See www.usarugby.org and www.americanrugbynews.com for more information.

Come celebrate PITS 2010 campaign with your teammates, coaches and supporters.

Cost of the Banquet will be shared by all attendees.  We’ll determine that cost when provisions are procured.  We will ask that payment be made at the door.

Please e-mail ask@pitsrugby.com or text 415-596-4225 if you have questions.

Also if you could help Cathy and other stalwarts with the banquet preparation.  That will be hugely appreciated!

Thanks and GO PITS!

And congratulations PITS for handing that superior Hayward club one of its few losses this year!

Jesuit of Sacramento beat Fallbrook High School of San Diego 21-0 to win Rugby California’s 1st annual State Cup, the Single School High School Rugby Championship of California. 

Given the national respect for the very high level of high school rugby in California, both Jesuit (the No. 1 seed and defending champion) and Fallbrook will fly to USA Rugby’s National High School Championship tournament at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City this coming weekend, May 21-23.

Noon: 1st Annual State Cup - The California Single School Championship.  NorCal Champion Jesuit of Sac vs. SoCal Champion Fallbrook High School of San Diego.

1:30pm: Northern California Under-19 Championship: Hayward vs. San Francisco Golden Gate.  7th seeded SFGG had to beat two teams to get there.  And 10th (and last) seed Hayward beat Christian Brothers and then Lamo.

Yes, the seeding was wack, with the Bay Conference’s highest seeded team (Lamo) being merely the 4th seed.  And yet all three Bay Conference teams were in the semis, and two are in the championship.

And yes, PITS beat Hayward 29-15.

After these, SFGG’s Super League side begins its defense of its 2009 Super League title, in a first round playoff match against Old Blue New York.  Super League is the highest level of rugby in the US outside of the Eagles*, so it’s great to watch and learn.

* Cal and BYU may dispute this.  As might anyone who witnessed the Collegiate Championship two weeks ago.  Incredible skill and even better team play by those perennial collegiate finalists.

USA Rugby is set to host the top men’s and women’s collegiate teams from around the nation at the 2010 Collegiate National Championships at Stanford University on April 30 - May 1.

Featuring non-stop collegiate rugby action from 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, USA Rugby’s Collegiate Championships will again be a highlight of the season.

USA Rugby’s Collegiate Championships will be held on two fields at Stanford University , with half of the matches on the first day being played on Dan Elliot Field and half on the Steuber Rugby Stadium pitch. All of the second day’s events will be held at Steuber Stadium and all of the matches held on this main stadium pitch will be streamed live via U-Stream.

This year, four California teams are battling it out for the top spot in their respective divisions. In Division I, the 2009 Championship runners-up, California , will once again make a run for the title, while on the women’s side Stanford University is a local favorite to make the final. In addition, this year also sees UC-Santa-Cruz join the lineup in the Women’s Division II competition and Claremont Colleges secure a spot in the Men’s Division II Championship bracket.

In Men’s Division I, Cal returns as a perennial favorite. The second-seeded California Golden Bears (24-0), return to this tournament and hope to walk away with their 25^th Division I title. However, the Golden Bears will have their work cut out for them, as they must first overcome a tough Arkansas State University side in the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m. (PDT), before facing the winner of the No. 1 Brigham Young University and No. 4 Army match-up, which kicks off on Friday at 3 p.m.

Arkansas State upset the Southern California powerhouse, San Diego State University in the quarterfinals last weekend in Santa Barbara to move on to its first-ever Collegiate Championships. Given the daunting task of taking on Cal in the semifinals, Arkansas State coach Matt Huckaby is making his team stay very focused.

“We are putting in double time to make sure we are as prepared as possible for a great rugby program like Cal ,” Huckaby said. “The last thing we want to do is have Cal beat us before we even get on the field.”

The intimidation factor of playing against Cal has definitely been an issue for many teams. In this season alone, the Bears have outscored competitors 1,522-142 in their 24 matches. However, during the Championship season, fans anticipate some upsets. Just last year, BYU upset Cal in the finals to cut the Bears winning streak off at five-consecutive wins.

Head coach Jack Clark, whose Bears’ average victory in 2010 has been by more than 55 points, makes sure his team never takes a competitor lightly.

“We’ve both won and lost in the semifinals as well as the final,” said Clark . “There are no flukes at this stage. Everyone has earned the right to be here.”

In the Women’s Division I competition, Stanford University is no doubt itching to use the home-field advantage to take back their crown. Stanford first takes on Brown University in its semifinal matchup on Friday at 11 a.m., while reigning champs Penn State competes against Army in Friday’s 1 p.m. game.

The Men’s Division II semifinals pit No. 9 Claremont Colleges against No. 4 Miami University in a 3 p.m. match, while third-seeded Temple University plays the Championship’s Cinderella team, the No. 15 seed University of Massachusetts – Amherst, in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Both Men’s DII semifinals will be held on Stanford’s Dan Elliot Field.

In the Women’s Division II bracket, Temple returns to its first Championships since 2005, and faces the No. 13 seed, UC-Santa Cruz, in the first match of the day at 11 a.m. No. 3 Washington State takes on No. 2 Norwich in their semifinal face-off at Stanford’s Dan Elliot Fields at 1 p.m.

Cost for the event is $15 for adults, $5 for students/military/senior citizens over 55 with valid ID and children four and under are free. Tickets are only available at the gate.

For more information on the USA Rugby National Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/championships. Media interested in attending, please contact Sara Wright at swright@usarugby.org or by phone at 719-310-2606.

Fans can also follow the Championships online via Mobilescore, Facebook or Twitter, and download the USA Rugby iPhone App to get all the latest USA Rugby scores, news and media. 

USA Rugby  Collegiate Championships Schedule

Friday, April 30
11:00 am: Women’s DII - Temple University vs. UC – Santa Cruz - Dan Elliot Field

*11:00 am: Women’s DI -  Brown University vs. Stanford - Steuber

1:00 pm: Women’s DII - Washington State University vs. Norwich - Dan Elliot Field

*1:00 pm: Women’s DI - Penn State University vs. Army - Steuber

3:00 pm: Men’s DII - Claremont Colleges vs. Miami University - Dan Elliot Field

*3:00 pm: Men’s DI - BYU vs. Army - Steuber

5:00 pm: Men’s DII - Temple University vs. Univ. MA - Amherst - Dan Elliot Field

*5:00 pm: Men’s DI - Arkansas State University vs. California - Steuber

Saturday, May 1

*1:00 pm: Division II - Women’s Championship - Steuber

*3:00 pm: Division II - Men’s Championship - Steuber

*5:00 pm: Division I - Women’s Championship - Steuber

*7:00 pm: Division I - Men’s Championship - Steuber

* Matches that will be streamed live via www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

Carpool immediately after school.

Directions to College of Marin, Kentfield:

·         Take Richmond Bridge

·         Exit at Sir Francis Drake Blvd

·         College of Marin is about 1 mile past Marin Catholic High School on the Left

·         Turn Left on College Avenue into College of Marin

·         Saturday

o    1st Match 9:55am vs. East Palo Alto

o    2nd Match 2:30pm if beat EPA, 1:35pm if don’t

o     2nd match vs. either Silicon Valley or Pleasanton

o    Matches are 45 minutes with 5 minute halftime

·         Sunday

o    Match at 9:30am, 10:50am, 12:10pm or 1:30pm depending on Saturday

o    Championship match is at 1:30pm

o    Full 70 minute match

Varsity Teams and Divisions:

Varsity Gold    

1.       PITS

2.       EPA

3.       San Mateo

4.       Pleasanton Cavaliers

5.       Peninsula Green

6.       Silicon Valley

7.       Rosa

8.       Islanders

Varsity Bronze

1.       Kennedy

2.       Bullard (Sat. only)  

3.       Oakland Warthogs  

4.       Sierra Foothills

5.       Bishop O’Dowd

6.       Live Oak

7.       Bellarmine B

8.       Lamorinda B (Sat. only)

Directions to San Jose State South Campus (near Spartan Stadium)

Take 880 south

Take 101 south to 280

Take 280 to Downtown San Jose,

Exit 11th Street towards 10th Street

Turn left onto S. 10th Street

Proceed 0.7 miles,

Parking will be on your left, across from Spartan Stadium

Cost for parking is $8 per car, $20 per RV, $40 per bus.

Varsity 6:00pm

Frosh/Soph 7:15pm

Witter Field, Piedmont CA

GO PITS!