News

6/26/10

UCI Player Gains SCRFU Player of the Year

UCI Rugby hooker Kevin Estipular was awarded the 2009-2010 SCRFU Division II Most Valuable Player Award.

Currently in New Zealand, he is expected to receive his award soon.

6/25/10

Anteaters bring 2 to New Zealand

Two Anteaters are currently touring New Zealand for advanced player development. Tighthead prop Ethan Young and hooker Kevin Estipular are representing UC Irvine playing with the New Zealand College Rifles.

After garnering the nicknames of "Manny" and "The Beast," our UCI representatives played their first match for the Rifles. As a great gesture of respect, Ethan Young collected the prestigious "Man of the Match" award.

3/9/10

Anteaters Tie Claremont

After a couple of weeks without a match, the Anteaters had with a strong showing against Claremont Colleges with a tie in the first match and a very exciting performance by the second side.

Following this disappointing tie, the seconds played an equally exciting game. Despite being well outweighed in the forwards, the UCI pack again stood up to the challenge. With a few blistering runs by outside center Tony Pinette, the Anteaters fought hard to stay in the match. Never giving up, they rallied to score a try in the closing minutes of the second half, but an unfortunate penalty gave the ball back to Claremont inside the five meter line, putting their comeback to a halt.

Looking ahead, the Antereaters are working to make up their last 3 games against Long Beach, USD, and ASU before the end of the quarter.

3/6/10

UCI Rugby Gets Club of the Month

The Anteaters n the rugby club was the ARC club of the month for the month of February. Because of this award our club president, Nick Surdyka and the vice president, Joseph Knox were interviewed by the ARC and put into the ARC monthly ReCast.

2/20/10

Eaters Victorious Over Trojans

The Anteaters came back from their bye week with a strong victory against USC in the firsts and a good showing from the seconds in a shortened scrimmage.

It has been 2 years since UCI faced USC, and USC made it clear that they had earned their promotion to Division by taking the first points of the match with a penalty kick. Shortly thereafter, however, UCI, while down a man due to a team penalty, came back to score the first try of the match. From that point on, UCI maintained their dominance, despite USC's aggressive, attacking style of play. Led by man of the match and team hooker, Kevin Estipular, UCI's forwards proved too much for USC at the breakdown. Keeping composed even under pressure, UCI pulled out a solid win, 21-13.

A good victory after a long break from playing due to weather rescheduling puts the Anteaters solidly in sole possession of second place in the Southern California Division 2 Collegiate Men's League.

Unfortunately, due to a match delay, UCI's seconds, filled with even more new and eager players, played a shortened match due to the lack of light. In that time, however, they controlled the game and were well on their way to another victory had conditions allowed.

Looking ahead, the Anteaters are headed up the 405 to play Long Beach State next Saturday at 11:00AM.

1/15/10

Eaters Gain Successful Victory Over Pepperdine

As some of you may know, the UCI men's rugby team kicked of the start of the 2010 Collegiate Division II league season with two strong victories against Pepperdine. Both made for exciting matches!

Having lost to Pepperdine in a preseason match during the fall, the starting 15 began the game with a dominant performance. Despite a few penalties early on for their aggressive play, UCI maintained their shape to earn a bonus point in the first half. It was a total team effort led by acting Captain, Stuart West, who played a wise tactical game at flyhalf. With the ball-hungry forward pack playing aggressively at the breakdown, the backs made sure to finish off the opportunities created by their hard work with nifty footwork and exciting running. A testament to Pepperdine's fortitude, the Waves began to rally in the second half. However, their efforts did not phase the Anteaters who recollected to rack up a few more scores, putting UCI on top 40-11.

Following the first side's performance, UCI's seconds, filled with many new and eager players, edged Pepperdine 7-5. A tight game throughout, Rick Hooy booted an amazing conversion kick, spotted five meters from the sideline, to split the uprights and ensure victory.

Looking ahead to a challenging away match at Arizona State University next Saturday, the Anteaters plan to continue building upon this win through more hard work this week and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates on how your UCI Anteaters do through the 2010 season!

12/5/09

Anteaters Close Out Fall, Edge 49ers

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club played its final fall pre-season match at Cal State Long Beach Saturday. Utilizing a mixed squad, the Anteaters opened the match with an early try to take a 7-0 lead. Penalized heavily through the first 60 minutes of play, Irvine yielded 15 points from 49er penalty kicks, but were able to best the try count on the afternoon scoring four tries to one to hold off the 49ers 24-22. Forwards Nick Surdyka, Chris Truong, and Ethan Young anchored the pack on the day with Mark Allen, Ronan Corkery, and Stuart West pacing the backline. The Anteaters will now be looking ahead to league play in January as they host Pepperdine University on the evening of Friday, January 15th at the ARC Fields at U.C. Irvine. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30pm.

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club begins training again on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9pm at the ARC Fields at U.C. Irvine during Winter Quarter starting on January 5th, 2010. The club is always looking for students to join the team. No experience is necessary to begin with the club.

11/20/09

Titans Take Higgins Cup From Irvine

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club hosted Orange County rivals, Cal State Fullerton, Friday evening at the A RC Fields in their annual Higgins Cup match. The Anteaters held an 11-0 lead well into the second half, but yielded two converted tries to the Titans to fall behind in the match. A few late 5-meter lineout attempts failed leaving the Anteaters on the losing end of a 14-11 result. "It was a close match and we fell just a bit short tonight which is disappointing, "said Irvine team captain, Ronan Corkery. "We have one pre-season match left and will look to prepare for our league some more before we break for the quarter." The Anteater B-side team won their first match 20-5 against the Titan B-side. U.C. Irvine will play their final fall pre-season match at Cal State Long Beach on Saturday, December 5th.

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club will begin training again on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-9pm at the ARC Fields at U.C. Irvine during Winter Quarter starting on January 5th. The club is always looking for students to join the team. If you have some athletic ability, no experience is necessary to begin with the club.

11/13/09

Anteaters Fall to Bruins

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club dropped two matches to first division, UCLA, Friday evening at the ARC. The Anteaters were outplayed by a more aggressive side by a final score of 44-10 and just couldn't find any continuity or execution in their game. "We simply, let this contest slip away from us tonight and were shown that we've got plenty of work to do," said Irvine coach, Dan Cossettini. "We'll improve across the board from this experience". The Anteaters will look to rebound this Friday as they host Orange County rivals Cal State Fullerton at the ARC Fields for the right to the Higgins Cup that has been held by Irvine since 2006. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30pm.

11/7/09

Anteaters Make CSULB Tourney Final

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club made another successful appearance in the 6th Annual CSULB Collegiate Fall Tournament going 3-1 and reaching the finals for the 4th straight year on Saturday. Playing 16-minute tournament halves, the Anteaters defeated UCSD 22-5 and Cal Poly II 8-5 in pool play. The Anteaters defeated Occidental College 17-0 in the semi-final and then played a closely contested final with Loyola. The final match saw four lead changes, three missed Irvine kick attempts at goal with the Anteaters just running out of time on a last minute drive that left the score 17-15. "All in all it was a good day for us," said Irvine coach, Dan Cossettini. "It was a close and entertaining final and we improved with each match on the day." The Anteaters will host UCLA this Friday evening at the ARC Fields at U.C. Irvine. The first kick-off is scheduled for 6:30pm.

The U.C. Irvine Rugby club is always looking for new student-athletes to join the team. No experience is necessary. Trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9pm at the ARC Fields. For more information, please contact Dan Cossettini at 949-294-8801.

10/30/09

Anteaters Host U.C. Riverside

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club hosted U.C. Riverside at the ARC Fields Friday evening. Playing a format of five 20-minute periods as they did the previous week, the Anteaters were able to run out their full squad and mix in several combinations of new and returning players for the scrimmage. The Anteaters took a 41-0 lead after three periods before yielding two tries in the final two periods to close out a 41-12 result. The club will participate in the CSULB 6th Annual Collegiate Fall Tournament slated for all day next Saturday with the pool rounds to be determined later in the week.The Anteaters will then host UCLA at the ARC Fields on November 13th.

The U.C. Irvine Rugby club is always looking for new students to join the team. No experience is necessary. Trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-9pm at the ARC Fields.

10/24/09

Anteaters Play First Scrimmage With Pepperdine

The U.C. Irvine Rugby Club traveled to Pepperdine to play its first match of the fall. The Anteaters played 23 players over five 20-minute periods and ended up on the losing end of a 13-7 result. The match served as a good first hit out as several new players got their first taste of rugby and showed improvement as the match progressed. Much work is yet to be accomplished for the Anteaters as they will play their next scrimmage on Friday evening hosting the Highlanders of U.C. Riverside at the ARC Fields. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30pm.

9/5/09

Message to New Recruits

Welcome to all new potential players and club members of U.C. Irvine Rugby! Rugby is the ultimate contact team sport that incorporates skills from other sports such as American football, soccer, wrestling, and team handball. 15 players match physical strength, speed, endurance, and mental toughness against their opponent. The camaraderie in rugby is second to none as your teammates will become your closest friends... and being successful on the field requires it! Ask any of our players, alums, or any rugby player for that matter, and they will all tell you how "hooked" they've gotten on the sport just after a few training sessions. Our club participates in weekly matches, a collegiate rugby tournament, team-building and social events during Fall Quarter. League matches are played during Winter Quarter. Play-offs, both local and national, as well as our annual Alumni match, take place during Spring Quarter. The first meeting for new players begins at 6:45pm on Tuesday, September 29th at the ARC Fields. No experience is necessary to join the team. This past spring, two players, who both began playing rugby for the first time at U.C. Irvine, were selected for the Southern California All-Star team. There will be some player registration paperwork for you to complete at the beginning of the first session. To save time, please bring a ballpoint pen with you. There will also be some light physical activity. If you have soccer cleats to wear, it will help. Otherwise, just come as you are. Field training sessions will normally begin at 6:45pm-9:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with a Wednesday conditioning session from 6:00pm-7:00pm. Most of our matches will take place on Friday evenings at the ARC Fields or on Saturday afternoons when we travel. We will be carrying two teams this season, so there will be plenty of playing opportunity for everyone. Please contact Nick Surdyka by email at nsurdyka@uci.edu or by phone at 714.323.0975 for any additional information. We're looking forward to a great season and hope you'll join our fantastic group of student-athletes and be part of a one of a kind experience! Go Rugby!