Latest rugby newsletter

In this diatribe;

a) Women's International 7s from BBVA Stadium Friday and Saturday

b) 6 Nations rugby begins

c) Other

Apologies for not getting another newsletter to you since Autumn Internationals last year. I've been ill and the early rounds of Heineken cup were nothing to write home about. It only came alive in the last 2 weekends when teams were actually trying to score 4 tries to ensure qualification.

International 7s

Well I hope every rugby fan and friends have their tickets for this marvelous opportunity to show the world that Houston can draw the enthusiastic crowds for all things rugby.

The inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens World Series is a four-tournament event. After Houston, teams will travel to China for the next event and conclude the series in the Netherlands.
2012/2013 IRB Women's World Series Standings after 1st round in Dubai.
1. New Zealand
2. South Africa
3. Spain
4. Australia
5. Russia
6. Canada
7. England
8. Netherlands
9. USA
10. France replaced by Trinidad and Tobago for this round
11. China replaced by Argentina for this round
12. Brazil

 

Team USA currently sits in 9th place on the World Series after one event. The women's overall record on the series this season is 3-2. 

 

IRB Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, said: "Our women's athletes made history in Dubai by competing at the magnificent first round of this inaugural IRB Women's Sevens World Series and the quality of rugby witnessed by more than 40,000 in the stands and millions around the world offered immediate proof that this will develop into a popular and competitive Series.”

New Zealand, who brought home the title in Dubai with a 41-0 whitewashing of South Africa, heads up Pool A. Pooled alongside New Zealand are England, Netherlands, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Dubai runner-up South Africa are in Pool B with Canada, USA, and Argentina.
Pool C is led by Australia who faces off against Russia, Brazil, and Japan.
Here is full Houston schedule... http://www.irb.com/mm/document/tournament/mediazone/02/06/48/87/wsws-01-usa-fixturesresults.pdf
Games are Friday 1pm through 8pm followed by a U19 youth game. St Thomas vs Woodlands Should be a great game so please stay and watch. Woodlands may be ranked 24th in nation this year, but St Thomas used to make nationals every year. Two excellently coached organizations.
Please encourage all your friends to come out and enjoy a great 2 days of fun. Check out other 7's tournaments, such as Hong Kong sevens on You Tube, to see how far the fans go to have fun. I don't imagine for one minute we could get big butch Texans to dress up as per other tournaments, but you can certainly paint your faces with your team colors and wear some great wigs etc.
Tickets: Starting at $10 and up; available online at www.bbvacompassstadium.com or at the Ticket Office on the day.
Notes: Tickets allow guests to enter & exit the stadium as needed throughout the tournament.
6 Nations begins this weekend
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Wales v Ireland, 13:30 GMT 07.30am Houston
England v Scotland, 16:00 GMT 10.00am Houston Also on TV. BBC America
Sunday, 3 February
Italy v France, 15:00 GMT 09.00am Houston
There are quite a few bars who are showing only the BBC America game, England vs Scotland. I hope you will see through their attempts at simply catching all the low hanging fruit, and support the only bar that has gone the extra mile by guaranteeing to show all the games.
Yes, that is Big Johns at 6150 Wilcrest just south of Harwin. And, yes it is free.
Next weeks BBC America game is France vs Wales. So England and Scots fans will be thankful that Big Johns will be covering.
Conversely Welsh and French fans will be happy that someone is covering their games this week.
I'm sorry, but there has to be some loyalty to people/establishments who go out of their way to help the rugby community.
Many of us remember spending the wee hrs of the mornings watching various World Cup games over the years, at Big Johns when all the other bars couldn't be bothered.
Big Johns will find you any game you want and come Super 15, Lions tours, Heineken Cup finals, Currie Cups, Autumn tours etc etc, you can count on them.
I don't get paid to push Big Johns. I would just like to remind you of their great service over the years.
Plus, they buy proper ingredients for their Irish/English/Scottish breakfast. Correct bangers, blood pudding and Heinz baked beans......(the UK variety). In fact the owner is heading toward Hobby Airport to pick up breakfast supplies which have been especially flown in, as I write.
One day there may not even be one bar that gives a damn.
c) Other.
The men's 7s is also being shown from New Zealand this weekend. But they will start after women's rugby ends and before 6 nations begins each day. God is looking down and smiling on this great sport. Surely this is His sport.
The rugby community is so relatively small that we cannot afford to turn our backs on any and all initiatives for getting involved and promoting this great sport.
Having said that it seems our own leaders are letting us down. For years, we, here in Houston, have been whining that we don't get access to enough International games. Yet, here we have an international weekend and the Texas Rugby Union did not postpone even one rugby game. They regular block off weekends when they wish to sanction a particular tournament. Yet this time they have allowed some 30 teams to play on Saturday. By my reckoning this could have translated into an extra 3,000 people though the gates on Saturday, if one includes family and friends.
And I guess whats worse is that all these geniuses will be meeting USA director Nigel Melville this week and slapping each other on the back for a job well done.
Heck, I know of a few companies who put up $1500 as sponsorship money and nowhere on any websites have they been given any credit.
Not TRU, not USA rugby.
Anyway, get involved please. Pass this email to as many people as you can and lets have some fun Friday and Saturday.
One more thing. And, yes it may seem trivial, "but m'lud it goes to the character of the rugby community in Houston"
I have seen a flyer for a touch rugby session set up by some South Africans who sell biltong etc. Well the first session coincides with one of the 6 Nations matches. They potentially take people away from supporting rugby venues. I don't mean to pick on these guys because I'm sure they just weren't thinking. But last year we had a different Saffie selling his wares via the BBQ pit at Big Johns, and with the wholehearted support of the bar's owner, even though the man was taking money out of Big Johns food profit center.
Heck the guys didn't even know there was International 7s here in Houston this weekend. They could have been a sponsor and reached so many more rugby fans than by starting a game of touch on Sundays. That just shows what a terrible marketing job we have done on the 7's.
Hope to see as many painted faces as possible at 6 Nations games and then International 7's.
Regards Pete

PS The great Waisale Serevi and Ben Gollings (and others) will be holding a training camp
for ALL Youth, High School, College & Club rugby players tomorrow night. Cost is only $40
Go to texasrugbyunion.com for details.

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and www.katyrugby.org
British American Business Council
www.babchouston.org
Mobile 281 701 8449


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