Archived:
2001-2002 Match Results
Western Rugby Football Union Championships
April 26-28, 2002 - Fort Worth
Western Championship Quarterfinal
Fort Worth - 10 vs. St.
Louis Bombers - 18
Western Championship Match 2
Fort Worth - 24 vs. El
Paso Scorpions - 19
Results
Fort Worth took fifth place in the Westerns after a close loss to the
defending Western Champions, the Bombers. The match was 11-10 until
full time when the Bombers picked off a pass while Fort Worth was
aggressively pressing their line. Al Christian scored Fort Worth's
try, while Keith Winton kicked a penalty and conversion.
On Day 2, Fort Worth overcame a weak defensive effort to defeat the El
Paso Scorpions. Try scorers were Mike Harvey, Theo Van Wyk, and Bots
Hulen.
Texas Rugby Union Championships
April 6-7, 2002 - Galveston
Texas Championship Semi-Final
Fort Worth - 14 vs. Austin -
31
Texas Championship Third Place
Fort Worth - 39 vs. Houston
Athletic - 7
Preview
Fort Worth meets Austin in the Division I semifinal, while Woodlands
meets Houston Athletic in the other.
Fort Worth's B side did not qualify for the Texas Championship.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Austin RFC - Saturday,
March 23, 2002 - Hallmark Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 10 Austin Blacks - 15
Austin pounced quickly, with a try within the first minute with a stiff
wind at their backs. Fort Worth rebounded with most of the possession
in the half, finally converting a try from A.J. De Jager with 10 minutes
remaining for a 7-7 halftime score.
In the second half, Fort Worth took a 10-7 lead after 5 minutes on a
penalty by Keith Winton.
Austin consolidated their play and converted many long possessions into a
try and 12-10 lead with 15 minutes remaining. An additional penalty
kick late in the match gave Austin the 15-10 victory.
Fort Worth B - 5 Austin Golds - 31
The Golds jumped out to a big 26-0 lead at the half, and cruised
through the second half for the victory. Fort Worth's Jorge
Valenzuela scored their only try midway in the second half.
Preview
Austin has rolled to a 10-1 cup season, with their single loss being a
close match against the Super League Dallas Harlequins. In early October
the Blacks ran over a thin Fort Worth traveling squad by 60 points. The
match kicks off at 2:00 PM when Fort Worth will try to make a better
showing against the top Division 1 club in the southwest.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Woodford Fifths
- Sunday,
March 17, 2002 - Fort Worth
Fort Worth Pedestrians - 19 Woodford Fifths -
30
Woodford jumped to an early one-try lead before the Pedestrians got their
game in order. The second 20-minute quarter saw the Fort Worth boys
run in three tries to threaten a route. However, the second 40 minutes
was a different story as Woodford controlled the ball and the territory and
ran in 4 tries to take the victory..
Fort Worth RFC vs. San Antonio - Saturday,
March 16, 2002 - San Antonio
Fort Worth A - 31 San Antonio A - 11
Fort Worth controlled the match from the start and shocked the Matalos,
who were clearly expecting a repeat of the previous match in Fort
Worth. The Cowtown boys would have none of it, and overcome numerous
minor errors to cruise to victory.
San Antonio seemed off their game, but still look ready to make a solid
run in the post-season in Division II.
Fort Worth B - 29 San Antonio B - 15
Warren Tucker scored three tries and Aaron Dalrymple and
Matt Butler added one each as the Fort Worth seconds finished what the
firsts started.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Houston Athletic - Saturday,
March 9, 2002 - Houston
Fort Worth A - 37 HARC A - 7
Fort Worth started hard and fast and their new faces clearly raised the
club's level of play. The club's high energy level was complimented by some
extremely clutch kicks from the back three. The solid defense held until the
end when HARC put together numerous attempts at Fort Worth's line finally
yielding a try from their flanker.
Fort Worth B - 22 HARC B - 5
Warren Tucker scored three tries in the first 15 minutes, including a
push-over scrum that took a half-dozen attempts. HARC's defense adjusted and
allowed only one more try from the seconds.
Preview
Fort Worth travels to play on Houston's new pitch for the first
time. Houston stunned Fort Worth with a 53-5 win on Fort Worth's pitch
in December. See HARC's web
site for more details.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Austin Huns - Saturday, March 2, 2002 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 87 "Huns" A -
0
The 12 Huns showed a great deal of courage to demand a match in 33
degree temperatures, 7 degree wind chills, and on an icy pitch.
Borrowing three players, they came up short on a number of possible scores
in spite of their efforts. Fort Worth played with a lot of energy
once the Huns shamed them into playing in the frigid conditions.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Arlington Mavericks - Saturday,
February 23, 2002 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 17 Arlington A -
19
Fort Worth B - 14 Arlington B - 0
Fort Worth RFC vs. Dallas Harlequins - Saturday,
February 16, 2002 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 5 Harlequins A -
109
Fort Worth B - 0 Harlequins B - 62
Disaster strikes Fort Worth as a local power outage causes the entire
club to oversleep and miss the matches. One player arrived to take the
Quins kickoff at full time and managed to single-handedly beat all 15 Quins and score in the
corner for the lone Fort Worth try.
Preview
A side match kicks off at 2:00, with the B side following at 3:30 at
Gateway Park in Fort Worth. (Glencoe Park is still undergoing
renovations.)
Fort Worth RFC vs. Woodlands RFC - Saturday,
January 26, 2002 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 7 Woodlands A -
15
It wasn't the 2001 National Semifinal, where both clubs
were playing at the top of their games, but each club played with the a
level of intensity befitting former National Champions.
Fort Worth struck first with a converted try from flyhalf
Richard Stransom at 15 minutes, but Woodlands struck back 5 minutes later
with an unconverted try of their own. The Fort Worth 7-5 lead held to the
half.
Woodlands scored two more unconverted tries late in the
second half, despite Fort Worth holding a large territorial and possession
advantage in the half.
Fort Worth B - 15 Woodlands B -
17
Fort Worth started quickly with 2 tries, and managed to hold a slight
10-7 lead at halfway. Woodlands steadily came back with long series of
possessions, and held on at the end for a win by a conversion.
Referee John McConnell earned the ironman award for a good performance as
referee in both matches on the day.
Preview
Match-up of the past 2 Division II National Champions. First XV Match
kicks off at 2:00 at Gateway Park.
Fort Worth RFC vs. San Antonio RFC - Saturday,
January 19, 2002 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 14 San Antonio A -
31
Fort Worth B - 32 San Antonio B - 14
Fort Worth RFC vs. Dallas RFC - Saturday,
January 12, 2002 - Lake Highlands Park, Dallas
Fort Worth A - 7 Dallas A - 48
Fort Worth B - 12 Dallas B - 41
Preview
In the first match of the series in the Fall, Dallas used its
experience to win the match with smart rugby. The challenge for Fort
Worth will be to overcome a number of missing starters, and keep Dallas
from repeating their first performance. The first match will kick
off at 2:00 in Dallas.
Fort Worth RFC vs. San Antonio RFC - Saturday,
December 15, 2001 - San Antonio
Matches cancelled by referee due to flooded pitch.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Houston Athletic - Saturday,
December 8, 2001 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 5 Houston
Athletic A - 53
Fort Worth B - Houston Athletic B -
Preview
Houston Athletic and Fort Worth have played some memorable matches,
mostly at the Galveston Mardi Gras tournament. Last season, Houston
took the cup matches with a blowout at home, and with a last second
victory in Dallas. The first XV kick off at 2:00 PM, with the second
XV following at 3:30 at Gateway Park.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Dallas Harlequins - Saturday, November
17, 2001 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 10 Harlequins A - 54
The Quins extended a 28-5 halftime lead to a 54-10 victory in a sloppy
match in Fort Worth. Fort Worth at times made some solid defensive
stands, but were unable to get any real offense going. Colin Trudo
stole a quick Quin lineout in the first half for a try, and Mike Harvey
ran in another long solo try the first time he got the ball with any
space.
Fort Worth B - More Harlequins B - Less
Fort Worth welcomed back some old stalwarts who won the match with hard
running and smart rugby. The Quins took advantage of a few Fort Worth
handling errors, using their speed and fitness to score their tries.
The Quins took a 2 point lead with 12 minutes remaining, but Mike Harvey
single-handedly scored an 80 meter try to give Fort Worth a 5 point victory.
Preview
The Dallas Harlequins of the USA Rugby Super League travel to Fort
Worth for two matches. The Quins have been dominating Texas Rugby
and the boys from Cowtown will have their hands full. The A side
match kicks off at 2:00 and the B side kicks off at 3:30.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Woodlands - Saturday, November 10, 2001 -
Woodlands
Fort Worth A - 5 Woodlands A - 52
Fort Worth B - 3 Woodlands B - 32
Preview
This battle will feature the past two Division II USA National
Champions. In 2000, Fort Worth escaped with a three point victory
over Woodlands in the Western USA Championship, while in 2001 Woodlands
escaped with a three point victory in the National Semifinal. This year
both clubs have jumped to Division I, with Woodlands seeing early success
while Fort Worth is struggling.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Austin RFC - Saturday, October 13, 2001 - Burr Field, Austin
Fort Worth A - 17 Austin Blacks - 77
Ah yes. Autumn has arrived in Texas. The weather is mild,
the leaves are beginning to fall, High School football is in full swing,
and Fort Worth RFC can't travel beyond the county line. Austin had
the party ready early as requested by the visitors, had the pitch mowed
and marked and the gate open, but the guests of honor failed to bring the
personnel to give them a good match.
Austin started with their usual fast game, showing their underrated
team speed and impressive handling skills. Against the 14 braves
from Fort Worth, the home side punched in tries on three of their first
four possessions, never caught once behind their gain line. Fort Worth's
15th man arrived, but it did little to stop the hemorrhaging in the
visitor's defense.
With the wind advantage Austin rolled up 60 points in the half, while
Fort Worth managed a lone try by winger Mike Harvey.
After the break and gaining the wind, the boys from Cowtown settled to
a more solid game, keeping possession for long periods, and finally
forcing a few errors from their opponent. Mike Harvey scored another solo
try, and chased many an Austin player down before they could cross the
line.
Flanker Thad Hill caused a penalty try when he was obstructed in the
try zone while chasing down a kick, which finished the scoring for Fort
Worth.
Fly-half Richard Stransom provided the conversion on the first
try. Richard had a fine day of rugby, handling Fort Worth's kicking
functions and cementing together the horde called the backline.
Fort Worth B - 12 Austin Golds - 17
With two players leaving directly after the match for a wedding in Fort
Worth, Fort Worth used prop "Rusty" from Austin to fill in the B
side. Austin graciously reduced the length of the match, and all were
satisfied.
Scorers for Fort Worth were Charlie Burgess and Mike Harvey.
Preview:
Austin ended the 2001 season with a Texas Championship and a place in the USA Rugby Division 1 National
Quarterfinals, while Fort Worth polished off years of Division 2 dominance with a fourth place finish in
the second division.
This Saturday, after years of playing friendlies and pseudo-cup matches, the clubs will meet
once again under the auspices of Texas's Division 1. Austin has started in good form with a solid victory over
San Antonio, while Fort Worth's loss to Dallas RFC shows they are struggling to meet the demands of Division 1 rugby.
The match will be played in Austin at 12:00 NOON and 1:30 at Burr Field.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Dallas RFC - Sunday, October 7, 2001 - Gateway Park, Fort Worth
Fort Worth A - 27 Dallas RFC A - 43
Dallas's years of Division 1 rugby proved invaluable as they were quick to take advantage of Fort Worth's mistakes.
Fort Worth's old habits of mistakes and easy recoveries will prove to be problematic as they play a full slate of
top level rugby this season.
The match was a stalemate until Dallas began to methodically put up scores beginning midway through the first half. Fort Worth
slowly battled back to tie the match 22-22 in the second half, when Dallas's kicker began to put the match out of reach with three straight
clutch penalty kicks. Two late tries by Dallas and one by Fort Worth finished the scoring for the clubs.
Fort Worth B - 0 Dallas RFC B - 49
Dallas had a definite advantage in experience in this match, as they took apart the disorganized Fort Worth
defense. After a blistering first half, the clubs settled to a more even game. Fort Worth worked the ball down
close on a few occasions, but was unable to cross the line, while Dallas managed a single additional try.
Preview:
In recent years, Fort Worth and Dallas have played some very memorable matches, as the rivalry has slowly
returned to the intensity of seasons past. This year, the clubs' roles are reversed, as Dallas plays all the Division
1 Texas clubs and advances to the Division 2 playoffs, while Fort Worth has returned to
Division 1 after a decade
hiatus. The matches kick off at 2:00 PM at Gateway
Park.
Fort Worth RFC vs. Atlanta Renegades - Saturday, October 6, 2001 - Lake Highlands, Dallas
Fort Worth MLR XV - L Atlanta Renegades MLR XV - W
Fort Worth was unable to overcome their numerous handling and defensive mistakes, and Atlanta was quick to take
advantage of both. Fort Worth manufactured a few good scores, and Mike Harvey kept them in the game with two
outstanding tries, but it was not enough. Overall, Atlanta played a more cohesive game and their inside center scored 3
tries to lead them to MLR victory.
Preview:
The Atlanta Renegades hosted Fort Worth's Magnificent XI Traveling Squad in March, and escaped with a
10-7 victory in the sloppy Atlanta conditions. Atlanta will travel with a complete side, and promise to
give Fort Worth all they can handle. Due to a scheduling problem with Fort
Worth's home pitch, the match will be played in Dallas at 2:00 at
Lake Highlands Park.
2001 Cowtown Kickoff Classic - Fort Worth - September 8-9, 2001
The 2001 Cowtown Kickoff Classic featured 26 teams from all over the American Southwest competing for the
coveted title of "Cowtown Champions". This year, the Dallas Harlequins, Texas A&M University,
San Angelo State University, and the Austin Valkyries added their names to this illustrious group of
champions. For a complete summary, visit the tournament page.
Fort Worth RFC Results:
To ensure all clubs played their guaranteed 3 matches, Fort Worth entered 2 sides in the tournament. Struggling
with injuries, retirements, and prior commitments, the club had difficulty filling both sides, and many players
saw time in 4 or 5 matches on the day. That aside, there were some fine moments of rugby, and Fort Worth's sizeable
rookie class was nothing if not impressive on the day.
The Fort Worth Longhorns fought to a 2-1 record on the first day, with hard-earned victories over Shreveport and
the Austin Huns, and a loss to Dallas RFC. The Brahmas side lost a close match with Denton, and then were
run over by the Harlequins. In the final match, the Brahmas held their own against a good Arlington team, only losing in the
final minutes.
On Sunday, Fort Worth scratched together a side the included players from TCU and Baylor, to ensure the Quins would
get their semi-final match. The Quins were firing on all cylinders, and easily ran up the score on the young
Fort Worth side. The highlight of the match for Fort Worth was an ardent two-minute possession late in the
second half, that inevitably ended in a Quin try.
Preview:
The 2001 Cowtown promises to be the best ever. See the Cowtown
Information page for all the latest.
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