2022 Jersey Auction Day 4

Today’s the last day! Jerseys up for auction today: un-won numbers 2, 11, 12, and reserve numbers 16 through 24 (except 21, that’s been missing for a few years).

Jersey sizes:

  • No. 2: M
  • No. 11: S
  • No. 12: M
  • No. 16: XS
  • No. 17: S
  • No. 18: S
  • No. 19: M
  • No. 20: M
  • No. 22: L
  • No. 23: XL
  • No. 24: XL

How to bid:

  • Comment on this post with your name, the jersey number you want, and your bid amount.
  • Opening bids must be a minimum of $35.
  • You may bid more than once. Do not delete your previous comments, simply re-bid with a new comment.
  • Auction closes at 10:00pm CST. Winning bidders will be contacted the next day to confirm they’ve won and update them on how to submit payment.

2022 Jersey Auction Day 3

Third day hump day! Jerseys up for auction today: numbers 11 through 15.

Jersey sizes:

  • No. 11: S
  • No. 12: M
  • No. 13: M
  • No. 14: S
  • No. 15: S

How to bid:

  • Comment on this post with your name, the jersey number you want, and your bid amount.
  • Opening bids must be a minimum of $35.
  • You may bid more than once. Do not delete your previous comments, simply re-bid with a new comment.
  • Auction closes at 10:00pm CST. Winning bidders will be contacted the next day to confirm they’ve won and update them on how to submit payment.

2022 Jersey Auction Day 2

Day two is here! Up for grabs today: numbers 6 through 8 & 10 (no. 9 is too damaged to be included).

Jersey sizes:

  • No. 6: M
  • No. 7: M
  • No. 8: L
  • No. 10: M

How to bid:

  • Comment on this post with your name, the jersey number you want, and your bid amount.
  • Opening bids must be a minimum of $35.
  • You may bid more than once. Do not delete your previous comments, simply re-bid with a new comment.
  • Auction closes at 10:00pm CST. Winning bidders will be contacted the next day to confirm they’ve won and update them on how to submit payment.

2022 Jersey Auction Day 1

Today is the first day of our online auction for our recently retired jerseys!

Jerseys up for auction today: numbers 1 through 5.

Jersey sizes:

  • No. 1: XL
  • No. 2: M
  • No. 3: XL
  • No. 4: L
  • No. 5: XL

How to bid:

  • Comment on this post with your name, the jersey number you want, and your bid amount.
  • Opening bids must be a minimum of $35.
  • You may bid more than once. Do not delete your previous comments, simply re-bid with a new comment.
  • Auction closes at 10:00pm CST. Winning bidders will be contacted the next day to confirm they’ve won and update them on how to submit payment.

Season Wrap-Up

This season has been one of incredible growth and improvement. Though it’s only our second year back in DI, we made it all the way to the Midwest Final! We also welcomed a new coach, Justin O’Connor, to our ranks and his guidance and experience have certainly helped us to “up our game” and be competitive in DI. We ended our season at 3-3 for league play with wins against the Minnesota Valkyries and Chicago Women. In an effort to get even more playing time at the DI level we invited the Denver Black Ice, a fellow DI team, to play us at the end of October. It was a great opportunity to play a new team and make some new friends. Although we lost our Midwest Final match against the Detroit Women (who doesn’t love a good rematch?!) we are immensely proud of our vets and rookies alike for a fun and hard-fought season!

Team photo after Midwest Championship match against Detroit. WWRFC lost 17-46, finishing the season as the 2017 Midwest Runner-Up.

As a team, we recognize that we are part of a community and, as such, we have been making a greater effort to give back through volunteering. In mid-October, several of our members participated in the GSAFE Trick or Trot 5k Run/Walk, proceeds benefitted GSAFE: a local organization that works to make schools and the community more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ youth. We also hosted a food drive for Second Harvest Food Bank at our friendly match against the Denver Black Ice. All told, we donated 217lbs of food and toiletries!! In 2018, we plan on joining forces with our friends at Athletico to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank to help with sorting donations (or however we can lend a hand)! It is the sincere hope of the WWRFC that we can forge strong and long-lasting relationships with groups who work hard to make our community better. If you know of any organizations that we could work with, email the team.

WWRFC members at the GSAFE Trick or Trot Run/Walk in October. Back row, L-R Alayna H., Alyssa C., Jill L., Maggie H., Jordan C. Front row, L-R: Lauren M., Laura A., Madison W., Katie H., Elisa B.

WWRFC vs. Oconomowoc 8-19-17

We started out the fall season with a friendly 10s match of three twenty-minute periods against Oconomowoc on August 19. These matches were fast paced and included a lot of scoring from WWRFC. Since the Oconomowoc women’s side is still in its developmental stages the score line is a little lopsided but that in no way fully reflects the effort out on the pitch by both teams. Onward!

Our speedy winger Felicia Carlson started the game off with a blistering run and an easy try…it really got the team pumped up and gave Oconomowoc a glimpse of just what our backs are capable of! Speaking of backs. lots of good hands and passes means our backs were able to slot another try, courtesy of flyhalf Elisa Becker. Not long after that try, another one was scored by back’s captain Ashley “Shaw” Adams after some fancy footwork.

Just because all the scoring was done by backs so far doesn’t mean our forwards were just standing by and watching! We can always rely on the strong rucking and bruising tackles that are the forwards’ specialties and this game is no different. Tough work by the forward pack created good clean ball out to the backs for 2 more tries by our winger Felicia! Halftime.

Felicia wasn’t done yet! She started out the second half with one more try quickly followed by our other winger Brooke Tashner also logging some time in the try zone! In the second half we had lots of good, solid team play and (finally) the first scrum of the game! This scrum led to Shaw kicking down the field and scoring yet another try! The forwards won a line-out at the 10.  Our scrumhalf got it out the backs who ran a beautiful line and winger Brooke scored her second try of the game. Not too long after, center Callie Graves touched it down for the final try of the first twenty-minute interval.

The remaining forty minutes of the day had lots of people getting to try out some new positions, leading to a fast-paced and fun match up! The overall score for the day was 134-0. A big thank you to Oconomowoc for helping us gear up for the league season and we hope to take the pitch with you again soon!

Fall Season is Upon Us

As the leaves on trees are just barely starting to change color, the WWRFC is getting ready for the start of our 2017 fall season.

Practices will start on Monday August 7 at 5:45pm at the Wisconsin Rugby Sports Complex in Cottage Grove, Wis. As usual, practices will take place every Monday and Wednesday night until the end of the fall season. See our Practices page for more info. As always, practices are open to anyone new to our team or our sport; new players are always welcome!

The first week of practice will include a team meeting at the end of training on Wednesday August 9. All new and current players should plan to attend!

We’ll finish off the first week of practice by competing at Wisconsin Rugby Club’s annual Stuart Daily Memorial 10s Tournament in Cottage Grove on August 12. We’re looking forward to this fun opportunity to brush off the dust from the summer and get ready for our fall season!

Speaking of games, our fall will consist of home-and-away games against our Midwest Division 1 competition: Chicago Women, Detroit Women, and Minnesota Valkyries. The season will end with the Midwest Championship in early November. In addition, we’ll have several friendlies this fall, including home matches against Ocononomowoc and Denver Black Ice, as well as our annual alumni game on August 26. Check out our Schedule page for full match details, including times and locations. We hope to see tons of fans at our games!

And last but now least, the WWRFC is happy to announce our new head coach! Justin O’Connor will be joining us this fall to helm the club. Originally from Wales, Justin has been coaching for 10 years, from the U16 level up to seniors. We’re excited by the experience and enthusiasm for the sport that Justin will be bringing us and cannot wait to start practicing with him. If you see him at any of our games or socials, give him a friendly Wisconsin welcome!

Head Coach Wanted

The Wisconsin Women’s Rugby team is currently seeking a head coach starting in August 2017. We have been back-to-back National Finalists in Division 2 the last 2 years, including winning the National Championship in 2015. In the fall 2016 we returned to Division 1 league play in the Midwest, making us the only Division 1 team in Wisconsin.

• We are looking for someone who is able to help our club continue to grow and develop at the D1 level and help our players advance competitively.

• No previous coaching experience is required, but is valued.

• Level 200 coaching certification is required, the team will pay for your USA Rugby coaching certification course if needed.

• Minimum attendance at 1 practice a week and most games on Saturdays (Ideally, 2 practices per week and all games).

• Coaching roles include planning and leading team practices in season, developing overall team strategy and game plans, working with team leaders to select game-day rosters and providing feedback to players to help them develop their skills.

• Compensation includes payment of match related travel and a stipend.

• Other details of position are negotiable with team leadership.

Our 2017-2018 competitive schedule runs from late August to early November and will include games against teams in Chicago, Twin Cities and Detroit. With the new Midwest schedule, the spring season will consist of national playoffs (if we qualify) and friendly/developmental games. We practice twice a week on Monday and Wednesday at the Wisconsin Rugby Sports Complex in Cottage Grove from 5:45 pm-7:45 pm.

We return a hard-working roster with lots of potential looking to prove ourselves at the Division 1 level.

Interested applicants should email the team at ww_rfc@yahoo.com with contact information, rugby history, and why you’re interested.

Please help our team climb to the next level.

WWRFC vs. Chicago North Shore, and WWRFC (B-Side) vs. Chicago North Shore (B-Side)

Happy spring! We are so happy to be playing outside again, and to be able to fully stretch our legs after a long winter. Chicago North Shore came to town on April 1 and gave us our first match of the spring season. We ended up losing 60-5, but put up a much better fight than our first game against them in the fall, and we were impressed with how well we played right out of the gate.

The game started with Wisconsin receiving, and a string of sloppy movements led to a turnover that North Shore capitalized on. They ran it into the try zone and made the kick, Wisconsin quickly down 0-7. However, we managed to hold them at that score for quite a while. Possession went back and forth due to forward passes, big tackles, poaches, and line-outs. Our defense looked sharp and present at the rucks, with pretty much everyone stepping up to commit to tackles and support each other. Offensively we tended to make progress, but were eventually stopped by scrappy North Shore plays and our own sloppy passes. Our back line was able to work the ball out quickly, but we just couldn’t penetrate their defensive lines. Eventually, North Shore caught us on an overload and ran it in for their second try. No kick, 0-12.

We reset and continued to keep North Shore away from our try zone. A few won scrums and excellent chip kicks brought us closer and closer to their try line, but the support wasn’t always there, barring any results. Several scrums later North Shore was finally able to get it wide to their speedy backs, and another try was touched down, 0-19. Not being able to contain their speed and periodic low support in rucks led to a couple more scoring opportunities for North Shore before the half. 0-29 North Shore at halftime.

Unfortunately, this game produced many injuries for us. A few minutes were taken early on the second half for injuries, but luckily our players seemed to bounce back. Penalties against North Shore led to frequent opportunities for Wisconsin, but try as we might, we ended up on our heels trying to catch-up with lost possessions. North Shore scored first again out of the half, and the score was briefly 0-34. Finally, we had enough of North Shore causing penalties, and 8-man Grace Hovde was able to quick tap and go into the try zone. Wisconsin on the board, 5-34. Substitutions were made, the game went on, and North Shore gradually tallied up tries and kicks to get us to a final score of 5-60. Good game ladies!

Forward of the Match: Emi Frerichs (Flanker)

Back of the Match: Shannon Walsh (Flyhalf)

Player of the Match: Kali Schulte (Lock)

 

WWRFC (B-Side) vs. Chicago North Shore (B-Side)

Immediately following the league match, both Wisconsin and North Shore were able to field enough players for a B-side 14 v 14 match. Both teams put up a good fight for the majority of the game, and we got plenty of scrum and line-out practice in. Some of our players were able to try out new positions, and our rookies put on a show giving no signs of hesitation. Well done to all! It was a rugby game like any other rugby game, and nobody managed to score until the final minute of the game when after an originally held up try, North Shore was able to win a scrum and finally touch it down. A fairly uneventful game, final score 0-5 North Shore, but a great learning experience for everyone, and really nobody was complaining about getting more playing time. We ended the day identifying what went well, what to focus our practice time on, and of course with lots of food. Great day of rugby, Wisconsin!

Forward of the Match: Alayna Hronek (Flanker)

Back of the Match: Melanie Eck (Wing)

Player of the Match: Maggie “Ginge” Hutchison (8-Woman)

 

*Next Up: WWRFC is traveling to Chicago to take on the Chicago Women 4/8.

WWRFC vs. Minnesota Valkyries

What a way to end our fall season! Wisconsin Women’s Rugby Football Club pulled off a spectacular win against the Minnesota Valkyries October 29, and added another W to the record. It was a physical battle the whole way, but we pulled it off and finished the season on a 40-26 victory.

Right off the starting kickoff, Wisconsin made it clear we were ready to play. Defensive launching was a major goal going into the game, and we executed it quickly. We received the kick to start the match, and although were stopped in our own zone, we got the ball back thanks to a huge launch that caused a Minnesota turnover. 8-man and forwards captain Grace Hovde came up with the ball and found a gap, eventually brought down by the Minnesota 10. Luckily, lock Brittany Aprahamian was close behind in support and finished the job. Try Wisconsin! 5-0 no kick.

We were met with tough rucking after the resetting kick. Minnesota was eager to keep ball possession, but were called for not releasing in a ruck. After a not straight line out from Wisconsin, the Valkyries elected to scrum and had quick hands out to their wing. It looked like they were going to get a break, but wing Brooke Tashner was able to chase them down and bring their player out of bounds. Line out to Wisconsin, and this time it was textbook. Our backs had fantastic hands out to wing Felicia Carlson, and she brought in her first try of the game. Fly half Elisa Becker connected that time on the conversion, and we extended the lead to 12-0.

Scrumming took over for a bit after that, and Wisconsin came close to back-to-back tries off a won scrum and chip kick from Becker. Play stalled right on the Minnesota try line for a few phases, while our forwards attempted to punch through their defensive line. Somewhere in the chaos, a knock on was called and the Valkyries took over possession and took another scrum. Sloppy hands from Minnesota led to another turnover, and Carlson capitalized. She ran the ball in from around the 22, and tallied another try for Wisconsin! Becker with the made kick (#heatingup) and it became 19-0 good guys.

If you blinked you missed it, but Wisconsin then turned around and pulled off back-to-back tries for real with a big catch off the kick from hooker Emily Mastandrea. After getting the ball wide, inside center Katie Klas took off with support from Carlson on the way. Klas made the successful offload, and Carlson scored her hat trick. Becker yet again made the conversion kick (#onfire) and we happily took the 26-0 lead.

Turnovers and penalty calls caused for a string of scrums to take place, with the Valkyries getting closer and closer into Wisconsin territory. They only got as far as our 22 however, until a knock on happened and Becker kicked the ball all the way back to their zone. We put up a good chase, and brought play out of bounds after Minnesota attempted to run it back up field on the outside. The Valkyries lost possession off the line out, and it was Tashner with the breakaway! Try! Another made kick courtesy of Becker, and score became 33-0.

Minnesota got one try in before the halftime whistle blew, but had to really put the work in to make it happen. Wisconsin had great support after tackles and solid rucking, but a couple penalties had us retreating farther into our own zone. Eventually the Valkyries took advantage of those penalties and managed to touch the ball down in the try zone. 33-7 was the score going into the half.

The Valkyries weren’t done yet heading into the second half however, and racked up a few more tries of their own. More and more scrumming took place, and when their forwards couldn’t drive us back anymore, Minnesota got it wide to their wing. Carlson clearly wasn’t done either though, and picked off their pass and outran everyone to the try zone. That was her fourth try in case you weren’t keeping count, and Becker made one last kick. 40-7 Wisconsin lead.

Minnesota answered right back however, and scored almost instantly off a steal of their own. A made kick from them as well brought the score to 40-14. A couple more turnovers from both sides, and what seemed like a hundred scrums later, the Valkyries finally found some gaps and ran in another. 40-21 with around ten minutes left of play. Minnesota would score once more before time expired, but fullback and backs captain Ashley Shaw left her mark (probably literally) after somehow making three big tackles in a row in a valiant effort to stop them. Good game Minnesota, but Wisconsin took this one 40-26 final score.

A big thank you to the fans that came out to support us, and three cheers for our captains who took it upon themselves to work our butts off all season. We feel extremely lucky to have such dedicated players both on and off the field, and an extended wealth of resources to help us in our first season back in Division One. See you in the spring!

Back of the Match: Sarah “HMB” Pinkston (Outside center)

Forward of the Match: Kali Schulte (Lock)

Player of the Match: Felicia Carlson (Wing)