Dallas took charge of the match late in the first half with a try after putting tremendous pressure on the Baton Rouge line for an extended period of time and then got another early in the second half to run out to a 17 - 5 lead.  Baton Rouge battled back and closed the gap to 17 - 12 with 15 minutes left and then scored the equalizer with five minutes to go.  Dallas threw everything at the Baton Rouge try line in an effort to secure the win, but Baton Rouge was up to the challenge and the match ended at 17 - 17.  It was a satisfying tie and a very satisfying feed at the Tipperary Irish pub.  Thank you DARC.
Baton Rouge A side's record goes to 10 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie overall on the year and 6 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie in the Texas Rugby Union.  They will be the #2 seed in the playoffs which take place in Dallas in two weeks.  The B side finished their season with a record of 7 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie overall and 6 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie in Texas Rugby Union play.

Story submitted by John Godbee
oach

2/26/2005   Dallas RFC prevails over Baton Rouge in heated rematch

2/19/2005   Baton Rouge loses first cup match to Louisiana rival Shreveport

Sirs:  The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club lost its first league match of the year and its first regular season league match in nearly two years on Saturday as it was defeated by the Shreveport Rugby Football Club 29 - 14 at Highland Road Park.  The day was warm and sunny and a nice crowd turned out for the match.  At the kickoff, Shreveport was motivated and Baton Rouge was flat and the result was a quick 12 - 0 lead for the visitors.  Shreveport added another try midway through the first half to take a 19 - 0 lead.  Baton Rouge didn't panic and dominated long stretches of the remaining portion of the first half, but only managed to close the gap to 19 - 7 at the intermission.
The second half began with Baton Rouge pressing the attack, but Shreveport defended well and Baton Rouge did not seem able to make the last pass that would put its runners into space.  Shreveport added a penalty kick to make the score 22 - 7 and another try to stretch the lead to 29 - 7.  Baton Rouge added a try to close to 29 - 14 with 15 minutes left and once again put sustained pressure on the Shreveport goal line, but it simply wasn't Baton Rouge 's day.
The B side match was spirited but short, and ended in a 5 - 5 tie. The Baton Rouge A side is 5 - 1 - 1 in the league  and 9 - 4 - 1 on the year.  The Baton Rouge B side is 5 - 0 - 1 in the league.  Baton Rouge travels to Dallas this weekend to take on the league leading Dallas Rugby Football Club.

Story submitted by John Godbee

2/17/2005   Baton Rouge RFC pays tribute to it's players serving their country

The Baton Rouge RFC takes their hats off to a couple of players over in Iraq preserving democracy. We are grateful for their bravery and pray for their safe return.
Your next beer at Sammy's is on us. Thanks, Micah, Kirby, and BYU. Keep your heads low and your powder dry.

Kirby poses with fellow soldiers in Iraq           Micah brands a Humvee
    h

2/05/2005   Baton Rouge avenges TRU Championship loss to Austin

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club won an important match on Saturday as it outscored the Austin Huns Rugby Club 46 - 27 in a match played at Highland Road Park.  The game was a re-match of last year's Texas Rugby Union Division II final which was won by Austin.  The day was mild with sunny skies, but the week's rain left the pitch slippery underfoot.  A nice crowd turned out for the morning kickoff.  Baton Rouge struck twice early on and had a 14 - 0 lead inside of the first 5 minutes.  An extended time out for an injured Austin player worked to the visitor's advantage as they were able to compose themselves and quickly get on the scoreboard with a try to close the margin to 14 - 5.  A Baton Rouge penalty kick extended the lead to 17 - 5, but the Huns scored another try to make the match close at 17 - 12 with only 20 minutes gone.  The teams traded converted trys to make the count 24 - 19, but Baton Rouge got another try before half on some fine running by the backs to make the score 31 - 19 at the break.
The second half began closely contested as Austin converted a penalty to get within 9 points at 31 - 22.  But that was as close as it got.  Baton Rouge reeled off three unconverted trys to put the match out of reach at 46 - 22.  Austin scored a try in the last 10 minutes to make the final margin 46 - 27.  It was a well played match and both these teams appear to be headed for the Texas Rugby Union playoffs in two months time.
The B-side match was extremely competitive and featured a lot of running rugby.   Baton Rouge scored 3 trys to the visitor's 2 and led 19 - 12 at half.  The second half went back and forth with Baton Rouge getting the final score a few minutes from full time to win the match 43 - 29.
Baton Rouge's A-side has a record of 5 wins, 0 losses and 1 tie in the Texas Rugby Union and is 9 - 3 - 1 overall.  The B-side is 5 - 0 on the year.  Baton Rouge will face Shreveport on February 19 at Highland Road Park.  Match time is 2:00.

Submitted by John Godbee

1/22/2005   Baton Rouge and Dallas battle to a draw

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club and the Dallas Rugby Football Club battled to a 27 - 27 draw in a showdown between the two undefeated teams in the Texas Rugby Union, Division II this past Saturday at Highland Road Park.  The day was overcast and rainy, providing a slick track for the teams.  A nice crowd was in attendance and they saw a classic.
Baton Rouge broke on top 7 - 0 with a try after a tense first 20 minutes.  A penalty kick extended the lead to 10 - 0.  Another try extended the lead to 15 - 0 as Baton Rouge threatened to run away with it.  However, a Baton Rouge handling error deep in their own territory gave Dallas life and they capitalized just before half, closing the gap to 15 - 5.  Baton Rouge extended the lead back to 15 points with a try 10 minutes into the second half to make the score 20 - 5.  But Dallas wouldn't go away.  A try closed the gap to 20 - 10 and another try and conversion with 15 minutes to go made it 20 - 17 and anyone's match.  Baton Rouge appeared to give themselves some breathing room with 10 minutes left on a converted try to make the score 27 - 17, but Dallas continued to pressure Baton Rouge.   Dallas scored with two minutes remaining to cut the margin to 27 - 24.  A couple of lapses in concentration gave them a long penalty kick and they made it count.  Final score Baton Rouge 27 - Dallas 27.

Baton Rouge's B-side won the second match by a 46 - 10 score.  Baton Rouge A is 8 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw on the year and 4 wins, 0 losses and 1 draw in the Texas Rugby Union.  They sit atop the league table.  The B side is 4 - 0 in the league.  Baton Rouge will be in action again February 5 vs Austin Huns Rugby Club at Highland Road Park.

Submitted by John Godbee

1/15/2005   Depleted numbers and injuries frustrate Arlington into submission

Sirs:  The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club won its fourth consecutive Texas Rugby Union match over the weekend as it defeated the Arlington Mavericks Rugby Club 53-0 at Corsair Park in Arlington. Saturday was a beautiful winter afternoon with cold temperatures, sunny skies and a slight breeze. Baton Rouge traveled with a strong squad and started very fast, pressuring Arlington in both the forwards and the backs, and ran in five trys in the first 20 minutes to take a 31-0 lead. But then, they took their foot off the gas and allowed the match to become a scrappy affair, adding only one more try before the half. The second half was a little better than the final 20 minutes of the first half, with Baton Rouge adding three more trys.  Arlington played hard, but were just overmatched on this day.
A very competitive B side match followed. Baton Rouge eventually prevailed 28 - 0, but the play on the pitch was much closer and harder than the score would indicate.
Baton Rouge's record in the Texas Rugby Union is 4-0 and they are 8-3 overall. The B team's record in the Texas Rugby Union is 4-0. Baton Rouge will face the undefeated Dallas Rugby Football Club on Saturday, January 22 at Highland Road Park. The winner will take the position at the top of the league table. Match time is 2:00 p.m.

Story submitted by John Godbee

1/08/2005   Road-weary Baton Rouge squad starts off slow vs. well-coached Bay Area

Sirs:  The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club won its third straight Texas Rugby Union match this past weekend as it defeated the Bay Area Rugby Club 18 - 12 in Clear Lake, Texas.  The "Away" match with Bay Area has always been a difficult fixture on the Baton Rouge schedule and Saturday's match was no exception.   Saturday was cool, sunny and breezy and the pitch condition was dry, hard and fast.   Bay Area jumped on Baton Rouge for two trys in the first five minutes of the match and took a 12 - 0 lead before the Baton Rouge Club had shaken off the effects of the four hour drive.  But Baton Rouge soon got its bearings and began to take the play to Bay Area.  Baton Rouge squandered some good scoring opportunities early on, but they kept working hard and finally got a try to cut the lead to 12 - 7 after 20 minutes.  A penalty kick further reduced the deficit to 12 - 10 a few moments later.  On the final play of the first half, Baton Rouge scored a well deserved try to finally seize the momentum and take a 15 - 12 lead to the intermission.
The second half was a war.  Baton Rouge had both the wind and the upper hand on the pitch, dominating both territory and possession, but to their credit, Bay Area refused to yield the knock out blow.  Baton Rouge added a penalty kick to make the score 18 - 12 at the 60 minute mark, but that was the end of the scoring.  An extremely spirited B side match followed.  After much scrummaging, tackling and some exciting running, the final score read Baton Rouge 21 - Bay Area 10. The after match festivities were well done, as they always are by the Bay Area Club.
Baton Rouge's record in the Texas Rugby Union stands at 3 wins against no losses.   The team is 7 and 3 overall.  The B side is also 3 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union.  Baton Rouge will play another league match this weekend in Arlington, Texas against the Arlington Mavericks Rugby Club.

Report submitted by John Godbee.

12/18/2004   Baton Rouge shows up strong in Shreveport for first road match

Sirs:  The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club won a very important match over the weekend as it defeated the rival Shreveport Rugby Football Club 29 - 13 in a hard fought affair in Shreveport.  Saturday's conditions were nearly perfect for rugby with cool temperatures, clear skies and a steady breeze.  Shreveport applied all the early pressure and only a penalty on the goal line  kept them from coming away with a try.  They were eventually rewarded for their persistence with a penalty kick to take a 3 - 0 lead.  Baton Rouge didn't make many trips into the Shreveport half in the opening minutes, but managed to level the score at 3 - 3 with a penalty kick of their own at the 20 minute mark.  Baton Rouge then began to shake off the cobwebs and, with the wind at their backs, had the better of the match for the remainder of the first half, adding two more penalty kicks to take a 9 - 3 lead to the break.  Shreveport came out firing in the second half using their big forwards to push the ball down the field and scored in the first minute.  The conversion was wide, however, and Baton Rouge still lead 9 - 8.  The match became a penalty filled, forward dominated contest with neither team having an advantage until an ill timed penalty resulted in a Shreveport yellow card and a Baton Rouge penalty kick.  Baton Rouge led 12 - 8 with 25 minutes left.  In spite of being a man down, Shreveport drove to the Baton Rouge goal and threatened to retake the lead.  But the defense stood firm and after an intense scrummaging duel, Baton Rouge was able to clear the ball away from their own goal line.  With the momentum clearly on their side now, Baton Rouge got the game breaking try on a well executed kick and chase to take a 19 - 8 lead with 15 minutes left.  They soon added another try to make it 26 - 8 before Shreveport got a consolation try with 2 minutes remaining to close to 26 - 13.  A Baton Rouge penalty kick at the whistle provided the final points to make the score 29 - 13.
Baton Rouge's record stands at 6 - 3 overall and 2 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union.  The next match is January 8 vs. Bay Area Rugby Club in Clear Lake, Texas.

Report submitted by John Godbee

12/11/2004   The Bayou Boys race out to fast start in first Cup Match vs. Arlington

 Sirs:  The Baton Rouge Rugby Club won its first Texas Rugby Union match of the year as it defeated the Arlington Mavericks Rugby Club 56 - 3 on Saturday afternoon at Highland Road Park.   The match conditions were good with cool temperatures and clear skies and a soft pitch underfoot.  Baton Rouge started fast and scored three trys in the first 10 minutes to take a 19 - 0 lead.  Arlington came back, however, and had a long period of sustained possession deep in Baton Rouge territory and were unlucky to come away with only three points to make the score 19 - 3 after 22 minutes.  Baton Rouge then found another gear and added three more trys to make the count 34 - 3 at the half.  The second half was more of the same.  Baton Rouge added five more trys to make the final score 56 - 3.  Arlington played with heart and never quit, but they were simply overmatched on this day.  The get together after the match was a success for both clubs.

Baton Rouge's record stands at 1 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union and 5 - 3 overall.  The Club will travel to Shreveport this weekend to face the Shreveport Rugby Football Club, one of their toughest rivals within the Texas Rugby Union.

Report submitted by John Godbee

11/20/2004   Baton Rouge overcomes mistakes to prevail over New Orleans 27-7

Sirs:

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club beat the New Orleans Rugby Football Club 27 - 7 at the LSU campus on a rain soaked Saturday.  New Orleans took the play to Baton Rouge in the first fifteen minutes, but it was Baton Rouge which scored first to take a 5 - 0 lead.   Baton Rouge squandered several other opportunities in the first half, primarily due to the wet conditions.  New Orleans took a 7 - 5 lead just minutes into the second half, but Baton Rouge's depth began to pay dividends as they scored four unanswered trys in the final 25 minutes to provide a comfortable winning margin.  It was the third straight time they had defeated New Orleans.
Baton Rouge's next match is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 11, at Highland Road Park vs The Arlington, TX Mavericks Rugby Football Club.  The match will be the first league match of the year for Baton Rouge as it looks to improve on its last year's second place finish in the Texas Rugby Union standings.

Report submitted by John Godbee
oach

11/13/2004   BR faces stiff competition in premier division of the 26th Annual Battleship Tournament

Sirs:

The Baton Rouge Rugby Club endured an ordeal by fire over the past weekend as it competed in the Premier Division of the 26th Annual Battleship Rugby Tournament in Mobile, Alabama.  After an impressive 33 - 5 opening match win over Houston Area Rugby Club, Baton Rouge faced former US National Champion Life University in the second round.  Baton Rouge accepted the challenge and controlled long stretches of the match, but in the end, Life was simply too good and won by a score of 34 - 0.  Sunday's match pitted Baton Rouge against a deep and even more talented Gypsies Touring Side and produced a similar result to Saturday's match vs Life.  The good news is that Baton Rouge can be competitive for portions of a match against competition of the highest quality.  The bad news is that Baton Rouge can be competitive for only portions of the match.  Many lessons were well learned that will payoff later in the season vs Division II competition.  Baton Rouge's record is level at 3 wins and 3 losses for the season.

The Club will be in action again on Saturday, November 20 vs New Orleans at the Parade Grounds on the LSU campus. The match time is 11:30 a.m.

Report submitted by John Godbee
oach

10/30/2004   BR suffers first loss of the season against a spirited Battleship Rugby Club

Sirs:

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club suffered a disappointing loss last Saturday as it dropped an 18 - 14 decision to the Battleship Rugby Football Club in Mobile, Alabama.  The match started off very much in Baton Rouge's favor as they were in possession of the ball and on the attack for the majority of the first 40 minutes.  However, Baton Rouge scored only two trys for all their efforts, squandering several good scoring opportunities, and came away with a 14 - 0 halftime lead.  The momentum of the match began to shift toward Battleship as the second half wore on and as the home team's physical size and depth became a factor on a hot afternoon.  They pulled within 14 - 12 with 15 minutes left and took the lead for good at 15 - 14 on a penalty kick with 10  minutes remaining.  They added another penalty kick late to make the final score 18 - 14.
Baton Rouge's record is 2 wins against 1 loss for the year.  The club will next be in action November 13th and 14th at the 26th Annual Battleship Rugby Tournament in Mobile.  Approximately 40 teams from all over the United States will be at the tournament.

Report submitted by John Godbee

Click here for pics from the match

10/23/2004   BR tops HARC late in the match

Sirs:

The Baton Rouge Rugby Club recorded its second win of the 2004-2005 season this past weekend by defeating the Houston Area Rugby Club 29 - 17 at Highland Road Park.  Houston utilized its superior size and organization in the forwards to pressure Baton Rouge early and eventually scored the first try to lead 7 - 0 after 15 minutes. Baton Rouge responded with a try of its own several minutes later to make the score 7 - 5.  Houston scored again to take a 12 - 5 lead, but Baton Rouge tied the score at 12 - 12 in the final minute of the  first half on the strength of some fine back play.  Baton Rouge began the second half with a try to take a 17 - 12 lead as some of the new player combinations began to pay dividends.  However, Houston's big pack pressured Baton Rouge again to tie the score at 17 - 17 with 15 minutes left. Baton Rouge withstood some more Houston pressure on its line and then, after a period of sustained possession in the Houston half, took the lead 24 - 17 with 10 minutes to go.  The final 10 minutes belonged to Baton Rouge as they added an insurance try to make the final score 29 -17.
The match was a non-league match, but was significant in that it was Baton Rouge's first win over a Division 1 team in many years.  Houston had beaten Baton Rouge 47 - 17 in Houston in December 2003.
Baton Rouge will play against the Battleship Rugby Football Club this Saturday in Mobile, Alabama.

Report submitted by John Godbee

Click here for pics from the match

10/17/2004   BR shows glimmers of mid-season form in season opener

 
Sirs:

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club got off to a solid start in the 2004-2005 season this past Saturday as it defeated the Jackson, MS Rugby Football Club 52 - 7 in the A-side match which was played on a very hot afternoon at Highland Road Park.  After a sluggish start, Baton Rouge scored four consecutive trys before yielding Jackson's only try just before the half.  The heat and Baton Rouge's depth began to tell on the visitors in the second half as Baton Rouge scored four more trys.  The victory was the first for new head coach, Doug Schooling, formerly of Capetown, South Africa.  The club has many new players this year who contributed in the match.

A combined Baton Rouge A and B sides defeated LSU Rugby Football Club in the second match by a score of 35 - 21.  LSU's small, speedy team struggled to maintain its share of possession against Baton Rouge, but nevertheless kept the match close until the final 10 minutes when Baton Rouge scored two unanswered trys.

The next match is against Houston Area Rugby Club on Saturday, October 23 at BREC Highland Road Park.  Match time is 2:00 pm.  The public is invited.

Report submitted by John Godbee

Click here for pics from the match

10/15/2004   Welcome Message from Head Coach, Doug Schooling.

I thank everyone for putting confidence in me to coach this team this year.
I feel privileged to be a part of this team in Baton Rouge.
We are looking forward to a good season at Baton Rouge Rugby Club this year. We are seeing a lot of new talent out there and, as a coach, I will make use of all the talent to my disposal. I have seen good commitment from the players so far and we would like to keep that up and better it as the season progress.

Coach
Coach

9/28/2004   The 2004-2005 season kicks off  with training on Tuesday September 28, 2004.

Training is at Highland Road Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7pm to 8:30pm at the "Down the Hill" softball fields. Click on the map for better directions.

 

6/12/2004   Baton Rouge Annual Awards Banquet at Avoyelles On the River

Click here for Photos from the Event.


Some of the Award Winners were:
Iron Man of the Year:  Ron "Silent Mittens" Bordelon
Rookie of the Year:    Josh "Chewy" Ott
Most Valuable Forward: Mikee Linton
Most Valuable Back:    Danny "Rosie" Rosenquist
Most Valuable Player:  Craig "Squirelly" Gothreaux
Most Improved Player:  Hunter "Coon" Guidry

6/10/2004   28th Annual Baton Rouge 7's Tournament

5/2/2004   The ride ends in Ft. Worth at the Western Rugby Union Championship

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)

The Baton Rouge Rugby Club failed to advance to the USA Division II Final 16 and were eliminated from post season competition last weekend at the Western USA Rugby Union Championships in Ft Worth, Texas.  On Friday, Baton Rouge lost to Denver Queen City Rugby Football Club 28 - 10 in a match in which the winner overcame a 10 point deficit and simply wore down the smaller Baton Rouge side early in the second half.  Baton Rouge made some personnel changes midway through the second half and pressured the Colorado side for the remainder of the match, but could never seem to connect on the final pass which would have resulted in a score.  Queen City went on to win the Western Rugby Union Championship.

A somewhat demoralized Baton Rouge side faced a huge team from Aberdeen, South Dakota in the first consolation match and were stunned with 38 quick Aberdeen points to none of their own in the first half.  The second half was a different story.  With nothing to play for except pride, Baton Rouge stepped up their intensity and aggressiveness and played the second half as if it were a championship final.  The final score was 38 - 0, but both teams knew they had been in a match.

In the final consolation match to avoid last place in the Tournament, Baton Rouge finally found its offense and routed a scrappy Little Rock, Arkansas side 45 - 5.  Baton Rouge finished 15 - 6 on the year.  They were the second place team in the Texas Rugby Union, Division II and the 7th Place team in the Western USA Rugby Union, Division II.  Practice will resume in September.

3/28/2004   Baton Rouge rides roller coaster of emotion to 2nd place finish  in the Texas Rugby Union Championship Tournament  in Austin, TX

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
After racing past the Dallas Area Rugby Club in the Texas Rugby Union semi-final on Saturday, the Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club lost an 8 - 6 heart stopper to the Austin Huns Rugby Football Club in the TRU final on Sunday in Austin.
The final was played on a warm, humid afternoon under partly cloudy skies.  Baton Rouge and Austin had met in Baton Rouge on Mardis Gras weekend  during the regular season with Baton Rouge putting on an impressive offensive display  and coming away with a convincing 30 - 10 victory.  In Sunday's final, however, Austin was effective in smothering the quicker Baton Rouge back line before they could develop their attacking movements,  turning the game over to the two teams' respective packs of forwards to slug it out.  Austin took a 3 - 0 on a penalty kick mid-way through the first half after a period of sustained pressure in the Baton Rouge end.  Only some heroic scrambling defense by Baton Rouge on two occasions kept the Huns out of the try zone.  Baton Rouge leveled the score at 3 -3 on a penalty kick of their own late in the half.
The second half was the kind of classic struggle that rugby purists love.   Baton Rouge took a 6 - 3 lead ten minutes after the restart and looked to be the team in the ascendant for the first time in the match.  Though Austin held the territory advantage throughout the final forty minutes, they struggled to cash in with points, missing several makeable penalty kicks.  Baton Rouge had their fair share of quality possession throughout the half, but constant defensive pressure by the Huns made it almost impossible for the backs push the ball downfield, either through the running game or through the kicking game.  The match went into the final fifteen minutes with Baton Rouge still clinging to a scant 3 point lead.  Time after time, Baton Rouge withstood the Huns' pressure only meters from the goal, knowing full well that conceding a try could mean the match, but they simply couldn't force the Huns into making the mistake which would have enabled Baton Rouge to clear their own lines.  With less than seven minutes remaining, Austin mauled impressively off of a lineout and drove to within five meters of the Baton Rouge goal.  Several more pick and drives took the ball to within a meter of the line.  The tackled Austin forward gave a final lunge and the referee awarded him a try.  Down 8 - 6 with time running out Baton Rouge now had to manufacture a scoring strike from deep within their own end.  Their best break of the day came on the games' final play as they finally got the ball to the wing who beat his own defender, only to lose a footrace with the covering defender twenty two meters from the winning try.  The referee detected a knock on at the subsequent breakdown and blew the whistle to end the match.
Saturday's semi-final against Dallas Athletic Rugby Club (DARC) was an offensive and defensive showcase for Baton Rouge.  They scored in the first minute of play, then gave up a long run for a try from a speedy DARC wing before eventually turning on the offensive firepower to take a 28 -5 lead into the half.  Two second half trys and a penalty kick made the final score 43 - 5 in favor Baton Rouge.Baton Rouge's record currently stands at 14 - 3 for the year.  They finished at 7 -1 in the Texas Rugby Union.
While Sunday's loss in the final was disappointing to say the least, Baton Rouge still advanced to the Western Regional Championships to be held next month in Fort Worth on the basis of their second place finish in the Texas Rugby Union.  Austin advanced as the TRU Champion.  The teams will play three matches over three days against six other teams from five states.  The three top finishing teams at the Western Championships will become part of the USA Rugby Division II final sixteen matrix.  Both Baton Rouge and Austin made it to the Western Regional Championships last year, but failed to qualify for the final sixteen pairings.

2/21/2004   Baton Rouge remains undefeated in Texas and goes on to win the 34th Annual Mardi Gras Rugby Tournament.

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club had one the best days in its long history on Saturday as it locked up the top seed in the upcoming Texas Rugby Union (TRU) playoffs, won the 34th Annual Mardi Gras Tournament and won the B-Side championship for the for the 2003-04  TRU season.
The day's feature match pitted the undefeated Baton Rouge A-Side against the undefeated Austin Huns Rugby Football Club A-Side for the top spot on the TRU Division II Table.  The mild and sunny conditions played right into the hands of Baton Rouge's smaller and faster back line and they put Austin in a hole early with a beautiful break from the outside center who linked up with the fullback who simply outran the defense for the first try.  Baton Rouge pressed the attack and quickly added a second try on a broken field run from the flyhalf who eluded two tacklers five meters from the goal before diving for the score.  With the Huns back on their heels, Baton Rouge continued to press and were rewarded with a penalty kick to make the score 15 - 0 with the match barely 10 minutes old.
Like all good teams, the Huns recomposed themselves and did what they do best which is play physical, forward oriented rugby.  They dominated possession and field position the remainder of the half, but the Baton Rouge forwards were up to the challenge and the Huns were made to work hard for every meter of territory.  With only seconds remaining in the half, the Huns punched over their first score to close the gap to 15 - 5.
The second half began much as the first half ended with Austin camped in Baton Rouge's end, but the Baton Rouge defense was both well organized and committed and repulsed the Huns every time.  With about 20 minutes remaining, Baton Rouge was awarded a penalty kick which stretched the margin to 18 - 5.  The outcome was still in question, but the Huns had simply expended too much energy for too few points and Baton Rouge was finally able to take the initiative once again.  They closed the deal with 10 minutes remaining on a counterattack from midfield with the inside center touching down between the posts to make the score 23 - 5.  The teams traded trys in the final minutes to make the final score Baton Rouge 30 - Austin Huns 10.
Earlier in the day, the Baton Rouge B-Side had set the tone for the day by defeating the Austin Huns B-Side 18 - 16 in an extremely hard hitting contest for the B-Side championship of the Texas Rugby Union.  Both teams were undefeated in league play coming into the match.  Austin dominated early, but Baton Rouge scored before half to take a 10 - 9 lead to the intermission.  Baton Rouge increased the lead to 13 - 9 on a penalty kick midway through the second half, but the Huns touched down a kick into the try zone to take a 16 -13 lead with less than ten minutes left.  With only four minutes remaining in the match, Austin's fullback misplayed a ball under pressure on his own goal and Baton Rouge's outside center dove on the ball for what proved to be the winning try.  The B-Side championship is the first Texas Rugby Union championship Baton Rouge has won since affiliating with the TRU in the late 1990's.

The final in the Men's Division of the 34th Annual Mardi Gras Tournament was played late Saturday afternoon between Baton Rouge and the Toronto Dragons Rugby Football Club.  Baton Rouge led early, but the Canadian side was well drilled and came back to take the lead just before half at 10 -7.  Baton Rouge utilized their depth and made some tactical substitutions at half which paid off in the second half as the back line contributed two trys to take a 21 - 10 lead into the final ten minutes.  The Dragons refused to quit and scored a try to narrow the margin to 21 - 17 with three minutes remaining.  Baton Rouge was able to keep Toronto out of the attacking half of the pitch for the final minutes.  The Tournament win was Baton Rouge's third consecutive Mardi Gras Tournament first place trophy, having defeated Shreveport in the final in 2002 and 2003.
Kansas University defeated the University of Arkansas to claim the Mardi Gras championship in the College Division.Baton Rouge's A-Side is 12 - 2 for the year and 6 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union.  They will be seeded first at the Texas Rugby Union playoffs to be held in Austin the final weekend of March.  Baton Rouge's B-Side record stands at 8 - 0 overall and 6 - 0 in the league.  They are the Texas Rugby Union 2003-04 B-Side Champions.

2/7/2004   Baton Rouge & New Orleans fight it out for pride and points.

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club won its fifth straight Texas Rugby Union (TRU) match on Saturday by defeating the New Orleans Rugby Football Club 29 - 6 in a hard fought contest at BREC Highland Road Park.  The two clubs are old rivals with several players on both teams having played for the other team in the past.  The day was sunny and cool and the pitch was still damp from the rains during the week.  A large crowd, by Louisiana rugby standards, witnessed a physical contest dominated early by each side's forwards.  New Orleans scored first on a penalty to take a 3 - 0 lead, but Baton Rouge countered with a converted try to go up 7 - 3 after ten minutes.  Both teams exchanged penalty kicks to make the score 10 - 6 in favor of Baton Rouge with 15 minutes left in the half.  Baton Rouge dominated the final 15 minutes of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half, but tallied no points for their efforts, twice spurning penalty kick opportunities in order to play for trys.  With the score still at 10 - 6 with 30 minutes remaining, New Orleans' size advantage began to tell as they pounded at Baton Rouge, but three times they were stopped just short of the go-ahead score, twice by their own miscues and once by a tenacious Baton Rouge defense.  That seemed to frustrate the visitors and Baton Rouge immediately made them pay with a well deserved try to make the score 15 - 6 with 15 minutes remaining.  Baton Rouge put the game out of reach two minutes later on a beautiful blind side move from the Baton Rouge Number 8 who linked up with the Scrum Half and Wing for the most exciting try of the match.  A final try at the whistle gave Baton Rouge a well earned 29 - 6 victory.  The Baton Rouge A Side is 10 -2 on the season and 5 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union.
The B Side match was very intense as New Orleans sought to save face.  The match went back and forth for most of the afternoon and wasn't decided until the final whistle with Baton Rouge coming out on top 17 - 10, to sweep New Orleans for the first time in over six years.  The Baton Rouge B-Side is 6 - 0 on the season and 5 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union.The club will be back in action February 21 and 22 at the Annual Baton Rouge Mardis Gras Rugby Tournament which will field men's teams and college teams from all over the South and Midwest.  The feature match will be Baton Rouge vs the undefeated Austin Huns Rugby Football Club in a match that will determine the regular season champion in the Texas Rugby Union, Division 2.  The Mardis Gras Tournament will be held at Highland Road Park(see map) Park in Baton Rouge.  The public is invited.

1/31/2004    Baton Rouge endures the elements and a tenacious Bay Area Rugby Club

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club won its fourth consecutive Texas Rugby Union match of the season against no losses this past weekend as it defeated the Bay Area Rugby Club 23 - 3 in Clear Lake, Texas.  The Baton Rouge team traveled with a strong contingent of 31 available players for the two matches. The A side match was played on a muddy pitch in cool temperatures which considerably slowed the pace of the game and reduced the speed advantage of the smaller, faster Baton Rouge backs.  However, the Baton Rouge forwards went head to head with the experienced Bay Area pack and carved out a slim 11 - 3 lead 15 minutes before half.  With the match still very much in doubt, Baton Rouge fought off a Bay Area attack and then put a dagger through the heart of the home side 20 seconds before half with a try of their own to stretch the advantage to 16 - 3.  Nether side was able to accomplish much in the second half as Baton Rouge played a field position game bottling up Bay Area in their own end as the field conditions worsened.  Baton Rouge scored with 8 minutes remaining to make the final score 23 -3.  The Baton Rouge A side is 9 - 2 on the year and 4 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union, Division 2-A.The Baton Rouge B side dominated from start to finish and recorded a solid 22 - 0 victory over Bay Area's B side.  Baton Rouge B is 6 - 0 on the year and 4 - 0 in the Texas Rugby Union, Division 2-B.Baton Rouge will face New Orleans Rugby Football Club on Saturday, February 7, at 2:00pm at the BREC Highland Road Park.  The competition between these two in-state rivals is always a spirited affair.  The public is invited.

1/24/2004    The Bayou Boys overpower the defending Division II Texas Champs

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Club continued their winning ways as they defeated the Arlington Mavericks Rugby Football Club 65 - 7 in a Texas Rugby Union (TRU) match played on Saturday at BREC Highland Road Park.  The Mavericks are the defending TRU Division II  champions, but they brought an under strength side to Baton Rouge and were simply not able to contain the division leading Baton Rouge side.  Baton Rouge broke open the match late in the first half and held a 38 - 7 lead at intermission.  Baton Rouge built upon their lead in the second half as they were able to bring on fresh players to face the tiring Texans.  In the previous meeting between these two sides, Arlington had narrowly defeated Baton Rouge in the 2003 TRU Division II final.  Baton Rouge is 8 - 2 on the year and 3 - 0 in TRU competition.  Arlington dropped to 1 - 2 in the TRU.
The Baton Rouge 'B' side won an exciting 42 - 27 victory over the University of Louisiana - Lafayette.  This was a wide open match that went back and forth until the final whistle with Baton Rouge's experience tipping the balance against the enthusiastic collegians.  Baton Rouge 'B' is undefeated at 5 - 0 on the year.
Baton Rouge will travel to the Baytown/Clear Lake, Texas area on Saturday, January 31, to face the Bay Area Rugby Football Club.  Bay Area is an old rival and has historically been very tough when playing at home.  Baton Rouge won last year's match 13 - 6 in the mud to claim the final spot in the TRU playoffs

1/10/2004    1st Annual Baton Rouge RFC Alumni Day

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club will welcome back former Baton Rouge and LSU players in the 1st Annual Baton Rouge RFC Alumni Day on Saturday, January 17 at noon at the BREC Highland Road Park.  There are two scheduled "Main Events".  First, there will be a match pitting the current Baton Rouge side against the Louisiana Barbarians XV, a side made up of alumni players formerly associated with the Baton Rouge RFC and LSU RFC.  Second, there will be an Over 35 vs. Under 35 match which will determine if experience and gamesmanship can trump youth and exuberance.  A social gathering will follow at Les Bratton's Compounde behind Digulio Brothers on Perkins near the Perkins Overpass. Click here for a closeup map.

12/13/2003     Baton Rouge outlasts Shreveport in final Cup match of 2003

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Club took a major step forward in its 2003-2004 campaign when it defeated the visiting Shreveport Rugby Football Club 32 - 12 at the BREC Highland Road Park on Saturday afternoon.  The weather was cold, wet and windy which dictated a physical match dominated early by the two teams' respective packs of forwards.  The match remained scoreless until the 25th minute of the first half when Baton Rouge's consistent pressure was rewarded with a rare penalty try to give the home team a 7 - 0 lead.  Two minutes before half, they struck again on a 50 meter run by their elusive scrum half to take a 14 - 0 lead to the intermission.  Baton Rouge had several opportunities to put the match away early in the second half, but produced no points for their efforts.  With 20 minutes remaining, Shreveport mounted an impressive attack and were rewarded with their first try to cut the margin 14 - 7.  Baton Rouge countered with a penalty kick to stretch the lead to 17 - 7, but the men from Shreveport weren't ready to roll over.   Thirteen minutes from full time, poor tackling by Baton Rouge gave the visitors a second try.  However, Shreveport missed an easy conversion which could have cut the lead to three points.  Still, it was anyone's game at 17 - 12.  Baton Rouge responded immediately with pressure and forced Shreveport into a penalty which was converted into three points to give the home team a 20 - 12 lead with less than ten minutes remaining.  Shreveport again took the attack to within five meters of the Baton Rouge line, but this time they were denied and Baton Rouge was able to relieve the pressure with a clearing kick with five minutes to go.  Needing two scores to win, Shreveport now had to take chances.  A desperate attack went astray and Baton Rouge countered with a try of their own to take the score to 25 -12 and finally break the visitor's spirit.  Baton Rouge added a converted try on the game's final play.
The win takes the Baton Rouge 'A' side's overall record to 7 wins with 2 defeats and puts them on top of the Texas Rugby Union Division II table at 2 - 0.  The Baton Rouge "B" side defeated Shreveport "B" 22 - 7 to take their overall season record to 4 - 0 and their record within the Texas Rugby Union to 2 - 0.  The Club will take the Holidays off, but will resume formal practice on January 6.  The next match is an "alumni" game scheduled for January 17 at Highland Road Park.  All former players are invited to play against the current side in a friendly match.

12/07/2003     Baton Rouge RFC falls to Division 1 HARC

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Club traveled to Houston this past weekend to play two matches against the Houston Area Rugby Club (HARC).  It was a beautiful late autumn day with blue skies and temperatures in the low 50's with a steady breeze.  HARC dominated proceedings early, pressuring Baton Rouge into several mistakes in execution which led to HARC points.  Baton Rouge finally got untracked and responded with a converted try and a penalty kick and trailed 26 - 10 at the half.  The second half saw Baton Rouge claw their way back into the match with forward pressure resulting in a converted try that closed the margin to 26 -17 with 25 minutes remaining.  However, HARC's size and speed eventually told and Baton Rouge gave up three late scores to put the final score for the 'A' side match at 47 - 17. 
Baton Rouge fared better in the 'B' side match, scrapping their way to a 22 - 20 win in a match characterized by handling errors and scrums.
The loss puts Baton Rouge's 'A' side season record at 6 wins with 2 defeats.  The 'B' side  has 3 wins with no defeats.  HARC plays in the Texas Rugby Union's Division I, so the loss does not count against Baton Rouge's league record, which still stands at 1 win with no defeats.  Baton Rouge will face undefeated Division II rival Shreveport for two matches this Saturday, December 13.  The match will take place at BREC's Highland Road Park.  Kickoff is at 2:00 pm.  The public is invited.

11/22/2003     Baton Rouge wins first Cup Match of 2003 season

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
Just hours after England won its first Rugby World Cup with a dramatic last second drop goal to sink Australia 20 - 17 in overtime, the Baton Rouge Rugby Club won its first Texas Rugby Union Cup match of the year as it squeaked past the Dallas Area Rugby Club (DARC) 27 - 25 in Dallas on Saturday afternoon.  Baton Rouge couldn't take advantage of the windy conditions that favored them in the first half and quickly fell behind 10 - 0.  A three point kick from a penalty narrowed the score to 10 - 3 after 20 minutes, but DARC stole a Baton Rouge scrum deep in Baton Rouge territory and attacked to the weak side for a well executed try and conversion that put them up 17 - 3 five minutes before the half.  Baton Rouge came out firing after the break and closed the gap to 17 - 10 with a converted try at ten minutes of the second half.  But then a kick following a penalty against Baton Rouge took the score to 20 - 10 in favor of DARC.  Baton Rouge then took control of the match, reeling off 17 unanswered points as the speed and ball handling skills of its backline players coupled with the fatigue of the DARC defenders began to open up gaps in the DARC lines.  Down 27- 20 with just minutes left, DARC rallied and punched the ball across the goal line with its forwards, leaving their kicker a tricky conversion attempt in gusting winds to draw the match level.  But the wind had the final say and Baton Rouge had a hard fought victory in a points paying match.
The Baton Rouge B side ran in six trys to two for DARC and took the B side match by a score of 32 - 17.  The Baton Rouge B side is 2 - 0 on the season.The Baton Rouge A side's overall record for the season stands at 6 wins with 1 defeat.  They are 1 - 0 in Texas Rugby Union Division II Cup matches.  The next match is against Houston Area Rugby Club's (HARC) Division I side in Houston on December 6.

11/11/2003     Baton Rouge RFC competes in annual Battleship Tournament

Submitted by John Godbee(PR Chairperson)
The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club suffered its first loss of the season at the 25th Annual Battleship Rugby Tournament held this past weekend at the USS Alabama Memorial Park on Mobile Bay, AL.  Baton Rouge was beaten 32 - 28 in the opening round by a talented Florida Collegiate All-Star team.  The Florida side built a 20 - 0 lead late in the first half and then fought off a furious rally by Baton Rouge which came up just short.  However, Baton Rouge was able to claim the consolation trophy with a 34 - 19 win over the Montgomery (Alabama) Rugby Football Club on Saturday afternoon and a 38 - 3 win over the host (Mobile) Battleship Rugby Football Club on Sunday.  Life University from Atlanta, Georgia defeated the Florida Collegiate All Stars 40 - 0 in the men's division final on Sunday to win the tournament championship.   Florida State defeated Tulane 18 - 15 to win the college division championship.
Baton Rouge's record stands at 5 wins with 1 loss for the 2003-04 season.  The next match is in Dallas on November 22 against the Dallas Area Rugby Club (DARC).  The match will be the first of eight scheduled matches against Texas Rugby Union opponents to determine the regular season champion and playoff seedings for the nine teams in Division II of the Texas Rugby Union.  Baton Rouge defeated DARC 41 - 9 last year and 22 - 0 in 2002, knocking them out of the Texas Rugby Union playoffs on both occasions.

11/04/2003     Weekend Recap from John Godbee(PR Chair)

The Baton Rouge Rugby Football Club recorded its third consecutive win of the 2003-04 season against no defeats at the BREC Highland Road Park on Saturday as it overwhelmed the (Mobile,AL) Battleship Rugby Football Club by a score of 87 - 14 in a non-league match.  Baton Rouge broke open a closely contested game midway through the first half and never looked back.  The Baton Rouge forwards supplied their back line players  with plenty of ball possession and the backs made the most of their opportunities, tallying twelve 5 point trys (touchdowns), nine conversions and three penalty kicks.
Earlier, the Baton Rouge 'B' Side defeated Southeastern Louisiana University by a score of 55 - 10.  The 'B' Side is the developmental team on the Baton Rouge Rugby Club.   Saturday's match was the 'B' Side's first regulation match of the season.
Baton Rouge will travel to Mobile for the 25th Annual Battleship Rugby Tournament to be held this upcoming weekend.  They will play in a very competitive Men's Open division along with 7 other teams from Charlotte, Atlanta, New Orleans, Florida and Mobile. Baton Rouge has participated in the Battleship Tournament every year since the tournament was first staged in 1979, winning their last championship in 1995.

10/02/2003     34th Annual Baton Rouge Mardi Gras Rugby Tournament

Our 2004 Baton Rouge Mardi Gras Rugby Tournament is coming up on February 21 and 22.  Register here and get an "early bird" special.  This is the REAL Mardi Gras Rugby Festival!!  Contact Travis Lane at lsulane@bellsouth.net or Hunter at Cajunrugby@hotmail.com. 

8/06/2003     Letter from Head Coach, Gareth Reardon

As the new and 'improved' TRU Div II season approaches I hope you are all preparing well for a much more competitive league structure. We are now 8 teams in Div II and the new comers are New Orleans and Alliance [Ft Worth, TX]. We play each team only once per season. There is no more North and South.
We will start practice September 23rd and are booked up with 8 matches in the fall. We will break only for 3 weeks in December and re-up on Jan 6th. We have several fitness tests lined up - please consult the schedule for these dates. There is also a fitness program to help you get ready - click here. The schedule is complete so book these dates.
The new officers have been elected and they are a good and willing crew. With your support they will continue to improve our club. Congratulations to the new officers and I look forward to working with all of you this season.
We have some new players to the club for 2003-4 and we welcome ya'all and look forward to the new season.
I am excited about our prospects for this year and know that with the right amount of effort we can beat last years record.

Gareth.

6/14/2003     27th Annual Baton Rouge 7's Tournament

The New Orleans Rugby Club took 1st place in the 27th Annual BR 7's tournament June 14, 2003. 2nd place went toThe Daisies(motley squad of Shreveport, Lafayette, SLU, etc) followed by Jackson RFC in 3rd. There was plenty of good rugby, food, and fans making the day great for 7's rugby.

06/07/2003     2003 Annual Baton Rouge RFC Awards Banquet

The Baton Rouge Rugby Club held it's annual Awards Banquet at Drusilla's Seafood. Click here for pics.
Most Valuable Player  - Mike"Mumbles" Moore
Most Valuable Back    - Danny Rosenquist
Most Valuable Forward - Mike Linton
Leather Balls         - Dr Jeremy Hubert
Rookie of the year    - Chet "Beamish" Marshall
Most Improved         - Tom "Pinky" Ryan
Captain's Award       - John "Willow" Fontenelle