Dinnerware!

Yet another family to add to the mix :)

We earned 3rd place in our tournament this weekend and won ourselves a piece of dinnerware....the bowl!!!
...dinnerware...with Lucky Charms in it, you ask?
And I say, Lucky Charms is the dinner of champions you fool.

We played some tough competition, had some fabulous weather, and a great time was achieved by all. It was a 10s tournament with teams coming as far as from neighboring states. There were some blowout games and some nail biters. It was great to finally see everyone's talents in action, and learn about everyone's different playing styles.

What I also love about rugby tournaments is that while you're not playing in your own game, there's constantly opportunity to still improve yourself through watching other games going on in your down time. Spectating rugby is a great way to gain knowledge from a bird's eye view while also picking up on the frequencies of potential opponents.
***I need to just start carrying around a designated rugby journal, because I try to quickly type things into my phone that I'm learning but since it's so quick I keep telling myself "I'll write that down later," never do actually write it down, and then my Dory-esque memory forgets it right away.

There's so many different things you may not catch when you're in the game since (clearly) you're not fully able to take in the entire picture. Of course that's the goal while playing, to be aware of the field in its entirety, but you're focusing so much on your own job that spectating allows you to focus on what everyone else is doing and learn from it. There's no substitution for learning through playing, but there's opportunities around every corner for you to continue improving your game and you may not even realize it!

Personally, (I need to work on being strengths based so I'll start it out here) what I am most proud of with my playing throughout the tournament was that I feel that the majority (definitely not always, but at least more often than not) of the time I was on the field I did everything I could to support my teammates. That is constantly my goal in rugby. In the photos taken of all our rugby games (thanks Hilary, they're really helpful!!), I'm glad I was able to find multiple photos not of me specifically doing anything glamorous or being front and center, but there were some pictures of me right behind a teammate working hard and giving it her all. Whether she was on offense plowing through defenders and I was there ready to ruck over the ball if she got tackled or I was right next to a teammate on defense making an amazing tackle and ready to stop the next play, I never want anyone's hard work to go to waste:

Seeing a turnover happen from a teammate having no support with her is more painful to me than hearing nails on a chalkboard or being burned alive. It is one of my biggest peeves that I absolutely cannot stand.
Here is an example via photo:

Morgan blasts through at least a third of the opposition for our team on offense and gains what? NOTHING!
Multiple times by multiple people, my teammates would break through the defense and be off to the races but occasionally slowed down or tackled by a defender. Even if they are slowed down by a defender and then met by other defenders, their extremely hard work can be stolen from them with no reward for what they're putting in.
THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN. 
EVER.
It's beyond irrational to expect your teammate to score every time she/he is a badass and makes it onto a breakaway.

On the flip side, it is also irrational to take a breather when your teammate makes a bone-crunching tackle. For a split second many people may think "Okay, the ball has been stopped on offense and they're not moving forward," but in that same split second an offload can occur, a ruck can be lost, someone can pick and go the ball, and suddenly you just gave away at least 5 points......all in less than a second. When a teammate is able to deny the opposition a breakaway, it's (obviously) such a major sigh of relief and full out HALLELUJAH at the same time because an easy 5 points has been prolonged at least a little more. But then a support player or the tackled player can truck right on into the try zone just as easily afterwards and take away the amazing feat your teammate just accomplished.
IT'S HEARTBREAKING. 
 
You really do need to be always thinking one step ahead, always about what's coming next.

....and as I learned the hard way at one point in a game, YOU NEED TO KNOW THE RULES.

SIDE NOTE: I think this picture is HILARIOUS. I look like I was completely caught red handed murdering someone with nowhere to hide. The real back story, however, is that the referee 'twas not calling obstruction the entire game but just through sheer habit when one of my teammates ran behind me I threw my arms up in the air to show I was not blocking anyone.











I made quite a blunder in one of our last games, and it was completely through hesitation of not knowing what the exact ruling was. The other team ended up scoring the next play or two afterwards, so I feel I need to share the experience so no one else makes the same mistake:

SCENARIO: It was a long kickoff that went as far back as one of our deepest positioned forwards (in the last row of players of the exploded scrum). The ball looked like it was going to drop, but it had some extra umph on it and ended up going over her head when she tried to catch it. In true personal fashion I was en route to running behind her and preparing to support her for if/when she caught the ball and ran with it. When the ball ended up going over her head, I ran towards the ball that was rolling into the opposition's try zone. At that moment, my mind froze at the question of "Do I pick the ball up and still try to run it even though I'm on the opposite end of the field and the defense is currently charging full speed at me, touch it down in the try zone, or let it roll out of bounds?" I was completely stuck and at the same time heard one of my teammates yell not to touch it and let it roll out of bounds, so I immediately did it. THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE. 

RESULT: Because the ball had already been touched by our receiving team, that meant the ball was live. Allowing for the ball to roll out of bounds caused it to be placed where the ball had landed, which was pretty much 2 meters before the try line. What was supposed to be our opportunity for an offensive attack suddenly turned into a desperate attempt at defense starting right on the try line. They scored in probably less than 30 seconds.

WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE: I should've just ran the ball. Running the ball would have still been a beyotch, but it still would have been more yards than where the opposition got to set up their offense. That's pretty much the only other option I really had because the ball was considered live. I only would've been able to touch the ball down into the try zone if the ball was still dead/hadn't been touched by any other player.
 Touching the ball down into the try zone would have had to been done IMMEDIATELY. 
If you immediately touch the ball down into the try zone then the referee will give the option of a re-kick or a scrum.
BUT if you hesitate to touch it down then the referee will consider that as you making a decision to play on, and the ball will still be live....in the opposition's try zone!
Here's the actual rugby law (source: IRB Laws website):
13.9 Ball goes into the in-goal

(a) If the ball is kicked into the opponents’ in-goal without having touched or been touched by a player, the opposing team has three choices:

• To ground the ball, or
• To make it dead, or
• To play on.

***STOP RIGHT THERE. Because the ball was touched, THERE IS NO CHOICE BUT TO PLAY ON. Everything else that follows ONLY applies if the ball hasn't been touched yet. 

(b) If the opposing team grounds the ball, or if they make it dead, or if the ball becomes dead by going into touch-in-goal, or on or over the dead ball line, they have  two choices:

•  To have a scrum formed at the centre, and they throw in the ball, or
• To have the other team kick off again.

(c) If they opt to ground the ball or make it dead, they must do so without delay. Any other action with the ball by a defending player means the player has elected to play on.

(d) If the ball does not travel ten metres and ends up in the kicking team's in-goal and:

• it is made dead by a defending player, or
• the ball goes into touch in goal, or
• lands on or over the dead ball line;

a 5-metre scrum is awarded and the attacking team throw in.

Disclaimer: I am, nor am I anywhere near, up to par on all the rules or close to being a referee. If any of my super-intelligent and/or reffing rugby pals see anything I wrote above that's incorrect or know I missed something, PLEASE enlighten us and leave a comment or something....or even just contact me and I'll change it! 

...that was a lot of work to explain one random fuck up, ha ha. But it's definitely worth it to understand the rules fully so you don't make as many mistakes via hesitation. Knowledge is a powerful tool! I've referred to this website probably a hundred times, but the IRB Rugby Ready website is a great place to keep up with your rugby knowledge and 100% FREEEEEEEEEEE. 

And one last shout out to my good ol' SOUTH BUFFALO WOMEN'S RUGBY team that has been kickin' ass and taking names. They're all over Facebook with team photos and tournament updates which makes my heart cry because I think about them all the time. But I cannot convey how incredibly lucky I am to have already started to develop another family right here in my own backyard with NORTH SHORE WOMEN'S RUGBY. Someday I shall get both of these teams to face off with a rugby match and a boat race....and it shall be GLORIOUS!