No. 2 Rugby to take on UVU

This article was published on 25th February 2011 in The Daily Universe

No. 2 BYU rugby will take on crosstown rival UVU this Saturday in the first home game of the season.

UVU is a Division II rugby school, but even though they’re not in BYU’s tier of competition, the rivalry will intensify the atmosphere of the game.

“With any school that’s close by you play hard against them,” said wing Alex Hill, a junior from Farmington. “UVU will come out and play hard and tough. They probably have a gameplan and they’ll play to that. I think it will be a hard fought game.”

The coaches are telling the team not to get caught up in the emotion of the rivalry.

“Typically when we’ve played UVU emotions from both sides tend to get away from players,” said assistant coach Kimball Kjar. “[But] you gotta make sure that you execute, work hard and do all the little things that will end up being in the scoreline when the game is over.”

The Cougars are not concerned about the victory or even the score of this game according to Kjar.

“We’re concerned about playing at the proper level — executing correctly, making sure all our systems are in place and clicking on all cylinders. Making sure that everyone’s roles and responsibilities are understood,” Kjar said.

An important aspect of this game is the opportunity it will give BYU to fine tune its gameplan before heading to Rio Tinto stadium and playing no. 6 Utah in the Wasatch Cup next weekend.

“It’s the last game before our big game against Utah,” Kjar said. “We want to make sure that we get a good game. We want to make sure that our guys are prepared when they play against Utah.”

This game will provide a chance for some of the second team for BYU to play in a first team scenario and to gain in-game experience.

“As a team we’re looking forward to getting more experience, getting more fluidity with the personnel and with our plays. Any game, no matter who you play, helps you become better; whether you win by one hundred or lose by one hundred,” Hill said.

The game will cost $3 and will take place at the South Field at 2 p.m. Saturday.

BYU rugby ranked 2nd in latest poll

The BYU rugby team stayed in 2nd for the season behind perennial powerhouse Cal. BYU will play UVU this weekend in Provo and Utah next weekend in the Wasatch Cup - make sure to check out their games. 




Feb 21, 2011 RUGBYMag.com College Premier Rankings
1 (1) Cal 8-0 (15-0) Beat U. British Columbia 21-132 (2) BYU 5-0 64-0 over Penn State (9), 89-8 over Cal Poly (17) Feb 11-12
3 (3) Life University 5-0 Beat Navy (19) 32-174 (5) St. Mary's 6-0 (10-1) Beat U. British Columbia 34-19
5 (4) Arkansas State 2-0 (1-0) Beat Arkansas 78-56 (7) Utah 4-0 (7-2) Beat Penn State (9) 46-12 Feb. 11 
7 (6) Army 0-08 (8) Dartmouth 7-0 
9 (10) Central Washington 2-1 Beat Oregon 64-0 10 (9) Penn State 2-2 (3-3) Lost 64-0 to BYU (2), 46-12 to Utah (7) Feb. 11-12, 
11 (11) Delaware 7-3 Beat Maryland 20-1012 (13) Arizona 5-1 Beat SDSU (12) 36-34
13 (12) San Diego State 1-2 Lost 36-34 to Arizona (13)14 (14) LSU 2-0 (3-0) Beat Mississippi State 49-7, beat New Orleans RFC 23-12
15 (15) Arizona State 1-1 Beat Claremont Colleges (29) 41-1216 (16) Kutztown 
18 (19) Navy 0-1 Lost 32-17 to Life (3)19 (17) Cal Poly 3-1 Lost 89-8 to BYU (2)
19 (18) Texas A&M (1-1) Lost 44-10 to Dallas Harlequins20 (20) UCLA 4-2 Beat Claremont Colleges (29) 52-0 
21 (21) Tennessee 7-0 (7-1) Beat Miami (OH) 48-2422 (25) Oklahoma 1-0 Beat Kansas State 53-12
23 (22) Colorado State 0-2 Lost to Colo. School of Mines, Northern Colorado24 (23) Colorado 1-1 (0-2) Lost 50-19 to Denver Barbarians
25 (24) Air Force 0-3 lost 90-0 to Cal (1) Feb 1226 (26) Wyoming 1-2 Lost 107-5 to Cal (1) Feb 11
27 (27) Notre Dame 3-1 (5-1)28 (28) Ohio State 1-0 (1-1) Lost 62-17 to Atlanta Renegades Feb. 12
29 (30) UC Davis 3-4 Played Sacramento Capitals club30 (29) Claremont Colleges 0-5 Lost 52-0 to UCLA (20)
31 (31) Rutgers

Wasatch Cup is coming! (press release about their sponsors)

You have to be kidding me. I just read that the Utah v. BYU rugby match last year at Rio Tinto stadium had over 7,500 people in attendance, that's amazing. I am so excited to be there and to cover the action with a press pass! This game will be for the Wasatch Cup and it's a bitter rivalry.

With a little more than two weeks until the game (don't forget about the UVU game in between there), the Wasatch Cup has announced this years sponsors - Zions Bank, Utah National Guard and Humless.

To find out more read the press release pasted below - but get your tickets because it's going to be an intense rugby match from start to finish.

BYU Rugby camp

The rugby team just published a press release about their summer rugby camp that will be coming up this year. This will be the first one ever. I hope to get more information about it coming to you all soon.

Here's the press release.

Provo, UT–The BYU Rugby program today announced that BYU will hold the first ever Rugby Sports Camp this summer from June 13th-16th.

Tickets price set for rugby; BYU vs. UVU - $3

So - the men's rugby team will play UVU in about ten days. That is the last game before the will meet with rival Utah in the competition for the Wasatch Cup.

This final warm-up for BYU will be a great first chance for BYU students to see their 2011 rugby team. It is bound to be an exciting game with lots of scoring (since BYU's first team hasn't scored under 60 points this season).

I'm also excited to see the competition that UVU brings to the field. Utah attracts a lot of great rugby players from all over the world and it'll be interesting to see how UVU matches up against powerhouse BYU.

I will be interviewing BYU players and coaches leading up to the game. Check back regularly to see updates and coverage on the game.

Cougars improve to 5-0 in Vegas

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 14th 2011.

The BYU men’s rugby team outscored its opponents 153-8 during a tournament over the weekend in Las Vegas and improved its overall record to 5-0.

On Friday, the Cougars, ranked No. 2 in the country, pounced on the Nittany Lions of Penn State in a 64-0 effort. Freshmen twins Josh and Jared Whippy from Fiji led the team in scoring with two trys a piece.

Josh didn’t take too much time to strike and scored a try within the first minute of the game. The fast start was indicative of the way the rest of the weekend would go.

Cougars pounce on Nittany Lions in rugby

This article was published on the BYU Daily Universe website on February 11th, 2011.

BYU rugby won the first of two games in the Las Vegas Invitational Friday afternoon, beating Penn State 64-0.

The Cougars continued their streak of shutout victories in their thrashing of the Nittany Lions.

The game featured an offensive showcase that started fast. BYU freshman Josh Whippy scored in the first minute, signaling to the Nittany Lions that it would be a long day.

BYU will play again Saturday against Cal Poly San Louis Obispo and try to keep its shutout streak going.

BYU rugby heads to Las Vegas

This article was published February 10, 2011 in the BYU Daily Universe.

After three weeks with no competition, the undefeated BYU men’s rugby team heads to Las Vegas for two tough games against fellow College Premiere League opponents this weekend.

BYU will face familiar competition in Vegas: Penn State and Cal Poly San Louis Obispo. If history can be trusted, BYU will have a successful weekend. The Cougars are 6-0 against Cal-Poly for the last six years and 5-0 against Penn State, beating PSU 84-14 in their last meeting.

Rugby brings player across the globe to BYU

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 7th, 2011.

As a 10-year-old in New Zealand, BYU rugby star Ray Forrester made one important decision, leading him down a path he never dreamed of.

It was 14 years ago that Forrester, living on the south island of New Zealand, was chosen to play for a representative rugby team on his island that held games on Sunday. Whether to play on Sunday would be an extremely difficult decision for any primary-aged LDS child, and his stepfather left it up to him.

“My dad said to me, ‘You can choose whether you want to play or not,’ and I played that first Sunday game,” Forrester said, “[but] I knew that it was wrong.”

Following that game, Forrester stopped playing for the team. They even begged his father to let him play, but Forrester’s choice was final.

“I chose not to [play] because I just knew that Heavenly Father would bless me,” Forrester said.

And the blessings have come aplenty. After Forrester’s decision, rugby became the vehicle that has taken him around the world and back again. Now, at the age of 24, Forrester has settled down as a starting prop for the highly talented 2011 BYU rugby squad.

But it has been a long journey.

His first stop with rugby came at the Church College of New Zealand, located on the north island of New Zealand, then on to Europe for a rugby tour, and then off to Utah to play for perennial rugby power Highland after high school.

It was playing that season with Highland that helped Forrester realize another decision: He wanted to serve a mission.

“For me, coming into the strong LDS culture was good for me because I come from a little branch back in NZ,” Forrester said.

In January 2006, Forrester was called to serve a mission to an area not too far from his home: Brisbane, Australia.

Following his mission, Forrester made his way back to Utah for the sole purpose of playing rugby at BYU. But Forrester soon realized the value and blessings of a good education.

“When I had the opportunity to come back over here it was all about the rugby,” Forrester said. “Now I’ve realized that education is just as, if not more, important.”

Forrester’s commitment to education has made him a force not only on the field but in the classroom.

“[Forrester's] committed to his educational success as much as he’s committed to be a good rugby player. His ability to do well in the classroom has allowed him to do well on the field,” said BYU coach Wayne Tarawhiti, who knew Forrester from when he played at Highland.

For Forrester, studying at BYU is more than just an education, it’s the beginning of a new tradition in his family as he’s the first to actually get past high school.

“For me and for my circumstances that I come from, it’s such a huge blessing to be here and I definitely need to take advantage of it while I have it,” Forrester said.

Rugby men sweep weekend trip in southern California

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on January 24th, 2011

The BYU men’s rugby team began the season 3-0 with a convincing sweep of three Southern California opponents this weekend.

The Cougars rolled to two victories, beating Division II champion Claremont Colleges 86-0 and league rival San Diego State University 69-0.

The second team also got a chance to represent BYU in a 25-10 win against the University of San Diego, leaving the record a perfect 3-0 to start the season.
With impressive showings from veteran players and freshmen, team captain Ryan Roundy said the team came together this weekend.

“Everyone’s buying into the program,” Roundy said. “Everyone’s buying into the system.”

The four-day trip allowed the team to integrate its new freshmen into the mix.
Freshman twins Josh Whippey and Jared Whippey, from Fiji, combined for nine of BYU’s 30 trys over the weekend. At one point in the victory against SDSU on Saturday, Jared scored three trys in a row in 11 minutes. Josh had a similar showing against Claremont Colleges on Thursday with four first half trys.

When asked about his big trys against rival SDSU, Jared responded humbly.

“It was a good team effort,” Jared said. “I didn’t think too much about it. As long as we were getting points, I was happy.”

BYU has played SDSU tight in its past few meetings, with a come-from-behind victory in the final four of their 2009 championship run and a 36-22 hard-fought battle last year in Provo. This year, the Cougars had their number in a much more convincing fashion.

Vice captain Dylan Lubbe had nothing but positive things to say about the win.
“We are very proud of the weekend; we wanted to win three games,” Lubbe said. “I think the boys have got a confidence boost from the weekend. We want to prepare for each game as it comes and keep the wins coming.”

BYU will take a few weeks off to prepare for its next test, which will be a road trip to Las Vegas on Feb. 11 and 12 to battle two more league opponents, Cal Poly and Penn State.

Men’s rugby begins season today in Southern California

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on January 18th, 2011

The BYU men’s rugby team begins its season today with a series of tough games in southern California.

The team looks to make it to the national championship game this year for the sixth season in a row. But this year they will have to do it with a different cast of players.

The team returns all four of its first-team All-Americans this season, including captain Ryan Roundy, a junior from Holladay, and vice-captain Dylan Lubbe, a junior from South Africa. But the real question this year concerns the 10 new recruits.

Roundy said the recruits seem to be fitting in quite nicely.

“We’ve been very impressed by all of the good recruits,” he said. “They’re already on-the-field leaders, they’re not normal freshmen. ”

This weekend, the team is hoping to find out where they are and how far they have to go this season to reach their goals, Lubbe said. The team has trained hard during the fall semester and after winter break put in even more hours.

David Smyth, head coach of BYU rugby for 20 years, echoed Lubbe’s sentiments and said he looks “to build a good solid foundation to springboard to the rest of the season.”

Even with the talented recruits and returning All-Americans, Lubbe said the the team is taking a humble approach into the season.

“We’re not predicting anything, but we obviously have some high expectations for the team,” Lubbe said. “We just want to stay on track and do our best.”

Today BYU’s first team will take on Claremont College in Claremont, Calif., for its first game of the season, and the first match ever between the two programs. Claremont boasts a strong team after winning the Division II national championship last year against Temple, and will be looking to start its season with a win. The game will start at 5 p.m.

On Saturday the Cougars will travel to San Diego for a 3 p.m. game against San Diego State, whom BYU beat in 2009 in the semifinals and last year in Provo.

BYU’s second team will also get a chance to play the University of San Diego on Friday and the San Diego State second team on Saturday.

Men’s rugby escapes the cold to help youth

This story was published in the Daily Universe at BYU on Thursday January 13, 2011.

The BYU men's rugby team took a break from the cold last weekend with a trip to St. George and a twofold mission: to defrost, and be mentors to rugby youth.

Assistant BYU rugby coach and Propel Rugby Academy founder Kimball Kjar explained the priorities of the team while in St. George.

“The first priority was to help the youth down there, and the second priority was to get the rugby team out of the snow,” Kjar said.

More than 100 youthful participants received guidance from the BYU rugby team in the Propel Rugby Academy “Winter Warm-Up” clinic in St. George held on the campus of Dixie State College.

Jay Day, the father of three participating sons and a local high school rugby coach, he saw how the event greatly impacted his children.

“They’re such good examples to my boys, and my boys, they just try to mimic everything they do,” Day said, referring to the BYU rugby team.

Day has hosted the BYU players in his home for years when they came to town to participate in local tournaments. But this year was different, because the players were able to give back to the rugby community in southern Utah through the youth clinic.

“BYU is so generous, because they shared everything. Complete transparency, they didn’t hold anything back,” Day said.

The trip also provided valuable time for the team to get to know each other and the 10 new recruits they are welcoming for the 2011 rugby season.

“It was good for the guys to just get on the road together, and there’s some good team bonding that goes on there,” Kjar said. “To be able to get a full field, to be able to have the guys spread out, to train, and to work on our overall systems as a team, it helps us to work on team cohesion.”

The team boasts a strong recruiting class for the 2011 season and will start its season with a road trip to Southern California. They look to reclaim the championship from rival Cal, whom they lost to in the 2010 championship game.