Ohio Sevens, Meat Pies, and Ice Bath Thoughts

Hey there, Rugby Rioter!

The answer to last week’s trivia question was “meat pie” - yep that’s Australian rugby slang for “try”. Color me amused.

“I scored a couple meat pies in the match” has such a playful ring to it. It made me think: we Americans struggle to concoct such clever little phrases.

In American sports, we use terms like “hitting pay-dirt” and “light up the scoreboard” to describe scoring plays. Doesn’t really inspire a grin, does it?

Here’s the thing: sports are a game - they’re meant to be fun, guys!

Maybe we can learn something from our Aussie counterparts and inject a little humor into our rugby terminology. "I ran it in for a McDouble, lads!" ...anyone? No? Tough crowd.

Ok, rant over. Here’s what we’ve got this week 👇

Pennsylvania holds their 7s state championship next weekend, November 2nd.

New Jersey just finished up their 7s championship. Congrats to Christian Brothers Academy!

And Ohio’s 7s state championship happens this Sunday, October 27th 👇 read below

Battle for Ohio: St. Ignatius Ready for 7s Championship Showdown

This Sunday, the best rugby sevens teams in Ohio will clash for state supremacy. St. Ignatius, under the guidance of coach Matt Pickston, enters the tournament with a roster full of gamebreakers. Here's your insider look at the squad:

Players to watch:

Other players to keep an eye on are Connor Bender, Adam Bornhorst, and Joe Dienhart . All three have had very strong seasons, with ferocious running styles and solid defensive skills. Sam Leopard also received a special shoutout from Coach Pickston. He had been developing into a dominant ball carrier, but won’t suit up this weekend due to a recent injury. Wishing you a speedy recovery, Sam.

Key Opponents:

Moeller - A strong squad that holds the #1 seed coming into the weekend.

Xavier - They faced off against St. Ignatius in the final last year. A rematch should be an exciting affair.

Shaker - A big, physical bunch who have a lot of speed this year.

St. Ed’s has a young squad but they play very physical, and typically play their best against Ignatius.

Goff Rugby Report recently spoke to a few Ignatius players about the upcoming championship weekend. Here ya go:

While 7s isn’t quite the same as 15s, St. Ignatius’ strong squad may be a harbinger of great things to come in the spring season. We’ll be watching closely.

Quote of the week:

Ardie Savea not ringing a bell? Here, take a peek and you’ll get the idea.

Think you know rugby? Prove it!

Ice Bath Thoughts:

Oddball musings, induced by borderline hypothermia.

🏉Gaelic Football is bonkers. Combine basketball, soccer, rugby - and perhaps a dash of whiskey - and violà, you’re playing Gaelic Football!

🏉I was curious what Elkhart, Indiana is known for. Here’s what I found, per the Google: “Elkhart is best known for two industries: recreational vehicles and musical instruments (for example, Stephanhöuser Saxophones)". Can we please, just maybe, have the Nationals tournament in, say, New York or LA? 

🏉”Cynical” is a phenomenal rugby word. It’s so much better than the sterilized “unsportsmanlike conduct”, and it typically leads to my other favorite rugby term: The Sin Bin.

That’s a wrap, gang!

Next week we’ll do a recap of the Ohio 7s Championship and preview the Pennsylvania 7s Championship.

We are also doing more program highlights before we reach the spring season. If you would like us to do a writeup about your high school rugby program, drop us a line [email protected]

Until next week!

Cheers,

-The Rugby Riot Team