THE OFFICIAL SITE OF CENTRAL RUGBY

Members of Central Washington University (CWU) rugby team are mourning the death of teammate Craig Stafford, who died suddenly on December 31, 2011 at his home in Longview, WA.

According to CWU coach Bob Ford, “Craig was selfless and tremendously hard-working on and off the field. He was a phenomenal young person, everything you would want a young man to be. Craig had a kind heart and cared deeply for his friends and teammates.”  

Team members along with the Central coaching staff will travel Friday, January 6th to attend the funeral service in support of Stafford’s family and friends.

Stafford, a 2007 graduate of Mark Morris High School, recently returned from a three-month study abroad trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for intensive Spanish language study.  Craig was a senior, Law and Justice Major and four-year member of the CWU men’s rugby team.

The Funeral mass and Celebration of Life for Stafford will take place Friday, January 6, at St. Rose Church in Longview, WA at 11am.  Stafford is survived by his parents, Douglas and Kathryn (Burrus) Stafford, a sister and brother-in-law; his paternal and maternal grandparents, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Staffords name be made to St. Vincent DePaul, P.O. Box 2975, Longview, WA 98632, CURE Epilepsy, 223 W. Erie Street, Suite 2 SW, Chicago, IL 60654 or online at www.cureepilepsy.org or  Click Here to support the Central Washington Unviersity – Craig Stafford tribute fund.

On December 14th the Wildcats will board a plane and head to Texas A&M for the 1st ever Collegiate 7s National Championships in College Station. Central will have an opportunity for a team run on Thursday the 15th prior to kicking off the competition on Friday the 16th.  Central will compete in Pool A along with Air Force, Arkansas State, and Arkansas. Pool B will include: Life College, Wisconsin, Cal Poly, & Texas. Pool C will include: St. Mary’s, N.C. State, Western Washington, & Wis. – Milwaukee. Pool D will include: Tennessee, San Diego St., Stony Brook, & Oklahoma. Pool E will include: Kutztown, Florida, UC Davis, & Florida State. Pool F will include: Miami (ohio), Colorado, Texas A&M, & Virginia.

Click here to learn how to watch the Wildcats Live 

Friday Schedule: Central will kick off their 1st match vs. Arkansas at 9:40 am (*Webcast / Central Time), followed by Air Force at 12:40 p.m. (Not Available Via Webcast / Central Time), and Arkansas State at 3:40 p.m (*Webcast / Central Time).  To view the full schedule including knock out rounds please Click Here .

According to Central Coach Anthony Pacheco “This is a great opportunity for our program, the boys have trained hard and are very fit. This competition will certainly test us early and we have to start fast and stay focused on our goals. Sevens is a minute by minute second by second competition and the team is ready.

CWU rugby dispatched both the University of Washington (45-10)  and Washington State University (22-0) in pool play, followed by Eastern Washington University (45-5) in the semi final to see them through to the final of the Northwest Collegiate 7′s National Qualifier. The Wildcats defeated Western Washington in the championship match 29-7 to secure 1 of 24 spots in the USA Rugby 7′s National Championship in December.

The Wildcats had outstanding performances from several players including Tim Stanfill (Senior & Captain), Tanner Barnes (Freshman), Josh Bowers (Sophomore), Patrick Blair (Sophomore), Paul Smith (Junior) and Alex Reher (Sophomore). The Wildcats played a high tempo, high energy brand of rugby showing athleticism and fitness throughout the tournament. CWU Coach Tony Pacheco said “I am proud of the way we played today. We have put in a lot of hard work and it is encouraging to see our athletes respond well, but we are only a few weeks into this season and now the hard work starts.” Central will turn their focus to increasing their level of fitness and will count on the support of strength coach Shane Wittkopp to raise the bar once again prior to the national tournament in December.

October 13, 2011

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Central Washington University and Gametapes LLC, a Seattle-based sports television production company, are partnering to bring the college version of America’s fastest-growing team sport, rugby, to television stations across Washington.

On Monday, October 24, the first airing is planned of a one-hour highlights broadcast of the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference (NCRC) Sevens tournament, which takes place at Seattle’s Memorial Stadium on Sunday, October 16.

As it is a qualifying tournament for the USA Rugby College Sevens Championship, which will be held in mid-December, the “NCRC Sevens” event will feature all of the Pacific Northwest’s top collegiate rugby teams, including the Wildcats, University of Washington, Washington State University, Oregon, Oregon State, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, University of Idaho, and University of Puget Sound.

(Click Here to Purchase Tickets Now)

Gametapes LLC will have four cameras at the event, capturing highlights of all of the games. In addition, a “Sevens 101” feature during the telecast will explain the game to viewers new to the sport, which is the seven-player version of the normally 15-a-side sport. It’s played on a full-sized rugby field, with each game consisting of two seven minute halves.

Producer Tim Exton said, “I think viewers are going to love Sevens Rugby. If you like the speed and hard knocks of football then this is a sport for you. Gametapes is just excited to be part of this event.”

The highlight special will be shown just one day after the Rugby World Cup final that will be seen live on television in the United States for the first time ever.

The NCRC’s Matt Hudson added that the televising of their tournament is an important step in the growth of rugby, “To get local college rugby on television immediately after the coverage of the Rugby World Cup shows that the sport is starting to make its mark and can only move forward from here.”

After finishing fourth in the nation during the 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship last June, Central is the favorite in the event. However, Wildcats coach Bob Ford is taking nothing for granted.

“There are some very strong rugby programs in the Pacific Northwest,” said Ford, “and we’re going to have to be at the top of our game if we’re going to win.”

The NCRC Sevens program will be broadcast in Central Washington and Spokane on SWX on October 24 and 25, at 8 p.m., and on NBC Universal Sports, in the Seattle-Tacoma area, October 24, at 8 p.m., and October 25, at 5 a.m. Additional broadcasts will be added.

If you are interested in commercial or sponsorship opportunities please email: robert.ford@cwu.edu

If you would like to donate to CWU Rugby please click here

Show your support for your Wildcats and root them on as they compete for a national bid to the USA Rugby 7s National Championship. Kick off is at 10am on Sunday October 16th at Memorial Stadium in Seattle. You won’t want to miss this full day of fast paced high scoring 7s action.

Click here to get your tickets now and do not forget to note that your purchase is going to support the Wildcats!

If you would like to donate to CWU Rugby please click here

“ALWAYS COMPETE” - Following morning training sessions at the Serevi Rugby Academy, 3 current players, 3 2011-12 recruits and 1 CWU Alumni along with Coach Tony Pacheco were invited to attend a full team practice at the Seahawks training facility in preperation for the Seahawks August 20th match up against the Minnesota Vikings. Central team members along with the remaining Serevi Rugby Academy participants were hosted by head coach Pete Carroll. The visitors were provided with facility tours and met with Coach Carroll following training for a engaged Q&A session. Coach Carroll was very informal and candid with players and staff demonstrating his warmth and hospitality. The opportunity proved inspirational for players who saw first hand what a fully proffesional environment looked like. Players were impressed by the precision and business like approach with which NFL athletes go about their pre-game development. According to CWU Sophmore Josh Bower, “it was truly amazing the level of focus and attention these elite athletes apply to their craft, they are always competing with each other and themselves.”

Friday morning Central team members will meet with Gordon Tietjens the Legendary All Blacks Coach with a focus on defense. For more on the Serevi Rugby Academy check out: www.serevirugby.com/rugby-camps