Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410310004
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The top 24 teams in club and collegiate divisions will play for two days for the Ed and Sandy Lee Cup - named for the founders of the Virginia Rugby Union - from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Green Hill Park. Women's collegiate matches begin at 9 a.m., the men's collegiate division at 10:15 a.m., and men's club at 11:30.
The Roanoke Rugby Club, seeded second in the club division, will tangle with No. 7 seed James River in a quarterfinal match today at 11:30 a.m. If Roanoke wins, it will play a semifinal contest at 2:30 p.m.
The finals will be played on Sunday, beginning with the women's collegiate match at 11:30 a.m., followed by men's collegiate at 1 p.m. and men's club at 2:30.
Historically, the Rugby state tournament has been held in Norfolk, Virginia Beach or Richmond, last year's site. Tim Largen, the Roanoke Rugby Club's vice president, said the Roanoke club has made unsuccessful bids to host the event in the past.
``[This was] the first real serious bid we've ever put out there," Largen said.
A minimum bid to host the state tournament is $500. The money guarantees fields, referees and pay for the Virginia Rugby Union. Roanoke's winning bid was $1,100.
The top eight teams in the collegiate divisions and club division will compete in the two-day tournament. In the men's collegiate division, Mary Washington is seeded first in the East while Virginia Tech is No. 1 in the West.
William & Mary has the East's top spot in the women's collegiate division while James Madison is the West's top seed.
In the club division, the Roanoke Rugby Club is seeded second behind No. 1 Norfolk. Richmond, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach , Richmond R.A.T.S., James River and Blacksburg round out the field.
There will be 24 matches today in the tournament co-sponsored by the Roanoke Rugby Club and the County Parks and Recreation Department. The event is free and open to the public.
Rugby is played in 40-minute halves but today's will be 30 minutes due to the number of teams involved. Sunday's final will feature 40-minute halves.
There are no substitutions in rugby, except for injuries.
The try zone is rugby's equivalent to a touchdown and is worth five points. The ball must be touched to the ground in the try zone in order to score. A conversion (extra points) through uprights after a try is worth two points.
Three points are awarded for a penalty kick, a kick through the uprights after a penalty.
A rugby field is 110 yards by 70 yards with an additional 15 to 20 yards of try zone on each end compared to a regulation football field, which is 120 yards by 53.3 yards and has 10-yard end zones.
Here are the seedings:
Men's club division: 1. Norfolk; 2. Roanoke; 3. Richmond; 4. Charlottesville; 5. Virginia Beach; 6. Richmond R.A.T.S.; 7. James River; 8. Blacksburg.
Men's collegiate division: East - 1. Mary Washington; 2. Richmond; 3. William & Mary; 4. Old Dominion. West - 1. Virginia Tech; 2. James Madison; 3. Radford; 4. Longwood.
Women's collegiate division: East - 1. William & Mary; 2. Mary Washington; 3. Maryland-Baltimore County; 4. John Hopkins. West - 1. James Madison; 2. Radford; 3. Virginia Tech; 4. Virginia.
by CNB