Photos courtesy Philadelphia Women’s Rugby Club
Philadelphia celebrated two wins on the pitch last weekend, but the successes radiate deeper into the club itself. A surge in membership has allowed for a Division III team, which kicked off Saturday’s double-header with a 47-10 win over Lehigh Valley. The Division I team, which has been adjusting since head coach Arturo Bravo Nuevo arrived last October, fed off of that energy and defeated national runner-up Raleigh 39-19 to kick off the season.
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Bravo Nuevo reflected on October 2016 and his first days with Philadelphia.
“They had lost a lot of games in a row, so people were getting frustrated,” Bravo Nuevo said. “It was a tough year, because there were a lot of things to fix: scrums, tackling, defense – not the lineouts, those were really good and I didn’t have to touch that. But all of that is easy to do if you have the right culture in place, and they did.”
The work rate and desire to learn were always there, but it was the club’s dedication to player retention that set the platform for growth.
“They make a very active effort to keep new players happy, regardless of the level. And they’re always so positive,” Bravo Nuevo said. “Even when there are mistakes, someone’s tapping them on the shoulder telling them not to worry about it. That’s very important for a team that hasn’t reached its peak. When you’re not worried about making a mistake, then you’re comfortable making decisions. If you’re getting lectured on the field, then you freeze for the rest of the game.”
Bravo Nuevo believes that 80% of the game is about defense – its structure, pressure, positive tackling – and that’s where much of his energy had funneled. Toward the end of the spring 2017 season, Philly defeated Pittsburgh 24-5, and that performance restored some confidence that the team was on the right track.
Philly returned to the 15s pitch this season with more players than it had ended with, and Bravo Nuevo now had the numbers to make strategic selections for Saturday’s season-opener against Raleigh.
“We know Raleigh has one of the best 10s in country and pressure on her would be essential,” the coach referenced Raleigh flyhalf Chelsea Garber. “We sacrificed a little bit of dominance in the scrums and lineouts so that we could put pressure on her and the backs.”
Bravo Nuevo also referenced Raleigh’s ability to counter-ruck, and so Philly needed to field a mobile team that not only pressured on defense but could secure and recycle its own ball quickly.
Philly with Portia Woodman at the Women’s Rugby World Cup (more to come)
“A team like Raleigh, you can’t let them come at you, so we selected lighter but fitter players because we knew it was going to be close to 90 degrees and fitness would be important to playing our style,” he added.
Scrumhalf Katie Cardone and flanker Rachel Miller led the way in pressuring Raleigh’s back line. Captain and flyhalf Kate Hallinan also had an excellent kicking game, playing for territory and releasing chasers to force mistakes. The flyhalf opened the scoring five minutes in with a penalty, and then Cardone and inside center Laura Pharo scored tries. Hallinan’s conversion gave Philly a 15-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Raleigh wing Holly Zoeller and lock LaShawna Gatewood scored on either side of the half, and Garber’s conversion drew the scoreline to 15-12. Philly then scored four tries during the next 20 minutes, as wing Coryn Rank, Cardone, lock Rebecca Fagan and No. 8 Lucy Dawson – who had a great day with ball in hand – dotted down. Hallinan handled the extras, 39-12. Raleigh scored with five minutes remaining but the damage had been done, 39-19 to Philly.
“They were happy, not surprised,” Bravo Nuevo qualified the team’s reaction. “We worked so hard on the system; we drilled it to exhaustion. Every game they were getting better and better, making better decisions, understanding my plan, and knowing what to do in every part of the field. It took them that long to get through my plan, but once things clicked, they executed it perfectly. They knew [the win] could happen but that everything had to be in place.”
The double-win weekend was especially memorable, as many alumni attended to honor the passing of club co-founder Angie Clark Rapalyea.
“It was a tough week, and it was important for some players to play well on Saturday,” the coach closed. “You can feel the mood of your players, and it was one of those games where they ready to win almost from the start.”
On the other side of the DI Mid-Atlantic, NOVA shut out Pittsburgh 57-0. Avery Rain and Nicole Benedetti scored two tries apiece, while Michelle Schneider, Kayla Cook, Margaret Covert and Christina Metzmaier scored one apiece. Scrumhalf Bri Kim led all point-scorers with 17 on seven conversions and a penalty.
Round two of the DI Mid-Atlantic occurs this weekend and pits NOVA against Philadelphia, and Raleigh against Pittsburgh. The DIII side is also back at it and takes on York & Lancaster this weekend.
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