Ventura County Rugby Club

February 4th, 2012
It was a perfect rugby day in Thousand Oaks, CA for the undefeated Ventura County Outlaws match against 1-1 San Fernando.
The action started off with some tough play around midfield. San Fernando gained momentum behind relentless crashes by their forwards. They were able to drive down inside Ventura’s 22 when they were awarded a penalty. The visiting kicker missed to the left on a low line drive at 6:00.
Ventura regained posession and fought hard for yardage; the Outlaws were having trouble getting the ball to their speedy backs in space. After a combination of forward crashes and backs’ plays, Ventura was awarded a penalty on San Fernando’s 22. Marcus Mulick punched a line drive kick through the uprights to put the Outlaws up 3-0 at 13:30. They would never relinquish the lead.
The Outlaws kept San Fernando on their heels with accurate kicks, like one by Vinny Bartels at 17:50 which completely flipped the field. Strong runs by the Ventura backs, like Greg DeTorre’s 20 yarder at 18:30, kept the San Fernando back line scrambling.
At 19:40, Ventura was awarded a scrum just inside the San Fernando 22. The ball came out quickly to Shawn Love who popped a beautiful scissor pass to the hard-running Hector de Alba. Hector fended off 3 San Fernando tacklers to touch the ball down at the right post for the game’s first try. Marcus added the chip-shot conversion for a 10-0 Ventura lead.
For about 10 minutes it seemed that nothing was going Ventura’s way; the Outlaws were constantly being called for penalties and it seemed that they were about to lose their composure. A hard tackle to touch by Nick DeTorre prevented San Fernando from getting their wings involved.
After being awarded a penalty around midlfield, Marcus booted a soaring kick to touch just inside the five meter line on the home side of the field. The Outlaws knew exactly what to do with it: Ruben Morgan shipped a perfect pass to Brad Sievert who hauled it down for a maul. Ruben then snatched the ball and touched it down as the Ventura pack bulldozed their way into the try zone at 35:00. A great team effort, and Marcus’s second made covnersion (this time from the near sideline), put the home team up 17-0 giong into halftime.
Ventura came out of halftime charged up, keeping the ball in San Fernando’s half for almost the entire duration. San Fernando didn’t seem to trust their kicking game, so they relied on relentless forward crashes to gain territory. The hosts met them time and again, never allowing a major run.
Nick DeTorre made a try-saving tackle at 8:00 when a San Fernando player scooped up a loose ball deep in their own territory. With no one in front of him, the visiting player appeared to have a clear 80 yard run for a score, but DeTorre chased him down and stripped the ball out of bounds to send posession back to the Outlaws.
At 23:00, Ventura swung a ball to the backs following a scrum at about their own 22. The ensuing kick went high in the air and was being chased by Jeff Dull. The San Fernando player may have heard the footsteps because he fumbled the ball. The bounce went right into Cools’s hands and he sprinted untouched for a 50 yard try. Marcus tacked on another conversion for a 24-0 lead.
Even though the gamewas nearly put away, the Outlaws continued to pressure the San Fernando defense. 32 minutes into the second half, a lineout at San Fernando’s 15 meter line led to a tricky try by Koto in which he nearly went out of bounds, but then slipped through the defense before they could react. Marcus booted through yet another tough kick to put the Outlaws up 31-0. The Outlaws also picked up a bonus point for their fourth try of the match.
At 37:00 San Fernando suddenly came to life, managing to get the ball into Ventura’s half for what seemed like the first time since the opening minutes. The Ventura defense appeared tired after pitching a 77 minute shutout, and San Fernando put together a nice play to their backs that led to a try in the far corner. The missed kick set the score at 31-5 in favor of the Outlaws. San Fernando tried desperately to score again, but the Outlaws held firm for the win.
The victory gives the Outlaws 18 points in SoCal’s Div II.

Be there by 11 AM for warm ups. A side kicks off at 12 PM and B side kicks off at 1:45 PM.

Location:

Wildflower Playfield

635 W. Avenida de los Arboles

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

The Outlaws traveled down to Carlsbad, CA to square off against the North County Gurkhas. Both teams came into the game unbeaten and it would be a physical contest from the start. The Outlaws opened up the scoring after Trevor Mustin kicked over top the Gurkhas’ defense and chased down his own ball for the try. Marcus Mulick slotted the conversion to put Ventura up 7-0.

The Outlaw’s momentum was short lived as North County would answer with a try and conversion of their own. With the score 7-7 the Gurkhas stepped up the pressure and were driving the ball closer and closer to the Outlaw try line. A score seemed inevitable until Trevor Mustin intercepted a Gurkha pass on the wing and sprinted 80 yards for the try. Marcus again split the uprights and the Outlaws were ahead 14-7. Sensing they had the Gurkhas on their heels the Outlaws kept up the pressure. On the Outlaw’s next possession Vinny Bartels placed a kick right down the middle of the pitch and Marcus scooped it up in stride and outran the last Gurkha defender for the try. After another successful conversion Ventura would take a 21-7 lead into halftime.

North County would come out firing in the second half. After some sustained pressure the Gurkhas were able to punch in a try. The conversion was no good and the score stood 21-12. The Outlaws were able to regroup and again take the game to the Gurkhas. Because of Ventura’s sustained pressure they were awarded a PK which Marcus booted through the uprights. The score was now 24-12 but the Outlaws were not finished yet. After some good ball movement on the wing Trevor Mustin again put a well placed kick behind the Gurkha defense which Erik Sparby was able to catch up to and put down for the Outlaw’s fourth try of the match. Marcus was again perfect on the conversion and Ventura now had a commanding 31-12 lead.

The final 15 minutes of the match saw some back and forth with the Gurkhas scoring another try and Marcus kicking two PKs for the Outlaws. After 80 hard fought minutes the Outlaws were victorious 37-19. Ventura is now 3-0 and in first place in Division 2.

This Saturday’s game will kick off at 1 PM. We will be meeting up to carpool down to the game at the practice fields at 9 AM. We will be playing at Valley Middle School in Carlsbad on Saturday (Mapquest Link – http://mapq.st/zf2pIA). Field address is 3817 Valley St. Carlsbad, CA 92008.

Take the 101 S to the 5 S then take a left on exit 49 Tamarack Ave. and left onto Valley St.

The Outlaws hosted a tough Riverside squad for their Division 2 home opener. The game was held at CLU, in Thousand Oaks and conditions were a little wet but overall it was a great day for rugby. The match started with both teams probing for a weakness in the opponent’s defense. After 20 minutes of scoreless rugby and pressure from Riverside, Trevor Mustin stole the ball on the wing and sprinted 60 yards down field. The Outlaws had great support and were ultimately able to reverse the ball to the other side of the field where Jeff Dull capped off a great play with a 30 yard try scoring run. He then kicked his own conversion and put the Outlaws in front 7-0.

Riverside would answer with their own pressure. The Outlaws defense stood firm until Riverside was able to get an overlap on the short side of the field and punch it over the line for a try. The Killer Bees were unable to make their conversion and the Outlaws would take a 7-5 lead into halftime.

Points would prove to be at a premium in the second half as both teams had opportunities to score but were repelled by hard hitting defense. After numerous incursions deep into Riverside territory the Outlaws were rewarded with a penalty kick. With the pressure on, Jeff Dull stepped up and put the ball right between the posts to give Ventura a 10-5 lead. This is all the Outlaws would need as they tilted the field in their direction for last 10 minutes of the match and were able to hold on for the victory.

Saturday proved to be a very physical and hotly contested match that saw the Outlaws rise to the occasion and win their home opener for the 2012 season. The Outlaws are now 2-0 and in second place in Division 2.

LOCATION
Cal Lutheran University

3550 N. Campus Dr. Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

WOMEN v. TEMECULA
10:00 AM Kick Off

MEN A v. RIVERSIDE A
11:45 PM Kick Off
CLU v. Westmont

1:30 PM Kick Off

MEN B v. RIVERSIDE B
3:15 PM Kick Off

The Outlaws played their inaugural Division 2 game in beautiful Santa Barbara. Ventura County squared off against the former Division 1 Grunions. Santa Barbara came out strong and held possession in Ventura’s end for the majority of the first half. The Outlaws defense held strong, throwing the Grunions back time and again. However, after relentless pressure the Grunions got over the try line with a well moved ball on the wing. The conversion kick was missed and the score stood 5-0.

This would be the score at halftime. During the half the Outlaws would make the necessary adjustments and come out as a much more cohesive unit in the 2^nd. Ventura had much more possession and was able to break a few long runs but could not finish with points until Josh Martinez broke a long 40 yard run deep into Grunion territory. As a result of the breakaway, the Grunions were out of position and committed a penalty.

Paul Gagliardi took the quick tap before Santa Barbara could get fully set and charged over the line for the game tying try. Jeff Dull stepped up and kicked a tried and true conversion to put the Outlaws ahead 7-5. This is all Ventura would need as the Outlaw defense stood firm and repelled the Grunion’s last desperate attempts to pull ahead.

The first Saturday of the season was a hotly contested match that saw the Outlaws pull together and get a much deserved victory over their rivals from the north. A great way to start the Division 2 campaign.

VCRFC mentioned in rugbymag: http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3124:socal-dii-roundup-aztecs-keep-rolling&catid=61:mens-dii-clubs&Itemid=234

GAME INFORMATION