Penn Rugby

Thank you to all who joined the fight against systemic racism in the US and around the world; whether it was signing petitions, donating, or speaking out, your contributions are valuable. To play our part in the global effort, the University of Pennsylvania Men’s Rugby team, along with various other Ivy League rugby teams, has organized a fundraiser to help organizations like the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), the Black Lives Matter Founda...tion, and the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). To support our home city, Upenn Rugby will also be matching donations to the Philadelphia Bail Fund. (All the above organizations are linked below) All Ivy League rugby teams will be running a total of 846 miles, representing the 8 minutes and 46 seconds that the former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of George Floyd. We are running for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless others who were murdered, or have suffered at the hands of police brutality, violent racism, and a broken system. We are running for our teammates, our brothers and sisters who are at risk of facing the same fate as these countless victims every day. Once you have completed a donation, please send a screenshot through the GoFundMe contact option at the bottom of the page (link below) so we can log your donation and match it. Thank you for your support! #blacklivesmatter Philadelphia Bail Fund: https://www.phillybailfund.org/donate NAACP: https://www.naacp.org/Donate/ ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/now Black Lives Matter: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ms_blm_homepage_2019 GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ivy-league-rugby-fund

A reminder that we’ll be starting off the season with some touch and a BBQ today at 5pm down at Penn Park!

Yesterday we partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Women's Rugby and Community School Student Partnerships (CSSP) to host the annual CSSP Field Day event for elementary schools in the local West Philadelphia region. It was a wonderful day for all, with many young boys and girls being introduced to the great sport of rugby!

Penn Rugby capped off a tough spring 7s season by taking out the final leg of the Philadelphia City 6 7s tournaments hosted by St Joseph's University last week. Following a convincing win against Villanova in the opening round, Penn saw out hosts St Joe's in a close tussle to secure a semi-finals berth against Rowan University; which Penn took out comfortably. Overcoming a last minute scare against a very well drilled Temple University outfit, Penn concluded the tournament ...undefeated - a strong recovery from the disappointment of the Ivy 7s championships only a week prior. Jonathan Lee '21 concluded the night with an impressive 7 tries under his belt, along with David Kim '21 with 4. Other try scorers included captain Ted McLennan '21, Finn Teoh '22, Aidan Macpherson '22, LJ Umunna '22 and Nathan Xu '19.

Congratulations to Aidan Macpherson '22 (pictured right) on his selection in the Men's All-Ivy 7s 2nd team after his performances at the Ivy 7s Championships last weekend. David Kim '21 (pictured left) was also selected as an Honorable Mention. Though it was a disappointing weekend for Penn at the championships, it was a great opportunity for the largely new-look side to gain some experience in preparation for the Fall season later this year. The rest of the All Ivy 7s team...s can be found here: https://www.ivyrugby.com/ne/2019-all-ivy-7s-teams-announced. Congratulations to all those selected.

Last week, Penn competed in two City 6 7's tournaments; including one hosted at home at Penn Park. With convincing wins against rivals Drexel and LaSalle, as well as promising performances against the strong programs of Temple and St Joe's, Penn Rugby are gearing up nicely as they prepare for the Ivy 7's Championships held at Harvard this weekend. With heaps of new talent being blooded and an experienced coaching staff on board, it is exciting times for Penn Rugby. Read the full report at upennrugby.org/news

Newly appointed president Ted McLennan has a chat with new head coach Tiger Bax: his playing and coaching background, as well as his plans for the upcoming spring and fall seasons of 2019.

Halfback Camilo Ignacio Navarro Vivar from Chile showing some older men how it's done!

Congratulations to Penn Rugby alum Jack Smallwood.

Open practice is happening again tonight at 6-8pm inside the bubble at Penn Park. Prospective players are encouraged to come down and meet the team!