Saturday March 27th (Wellington)

Our last full day in New Zealand presented itself with a full agenda of activities and things to do. Beginning at 9:30am, the men participated in the Old Boys 10-a-side tournament where they were scheduled for three twenty minute games. We lost our first game by a close margin, but won our next two and made it through to the semi-finals. The semi-final match was a close game and the guys played their hearts out, but came up just short. Regardless of the result, they definitely earned the respect of everyone watching and even had some of the local New Zealanders chanting “Go Barbara!”

The women also had a game today and it took place at the lunch break of the tournament. So while everyone was resting and eating in between matches, our ladies took the field against OBU (Old Boys University). They lost their game by a close score, but played with much determination and heart as well. The score didn’t tell the tale as our ladies additionally earned the respect of everyone watching. It was a great game to witness and a memorable one for the seniors on the team. When all was said and done with the rugby games today, both of our teams represented UCSB and more importantly the United States so well!

At night we all headed to Westpac stadium to watch the Hurricanes play the Sharks in a Super 14 match. It was a great game and was actually decided by a penalty kick by one of the Sharks players as the clock expired. After the game we got to head onto the pitch and get autographs from all the Hurricane stars, which was a great experience as well.

We all got dolled up after the game and painted Wellington for one last time. All the guys got to skip the lines at all the clubs as we poised ourselves as the United States Rugby team. Photographers in the clubs even caught on and were snapping photos of us; it was a great way to end our memorable trip.
Our flight is scheduled to leave Wellington tomorrow at 3:30pm, which is sad, but this trip has been an experience for everyone involved and will be remembered for the rest of our lives.

Friday March 26th (Picton for the morning then Ferry to Wellington)

After a long day of traveling and car failures yesterday, we woke up in Picton to an absolutely gorgeous sun-shining day. Coach Battle treated us all to a team breakfast in the morning, then we had a couple hours to kill before we got aboard the ferry to Wellington.

To pass the time we checked out a local aquarium and chilled out on a local lake front. The weather was perfect and the sky was as blue as ever. We boarded the ferry at 2pm and had about a three hour trip ahead of us. In traveling from South Island to North Island we had to pass through the Sound, which in geographical terms is an area that was cut by glaciers and filled in with ocean water. The scenery was so amazing!

The ferry made it to port at about 6pm where we checked into our hostel and grabbed some dinner. Both the men’s and women’s teams have matches tomorrow, our last full day in New Zealand (sad face). On a bright note though, we are going to see another Super 14 game (Hurricanes  vs. Sharks), and will be going out in Wellington after.

Thursday March 25th (Day 6, Travel day to Picton)

The guys and girls were on separate itineraries today. The girls were wheels up from Greymouth at 7:30am as they had a game scheduled in Picton at 6pm. The guys got the opportunity to sleep in because three of the vans needed mechanical work and wouldn’t be ready until late morning. Car problems seemed to be the theme of the day today as one of the girls vans broke down in Nelson because someone decided to fill up the unleaded fuel tank with diesel gasoline. The guys ran into car troubles as well just outside of Reefton when one of the vans got a flat tire.

Unfortunately for us, the closest mechanic didn’t have the proper tools and tires to fix the flat and instead we were stuck on the side of the road for a couple hours. To pass the time we threw rocks at signs until that got boring.

When all was said and done we found a 16-passenger shuttle to drive us to Picton; we ended up leaving the van in Reefton. The guys arrived three hours later and ended up missing the girls match against Central Rugby Football Club. The final score was 17-8, and from what I heard the girls put up a great fight. They definitely played with a lot of heart and improved off of their last fixture against the University of Canterbury.

Our schedule for tomorrow is check-out at 10am from our hostel and then we are heading on the ferry at 1pm to Wellington for our last two nights in New Zealand.

Wednesday March 23rd (Day 5 Travel Day to Greymouth)

No one was ready to leave Queenstown so soon, but it was time to pack up the cars and head North-west to Greymouth, which was 330 miles away. On our way we were treated to some amazing scenery full of giant mountains, tons of lakes and rivers, and two different glaciers. We stopped at both glaciers to check them out and were struck with awe as the glaciers added to the uniqueness and beauty of this country. The South Island truly is a one of a kind place, and we were able to experience that first hand today. There was a little bit of rain, which ended up playing to our favor as we were able to see the most vibrant and distinctive rainbows you could imagine; there were literally over fifteen rainbows along our drive.

We arrived in Greymouth at about 8pm, just in time for a team dinner at Banzai Pizza. Our schedule for tomorrow is slated for a 7am wakeup so we can make it up to Picton in time for the Women’s match.

Tuesday March 22nd (Day 4 Queenstown)

This morning was another early morning for us, which was good because there is so much to do in Queenstown and we only had one day left to live up the greatness of this city. River Surfing was a rush, a workout, and a great experience for everyone involved. We had a private group of fifteen of us where we charged down the Kawauri River through grade 1-4 rapids. In the middle of the river was a standing waves where we got too surf on our body boards and do some sweat barrel roles and duck dives. The trip last about four hours and was worth every penny that we all spent on it.

After we got back from our trip we ate at the famous burger stopm, Fergburger, where I had a deer burger with mint jelly. So goooood! That afternoon we meant to head up the Gondola to do some luging, but everyone was so beat from the River Surfing that we ended up napping in preparation for the wild evening we had planned ahead.

Coach Battle came into contact with Todd Clever and some of the Johannesburg Lions players, and we met up with them that night at our hostel. They came out to  a couple of the bars with us and were totally cool dudes. After we parted ways with those guys, we all took part in a Pub Crawl dressed up in  neon outfits with tiny booty shorts. We were most definitely the celebrities of Queenstown that night, and everyone who we met fell in love with all of us. Our tiny shorts were a hit and none of us had ever had our butts slapped so many times in one night.

Our evening ended at the wee hours of 4am, which was only three hours before we had to wake up and drive to Greymouth, our next destination.

Monday March 21st (Day 3, Travel day to Queenstown)

We were wheels up in Christchurch en route to Queenstown at 8:30am. The trip is 330 miles Southwest along a windy road and was meant to take us about 8 hours. Fortunately for us there was some beautiful scenery, stunning mountains, and one of the bluest lakes you have ever seen, Lake Tekapu.

We arrived in Queenstown around 6pm just in time to sign up for some adventure trips. The majority of the girls signed up for a canyoning trip, and the guys all signed up for River Surfing. The trips started early in the morning, but that didn’t stop everyone from going out in Queenstown that night and checking out the scene.  We went to a karaoke bar where the men’s team sang a couple great hits and had the crowd on their feet the entire time.

Everyone had a great time as always and we all can’t wait for our adventurous trips tomorrow morning.

Sunday March 20, 2010 (Day 2 Christchurch)

Today was match day for both the men’s and women’s side. The Women took on the University of Canterbury, which apparently boasted four All Blacks and a host of other experienced players. They ended up losing the game, but put up quite an effort and were complimented by the other side after the match for the persistence and effort. The players of the game were Christina Ramos Teru Baker.
The men took on Burnside Rugby Club later that afternoon. The score didn’t indicate how the game went, but we were walloped. After only watching my first rugby match the day before, Coach Battle had me starting on the wing during this game. It was quite an exhilarating experience to step on the pitch with all the guys and I am looking forward to our next match in a couple days. The men of the match in our game were Guy Western and Jon Flake. Following the game we went back to the clubhouse for some beers and good times with both opposing sides.

We had some free time to go out that night and we all ended up going to this bar with a live acoustic band.  Everyone was dancing and belting out the tunes at the top of their lungs. It was an absolute smashing time and everyone seems to be having the time of their lives. The team is bonding well and excited for the rest of the trip ahead!

We have our alarms set for 7:45am en route to Queenstown.

Saturday March 19, 2010 (Day 1 Christchurch)

After a long flight from LAX to New Zealand, we finally arrived in Christchurch. It was nice to finally get out of the airport, out of our number 1’s (blazer, shirt and tie), and onto the pitch for some touch rugby. We played for about an hour, did a dynamic warm-up and a little conditioning, and then hit showers in preparation for the Super 14 match-up between the Christchurch Crusaders and the Johannesburg Lions. The game was the first professional rugby match that I and many of the other rugby players had ever seen, and it did not disappoint. The game had lots of scoring, hard hits, and excitement throughout its entirety. The Crusaders ended up winning, and scored a try nearly as the clock expired. After the game we were able to go onto the pitch and take some pictures on the team bench and as well as see some of the players up close.

It was definitely a great experience today, and I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow and see our teams in action against the University of Canterbury…

Friday March 18, 2010 (11:41pm PT aboard Air New Zealand)

Leaving Santa Barbara on a warm sunny day is always difficult, but knowing that we were on our way to New Zealand made that thought completely unnecessary. I didn’t really know what to expect coming on this trip. I did some research with friends who had traveled through New Zealand and studied abroad there, and was able to get some sort of insight into the culture. What I didn’t and still don’t have a full grasp on is what to expect from what has been infamously coined in the rugby world as “Tour”.

I originally thought this was just a reason to travel to the rugby homeland, play some games, share some drinks with the local Kiwis, and enjoy the picturesque landscape. Apparently “Tour” is much bigger then just a trip to New Zealand and is a long-lasting tradition amongst the Rugby world. I have no idea what I have just gotten myself into as videographer of the trip!

Every guy on the team has a ridiculous haircut and stylish facial hair, ironically during Mustache March, and the excitement for this trip has been evident on everyone’s face since we met at Harder Stadium Thursday afternoon. As I have become more comfortable with the team in the 4 hours I have known them, I am already getting a vision of what may lie ahead in the next 10 days.
All I can say is, if I survive the trip in one piece with my video camera still in tact and the footage un-damaged, the video that will come at the conclusion of this trip will be an epic tale documenting one of the best times of our lives. Until then, we have 7 more hours left on this plane…..

Land of the Long White Cloud

Parvi Sed Lenti!  The Men & Lady Gauchos depart today on a 10 day tour to the South Island of New Zealand (50 strong).  We will play a total of 4 matches (2 each) and witness some of the best rugby the kiwis have to offer (attending the Cruasders match in Christchurch; Hurricanes match in Windy Welly!)  Have some fun in Queenstown and maybe eat a pig or too.

Stay tuned, as we will have regular updates from down under!

re: Good Laugh

A magician worked on a cruise ship.


The audience was different each week so the magician
did the same tricks over and over again.  There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the shows each week and began to understand how the magician did every trick.

Once he understood, he started shouting in the middle
of the show, "Look, Its not the same hat!" or, "Look,
he's hiding the flowers under the table!"  or "Hey, why are all the cards the ace of spades?"

The magician was furious but couldn't do anything. It was, after all, the Captain's' parrot. Then one stormy night on the Pacific, the ship unfortunately sank, drowning almost all who were on board.  The magician luckily found himself on a piece of wood floating in the middle of the sea, as fate would have it ... with the parrot.

They stared at each other with hatred, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day... and then 2 days. and then 3 days. Finally on the 4th day, the parrot could not hold back any longer and said...

"OK, I give up. Where's the f#ckin' ship?"

Women's National team: We Want Ellen

Star ruggers Blair Grofesma and Phoebe Boone, class of  (a little help ladies) are vying for a spot on the Eagles World Cup Squad, as well as a little bit of love from talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. 

Take a look:


We WaNT Ellen! from Scrumhalf Connection on Vimeo.
from the USA Rugby Women's National Teams Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=616976247501&ref=mf):

'We're sending this video to Ellen in hopes of getting some members of the team on the show to promote our Rugby World Cup campaign. help us out by telling us why YOU think we should be on the Ellen show!'

If you haven't seen the video yet, watch it ASAP! Hilarious...and pass it on to everyone you know!

Thanks to Steph Bruce for sending me the file and thanks to Ashley Kmiecik for making the video!

The Long Face Club

Both the Men's & Women's seasons came to an abrupt end this past weekend.  The men, suffering horrific defeat at the hands of San Diego St, and the Women in a courages attempt against the newly risen UCLA Bruins 12-25.

Both teams now prepare for their bi-annual tour to the Land of the LONG White Cloud, to take on the powerful New Zealand All Blacks!

Sweet 16...Can you taste it?

Our ladies put on a clinic this past Saturday night,  blasting Arizona St at home 48-0.  This sets the stage for a mouth-watering rematch against UCLA this coming Sunday, and this one's for all the marbles, as the winner takes SoCals lone seed to the Sweet 16...more to follow.

2nd Half Woes Again Trouble Gauchos

The boys started strong in Westwood, only to fall apart in the 2nd half, losing to UCLA 14-31.  Two first half tries by Flanker Mitchell Raisch saw the half-time scores knotted up at 14 apiece.  But that would be "all she wrote" for our gritty Gauchos as lapses in concentration and fatigue began to rear it's ugly head from two matches in 3 days.  Read more