2004 RESULTS

2004 Match Reports

ROUND-ROBIN CLOSES OUT SUCCESSFUL FALL SEASON   

November 6, 2004, Stamford – On a crisp fall day on Long Island Sound, the White Plains Classix hosted the Ottawa Senators and the Connecticut Grey in a round-robin of friendlies to close out the 2004 season. The Classix came to play and shut down both opposing offenses in their two matches. Playing with the wind in the first half against the Grey, the White Plains' backs ran through and around a porous defense, breaking away seemingly at will. With the elements favoring the Grey in the second half, we were able to shut down the Classix' vaunted offense but were unable to convert any of our opportunities for points.   

In the rubber match, the Grey gained a win on the day in a more evenly contested match against the touring Senators. The consensus of all was that no matter how lopsided the scores, it beat raking leaves! Thanks to Mike Guzzio and Lou Petruzzello for organizing the Grey effort and to the Classix for hosting the event and laying on a great spread afterwards at The Temple Bar.   

GREY GET PAST GENTS, 27-24   

October 30, 2004, New York City – The Grey took a full side to an overcast Randalls Island to play the the Gentlemen of New York. Both sides turned out in numbers. The only thing missing was a referee. Fortunately, our own Brendan Coffey and Lou Petruzzello and the Gentlemen's Ralph van Rosendahl, agreed to 20 minutes apiece with the whistle.   

Shortly after kickoff, the Gents were caught offside. Don Brancard slotted the penalty putting the Grey up quickly 3-0. Half way into the first period, off a set scrum won by the Grey, the ball moved through to Bill Bishop, who sliced through a gap and then set Thierry "Frenchy" Langlais away for an easy try around the wing. Brancard converted, putting the Grey ahead 10-0. The Gents came rolling back with a few rucks around the Grey 22 meter. After a set scrum, the Gents rolled left and passed to their fullback who pushed a kick-through that ran unfettered towards the goal line. The ball caromed off the goal post and an old Gent was able to cover. Try awarded. The Grey quickly returned to their game plan and were able to push another try out wide with Bishop again leading the way (conversion Brancard). 17-7 after one period.   

Period 2 was ugly. Our game slowed considerably and we got chirpy with the ref. Of course the Gents played off this for another score, Grey 17-12 (conversion unsuccessful). More of the same followed. Failure to cover an errant kick to the middle of the field resulted in a rush by the Gents toward the Grey line. Knocked on at the 5, the Grey won the ensuing scrum, but the kick to touch was blocked and run in for another try. With the try converted, the Grey ended the period down 17-19.   

In the third period the Grey played more up-tempo and perhaps the Gents were getting tired. Still, not nearly enough ball was making it into the Grey back line. The pressure did result in a penalty to the Grey 30 meters out, slotted by Donny Brancard. The Grey were back up 20-19. Playing to the field conditions, the Grey bounced the ball toward the Gents' end. Bishop and Darryl Garrison capitalized on a handling error, forcing the ball loose 1 meter out. Both players pounced on the ball as it rolled into the try zone, resulting in an third try for the Grey. Brancard converted – Grey 27-19. With the momentum shift and under 5 minutes to play, the Grey continued to play 10-man rugby, bouncing the ball downfield when required. But despite out attempts to bottle up the Gents in the waning minutes, they held tight and began to play off a simple penalty, which led to another for not being back 10, and then for playing too soon, and before you knew it we were trying to stave off their run for the corner of the try line. A Gents back slipped the last tackle, dotting down in the corner. A few moments later the game was blown dead, final score Connecticut Grey 27, Gentlemen of New York 24.   

THE OLD BOYS CUP COMES HOME   

October 23, 2004, Wallingford – On a windy, cold, blustery day, the Connecticut Grey took back the the Old Boys Cup – a.k.a. "the Sugar Bowl" – from the Village Lions Lion Kings in a hard fought and very satisfying victory. Given that we were beaten handily by the Lion Kings last spring – marking the only time we have not had the cup in our possession – we turned the page and registered a 17 - 0 win to put our record at 6 - 0 on the fall season. It was a close game until the third period. The scoring started with Jay Chabot (left) slotting a penalty kick about 10 minutes into the first period. The Grey defended a valiant run by the Village Lions' flyhalf, who looked to score, but the ball was held up by the Grey in the try zone. Play was restarted and the period ended shortly after 3 - 0 in favor of the Grey.   

Period 2 was another hard fought contest with play back and forth on both sides of the pitch. There was fine effort by all 30 players on the field, however all the effort resulted in no scoring and period 2 ended with the same 3 - 0 score.   

Period 3 opened with a flurry of hard play, starting with the Grey forwards taking the ball and moving up field immediately. The ball was spun out to the backs, eventually finding Don Brancard, who touched down in the corner. The scoring ended with a forward drive led by George Saul that produced the ball for Tom Roncaioli, who bulled his way over the line for the touchdown.   

The Man of the Match award was given to the entire pack of Forwards. The pack got around the pitch all day long. Thanks go out to those Grey who went over to help fill out the Lion Kings. A special note of thanks to Jeff Bouvier. We helped out the Hamden Rugby Football Club, who needed a pitch to play their game. We hosted the Hamden, Mad River, and Southern Connecticut State U. rugby clubs. Jeff refereed our game as well as two games after that. We trust Jeff slept very well Saturday night.  

(Photo courtesy Neil Sprague)   

2004 BROWN BAG OPEN   

October 22, 2004, Hebron – Once again, the Grey's intrepid golfers took to the links for the annual Brown Bag Open.  Fifteen ruggers braved the autumn chill at picturesque Blackledge Country Club in Hebron ("I'm here and I still have no idea where I am," lamented rookie duffer George Saul, left). As usual, there were no losers as Tony Johnson and John Kerr concocted a scoring system so complex that to this day Stephen Hawkings can't tell you who won. The hackers retired to Don and Patty Brancard's home for a late-season cookout and awards ceremony. For those keeping track, Tony Johnson took home the honors for low gross, John Kerr for low net. In a closely fought battle for the prestigious Michael Skakel High Gross trophy, Dean "All I Need is a Three Wood and a Putter" Jorgensen outlasted Ed "I Can Beat Him With One Leg Tied Behind My Back" Carr by a slender three-stroke margin.   

GREY ESCAPE BERKSHIRE WITH TOUGH WIN   

October 9, 2004, Pittsfield, Mass. – The Grey got out of Pittsfield with a rather ugly win over Division III Berkshire RFC. Final score: Connecticut Grey 30 – Berkshire 10. The score does not indicate how close this game was. Yes, we only had 19 players for an away game and yes, a number of Grey played out of position. All the same, we weren't very well prepared for Berkshire, and it clearly showed in the beginning of the game. We were outplayed in the pack and we had trouble hooking up in the backs. However we readjusted, changing lineout strategy, tightening up the pack play, and communicating better in the backfield. Scoring honors: Darryl Garrison, Daryl Ceccarelli, Steve Tenenbaum, Jay Chabot, and two tries for Tony Johnson. No conversions or penalty kicks were made by either team. The Man of the Match award goes to Jim McCormick. On a team with an overabundance of props we had one legitimate prop show up for this game. Jim played a stellar match for all three periods. He helped straighten out the set pieces and got around the pitch.   

SEVERAL GREY ENJOY UCONN FOOTBALL UNDER THE LIGHTS

September 30, 2004, East Hartford – A contingent of the Grey, including several alums, got together at Rentschler Field for the UConn Huskies' Big East home opener on Thursday night, September 30. They enjoyed the usual pre- and post-game tailgating and were part of the sell-out crowd that cheered the Huskies on to a decisive 29 -17 victory – their first ever in the Big East – over the Pittsburgh Panthers.   

GREY GO TO 4-0 ON FALL SEASON

October 2, 2004, Wallingford – The Connecticut Grey hosted New York All Japan RFC and the touring Japan RFC of Chicago in a round robin at Praegmann Park and enjoyed two well-played games against a couple of younger, quick sides.   

Game 1 – Grey vs. NY All Japan.  NYAJ jumped out to an early lead, with a converted try to begin the scoring and led 7 - 0. The run was classic NY All Japan. Four 4 very fast backs hooked up, and ran with abandon through about eight Grey from midfield to put it down. While we started the game with rolling mauls, we lost the ball and they took advantage immediately. The Grey needed to get back to the game plan and take advantage of our size over their speed. We had an opportunity to grab some quick points in the form of a penalty kick by Jay Chabot and were on the board, NYAJ up 7 - 3. On the restart the Grey kept the ball with the big boys and performed well. Mike Guzzio was all over the pitch, not only in the mauls, but in picking up ball and putting his shoulder down to go through anyone attempting a tackle on him. Lots of mauling. When it had to go to the floor we rucked over; when it went to the backs ,they ran well and posted while the forwards rucked over. We were banging on the try zone for about five minutes but All Japan defended well. Finally, Joe Bordieri picked up, dummied, and crashed into a couple of New York players, but he wouldn't be denied. He found the try zone to score, Chabot converted and the period ended shortly thereafter with the Grey on top 10 - 7.    

Period 2 saw personnel changes for both sides, but the Grey still maintained the size in the forwards. The backs for All Japan were still extremely fast, as we soon found out when they scored in the first five minutes. The conversion was good and NYAJ found themselves in the lead 14 - 10. That's when the fun started. After the restart, there was some midfield play, there were some kicks back and forth, there were some long breaks for yardage gained. With about ten minutes to go, we found ourselves with multiple opportunities in front of All Japan's try zone. Try as we may, however, we couldn't get that last yard to stick it over. Multiple crashes were met with great defense by All Japan. When the opportunity arose to spin it out to our backs, we were met with jarring tackles or a spilled ball or we went to the floor to try to work it over. You could see the fatigue on the players from both sides. With less than a minute left, the Grey were awarded a penalty, Tom Roncaioli took a quick tap, and got it close. There was very little time and the ref was looking at his watch, when George Saul picked up the ball and went head first into the first defender to approach him. He shook him off, turned to present but felt no pressure, headed back into All Japan, and slammed the ball down for the try under the posts. Don Brancard converted, and the Grey take a closely contested game 17 - 14.    

We then had the next game off and watched our friends from New York Japan lose 15 - 5 to Japan RFC of Chicago in a very fast-paced game. Lots of long runs by both sides. Both teams play a back-oriented game, which is a lot of fun to watch. We enjoyed ourselves, cheered for New York, and then got ready to play a combined New York/Chicago Japan side for our next game.   

Game 2 – Grey vs. New York/Chicago Japan Combined: The Chicago side had larger forwards than their New York counterparts, and this was to play into their game strategy. They weren't worried about our forwards, and this game started off with hard hitting forward play. The Grey stuck to the game plan – keep it in the pack. After taking the kickoff and working it through the forwards about four times, the ball was spun out to the backs. A nice gain in yardage by the Grey, the ball was rucked over by a well supporting pack and we found ourselves in front of the try zone after about five minutes. Combined Japan tried to keep us out, but Fred Seeger was feeling froggy. He picked up a loose ball behind the pack, put his shoulder down and found his way into the end zone. Chabot converts and the Grey are up 7 - 0. About half way through the period the Grey were awarded a penalty. Chabot found the mark and the score goes to 10 - 0 in favor of the Grey. By the end of the period you could again see the fatigue setting in, especially in the forwards. This was truly a forward dominated period. We were tired and looking for the halftime whistle, but one last burst by Seeger up the sidelines was the last play of the half.    

Period 2 started with Japan readjusting. They received the kickoff and refused to turn the ball over to the Grey or to their own forwards. A pretty scamper by their centers pinned the wing in the corner for their first score of the day. The conversion was no good and the score was Grey 10 - Combined Japan 5. Shortly after, a penalty was called favoring the Grey, and Joe Scandariato called for the points to be taken. Brancard slotted the penalty and the score went to 13 - 5 in favor of Connecticut. As time was running out, with just over five minutes remaining, you saw a desperate Japan team try everything possible to score. Some bad luck in the form of forward passes and knock-ons hurt their attempts. That and the "Hit of the Day" by Dave Yanik! The Japanese player is still looking for that train that hit him. One last kick that went to touch and the final whistle blew. The Connecticut Grey defeat NY/Chicago Japan 13 - 5.   

Lots of very good play all around. Everyone contributed. We had 27 players show up. Man of the Match awards go to the following: Game 1, Bordo & Guz. Game 2: Brancard and Seeger. The party afterwards was a lot of fun. The guys from New York are a great bunch who truly enjoy coming up to play us. They have a great outlook on the game, they travel well, they have fantastic supporters who enjoy coming up to Connecticut as well. Their counterparts from Chicago had the same "joy of playing rugby" attitude that the New York team possesses. We'll see New York again in the spring, and the Chicago side has invited us out to Chicago if we ever wanted to take a little tour.   

MORRIS MASTERS HELP GREY CELEBRATE OUR 25th   

September 25, 2004, Wallingford – What a great day! Beautiful weather, lots of great rugby, lots of support, lots of food and drink. We couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate the Connecticut Grey RFC's 25th anniversary. Lots of people deserve thanks for putting on a terrific celebration: Tony Johnson, Tom Flynn and Jon Leone for coordinating the beer, soda, hot dogs and catered buffet; Tom Roncaioli for the Odwalla juices (and brown shorts); the past Grey players - once a Grey always a Grey. And thanks to the Morris RFC Masters - a great bunch of guys who understand what this game of rugby is all about, both on the pitch and off. Bert Romeo (the girl with a boy's name) arranged a beautiful award (below) for club president, Tony Johnson, the driving force behind the year-long celebration of our silver anniversary.   

As for the game, The Grey played very well all around the pitch all day long. The scoring started with a penalty awarded to the Grey. Jay Chabot converts for a 3 - 0 lead to Connecticut. Morris took advantage of a penalty to tie the score shortly after to make it 3 - 3. After some solid mid-field play by both sides, Don Brancard put up a beautiful chip ahead and gathered in his own chip to touch it down. Chabot slotted the conversion and the score was 10 - 3. Another unfortunate penalty against Morris found Chabot putting the penalty shot through the uprights. 13 - 3, Grey. With time in period 1 running out, the forwards rucked over the Morris pack, dug the ball out and put it out to the backs. After receiving a perfectly timed pass from Chabot filling in from the fullback position, Brancard touched down for his second score of the period. The conversion was missed and period 1 ended 18 - 3, the Grey in front.    

Period 2 turned into a track meet. Chabot figured prominently in this period as well. After a mishandle by Morris, Chabot picked up the ball and raced in for his first try of the afternoon. He also converted his own try and the score was 25 - 3. Shortly after, Chabot scored once again in the corner. The conversion, attempted from an unforgiving angle, was missed and the score was 30 - 3 to the Grey. Toward the end of period 2 Morris forwards found an opportunity close to the touch zone, dug the ball out, and fed it out to their backs. Dave Berube, filling in for Morris at a wing, caught the ball at full pace and stuck it down in the corner for a Morris try. An awesome attempt from an awkward angle for the conversion was narrowly missed, and the period ended with the score 30 - 8, Grey.   

Period 3 and changes in personnel for both sides. It had been a hard two periods, and both sides were feeling the fatigue. The play was a little sloppy by both sides at first, however Morris's All-World Forward Andy Steinberg found the opportunity to gather in a spilled ball, put his head down and slam the ball down for the second Morris try. The conversion was missed and Morris was making it close with the score now 30 - 13 in favor of the Grey. Play resumed, with both sides determined to touch one more down. With the Grey putting the ball into touch, Morris looked to take the ball in a lineout and relieve pressure on their end. In the Morris line out, Ed Carr stole the ball, tapping it down to Kevin McNamara who rambled up the sideline sniffing the try zone. Morris defended well, the ball went to the floor, the Grey forwards rucked over, John Kerr spun the ball out to the back line and Steve "Bomber" Tenenbaum filled in, caught the pass, cut around outside and touched down another Grey score. The conversion was missed, and the final score was Connecticut Grey RFC 35, Morris Masters 13. Man-of-the-Match honors were divided three ways: Mike Guzzio, Brancard and Chabot.   

(Photos courtesy Steve Tenenbaum)   

GREY START OFF FALL 2004 SEASON WITH A DECISIVE WIN   

September 11, 2004, Danbury – Danbury RFC hosted the Connecticut Grey at their Western Connecticut State University pitch for our season opener against Division III Hamden RFC (the former Quinnipiac Law). To say that Hamden was young is an understatement, considering that the oldest player on their team was born in 1981! However, they are a great bunch of guys who mixed with us after the match, and it's evident that they truly want to learn this game. In addition, they are fast and mobile, and could lay a hit on us from just about anywhere on the pitch. In fact Hamden scored first in about the 5th minute when they figured out that we weren't ready to tackle yet. They put it down in the corner, missed the conversion, and led 5 - 0. While we had possession of the ball for most of the first period, it took quite a while for us to score. However, off a nice pass from Tony Johnson, Jim Riordan put one down to start the Grey scoring for the season. The try was converted by Don Brancard and the Grey led 7 - 5. The first period ended with Hamden getting a penalty call, and they slotted the kick to end the first period leading 8 - 7.   

Period 2 did not have a lot of scoring. There was a lot of tactical kicking and play was limited for both sides to the middle of the pitch, with a lot of rucking and mauling. While there were some breakaways, poor handling by both sides resulted in lots of dropped balls. Towards about the end of period 2, another lovely pass from Johnson led to another Riordan score and with the Brancard conversion the score was 14 - 8 in favor of the Grey. That would close out the 2nd stanza.   

Period 3 turned into a track meet, where our experience led to many scoring opportunities. Not that Hamden wasn't game - they continued to punish us for mistakes made, and their hard tackling never let up; we just had better rugby knowledge on where to be around the pitch and how to protect the ball. Period 3 opened up with John Kubic scoring in the far corner, conversion no good, score 19 - 8. Follow that up with Kubic fighting through tackles to put the ball down, McNierney converts and the score is now 26 - 8. After some fine mauling by the Grey, Brendan Coffey sold one of his dummies and put a score down under the posts. McNierney converts and the score goes to 33 - 8. The day ended with an impressive ramble by Mike Kosilla who off-loaded to Bill Stimpfle who cut back inside to score. No conversion. Whistle blew and the final was 38 - 8 in favor of the Grey.   

Nice work by Riordan, Johnson, Kubic, Jim McCormick, Steve Falatyn, John Kerr, Kevin McNamara, Mike Guzzio, Darryl Garrison, and Lou Petruzzello. Also thanks to the wives and girlfriends and grandchildren who showed up to support us yesterday. It really makes a difference.   

HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME

The Grey have enjoyed several opportunities to play some social rugby over the summer.   

June 19, 2004, JoJo Moore Tournament – Mike Guzzio captained a motley old boys side under the Grey banner at this year's JoJo Moore tourney organized by White Plains RFC. The Club sent along a donation to this worthwhile cause. Guz reports, "A beautiful day made for a fun day. I set up beer and music camp at my truck right next to the field and 18 players showed up for our team. We actually had more OB players than any of the OB teams in the tourney. We played against Albany and it was close in the first half, 3-12, and ended up at a respectable 17-28. The Frenchman Thierry Langlais had two tries for the Grey, which definitely made me think I made the right choice when I ditched Brendan Coffey to give Thierry a ride home back in May. We ended up playing only the one game as both consolation teams decided a drink off was better than playing the second. Everyone got enough rugby because, with other teams short, there were plenty of opportunities to play. There were a number of Grey there – Joe Scandariato, Fred Seeger, Jim Burke, Bud Harvey, Paul Jackson, and Coffey – with the remainder representing about five other teams. White Plains really appreciated us being at the JoJo Tourney and hoped we do it again."   

July 24, 2004, Unicorns Rugby – Honorary Grey Bill Good led his Unicorns Rugby club – a side that included Lou Casciaro, Tom Roncaioli, Fred Seeger, Mike Guzzio, Dean Jorgensen, Bud Harvey, Jim Riordan, Joe Scandariato, and our newest honorary member, Mike Flynn – in a spirited, if disappointingly lopsided, match against the AJ Foundation President's XV at Corless Field in beautiful Wycombe, Pennsylvania. This is the seventh year in a row that Allen and Joanne Corless have invited friends and supporters of The AJ Foundation For Children with Autism to their magnificent home to play rugby, drink beer, listen to good music, and consume the roasted pig, all in aid of the foundation of their creation.  The event – of which our old boys match was the featured attraction – raises funds for the school that Allen and Joanne established to educate their son and other autistic children. Bill writes, "I hope that you all enjoyed the day (and the night) on Saturday, arrived home safely and slept well on Sunday. I want to thank each of you for participating in the 7th Annual Pig Roast and Rugby Festival. We may not have been victorious in the first 60 minutes (my memory is a bit fuzzy on that score) but I know that we comported ourselves with style and dignity over the twelve hours that followed. We also did our part for the Foundation. Our total funds raised will be well over $3,500. It was enjoyable playing and socializing with each all of you. You can all consider yourselves part of Unicorns Rugby and are welcome to join us on future tours, local or international."    

July 31, 2004, Rhody Old Cocks – What’s more predictable than the groundhog seeing his shadow on February 4th? The Grey traveling to Block Island and losing a close match to the  Rhody Old Cocks! Yes, once again, under a blazing sun and on a relatively hot day, the Grey found themselves on the short end of what was the closest match yet in this regular summer ritual. Vice Captain Kerr led a strong side that was missing only a few of its regulars. In the opening period the Grey found themselves camped out nicely within the Old Cock’s 25-meter line for most of the period. However, with a solid pack defense, the Old Cocks continuously pushed the Grey back from the goal line who surrendered penalty after penalty, killing any chances to tally some points. A miscue on the Grey and a break by the Old Cocks was the only spark of offense from the opposition. A quick second-phase play, and the Old Cocks were up 5 - 0.    

The second period saw the Grey playing against the wind, and the Old Cocks had the Grey pinned in their own half for most of the period. A breakdown in coverage allowed the Old Cocks to flip the ball out through the backs leading to a 10 - 0 lead. The tide turned in the final period, the Grey showing some great fortitude and perseverance. The Grey took advantage of long kicks deep into the Old Cocks' territory. Scrum half Joe Bordieri finished off some fine loose play, scampering in and touching one down to get the Grey on the scoreboard. This was followed by the traditional prop drop kick attempt. George Saul's kick was good and the Grey were back in the match 10 - 7. Dιjΰ vu all over again as the Grey camped inside the Old Cocks' half of the field. A nice backfield passing effort to a looping Bill Bishop, who took the ball well up-field and found Jay Chabot, who bolted past the defenders to tally the second try and the go-ahead points. The kick was not good but the Grey led 12 - 10. Unfortunately this is where the jubilation ended. Even with the momentum, the plan on kicking deep and supporting to keep the Old Cocks away from any possible score was not well executed. The Old Cocks were able to move the ball in close and on a second-phase play with the ball out to the backs, were able to touch down the final and game-winning try.   

So, with the whistle blown, another chapter was closed in the saga of the losing streak to the Old Cocks. That didn't prevent both sides from continuing the tradition of a drink-up and awards presentation at Scotch Beach with Man of the Match honors going to Bill Bishop.   

(Photo courtesy Zanny Trammel)   

August 8-9, 2004, Saranac Lake – Joe Scandariato reported from this year's Can-Am Rugby Tournament.  Several Grey traveled north and played this weekend. I did not see Bill Bishop but I think he was there playing for Amoskeag. George Saul, Joe Bordieri, Lou Petruzello, Darryl Garrison, Brendan Coffey, Pete McNierney, Phil Tufano, Steve Falatyn and I all played with White Plains Over 40 and/or Over 45. Bob Casey played with Mystic River but he helped White Plains in the Over-45 Semifinal. Phil played in the Club Division and Darryl played with several teams in the Over 45 and Over 40 Divisions. White Plains Over 40 lost in finals to Myths and Legends, and White Plains Over 45 lost in the semifinals to the Saranac Lake Mountaineers. White Plains was happy to have the Grey and they extended an invitation to play with them in the future (tournaments and tours).  Bordo injured his shoulder and we missed him the rest of the way. Also, old friend Brian Carroll (OMEX, Winged Foot) was playing for White Plains and sustained a broken leg in our first Over-45 match. A couple of old Mid Hudson guys also helped out White Plains in the Over 45 (Neil Arbuckle and Ted) and Over 40 (Tim Duffy).   

And this from Bill Bishop: Jay Chabot also played for Amoskeag over the weekend. In yesterday's consolation semifinal, Jay hurt his neck in loose play and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Turns out he sprained ligaments in his neck and will be fine. He was to drive home this morning. Amoskeag lost in the consolation final to Boston 17-5.   

Brendan Coffey writes: Somewhere along the line we lost track of Georgie Saul's effort with White Plains Over 40, as he started and finished all the games for them including the final on the green carpet at NCCC. For some of us, it seemed like we played an entire season in one weekend...   

August 28, 2004, Jersey Shore Rugby Tournament – Mike Guzzio organized a motley band of Old Boys for Monmouth RFC's Jersey Shore Rugby Tournament. He reports: Brutally hot, but fun, with a great party at the home of a Montclair OB who lives near the pitch. I played one A, one B, and an OB's game. Steve Falatyn was there along with two other guys from the JoJo Moore "Grey" team, Tim Dankavitch and Perry Forster. I did end up organizing an OB/young boy team to play the Monmouth OB's. After the final OB championship game between Monmouth and Omex, I approached both teams about a possible future match with us. Both teams told me they really can't field an OB's side except for certain tournaments and that they are really part of the Gentlemen of NY, so we will see them this fall.   

EAGLES GIVE FRANCE A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY   

July 3, 2004, East Hartford – Well over 100 Grey, family, and friends gathered at Rentschler Field on a glorious New England summer day to watch the US Eagles give a decidedly developmental France side all they could handle. Close to 6,000 fans watched the Eagles take a surprising 21-17 lead into halftime.  After the turn, however, France quickly touched down three unanswered tries to take a seemingly insurmountable lead into the last 20 minutes. Late Eagles tries through Van Zyl and Mo'unga made the final score line a respectable 31 - 39.   

The day started with a tailgate party worthy of The Great Gatsby, himself.  The beer, wine and champers flowed and the half dozen grill masters on hand turned out tons of burgers, dogs, and kielbasas to accompany the bounty of appetizers, from fresh fruit salad to cold shrimp cocktail.  What wasn't finished in the parking lot was moved to the Carrs' home in West Hartford for a spontaneous garden party and testiclese tournament. A perfect summer's day.   

FRANCONIA ONE LAST TIME (MAYBE...)   

June 4-6, 2004, Franconia, N.H. – Joe Scandariato asked, "What doesn't belong and why? 1) Smarty Jones, 2) George Saul, or 3) Steve Tenenbaum? The answer is #1 – Smarty Jones. He was the only one of the three that was caught from behind this weekend!"   

A funny statement, but it really puts our play up in Franconia into perspective. We had 29 players show up, along with a number of wives, girlfriends, kids, dogs and probably some other stuff as well. Both games were played on a glorious day with sun, heat, and no humidity – a perfect day for a bunch of old boys teams to cap off their spring seasons. Given the rumor that this could be the final year of the tourney, all eight teams showed up with plenty of players, which left minimal opportunities for whoring. That was okay for most of us anyway, since we got plenty of rugby in our games. In a major disappointment to Andy Terry and his Toronto XL teammates (who once again told Eddie Carr, "This is the year we beat you"), we drew Seacoast for game 1 and Ottawa for game 2.   

Game 1: final in favor of the Grey 46 to 0; Game 2: final in favor of the Grey 27 to 0. We pitched a shutout this weekend! We cannot remember everyone who scored, but (as Joe Scan's comment above indicates) two of the memorable scores were by George Saul and Bomber – Saul, pounding through pretend tacklers from midfield followed by some fancy open-field running and eventually bulling his way over for a score; Bomber attempted to kick out of touch behind his 22 to end the game, shanked the ball and it still didn't go out. In putting us onside he gathered in his own kick and found himself running three quarters of the length of the pitch to dot down under the posts – a fitting way to end the game. LOTS of great play around the pitch all day by the Grey. Truly, everyone stepped up. Some of the standouts were Jon Leone, Tony Johnson, Jay Chabot, Joe Bordieri, Bill Bishop, Bill Aman; also, Jim Burke, Bud Harvey, Bob Casey, John "Bone Nose" Kerr, and Joe Scan (with some of his adoring fans below). Also some nice play by Kevin McNamara, Jim McCormick, Gary Tamburri and Mike Kosilla as well. We had an opportunity to let our backs shine this weekend. The forwards played very well, dug out ball, got around the pitch to support, and took lineouts, and the backs delivered the goods all day when presented with the opportunity. The best part about the games were that our team had no letdown whatsoever between halves. It's rare where we can slot 29 players easily into all of the positions required. Nobody really had to play out of position too much. Everybody basically played a half each game and understood that they had to go all out hard for that half. Thanks all of your for playing with class, dignity and passion.   

We also had our usual Friday night steak/shrimp fest thanks to The Seeger/Scandariato connection. And on Saturday after the matches at the pitch Flynn/Leone did us proud with the annual Italian antipasto repast. The Johnson/Jorgensen champagne service was at full pitch, hosted by the Brancards in front of the Mini Winnie. Who could ask for more?! Okay, how about the Sunday morning mimosa party on the porch, this year with a few rousing games of Testiclese! Another fantastic OMOM weekend.    

LION KINGS LIFT THE CUP   

May 22, 2004, New York City – Well they finally did it. Bill McHugh, after a two-year hiatus to Hong Kong, put together a talented Lion Kings team (no motleys this year) that had its way with an under-strength Connecticut Grey side. The Grey traveled to Randalls Island in defense of the Old Boys Cup with only 17 players, most of them forwards. Captain Carr cobbled together a set of backs, most of them playing out of position, and set them the task of taming the younger Lions. Alas, it was not to be. The game was a played in a typical Randalls Island dust bowl (there were hints of grass near the touchline) and the 90-degree heat and high humidity did nothing to help the Grey, who had no replacements. The try-fest ended in a score line of 12 - 45, the only Grey points coming from a penalty try at the end of a great driving scrummage and a third period try by Lou Petruzzello converted by Tony Johnson.   

One of the few highlights of the day was Fred Seeger's return to action. His play earned him Man-of-the-Match honors. The Lion Kings hosted us well at their mid-town bar, Failte, and promised us a strong defense of the Cup next season.   

A GREAT DAY OF RUGBY IN MEMORY OF JOHN FALATYN   

May 15, 2004, Kingston, NY – Nearly 50 ruggers, their family, and friends from the Connecticut Grey and the Mid Hudson Old Dogs gathered at the Miller Middle School in Kingston, New York to play a little rugby and drink a little beer in honor of our friend and former teammate John Falatyn. As usual, the game was well contested, with a number of players spending time on both sides of the ball. The father-son duos of Joe and Andrew Scandariato and Lou and Jesse Casciaro anchored the Grey side in the third period. John's brother Steve kitted up for the Doggies.   

The day started with the two teams, side by side, processing from under the posts to midfield behind the Ulster County Pipe and Drum Corps. A short moment of silence was followed by a hearty "Puh!" While billed as a "friendly," both teams played with the spirit and competitiveness that John would have expected. Both sides touched the ball down three times and the final score was left only for the record keepers.   

Again, we retired to Pixie Falatyn's home in Kingston for a wonderful cookout on a picture-perfect spring afternoon. Well over $1,000 was raised on the day, to be donated to the Rip Van Winkle Council of the Boy Scouts of America in John's memory. Thanks to Brendan Coffey and all the "Grey Dogs" for making this another day to remember and a fitting tribute to our dear friend.   

WHITE PLAINS CLASSIX EKE OUT WIN   

May 1, 2004, Wallingford – The Grey ended up on the wrong side of a 26 - 25 score against a tough White Plains Classix team. The game got off to our usual start – kind of slow by the Grey – however we got out of our first period doldrums soon enough after White Plains scored on a 5-meter scrum. Conversion good, 7 - 0. We woke up and played in White Plain's end of the pitch, however a big breakaway toward the end of the period had us down 14 - 0. Period 2 started with White Plains scoring a try and missing the conversion, Classix 19 - Grey 0. Shortly after that, Jay Chabot slotted a drop kick for our first points of the day. The Grey worked the ball hard, leading to a Mike Harris score off of a pretty pass from Bob Casey who received the nod from Donny Brancard where it all started. Conversion good, Classix 19 - Grey 10. With time winding down, the Grey won the set scrum and Chabot slotted another drop kick at the end of the second period and the score at the end of two was Classix 19 - Grey 13. The last time the Grey scored on a drop kick was about six or seven years ago by Malcolm Davidson at Randalls Island – now we score two in one game! Period 3 opened up with both sides very determined to win the game – hard hits and intensity picked up immediately. The Grey drew first blood when Chabot faked a pass and juked his way down the sideline for a score in the corner. Conversion no good, Classix 19 - Grey 18. White Plains countered quickly with another Matt Leonard score. Conversion good, Classix 26 - Grey 18. Time was short, following a questionable offsides call for a Bill Bishop cherry pick that was called back. The Grey still had opportunity though. A lineout play was taken by the forwards and moved over, where George Saul put it down for the score. Conversion good. Unfortunately full-time whistle called shortly after and the final ended Classix 26 - Grey 25.   

This week's Men-of-the-Match honors go to Jay Chabot (continually showing us his amazing versatility each week), Bill Bishop (classy intensity) and Jim Facey (back digging out ball again). Other players who stood out yesterday included George Saul, Bill Aman, Dean Jorgensen, Bob Casey, and Mark Collins.   

GREY BOUNCE BACK WITH SOLID WIN OVER NEW YORK JAPAN   

April 24, 2004, Wallingford – The Grey got back on the winning track with a 35 - 17 win over the New York Japan RC. NY Japan was younger and faster, but we countered with older and slower (BUT we were fatter). Both the forwards and backs played well in defense. Rucking and mauling were improved over the previous week's performance and set scrums were won both offensively and defensively. Backs did a great job of stringing everything out where appropriate, but cutting back in and finding support. Standouts for the Grey were Jay Chabot, Mark Collins, Kevin Connors, Bud Harvey, Mike Kosilla, Joe Bordieri (photo below), and Tony Johnson. Man-of-the-Match honors went to Mark Collins.   

Scoring started off with a great steal by Mike Harris giving out to Chabot who booted and chased to put down his own kick after a 75 yard run. The first period ended 7 - 0. In the second period we gave up a score, but also gained a score when Jon Leone pounced on a ball for a try – second period score: 14 - 7. In the third period Mark Collins rambled for a score before the Grey gave one back to Japan. Collins scored again later on from a set scrum play where he was in the right place at the right time. To finish up, Connors took a nice feed from the backs and rambled over to end the day 35 - 17.   

Thanks to all of the friends, wives, girlfriends, and kids for coming out to the game. Beautiful day; great family involvement. Very nice support.   

(Photos courtesy Marti Aman)   

 MORRIS TAKES IT TO GREY   

April 17, 2004, Morristown, N.J. – The Grey fell to one and one on the spring season as a result of a loss to the Morris Rugby Masters. A late rally by the Grey fell short, with the final score 14 - 18. The Grey really didn't get into their stride until the second 25-minute period and a third-period burst was too little too late.   

Bill Bishop and Jay Chabot did a great job hooking up, getting to know each other's moves and really complementing one another. Lou Casciaro played a fine game at Number 8, making himself available around the field. These three players shared Men-of-the-Match honors. The play of Jim Burke, Bill Aman, and Jim McCormick also stood out.   

GREY DEFEAT BERKSHIRE IN SEASON OPENER  

April 3, 2004, Wallingford – Berkshire traveled strong to PNA Park for our 2004 season opener. The first 25-minute period ended in the Grey's favor, 5 - 0, off of a dot down in the corner by Jim Burke off of a fine pass from Bill Bishop. Period 2 ended up 7 - 5 in favor of Berkshire. They had opportunity and we had penalties against us. Period 3 and final score: Grey 31 - Berkshire 7. The floodgates opened! Scores by Don Brancard off of a pretty chip by John Kerr who ran down his chip and gave it out to the streaking Brancard for the score. Next came a hard ruck, ball going out to the backs and Jay Chabot filling in from the fullback spot for a score off of a Bishop pass. Bishop then scored, himself, after an east-west run and refusing to pass to Ed Carr (Captain Carr had words with Bill in the bar afterwards). Lastly, a beautiful rolling maul where Brendan Coffey tricked Carr into giving him the ball in-goal to touch down.   

We had 31 players, including a couple of new boys – John Campbell and Kevin McNamara – as well as welcoming back Jim Facey and Mark Collins. The forwards dug in deep at every opportunity. Joe Scandariato (Man of the Match) hooked very well and stole about five or six of Berkshire's put-ins. Clean ball out to the backs; backs found spots to fill, and found spots to turn around on. Great tactical kicking by Jay Chabot and Bill Bishop.   

GREY SUPPORT JAMMERS' TOURNAMENT   

A number of Grey turned out to assist Bud Harvey and the Connecticut Jammers as they hosted a regional quad rugby tournament at New Horizons Village on Saturday, February 21. Special thanks to Ed Carr, Tom Roncaioli, and Tony Johnson. The tourney received a write-up in the Sunday Hartford Courant. Click here to read all about it.   

BARBADOS TOUR A TOTAL SUCCESS   

The weather was warm, the competition fierce, and the rum never stopped flowing – perfect ingredients for a great rugby tour. Twenty seven Grey along with 24 of their ladies fair toured the island during the second week of February. All the hard work and preparation paid off as we enjoyed wonderful hospitality, great activities, and two hard-fought rugby matches. The scores favored the host Barbados RFC on both occasions but the Grey left nothing on the pitch, adapting their style of play to the Bajans in the second test and walking off with a credible score and the respect and friendship of our opponents – national track stars and former rugby internationals among their numbers.   

Island tours in open-air Land Rovers, stilt walkers and fire eaters at the Plantation Dinner Theatre, sailing and snorkeling in the warm Caribbean sea, were just a few of the memories that will last a lifetime. There could have been no better way to kick off our 25th season.  Congratulations to all the players and thanks to the organizers for a memorable trip.   

Click here for a photo journal of our adventure.   

 

ANOTHER JAMMERS CLINIC

January 17, 2004, Unionville, CT – Once again, the Connecticut Jammers, Gaylord Hospital's quad rugby club, burned up the hard court at New Horizons Village, retaining for the fourth year running the coveted Connecticut Sister Rugby Club Wheel with a 41 - 19 trashing of the visiting Connecticut Grey. Despite their effective use of the long throw in, the Grey were thwarted by the Jammers' honed blocking skills. Time and time again, the Jammers created narrow lanes in the key that they were able to exploit seemingly at will.   

                                                                                                        Photo by John Kerr

Congrats to our friends from Gaylord and thanks to our own Bud Harvey, Jammers coach, for organizing this annual event – a popular tradition on the Grey calendar. We look forward to seeing our fellow ruggers on the touchline at a home Grey match this spring.   

 

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