Short Hops

AMHERST, Mass. -- Despite carrying the No. 1 ranking in the country in Division-II college men's rugby into last Saturday's New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) championship, Middlebury College fell to host UMass-Amherst, 34-3.

Middlebury (7-2) converted a penalty kick near the end of the first half to pull back within two points on UMass, 5-3. But Massachusetts (8-1) used its backs to eat up a huge chunk of the pitch within the closing minutes of the half, and then its forwards pounded home the try to help carry a 10-3 lead into the break.

Missed tackles by Middlebury in the second half allowed UMass to run up the lopsided final score. The pack from Amherst proved a force during scrumdowns, winning a large majority regardless of the put-in.

There will be little time for Middlebury to regroup, as a Northeast quarterfinal against Hamilton College looms this Saturday - followed by the Northeast semis and finals a week later. After reaching the national tournament in four straight seasons, Middlebury would likely be denied a fifth straight trip with a loss in any of its next three matches.

Middlebury was ranked No. 1 in the country among men's D-II college programs when the previous poll was released on Oct. 22. An updated poll released last week saw Middlebury slide all the way down to No. 13, while UMass - which had been at No. 25 - leap-frogged up to No. 12. The University of Vermont (4-2) moved up two spots in the latest poll, from No. 16 to No. 14.

The Top 10 teams in the latest D-II poll (in descending order) are: Georgetown (7-0), Northern Colorado (4-2), Dayton (6-0), Miami of Ohio (8-1), Colorado School of Mines (6-1), Michigan State (5-2), West Virginia (6-1), Mary Washington (7-0), Radford (5-0-1) and Indiana, PA (5-1).

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Longtime Vermont ski patrolman Dave Watson was forced to turn back in his summit attempt on K2 last night, reportedly due to weather and time. The American K2 Expedition's blog on everestnews.com reports that Watson "got some skiing in" on his descent, and promises to provide further details from Dave himself.

I find this news a relief, to tell the truth. After the death of another high-altitude skier on the mountain earlier this summer, it seemed like a very dangerous undertaking on Watson's part to try and ski down from the summit. He is reportedly on his way back to base camp, after which he will return stateside.

Godspeed, Dave! Hopefully we'll talk to you when you get back!

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If it every stops raining, the local insect population will taper off - and prime camping season will be upon us. Many of us have already engaged in traditional car camping this summer, and those brave enough to venture out into the mosquitoes and perpetual downpours have begun blazing trails and sleeping under the storm clouds, I mean stars.

I my self am greatly looking forward to some hikes and multi-day camping trips in the area. I have already gone on one enjoyable day hike (in the pouring rain, of course) with MAU cross-country head coach Jim Dulin, in which we navigated a nice winding trail along broad brook near the Pownal/Williamstown line which required us to make repeated crossings. The rock hopping proved tough - the water level was as high as Jim had ever seen it - and on the way back, the brook had already risen so much that many of our previous crossing spots were completely submerged.

Needless to say, we got soaked - but had a great time.

I have been doing a lot of research into camping/hiking gear lately, and have more or less accepted the fact that external frame backpacks - which I used in the Army and always assumed to be superior to internal models - have become obsolete. I am in the market for a solid yet affordable large-capacity pack and a durable but not overly heavy tent - anyone have any suggestions?

-Adam White

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As a follow-up to the Oscar De La Hoya story in the weekend edition of Banner Sports, here is the Associated Press story about his retirement – which was announced on Tuesday in Los Angeles:

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscar De La Hoya knew it was time to retire after Manny Pacquiao pummeled him into submission in December. Still, he wavered another four months before persuading himself to let go.
De La Hoya ended a 16-year career in which he won 10 world titles in six divisions and became boxing’s most popular fighter.
“These four months have been very difficult for me,” the 36-year-old native of East Los Angeles told hundreds of fans gathered Tuesday at an outdoor plaza across from Staples Center.
“This decision was based on making sure, first of all, that I do not disappoint anyone when I step inside the ring, that I don’t disappoint myself, and I make sure that I can watch my kids grow up.”
De La Hoya was thoroughly beaten by Pacquiao in his last fight, his fourth loss in his last seven bouts. He had not defeated a formidable opponent since Fernando Vargas in 2002. Age and diminished skills led to losses in recent years to Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
He won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154-pound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.
“This is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what I was born to do,” De La Hoya said. “When I can’t do it anymore, when I can’t compete at the highest level, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to the fans, it’s not fair to nobody.”
De La Hoya said he didn’t want to let down his fans or himself by attempting another fight.
“Now I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport that you’re always thinking you can try one more time,” he said.

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The Equinox Rugby Football Club trekked down to Pittsfield, Mass., on Saturday to play its spring season opener against host Berkshire RFC. The local men's club played its best match ever, holding Berkshire to 10 points in the first half, until finally falling victim to conditioning in the second and losing by a final score of 31-0. Equinox flyhalf Jeremiah Rogers was named Man of the Match for his scrappy and fearless play, and the team's pack – particularly those forwards it absorbed from the Southern Vermont College team – rucked and mauled fiercely to keep the team in the game.

It doesn't appear that the SVC men or women will get to play this spring, and the fear is that the teams are being abandoned by the college following the firing of head coach Jeremiah Madison and failed hiring of Berkshire player-coach David Colli. Does SVC really care as much about its programs as its administration claimed during the Madison firing? Stay tuned...

-Adam White

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If you are sick and tired of Yankee and Red Sox saturation (don't they EVER talk about anything else?); if you're missing Manny or wishing George Jr. had bought him for your slumping lineup; if you want to be iconoclastic and somewhat unique in these parts; if you want a team that never gets rained out at home, look to the Dodgers, son.

I did it years ago and have never --- well, almost never --- reconsidered. And just think: When the Dodgers are losing, you hardly notice. You can just hold this image in your head of endless sunshine and blue skies and Dodger blue and movie stars in the box seats (and maybe Sandy Koufax) until, suddenly, they're back on top.

It's the perfect set up. Trust me.

Jim Therrien, Banner editor

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A new film opening next Friday (Sept. 26), "Forever Strong," bills itself as "the 1st American rugby movie." Starring Sean Farris ("Never Back Down"), Penn Badgley ("Gossip Girl") and Sean Aston of "Lord of the Rings" and "Rudy" fame, this film bears a tagline of "The Greatest Victories Are Born in the Heart," and its poster features an image of a tattooed rugby player kneeling with a bowed head, with a team's worth of arms above him upraised with index fingers pointed to the sky. Very dramatic.

The reality, however, is that "Forever Strong" isn't truly the first American rugby movie; several other American films have featured the sport, some more prominently than others:

1.) Puddle Cruiser - The fledgling film by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard (Super Troopers, Club Dread) centered around a college nobody who joins his school's rugby club in an attempt to win a girl's heart. His romantic rival is the star player on that team, and our undersized hero ends up in a near-full-body cast by the end of the movie. There is game footage within the story as well.

2.) Tommy Boy – Chris Farley's central character is first seen at a college party, boozing and bonging with his rugby teammates. He then passes out and falls face-first through a coffee table. Farley's character wears his college rugby jacket through the first portion of the film as well.

3.) Circle of Friends – I never saw this movie, but apparently Chris O'Donnell plays rugby in it. Minnie Driver is his love interest in the film, from what I gather, which I guess is reason enough to watch it.

4.) The Departed – Matt Damon's character plays rugby for some sort of police academy team, against a group of firemen. Game footage is shown, as well as some trash-talking afterward; this part is pretty realistic.

My favorite cinematic rugby scene of all time occurs in a British film, Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life." A student in a sex education class taught by John Cleese is caught daydreaming during a lesson, and as punishment he is forced to play in the school's annual student-faculty rugby match. The action is brutal, the scene is generous in length and by the end, the poor chap is battered and covered in mud. A classic.

This new movie doesn't look so hot, but word is that another film is in the works regarding the Nelson Mandela Rugby World Cup in South Africa, with Morgan Freeman playing Mandela, and also starring Damon and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. That one, which is based on a very well-received book, should be good.

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