The Narberth Otters continued their recent run of strong play with a 57-19 victory over Coventry on Sunday April 30. The Otters got off to a slow start in this one and had to overcome a couple of early injuries in the first half but were able to take a 14-7 lead into halftime thanks to tries from Isaac Martin (20 meter run) and Jack Torbeck (30 meter run after breaking two tackles) that were both converted by Nate.

Nate got things off to a good start in the second half by making a beautiful dummy move and running one in from 40 meters out to put the Otters up 21-7 after his conversion. Coventry fought back to make it 21-14 before Jack Torbeck split two defenders with a dummy of his own to score his second try after strong runs by Colin and Jhamir. Nate also converted that one as well to make it 28-14.

At this point the Otters were able to put their foot on the gas a little bit as Adam scored from 40 meters following a solid pass from Jack, Ray scored from 5 meters off of a lineout, and Colin scored off a pick and go from 2 meters out following a 50 meter run from Ray which Coach Matt Taylor says consisted of 8 stiff arms and I believe him. Nate’s golden boot only comes out in big moments so we missed a couple of the conversions but still held a 45-14 lead.

70 minutes into the match Coventry scored a consolation try before Colin scored again, this time from 20 meters out and with a few stiff arms of his own and Nate added a final try for the Otters off a grubber kick following a strong run from Luke to set him up.

It’s a good performance from the Otters who close out their regular season schedule on Sunday May 7 against West Chester at the stadium in Conshy.

Scorers:

Tries: Isaac, Jack (2), Nate (2), Adam, Ray, Colin (2),

Cons: Nate (6)

After a long layoff due to circumstances beyond our control the Narberth Otters were finally able to get some rugby in this weekend against LaSalle’s Second XV. Father Judge and LaSalle played a league match earlier in the day so the match was structured as Narberth teaming up with the reserves from Judge to take on LaSalle’s second side over three 25 minute periods. The Otters played fast, transitioned quickly from offense to defense, and held onto the ball in contact in order to minimize turnovers, which enabled them to quickly put up 45 points in the first 50 minutes. LaSalle was a determined team and wouldn’t be completely denied however as they stormed back with 29 points of their own in the final period to make it a 45-29 match.

Tries for the Otters were scored by Toes, Jhamir, Jack (2), Evan, and Nate (2) with Nate making 4 conversions and Colin also hitting one. In addition to his try Evan made a huge hit against one of LaSalle’s centers who was hunting for the goal line and was awarded Man of the Match by Coach Gabe Gliwa.

It was a good day for the Otters overall and it should serve as something to build on as the team turns its attention back to league play and its quest for the playoffs. This Sunday the Otters travel to Coventry for what promises to be a good match and next weekend the Otters host their annual beef and beer fundraiser on Saturday (www.narberthrugbyclub.teamsnapsites.com for details) before taking on West Chester at home (11th and Harry Street in Conshohocken on Sunday). Additionally, at 3:30 PM next Sunday, May 7 Narberth is hosting an alumni game after the U-19 game for all former players.

The Narberth Otters (http://narberthrugbyclub.teamsnapsites.com) held their annual award ceremony this past weekend. The U-15 players who combined with Media this season were congratulated for winning a Rugby PA State Championship and all of the seniors on the U-19 team were acknowledged for their contributions to the Club through the years which culminated in a season that saw them go 10-1 and win the Lancaster Frostbite Tournament along the way.

Also acknowledged was U-15 Coach Andrew McKendrick who is stepping down from his coaching duties. Coach McKendrick is a pillar of the Narberth Rugby community and his absence will be felt. Many of Narberth’s top U-19 players in recent years owe a lot of their success to Coach McKendrick for the work he put in developing these players on the younger sides.

On to the awards:

The Most Valuable Player this year was Cameron McKendrick. Cam is the total package as a rugby player. He’s a talented front row with a ton of experience (see paragraph above about his father helping to develop players) and his knowledge of the game basically makes him a coach on the field.

The Rookie of the Year was Davon Collins who not only was new to rugby, but was also new to team sports in general. It took a little while for Davon to understand the game but once he got used to the physical elements of rugby he started growing by leaps and bounds. Davon and Cameron are both front rows so that should be a strong combination for Narberth in 2018.

Best Forward was awarded to Ray Fullbright who was great in the set piece and did all of the dirty work around the field to set things up for his teammates. Ray also did a great job dishing out stiff arms when he found himself in open space.

Best Back was awarded to Nate Nagvajara who scored 84 points in the team’s 6 league matches hitting kicks at an over 80% success rate. Nate also led the team in tries scored and stepped up his defense substantially this year.

Comeback Player of the Year was awarded to Michael Boken. Boken missed most of the past two seasons due to injury but he hung around the program and found ways to contribute, such as by becoming our cameraman, when he couldn’t play. This season Boken was finally healthy from start to finish and he did an excellent job out there.

Great job to all of the Narberth players, coaches, and administrative staff on another successful season. Can’t wait to see what next year brings.

Schuylkill River RFC, Philadelphia Women’s RFC, and the North Philadelphia Nomads RFC are proud to announce that they have teamed up to run a summer rugby program at the NE Frankford Boys and Girls Club. The teams had already been doing monthly sessions with the Club’s kids, who are in kindergarten through sixth grade, so stepping up and doing a more ambitious weekly program was a logical next step. The ten week program sees coaches, players, and administrators from all three teams join forces to give back to the community and help develop the game on the grassroots level.

Schuylkill River President Dave Codell, who is also a coach and Board member of the Narberth Otters youth rugby program, was quick to credit the other teams. “Philadelphia Women’s RFC is known throughout the area for their stellar play on the field and for their level of commitment to doing community service work off the field. We are thankful that they invited us to participate in their flag rugby program with the Boys and Girls Club back in December and for the fact that we all have the opportunity to run such a great program together. The Nomads, and their incredible coaching staff, also deserve a ton of credit for the work that they have put in to grow the game and to serve as mentors for the young athletes that they are developing on a daily basis. The most credit however, goes to staff of the Boys and Girls Club itself for the amazing work they do day in and day out.”

“It’s all about the kids,” added Nomad coach, and Schuylkill player, James Brunson. “When you give some of your time and energy to put a smile on a kid’s face it’s extremely rewarding. Rugby is a game that I love so I’m looking forward to helping grow that same love for the game with these kids over the summer.”

Philadelphia Women’s RFC Captain Kate Hallinan, who has also been involved in rugby programs at other youth organizations such as Philly Girls in Motion, echoed many of the sentiments expressed by the other volunteers and said “Community service is a big part of my team’s identity and we really enjoy working with these kids. We’ve been going back and forth with Schuylkill and the Nomads since December to figure out a way that we could all work together on a larger scale so it’s great to have this opportunity.”

Schuylkill River Board Member Ryan McHugh is another of the volunteers for this program and had this to say, “I grew up right around the corner from the Boys and Girls Club so I’m pumped to have an opportunity to give back to my community and help teach these kids the greatest sport on earth. When Rafiq from the Club asked us about doing extra sessions over the summer it was a no brainer for me.”

The Club is anticipating that as many as 130 kids will participate in their summer program and the Club’s hours are expanding from 15 hours per week in the school year to 40 hours per week in the summer which makes this a great opportunity for the teams to lend a hand where it’s needed and help provide these kids with a summer that they’ll never forget.

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