Stanford 52, Reno 5

The winds were not blowing, but the snow did fall, as Stanford made the bi-annual journey to Reno, Nevada. Clad in tight, black spandex, or in Brittany Wheelock's (Anchorage, Alaska) case, skins, Stanford flicked flurries as they scrummed, passed, and ran in their neighboring gambling state. To Ma Nature's credit, though, snow is actually better to play in than rain.

In any case, while not particularly distracted by the weather, Stanford did not execute as well as they might have liked. Where were the lines? Where was the consistent clearing out? Well. The Stanford scrum did come together to take charge of this set piece, but overall, there was a lack of finesse that Stanford would like to see thrive. Perhaps they will talk about such things in the coming week...

An even snowier game followed the A-side match, as the Crawford squad's vision was impaired by impending flakes. However, some powerful driving forward from all squad members did well to overcome any small lapses in execution. Particularly notable were some long-legged tries scored by Nomis Okolo. Perhaps even more notable, the rock-shot-topiest try from striding lock Arden Madsen. It is worth noting that the Crawford team's final score was 43-0, with all points scored in one half of play. Cheers!

Stanford 35, Cal 0

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day as the Stanford Women's Rugby team arrived at Cal's football stadium. Stanford was able to secure a "W" beating Cal, 35-0, and while the result was what the team had hoped for, the play during the game was not up to Coach Griff's or the players' standards. Playing on a shortened field caused some trouble for the Stanford team, as did the lack of support for ball carriers. Although the team was not able to play to their usual high standards, Saturday's game showed what they need to work on, and hopefully, they'll be able to iron out the kinks in their remaining league games. Perhaps they need more fitness work- a point to consider.

On the backs behalf, both Amelia Villines and Jennifer Cooperrider contributed tries. And with what has to be come expected from the Stanford pack, Alyssa Tennant and Frances Wehrwein also found themselves in the try zone. Melissa Smit, with her beautifully toned legs, was able to convert all 5 kicks for extra points.

Next week brings Reno, which may not have weather quite so fair.

Crawford 45, Cal B 37

The Crawford team had an excellent game this Saturday against the Cal B team. They had the opportunity to travel to the UC Berkeley campus and play in their football stadium, in unexpectedly superb weather. The prospect of playing on a slightly narrower field, made of turf instead of grass, presented a new challenge, to which the Stanford women adjusted to win over their hard-hitting opponent. Many players had an opportunity to play new or unfamiliar positions: Clementine Stip and Charlotte Eilbert, usually wingers, got to try their hands at a little more ball-handling in the center, while Ashleigh Rose moved from center to wing, providing a lot of support for her fellow backs, and forward Johanna Nagy stepped up to play scrum-half, brilliantly rising to the challenge. Some other highlights of the match include a circle ball executed by Andrea Romero that broke the defensive line and led to a try for Stanford. Forward Kasonni Scales also broke through the defensive line several times to make some excellent runs and bring her team forward, and Nomis Okolo made several also excellent runs at the wing to score many of Stanford’s tries, demonstrating her fierce ability to blow past and outrun the defense. Although on several occasions Stanford lost their organization, they were able to recover and regroup to step up their game, and make some good plays and decisions. The Stanford women’s tiredness caught up with them as the game wore on, and Cal scored most of their tries in the last twenty minutes of the game, giving the Crawford team a lot to learn from and focus on for the future. In the end, the Stanford women were able to celebrate a great victory, and they had much to be proud of. After the game, the Cal team hosted a high-spirited and friendly social, with lots of delicious food and a fierce dance-off! Stanford would like to give a big thank you to the Cal team for hosting them for a great game of rugby.

Crawford 19, Santa Clara 20

On Thursday February 5th, the Crawford Team played Santa Clara, ultimately losing 19 to 20. Under the lights, the Crawford team battled hard and with tries from several players (ex.> Nomis Okolo and Kasonni Scales), Stanford was able to maintain a lead for the majority of the game. However, in the final seconds of the game, Santa Clara blocked Stanford’s kick, converting it into the winning try. While Stanford lost, passing and the scrum significantly improved.

Stanford 52, Texas A&M 0

Saturday was an exciting day for Stanford Rugby. The Texas A&M Aggies came up to the Stanford pitch in order to bring some variation and increased competition to their game schedule, and Stanford welcomed them for the same reasons.

The two teams adjusted to each others' game plans for the first few minutes, but Stanford soon broke the line to score a try. The Aggies, however, did not make it easy for the Cardinal. The Texan forwards consistently disrupted Stanford's rucks throughout the game and turned over many Stanford balls. The backline also utilized dummy runners, which the Stanford defense soon adjusted to. The Aggie's well-placed kicks did not give Stanford and room to mess off during kick-off receives.

However, Stanford's hard hitting backline and could-be-backs forwards continued to throw points on the board. Most notably, winger Ono Nseyo touched down many a ball in the try zone. Susan Dekker and Victoria Whittaker also worked some magic as they found themselves in the try zone with ball in hand.

Overall, Saturday's game was what Stanford was looking for. The Aggies aggression around the breakdown and constant pressure was a huge challenge and will serve as point for improvement. After the game, the two teams had a lovely social, which was coordinated by Stanford's lovely Team Mom. Stanford would like to thank A&M for coming out. It was great fun playing. We hope to see you next year or at the USA Rugby National Guard College Playoffs Round of 16.