Events

The TRU Board of Directors had a competitions meeting recently and one of the items that came from this was a discussion and policy change as it relates to Field Barriers / Sideline Policy.

The policy has been in place for two season now and it has been deemed that ALL TEAMS (Rugby Texas, SWC, TRU Collegiate and all Senior levels) have had adequate time to find suitable barriers and to have them installed for all league matches with it being strongly recommended for friendlies and Tournaments.  We know that each club has their own unique situations with respect to field / stadium preparation.  However, there has been ample time for compliance and excuses will no longer be accepted.

The fine for failure to have adequate ropes, per published policy has now been raised to $500 per occurrence.

The first fine will be used by the TRU to purchase and ship the Rope / Sideline System (or similar product) detailed below to the offending Club, subsequent fines will continue until such time that the offending clubs can fully require with this two year old policy.  This includes proper field flags (grass or turf venues) that are also required by policy.

TRU Board of Directors

Costs $159.00 PER SIDELINE:

The QuickWinder QuickBee Safety Series is Yellow and Black for Greater Visibility and added Safety.

https://www.quickwinder.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=11&products_id=74

CORNER FLAGS with INDOOR BASE: The plastic pole measures 60″H x 1″ OD, which slides easily and quickly into the dome base and comes with the high visibility red flag with white border which is the choice for all colleges and universities. The base can be filled with sand if the extra weight is required.

Measurements: Post 60″H x 1/2″ OD – Flag 13″ x 13″

Suggested Manufacturers Retail Price: $125

https://www.goals4sports.com/product/ccmib

Former USA Eagles Captain Brian Vizard will be a featured speaker at the Lost Afternoon Rugby Luncheon on August 5 and the Houston Westchase Marriott.

Vizard, currently the executive director of the U.S. Rugby Football Foundation and a regular commentator on rugby television broadcasts, will share great stories of leading the Eagles before the game became predominantly professional.  Additionally, he will be able to provide interesting perspective on the current squad as it heads off to the Rugby World Cup in September.  His appearance is being generously sponsored by MaxEn Capital and its managing director, Bob Erwin.

Previously announced as the Keynote Speaker is former Springbok legend Rob Louw, no stranger to the World Cup himself.  Not only will Louw enthrall and amuse, but his personal story of overcoming a near-fatal battle with malignant meloma — thanks to aggressive treatment at Houston’s M.D. Anderson Hospital — will inspire.

NOW is the time to make your reservations for what has become the most anticipated annual social event on the Texas rugby calendar.  The great speakers, delicious lunch, raffles for exciting door prizes such as collectible signed jerseys, and the all-afternoon happy hour all combine to make it a memorable day with friends old and new.  Great rates for rooms and suites (perfect for the post-luncheon parties which have become popular) are available — just check the website.

All monies raised go to support locally youth rugby initiatives.  This past January, a highly successful youth camp led by All Blacks great Scott “Razor” Robertson was held in Houston and Dallas thanks to underwriting from the luncheon proceeds.

Remember, tickets can only be purchased on line at https://www.lostafternoon.org.  None will be sold at the door.  Also, please consider being a table or corporate sponsor.  Thanks to the Houston Heathens and BARC (Bay Area RFC) for stepping up, among others.  Seats are limited by room size, and — frankly — you would be doing the organizing committee a huge favor by purchasing tickets soon, ensuring a sell-out and letting us focus on staging a great event.  So get your mates together and buy a table … or just make your individual reservation NOW.

NOTE … When making your reservation for the Lost Afternoon luncheon at www.lostafternoon.org, be sure to enter your credit card expiration date exactly in the format called for — just a two-digit month/four digit year.  e.g. 04/2014.

Jamie Varano Sevens is pleased to announce a new location!

The tournament will be held on the brand new fields co-owned by the Houston Dynamo (MLS Soccer) and Houston City Parks and Recreation.  The fields are in fantastic condition.

The location is on Hway 288 South at Airport Blvd (between Loop 610 and Beltway 8 South).  The pitches are to the right / west.  Look for all of the light poles.

There will be Social and Competitive brackets.

Go to www.houstonrugby.org for more information or contact: Ericphillips1@hotmail.com

Entry fee before July 8th $200.  After July 8th $240

Scheduled start time is 2:00pm and will end at 10:00pm under the lights.

VaranoFlyer2011

Good Day,

It is with great pleasure that I introduce David Yeoman and co-chair for the 2011 TOLA Sevens Series. Due to feedback we have received from many of the participants, we are going to experiment with a condensed season by moving the finals to the last week of July.

Tentatively, the TOLA schedule is as follows:

Men’s (see current standings here)

• 6/4         Denton, TX
• 6/11       Open
• 6/18       Austin, TX (Bloodfest)
• 6/25       Black out Weekend (West Qualifier in Dallas)
• 7/2         Black Out weekend (Independence Day)
• 7/9         Baton Rouge, LA (Redfish 7s)
• 7/16       Norman, OK (Tornado Alley)
• 7/23       Woodlands, TX (Cherrybone 7s)
• 7/30       Shreveport, LA (Horseshoe 7s)

We are still accepting nominations for a north co-chair so if anyone is interested please email filip.keuppens@fox.com or david.yeoman@gmail.com .

Other tournaments to be aware of (more to come) are Liberty  Fest (formerly Lone Star Classic) being played on 5/28 (Farmers Branch, TX), The West Qualifier #1 on 6/25 (Dallas, TX – #2 is on 7/9 in KC & #3 is on 7/23 in Denver) and Mudfish (Dallas, TX) on 8/6.

Women’s (see current standings here)

• 6/18       Austin, TX (Bloodfest)
• 6/25       Black out Weekend (West Qualifier in Dallas)
• 7/2         Black Out weekend (Independence Day)
• 7/9         Baton Rouge, LA (Redfish 7s)
• 7/16       Norman, OK (Tornado Alley)
• 7/30       Shreveport, LA (Horseshoe 7s)

The Women’s Chair is Wendy Young, please email her at wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com if you have any questions or concerns.

Match up’s for division three first round of playoff’s:

The April 9 Div.3 Quarterfinal matchups are as follows:
·         North#4 at South#1
·         North#3 at South#2
·         South#4 at North#1
·         South#3 at North#2
 
Alan

All –

Please inform/remind all parties that day light savings comes into play next weekend.

We have the following items scheduled for Sunday:
1. TRU Winter Board Meeting in Fort Worth, TX starting at 10am.
2. Jesuit Dallas Tournament
3. Plano U19 match with Norman U19

Please adjust your clocks accordingly so that we don’t have any issues.

note: corrected Hotel phone: 817-847-8484

This is a reminder of the upcoming meeting. Unfortunately, the response has been next to non-existant from our member clubs. Club Presidents are encouraged to RSVP immediately and send in any new business and/or agenda items at your earliest convenience.

Regards,
David McPhail

*****

The TRU will be holding its Winter General Meeting on Sunday, March 13th in Fort Worth, TX.
Meeting tentatively scheduled from 10am to 4pm.

A handful of rooms have been reserved at the rate of $79.99 per night for those spending the night.

Location:
Best Western Inn and Suites
6700 Fossil Bluff, Fort Worth, TX
817.847.8484

All TRU member club Presidents (in good standing) are invited to attend but need to RSVP in advance to ensure adequate room size and lunch reservations.

Officers, Directors, Program Directors and Divisional Secretaries are requested to provide written reports by no later than 5pm on March-5th (SUN) in advance of the meeting in the interest of time and efficiency.

Agenda items will be posted to the web accordingly and new business items and/or discussion item requests can be sent to tru.president@gmail.com for addition to the meeting agenda.