Banquet This Saturday! (12/5)

In case you hadn't heard Portland is holding its end-of year wrap up this Saturday at the Eastland Park Hotel, from 5pm until 9'ish.

There's still plenty of room left. Tickets are $25 if you've paid your dues, and $30 for the rest of you. Since we've upped the ante on the venue this year, formal dress is required.

Food is supplied, along with a cash bar with pre-negotiated low rates on selected adult beverages.

Find a date, bring your mum, whatever. See you there!

Season Wrap Up

It turns out a few people were still waiting to find out how the season ended up for us, so here's a quick recap of how the last couple of weeks went.

Well, first off, that Friday-night rugby thing lived down to the expectations, as Portland fell at the final hurdle to Middlesex. A frenetically paced game remained close until the 2nd half, by which time the pace and endless supply of fresh legs from Middlesex took its toll and Portland began to loose its shape. In the end Middlesex came out on top 18-7, and finished their first season in D2 undefeated. Not bad going.

Despite the loss, it looked as though Portland had still done enough to make the playoffs, but we were going to have to await the outcome of the weekend's other matches to find out for sure. In the end Newport were able to win their last two games on back-to-back days to sneak in to the second place spot, leaving Portland in third - meaning a road trip to Met NY.

But where in Met NY? Well, that was going to take another week of waiting, since their season still had another week left to run. In the end, it was Montauk who made a strong late run to secure the second place in their league and earn the spot as Portland hosts.

So last weekend Portland made the long trek down to the end of Long Island, in the middle of a Noreaster, to do battle with a heavyweight Montauk side. Although the rain let up by kick off time the field was pretty much drenched, and conditions were less than conducive to running rugby. This worked to the advantage of Montauk's forward-oriented style of play, but Portland was able to hang in the game in the early stages.

At half time the scoreline was close, with Montauk holding a slight lead. However, having only been able to muster 18 players for the trip down, as the match wore on, the magnitude of the effort required began to sink in. At the same time Montauk began to turn the screw and were able to put some daylight between us and them. In they end they ran out 34-15 winners, and a wet and muddy Portland side traipsed off, to begin their long trip home.

So, that's how the season ended up, with a bit of a whimper, but it was a still a great season overall, considering its length, and the shaky start.

Friday Rugby Not All That Bad

For those of you thinking that playing rugby on a Friday night has to be the first sign that the Apocalypse is upon us, take a closer look, since the end of civilization as we know it may come with a few added perks.

For those not familiar with the Amesbury, MA facility where we'll be playing, you should know that it is merely an hour south of Portland (the first exit off 495), and offers a fully stocked bar, with a balcony that overlooks the playing field. So if your religion, or even just your sense of right and wrong, prevents you from offending all that is holy and playing rugby on a Friday evening, then you could at least come down and enjoy a pint while society crumbles around your ears.

Given that this is Portland's last regular league game, and that a strong performance will be required to lock in a playoff spot, supporters are encourage to join the caravan that should be leaving the Park & Ride around 5pm on Friday. Check the Message Board for more details.

Portland rolls on

Portland kept their win streak going in miserable conditions this past Saturday as they came from behind to beat Newport 12 - 5.

Newport opened the scoring first after a sloppy first quarter, both in terms of the weather and the handling. Portland struck back quickly however with Mike Milliken finishing off an Alan Gibbon break to touch down under the post. Evan Harding made the conversion to give Portland a thin 7-5 lead.

That's how the score remained through half time and deep in to the second half, with most offensive moves petering out thanks to strong defense by both sides. Portland finally broke through again however, with Fred Hayman aquaplaning into the try zone after a move through the backline. No conversion this time, so 12-5 Portland.

With 15 minutes or so left, Newport came back aggressively, but scoring twice more in these conditions was going to be a big ask, and ultimately Portland were able to close the door on any comeback aspirations.

Portland's record is now 5-2, with one regular season game left against the undefeated Middlesex, who have already secured their place in the playoffs. The game will be on Friday night (10/30), so check the Message Board for departure times. There will still be two games, so we need as many players to make the trip down.

10/24 - Portland vs. Newport @ Fox Street, 1pm

Portland took care of Providence a few weeks back and have been enjoying a much needed break during their bye week. After that last win Portland's record improved to 4-2, and they now find themselves firmly in the playoff hunt, although with two big games ahead.

Firstly, this weekend, Newport comes to town sporting a similar record to Portland, and are no doubt happy to be setting the record straight after a tough season last year. The game kicks off on Fox Street at 1pm, with the B-side to follow, so please come on down and cheer the lads along.

Then to wrap up the regular season Portland will take on the undefeated newcomers, Middlesex, next Friday evening in Amesbury, MA.

Yes, you read that right, Friday evening. What is the world coming to?

10/10 - Portland hosts Providence at Fox Street

Whoa! The website is back up!

I don't know what happened there, but things seem to back to normal now.

So, you may not have heard but your Portland heroes have managed to claw their way back from a rocky 1-2 start to a more respectable 3-2 record. They're currently on a 2-0 win streak and hoping to add that tomorrow when Providence makes the trip up here.

I could add that Portland currently lies joint second in the division, but that is hardly an objective measure, given that a couple of the nearby teams have a game in hand, and a couple of others seem to be missing scores. Hopefully that will all begin to shake itself out in the next couple of weeks, NERFU website malfunctions notwithstanding.

Keep in mind that Portland gets their bye week next weekend, so this will be your last opportunity to get your rugby fix for some time. So, after all the rain tonight, come out to Fox Street at 1pm to welcome back the sunshine and enjoy Portland's own brand of sparkling rugby.

Home Opener - 9/26 vs. Charles River

Portland kick off a 3-game home stand today with a match against Charles River, from Boston.

The game kicks off at 1pm, and will be played at Fox Street, so please come on out and support our lads.

Here's a map, just in case you never been to Fox Street before:

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Maine College Rugby Championship

This Saturday, Portland Rugby Club will be hosting the annual Maine College Rugby Championship, which pits some of Maine's finest college rugby stars against each other for bragging rights, and a spot on the coveted 2009 Collegiate All Star Team.

All this will take place at Cumberland County Fairgrounds, and kicks off at 9 a.m., with both a men's and women's division for your viewing pleasure, not to mention a match for both Portland's boys and girls high school teams. And oh yeah, Portland will also be hosting Old Gold for a match of their own around mid-day.

The sun should be shining, concessions will be on hand, so why not come on up and enjoy a day that's chock full of first class rugby.

Fairgrounds directions:

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Home Game vs. Worcester 4/18

Portland's Spring form continues to improve, as a a strong second half performance last week saw the home side pull away from Amoskeag and end up with a 30-14 win.

The stretch of home games continues this weekend, as Portland hosts Worcester, another new addition to D2. The venue has moved again, back to the familiar stomping grounds of Fox Street, with a A side kick-off at 1pm and B side immediately thereafter.

Here's a map to Fox Street for those not familiar:

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Amoskeag @ Home 4/11

Portland took care of Seacoast in fine style this past weekend, with a 67-7 victory and plenty of tries for all.

This coming weekend, the ante gets upped more than a little when we leapfrog leagues to host D1 side Amoskeag.

This weekend's game will be held at Douglass Street (see below), with a kick off at 1:30pm. If you get there early, no worries, you'll get take in some of the women's game that precedes us. If you get there even earlier, still no worries, there's a high school girls game before them.

More rugby than you can shake a stick at. See you there.

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Portland squeaks past Middlesex

Portland showed plenty of rust this past weekend as they opened their Spring season against a talented and committed Middlesex side.

We can thank the weather for keeping us off our usual Fox Street haunt, and thank the numerous fringe sports that seem to be clogging up the City's fields for the late hour of the kick off. So, as a result, it was in the waning twilight that the match kicked off at Memorial Field.

Middlesex are a new addition to D2, and they seem destined to fit in well. They came ready to play with a strong pack, and a talented backline, intent on running the ball. Fortunately, Portlands...ahem, experienced pack were able to win their share of ball and supply their own skilled backline with their fair share of running opportunities.

The net result was a closely matched game throughout, that saw both sides hold a narrow lead at times. Both sides scored two tries apiece, with place kicking deciding the final outcome. Portland missed their two conversions, while Middlesex made one of theirs, but Portland were able to score a late penalty to edge ahead. Middlesex had a couple of late kicking opportunities to take the lead, but it was not to be. Final score, Portland 13 - Middlesex 12.

The B sides then followed with an entertaining follow up match, that featured several players trying the game for the first time. Despite the inexperience, the ref wisely let the game run, and the end result was a good contest, in which Middlesex were able to prevail.

A good evening, with some good rugby at times, but plenty of areas to improve on.

Portland host Seacoast this coming weekend, again at Memorial Field, but this time at a more reasonable hour, with a noontime kick off.

Spring Season Kick Off, Saturday Night (3/28)

Portland Rugby Club's 40th Spring Season will get under way this Saturday evening, at 7:00pm on Memorial Field (Deering High School). The visitors will be newly promoted Middlesex RFC. There will be two games, so bring your kit and you can enjoy some rugby into the wee small hours.

Directions below:

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Indoor Training

If the lack of sunlight and sub-zero temperatures has you falling helplessly into a spiral of depression, don't lose hope. Help is at hand.

All you lack is endorphins. As nothing more than a walking, talking meat-sack, your delicate chemical balance has been upset by your Winter torpor. While you might think you what you feel is emotion, it is nothing more than the release and reception of tiny amounts of stimulants and tranquilizers deep within your reptile mind.

And so, the answer to your problem has less to do with therapy, and more to do with returning to your hunter-gathering ways (at least in a modern day sense).

So, in the absence of a Wooly Mammoth, the next best thing is to get you some rugby, in whatever shape you can. Fortunately the Club has anticipated your chemical dependancy, and arranged for training to begin this week and stave of those homicidal thoughts.

Your cure can be found on Tuesday and Thursday nights, from 7 to 9 pm at the Saco Fitness Center (formerly Southern Maine Sportszone, formerly Howard Sports). Bring sneakers, bring water and $5 to help defray the costs.

Map below.

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