Last Saturday, January 12, the Santa Monica Rugby Club’s men’s team kicked off its 35th season with a home win against Santa Barbara, 31-27, at Daniel Webster Middle School. The game is part of preseason play that will prepare the team for its 2008 national Rugby Super League schedule, the top tier of competition in U.S. rugby. During this season, the Santa Monica Dolphins will be facing teams from across the country, but the toughest tests will come from its West Coast rivals including defending Rugby Super League champions Belmont Shore of Long Beach, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Rugby Club, and Old Mission Beach Athletic Club of San Diego.
Also last Saturday, Santa Monica Youth Rugby hosted a large tournament featuring three age brackets (U12/U10/U8) and eight teams from Orange County to the San Fernando Valley. The lively event, a first for many of the participants, had a festival atmosphere as the teams competed in a round-robin playoff throughout the morning.
This coming Saturday, January 19, the Santa Monica women’s team kicks off its season with a home match at 11:30 a.m. at Daniel Webster Middle School against Belmont Shore of Long Beach. Following the women’s match, the men’s team will host Huntington Beach at 1 p.m.
For more information, got to santamonicarugby.com.
