Halfbacks Shaun Davies & Dylan Lubbe toured with the College All Americans in the UK.

August 25, 2010

Provo, UT—Fresh off their recent tour with the All American team in the UK, two BYU players, Shaun Davies and Dylan Lubbe, return to Provo having had what they both described as a “great rugby experience.”

Another BYU standout, No. 8 Ryan Roundy, was slated to tour with the All Americans, but a late injury suffered with the USA National 7′s Team required Roundy to remain stateside.

The collegians took on three of the UK’s most storied clubs and their development sides: Richmond, Saracens and Leicester. The All Americans played well, but dropped each match for a winless touring effort.

Despite the 0-3 outcome of the tour BYU scrumhalf Davies said the chance to play overseas is a great learning experience for him.

“Playing the level of competition we played,” he said, “Showed a little bit of what it’s going to take to play at the international level.”

Davies, who hails from South Africa, has a goal of playing for the US National Team and hopefully making it to next year’s 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Having played against a number of fully-professional players throughout the All American tour Davies took away confidence that he could play along side international caliber players.

“I have a lot to work on and learn,” Davies said, “But I felt I did well against the players we played and some, if not many of them, will probably be in the English team or have regular roles in their Premiership teams some time soon.”

Cougar flyhalf Lubbe shared his team mate’s sentiment.

“The standard of rugby was obviously higher than many of us are accustomed to,” Lubbe said, “But we had a great group of guys and we held our own in a lot of areas and I think most of the guys learned a lot about how to become better players.”

When asked what he’ll take away from the All American tour, Lubbe said it will be about being detailed in his preparations.

“At that level and higher,” he said, “It’s about the little things that makes a huge difference. So training and working on the details will be my focus this year.”

Both Lubbe and Davies returned to Provo after the tour and are taking time to recover from the rigors of international rugby before they begin the academic school year which begins August 30^th.

Lubbe and Davies will join their Cougar team mates as the fall semester training regimen begins in earnest September 3^rd.

Meanwhile, the BYU coaching staff will begin their work a little earlier with the program’s annual Walk-On Trials August 31st and September 1st at Helaman Field from 5-7pm. For more information CLICK HERE.

The Cougars staff has set aside Tuesday, August 31st and Wednesday, September 1st to evaluate all players interested in walking-on to the 2011 squad. Times and location for both dates are from 5-7pm at Helaman Field (http://map.byu.edu #43).

With USA Rugby’s recent announcement of the newly formed DI Premier League and BYU’s inclusion into the Western Conference of the league the Cougars are poised for an exciting 2011 season.

The excitement, BYU head coach David Smyth says, will be for a regular schedule of top-flight college rugby across the country.

“We’re optimistic about the new league,” Smyth says, “Although some things need some fine-tuning with [the league] we’re excited to have some of the best teams in the country playing against each other every single week.”

The Cougars finished the 2010 season with a runner-up finish to Cal Berkeley after taking home the school’s first ever national title in 2009. BYU also were runners-up from 2006-08 and are optimistic that some fresh ‘untapped’ talent, coupled with the returning players and new recruits, will give the Cougars a chance at another championship next season.

“It’s not common practice to start on the 1st XV right away as a walk-on here at BYU,” said current assistant coach Kimball Kjar, himself a former walk-on, “But there’s always a couple guys who can make an impact over the course of the season and we’re always looking for athletes we can develop.”

Notable BYU walk-on players who went on to international and other rugby honors include Salesi Sika, a former USA Eagle and professional rugby player in France, Jeff Hullinger, former USA Eagle, and Steve St. Pierre, current USA Eagle pool player and 2009 National Championship Captain.

If there are any questions please contact head coach David Smyth at david_smyth@byu.edu.

__________________________________________________

BYU Rugby Walk-On Trials

August 31-September 1

5-7pm

Helaman Field

Cleats, running shoes and other related rugby gear advised

BYU's Shaun Davies is a part of trio of Cougars touring with the All American next month in the UK.

BOULDER, Colo. – Marking the 100^th year since the first American Universities side traveled abroad, the U.S. Men’s Collegiate All-America program has announced the team it will take for its 2010 Centennial Tour to England, presented by Royall Lyme.

While the 1910 American Universities Team traveled to both New Zealand and Australia in its first tour, this year, the Collegiate All-American Team will certainly find all it can handle across the pond.

“We have organized a challenging tour, which will make a quality experience for our All-Americans as they earn the opportunity to return to their collegiate and club ranks having been tested in an international level environment,” All-American Coach Alex Magleby said.

“The tour will also be a nice finish to a robust collegiate season,” Magleby added. “It’s an exciting time to be a collegiate player, or coach for that matter, and with the next Rugby World Cup on the horizon, it’s a worthwhile endeavor to expose these athletes to the challenges, pressures and excitement of international play.”

During the course of this tour, the Collegiate All-Americans will be joined by the U.S. Men’s National Team Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, in addition to several guest/specialty coaches from professional teams across London. Although the team will actually have a week and a half in England, the U.S. Collegiate All-Americans will play three matches in just seven days.

The first match will be held on Saturday, August 14 against the Richmond Rugby Football Club at 2 p.m. The side will get a four-day break before booting up for its second match on August 18 at 7:30 p.m. against the Saracens Academy Development Team at St. Albans, and in their third and final match, the All-Americans will take on Leicester Academy’s Development Team on Saturday, August 21 at 1 p.m. at Welford Road. (All times are local.)

The All-American Team is made up of the nation’s best collegiate rugby players who are picked annually. The All-American team has long been a precursor to international honors, with many All-Americans graduating to the USA National Team.

The following National Teams have been made up of the following current or former Collegiate All Americans: 2003 Rugby World Cup XV’s Senior National Team (15), 2007 Rugby World Cup XV’s Senior National Team (8), 2009 American Rugby Championship Team (10), 2009 Senior National XV’s Team (17), and the 2008/2009 Senior National 7’s Team in the IRB World Series (14).

“The elevated commitments that collegiate players, coaches, and our high-school programs have been putting in continues to increase the number of All-Americans that are pushing for international honors,” added Magleby. “A classic brand like Royall Lyme recognizes these All-American virtues of hard-work, entrepreneurialism, and grit. We are excited about this partnership between these two quality brands and encourage others to get on board to help keep this touring tradition going strong.”

The All-Americans are continuing to fundraise for the ‘Centennial Tour.’ Join All-American Tour sponsor Royal Lyme and National Team sponsor Emirates Airline in supporting the development of our best collegiate players by donating in $100 increments. Each donation will allow supporters the opportunity to be drawn for one of several phenomenal prizes, including a trip to the 2011 RWC in New Zealand as well as a trip for two to the 2011 Dubai 7’s event. For more information, please visit http://www.usarugby.org/goto/mens_aa_fundrainsing.

2010 U.S. Collegiate All-American Touring Team:
David Caswell (Arkansas State)
Nicolas Anthony Civetta (Notre Dame)
Shaun Michael Davies (BYU)
Keegan Bevan Engelbrecht (California)
Roland Evans (Arkansas State)
Roan Farr (Arkansas State)
Zachary Tyler Fenoglio (Loyola Marymount)
Eric Christopher Fry (California)
Colin Hawley (California)
Gareth James Jones (Temple)
Duncan George Kelm (San Diego State)
Kevin James Kimble (Penn State)
Scott Coble Lavalla (Trinity)
David Hunter Leland (Texas A&M)
Dylan Lubbe (BYU)
Ryan David McTiernan (Fordham)
Taylor James Mokate (Oklahoma)
Christopher Scott Parker (Texas A&M)
Randy Pati (Utah)
Brendon Michael Purcell (San Diego State)
Anthony John Purpura III (Maine)
Hamish Eliot Roberts (Texas A&M)
Alexander Ross (San Diego State)
Ryan Sean Roundy (BYU)
Tyler Salamon (Life University)
Michael Joseph Shephard (Indiana)
Ross Samuel Silverman (UC Santa Barbara)
Zachary Test (Loughborough)
Nardus Wessels (Arkansas State)
Tiberio Peter (Arizona)

Selection Criteria:

The All-American Touring Team’s selection criteria is separate to that of the All-American honor and is inclusive of players who might have been injured during the season, part-time students, a registered student, who may not be playing for their University, or an American eligible player playing at a University abroad.

Staff:
Alex Magleby : Head Coach (Dartmouth)
Kevin Battle: Manager (UC Santa Barbara)
Kimball Kjar: Backs Coach (BYU)
Luke Gross: Forwards Coach (USAR)
Dave Williams: Strength and Conditioning Coach (USAR)

BYU's Ryan Roundy headlines 7 BYU players recognized as All Americans

USA RUGBY PRESS RELEASE

Boulder, Colo. – Following the USA Rugby Men’s Collegiate All-Star Championships this weekend, selectors announced their list of Collegiate All-Americans and Honorable Mentions.

“With a pool of approximately 15,000 men’s collegiate players across the U.S., the Collegiate All-American selectors and coaches spent nearly nine months on player identification, fitness testing, standards implementation and monitoring to narrow the list to 37 All-Americans and 29 Honorable Mentions,” said All-American Coach Alex Magleby.

The All American Team is made up of the nation’s best collegiate rugby players who are picked annually on the basis of performance over the course of the domestic collegiate rugby season, the National Collegiate Championships, and the Collegiate National All-Star Championship.

The All-American team has long been a precursor to international honors, with many All-Americans graduating to the USA National Team.

“Congratulations to our collegiate players and coaches–fitness and skill levels once again exceeded those from previous years,” Magleby added. “The standards continue to improve with healthier high school programs coupled with progress in collegiate player development and coaching. Now comes the equally challenging task of picking an All-American tour team.”

The All-American and Honorable Mentions are selected from players who attend a domestic American University and compete for an American University Team, while the selection process for the All-American Touring Team, which will be announced soon, could potentially include players eligible to play for America, who are studying at Universities domestically or abroad.

Collegiate All-Americans
Forwards
Asbun, Derek (California)
Barrett, Danny (California)
Evans, Roland (Arkansas State)
Farr, Roan (Arkansas State)
Fenoglio, Zachary (Loyola Maramount)
Fry, Eric (California)
Jarvis, Paul (Dartmouth College)
Kimble , Kevin (Penn State)
Knab, David (Ohio State)
McTiernan, Ryan (NYAC/Fordham)
Mokate, Taylor (Oklahoma)
Parker, Chris (Texas A&M)
Roundy, Ryan (BYU)
Shephard, Michael (Indiana University)
Su’a, Mike (BYU)
Wessels, Nardus (Arkansas State)
Wunderli, Matt (Utah)

Backs
Clark, Chad (St. Mary’s College of California)
Davies, Shaun (BYU)
Engelbrecht, Keegan (California)
Gallinger, Sean (California)
Goff, Benjamin (Tennessee)
Hawley, Colin (California)
Kelly, Seamus (California)
Kelm, Duncan (San Diego State)
Leatigaga, Ben (Army)
Leland, Hunter (Texas A&M)
Lubbe, Dylan (BYU)
Mateialona, Benny (Life University)
Muhn, Dustin (California)
Palamo, Thretton (Utah)
Pati, Don (Utah)
Regas, Nick (Claremont McKenna College)
Roberts, Hamish (Texas A&M)
Ross, Alex (San Diego State)
Saint, Chris (Penn State)
Scully, Blaine (California)

Honorable Mentions
Forwards
Allred, TJ (BYU)
Bertrand, Conor (Texas A&M)
Bester, Paul (Life University)
Bontranger, Conrad (Indiana)
Buboltz, David (San Diego State)
Burd, Camden (Utah)
Civetta, Nick (Notre Dame)
Honaker, Darrell (San Diego State)
Hyjer, Drew (California)
Latu, Patrick (San Mateo Community College)
Leinweber, Luke (Northern Colorado)
Metcalf, Scott (Utah)
Pasque, Tommy (University of Colorado – Boulder)
Potgieter, Shaun (Arkansas State)
Purcell, Brendan (San Diego State)
Salamon, Tyler (Life University)
Vimahi , Viliami (BYU)

Backs
Angilau, Naki (Utah)
Bredesen, Chris (San Diego State)
Caswell, David (Arkansas State)
Ducoing, Adam (LSU)
Folau, Tupu (BYU)
Geib, Dave (Army)
Harrison, Tyler (UC Davis)
Johns, Bobby (LSU)
Jones, Gareth (Temple)
Mauer, Rocco (Bowling Green)
Sullivan, Pat (Arkansas State)
Vaha’I, Latu (Army)

May 1, 2010 @ Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium

BYU Team vs. Cal Berkeley

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo
   
3. Joey Mount (Ray Forrester @ 52″)
4. Viliami Vimahi
5. Mark Bonham
   
6. TJ Allred
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Isikeli Volavola @ 64″ Blood Sub)
8. Ryan Roundy
   
9. Shaun Davies
10. Inoke Funaki
11. Andrew Harrison
    
12. Tupu Folau
    
13. Dylan Lubbe
14. Sean Howard
15. Ryan Blaser

SCORING

BYU: 7

Tries: Roundy 74″

Conversions: Davies 1/1

Penalties: Davies 0/1

CAL: 19

Tries: Cal 4″, 39″

Conversions: Cal 0/2

Penalties: Cal 2/2

Drop Goal: Cal 1/1

April 30, 2010 @ Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo (Ray Forrester @ 44″)
3. Joey Mount (Inoke Hafoka @ 75″)
4. Viliami Vimahi
5. Mark Bonham (Isikeli Volavola @ 58″)
6. TJ Allred
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Moana Hafoka @ 70″)
8. Ryan Roundy (Ben McKay 75″)
9. Shaun Davies
10. Inoke Funaki
11. Lelan Latu
12. Tupu Folau (Charlie Uluave @ 40″)
13. Dylan Lubbe
14. Sean Howard
15. Ryan Blaser (Adam Kuchin @ 68″)

SCORING

BYU: 63
Tries: Folau 1″; Davies 5″, 39″, 73″; Mount 19″; Blaser 21″; Roundy 27″, 68″; Howard 37″;
Conversions: Davies 9/9

Army: 28
Tries: Army 30″, 34″, 42″, 51″
Conversions: 4/4

Yellow Card: BYU 41″

In a game that proved to be a defensive battle, the Cougars were forced to look for a come-from-behind victory as the Bears edged to a 13 to 0 halftime lead. But it wasn’t to be as stingy Cal defense, turnovers and penalties close to the Cal endzone kept BYU from scoring until 74th minute with No. 8 Ryan Roundy surging over for a late try.

Cal got on the board early however, with a short 5 meter lineout move to the blind side that resulted a try in the corner of the Cougars’ endzone. Another series of exchanging offensive and defensive blows by both sides saw Cal awarded a penalty that was converted for an 8 to 0 lead in the 18th minute.

A late try by Cal in the first half from another lineout move rounded out the scoring for the 13-0 lead with BYU rueful of their missed opportunities and a potentially uncalled try by the official late in the first half.

But as the Cougars worked to find their chances in the second half Cal worked at the break down to disrupt the BYU attack. And it was Roundy that finally broke through for BYU late in the second half to pull BYU to 16 to 7 after Cal had slotted another penalty goal in the 65th minute.

With some momentum BYU worked feverishly to get in the endzone again in an effort to come-from-behind for the second year in a row, but some late penalties and turnovers again left the Cougars lacking.

With time a precious commodity in any comeback effort it was Cal who used up the waning moments keeping the ball tight. And a late drop goal from Cal proved the cap on the score line for a 19 to 7 victory.

“We battled hard,” said BYU captain Dylan Lubbe, “I’m proud of the boys. Cal came after it and we had to scrap for everything. This was a good game and we have no regrets.”

Despite the result, the effort by the Cougars left no questions begging that BYU wasn’t about to simply hand the trophy back to the Cal Bears for their 25th title.

With the result in the championship match BYU now finishes with a 14-3 record on the season.

“We definitely are proud of what they did as a team,” BYU assistant coach Kimball Kjar said, “To have done what we did with the injuries we had, along with everything else that we faced as a program off and on the field, you can’t but be pleased with how these guys wrapped up the season tonight in spite of  the bitter taste left in the mouth.”

Head coach David Smyth shared Kjar’s sentiment and carried some praise for the Bears effort.

“Tonight was a good night even though we didn’t come out on top,” Smyth said, “Our guys fought hard the entire game and showed what is great about college rugby. We’ve had a great year and we have nothing to be disappointed about. Cal is a great team and they did what they needed to do to win. But in the end we did all we could and we can live with that.”

The Cougars now move into the off-season with their focus on the 2011 season and their off-season skills and strength and conditioning preparations that begin in earnest starting in the fall.

Stay tuned to www.byurugby.com and www.twitter.com/byurugby for details, updates and further information on the BYU Cougars off-season and upcoming events.

BYU Team vs. Cal Berkeley

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo
   
3. Joey Mount (Ray Forrester @ 52″)
4. Viliami Vimahi
5. Mark Bonham
   
6. TJ Allred
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Isikeli Volavola @ 64″ Blood Sub)
8. Ryan Roundy
   
9. Shaun Davies
10. Inoke Funaki
11. Andrew Harrison
    
12. Tupu Folau
    
13. Dylan Lubbe
14. Sean Howard
15. Ryan Blaser

SCORING

BYU: 7

Tries: Roundy 74″

Conversions: Davies 1/1

Penalties: Davies 0/1

CAL: 19

Tries: Cal 4″, 39″

Conversions: Cal 0/2

Penalties: Cal 2/2

Drop Goal: Cal 1/1

BYU's Tupu Folau scores the opening try in the first minute of the game.

Palo Alto, CA—The BYU Cougars used a first-half barrage of 7 tries to run away from the Cadets of Army by the final score of 63 to 28 to advance to their fifth straight national championship game.

The Cougars scored five tries in the opening 30 minutes of the game to surge out to a 35-0 lead. BYU scrum half Shaun Davies went 9 for 9 on conversions to keep the Cougars’ edge after the tries.

But the theme of the game was BYU’s forward pack as they scored or set up all of the Cougars’ points.  It was BYU No. 8 Ryan Roundy running rampant through the Army defensive lines, along with lock Viliami Vimahi and flankers Hynie Leaatoa and TJ Allred linking well together also.

The forward-built platform was strong enough to give the Cougars a try in just the first minute. After the opening kick off BYU was awarded a scrum 25 meters from the Army goal line following a Cadet knock on.

Following the scrum the BYU forwards and backs linked for a well-worked score by former Cadet and current BYU All American Tupu Folau.

“I was really looking forward to this game,” Folau said following the game, “We played really good in the first half and we’re really excited about the game tomorrow.”

Folau’s try was followed up by Davies scoring a short and slippery try of his own that was set up by props Mikey Su’a and Joey Mount making a break up the middle.

Mount would score the next try and was followed by fullback Ryan Blaser and Roundy to pull the Cougars to an confident 35 points before Army was able to gain some positive momentum.

After the opening 30 minute volley from the Cougars the Cadets worked a strong set piece move scoring from 30 meters out that was followed by another try just moments later.

The 14 points from Army however was responded to well by BYU as wing Sean Howard gathered in captain Dylan Lubbe’s chip kick in the 37^th minute.

Another late first half try by Davies rounded out the scoring and the Cougars went into the half with the momentum at 49 to 14.

The momentum wasn’t quite carried over however as the Cougars were yellow-carded in the 41^st minute and Army was able to work around the vacated BYU player to score two second half tries.

But as the Cougars’ were able to rebound with a full complement of players following the 10 minute sin-bin BYU once again relied on the two leading point-scorers in Davies and Roundy for two more tries respectively.

The final score had BYU winning 63 to 28.

“That was probably one of the best first halves we’ve played all year,” said BYU head coach David Smyth, “We did a great job keeping the pedal on the gas. I’m proud of the boys for responding the way they and I hope we can see the same sort of performance come tomorrow.”

And it will take another strong performance by the Cougars if they’re to have a chance to knock off an all-too-familiar foe in Cal Berkeley in tomorrow’s final.

With an undefeated 25-0 record, the Bears beat an eager Arkansas State side that was making their first ever semi-final appearance 83 to 37.

BYU and Cal have faced each other for the National Championship every year since 2006 years with the Bears owning a 3-1 advantage.

The Cougars’ lone victory against the Bears came last year as BYU clawed back from a 19 to 7 deficit to win 25 to 22 and claim their first ever National Championship. The loss was the first of it’s kind for Cal who had never lost a National Championship game.

BYU is hoping for their second National Championship, while the Bears are hoping a win will give them an incomparable 25^th championship trophy.

“Any time you step on the field with Cal it’s a big deal,” said BYU captain Dylan Lubbe, “They’re a great team, no doubt.  We’re looking forward to tomorrow night.”

Kick-off for BYU vs. Cal is set for 7pm PT at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium. Tickets are sold at the gate for $15 adult and $5 youth/student/military/seniors (55 and over) with valid ID. Children 4 years old and under are free.

Tomorrow’s championship tilt can be viewed online at www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo (Ray Forrester @ 44″)
3. Joey Mount (Inoke Hafoka @ 75″)
4. Viliami Vimahi
5. Mark Bonham (Isikeli Volavola @ 58″)
6. TJ Allred
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Moana Hafoka @ 70″)
8. Ryan Roundy (Ben McKay 75″)
9. Shaun Davies
10. Inoke Funaki
11. Lelan Latu
12. Tupu Folau (Charlie Uluave @ 40″)
13. Dylan Lubbe
14. Sean Howard
15. Ryan Blaser (Adam Kuchin @ 68″)

SCORING

BYU: 63
Tries: Folau 1″; Davies 5″, 39″, 73″; Mount 19″; Blaser 21″; Roundy 27″, 68″; Howard 37″;
Conversions: Davies 9/9

Army: 28
Tries: Army 30″, 34″, 42″, 51″
Conversions: 4/4

Yellow Card: BYU 41″

Schedule:

Semifinal 1: BYU vs. Army–3pm PT, Friday, April 30th

Semifinal 2: Cal vs. ASU–5pm PT, Friday, April 30th

National Championship: BYU/Army vs. Cal/ASU–7pm PT, Saturday, May 1st

Video streaming courtesy of USA Rugby (www.ustream.tv/usarugby).

Live Video streaming by Ustream