Welcome Back!

That's right, Life in Agen has "recommencé." Lauren and I are back in our lovely home after a massive four day cleaning spree (four months away brings quite a bit of cobwebs to every corner of the house).

It was a pretty tough trip home, travelling from Nelson, NZ to Auckland, LA, London, Toulouse and then the train to Agen. Even though the team got to fly business to LA, it was the second half of the trip that was easiest. Lauren met me in LA and we travelled the rest of the way together. And what perfect timing, we arrived just before the team's week off vacation. Already having gone to the markets, we're settling in and enjoying our wonderful lifestyle; which is easy after four months of travelling and being away from each other.

Agen will begin training again next week before the Clermont match away. I'm very excited to be back in this place that I really do call home. It wasn't until I arrived in Agen that I realized how much I missed it here and I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for us and Agen.

Agen go down at Racing in a highly entertaining Match

There was seemingly no pressure on our team since we had solidified our stay next season, but in Racing's eyes they would have to score tries and get a bonus point to stay in their #2 spot. This set the tables for a display of running rugby, and that it was. Eleven tries were scored in a match that exhausted the players and entertained the fans. From minute one Racing Metro set the pace of the game, running it out of their own 22m.

Since my last start, 5 weeks ago, there has been a lot of time to think about the season, the team, my position, etc. After Montpellier it seemed everything came together for me, both on and off the field. I'm finding more comfort speaking the language, I'm understanding the game and my positioning at the highest level I've ever felt, and Lauren and I are really enjoying our lives in this small town of Agen. However, I unfortunately didn't get to play after that match until this weekend. With four weeks of feeling supremely ready, it was finally time to show it on the field.

Since December, we really haven't played in a rugby match that was continuous. It has been more like test rugby, in that there are a lot more kicks for territory, and less risk involved. With that in mind, the hot weather and the fact I hadn't played in a match for 5 weeks, my lungs were burning within the first 10 minutes.

In the end I feel I played as well as I felt I could in the preceding 4 weeks. I feel like in any match you play there should be things to fix or mistakes to be had (the fewer the better). If not, then maybe you're playing too conservatively or not getting involved enough, and of course the less likely you played a perfect match. Needless to say I had a few of these moments, but overall I felt like I was highly involved in all facets of the game and did well in the majority of my involvements. I had several nice catch/run/pass actions, good defensive moments, and some nice takes in the air. I'm expressing this because it's been awhile since I've either played or played well with Agen and trust me, when you play well you feel good about it. 

By the end of the game both teams seemed exhausted and little mistakes were turning into big ones. We were able to pull within three points after an excellent intercept pass by our fullback, to make it 34-37 with just 10 minutes left. But Racing needed to score tries and they came firing back quickly. It was just too much for us in the end and they finished the game with two tries (the last with no time and a yellow card to our hooker). A great game for the fans and players alike with the final score 51-34 in favor of the number 2 team in Top 14.

Next weekend there are no matches for the Top 14 as the European semifinals are being played. And then the following weekend we find ourselves at home against Brive in the final match of the season.

Update: Castres, La Rochelle, and staying in the Top 14

Once again it's been a while since my last blog. To be honest, it's mostly been because I haven't played in the last few matches; since Montpellier in fact. Thankfully that changed this past weekend, and I played a full 80 minutes in a highly entertaining match of rugby against Racing.

Before I get into this past weekend, I'll start with the Castres game, which came the week after our great win against Clermont. This was a match we knew we had to win, but taking down two teams in the top 5 in back to back weeks was going to be quite difficult, even if the games were at home. However, the thing about our team this season, and especially as of late, is when the pressure is on we always surpass expectations.

The match was back and forth in the first half with Agen starting the scoring through the boot of our very steady #10. Shortly after, Castres were on the hunt for their first points, but the referee went upstairs to the video ref and their hopeful try was refused. It was a game of tactics, kicking for territory, up and unders, basically not a lot of running rugby and the rest of the half would show a couple more penalty kicks and a tied game 6-6.

In the second 40 a bit more rugby was being played, which started with Castres going through multiple phase sequences. Within 10 minutes Castres took their first lead through an excellent counter attack try and conversion to make it 13-6. However, over the next 10 minutes Agen found themselves playing with the ball as well, and in back to back succession, we scored two tries within three minutes, also through counter attack opportunities. After the second conversion try hit the posts, the score was 18-13 with 20 long minutes to play. From then on the tight rugby came back and our defense held a strong attacking Castres team for the last quarter. It was always within grasp for the playoff bound team, but they could only leave with a defensive bonus point and the final score was 21-16.

After the win against Castres we were going into La Rochelle with a mindset of "absolutely must-win," and there was no question about it. We were 9 points on top of La Rochelle before the game and if they won, we would only be up 5 points with two games left, definitely not a comfortable place to be. However, if we won, we would be up 13, and guarantee our place in the Top 14 next season.

When the first half started it was nearly the worse start possible. They kicked off and we dropped the ball straight away. They jumped on the mistake and were already on attack in our 22 m. After one phase of play there was an overlap out wide and their flyhalf put up a beautiful cross field kick, which bounced off one of our players and into the hands of one of theirs. Two steps and it was a try. However, the referee went to the video for a second look, and we were saved from putting ourselves in an awfully deep hole early in the game. With only one minute gone by, you could feel the tension in the air and anyone watching knew it was going to be a long, tough fight.

La Rochelle wouldn't leave our end without getting some points however, and hit a penalty just two minutes later to go up 3-0. The penalties wouldn't stop there. In what became a penalty ridden game, we saw a combined 8 or more in the first 15 minutes, four of which were chances at points, and all of which were converted, to make the score 6-6. It was one of the most difficult halves I've seen Agen play, both because of their opponent, but more importantly because of ourselves. Turnovers, penalties, and a yellow card put us on the back foot the entire half. However, we caught a huge break when our fullback put an up-and-under onto their fullback and he bobbled it. Our Captain kicked it forward and recovered it on the one meter line. We were able to go through a few phases before our forwards put together an overpowering display of the pick and go and driving over the try line to score the first try of the match.

Up 13-12 at half, in a half that was poorly played, we felt relieved, to say the least. It was going to be a tough second half, especially after we got our second yellow of the night. We pulled away just enough to feel comfortable after our kicking hit two more penalties to go ahead 19-12. But a charging La Rochelle didn't want to leave this game on the wrong end and they scored a try of their own that tied the game at 19. Just a couple minutes later we got another penalty try and our already perfect kicker on the day, just made it look that much easier, and we had some breathing room again. With both teams playing for their entire next season, the next 5 minutes of normal time (and 7 minutes of extra time) would be exhausting.

There were only 5 minutes left and La Rochelle were inside our 22 m, and it became a scramble with the forwards, who were the foundation for our lead the entire game. Eventually they earned a penalty and we were able to kick to touch and get out of our half. With just 3 minutes left, if we won the lineout and played territory this game was all but over. We did win the lineout, however, La Rochelle backed away from the maul and we were called for crossing. An amazing kick to touch brought them into our 5 m line and they would be there for the next 10 minutes. From lineout, to scrum, to open play, to scrum, to scrum, it was unbeleiveable. La Rochelle continued to get penalties that allowed them to reset in the scrum, the scrum would go down, and they would get another chance, even after time had expired. (You can't end a game on a penalty even if the scrum collapses). Eventually the ball was in play and already 5 minutes in extra time our defense was holding very strong and sending the La Rochelle runner backwards. When they realized the forwards wouldn't get the job done they sent it out to the backs and a rush defense put too much pressure on them and they bobbled it. Our medical joker fullback was able to get a foot on it and send it 30 meters in the other direction. "Kick it out!" is what everyone was either saying or thinking, but he chipped it ahead another 40 meters and jumped on the ball to score the game ending try. An amazing finish to an amazing game. Always tough to watch, but humbly proud to be a part of. Agen won 29-19 and will be playing in the Top 14 again next season.

Clermont fall in Agen

Following the Paris match was a highly anticipated weekend off, as many of the players are feeling the pains of the long and enduring season. It wasn't a week off of training, however, but it was much lighter than normal. Preparing for our match-up at home against the reigning Top 14 Champions was quite an experience. It was a pretty hard week in regards to training, and I actually thought by the end of the week our forwards would be too tired for the contest. However, it was our forwards that kept us on the front foot all game, both defensively and offensively. I was on the bench for this match, an unlikely role for a winger, but played the last 3 minutes.

It was a "uh-oh" type of start for us as we dropped the first kickoff and turned the ball over in our own 22. We played some solid defense to get out of it, but then lost the ensuing scrum and again had to play defense within our 5 meter line. The relentless attack of Clermont was being stopped formidably by our defense; but after a penalty, the very alert French-capped scrum half quick-tapped, doubled around and was able to slip through for a try 4 minutes into the game.

If this was the first half of the season, we might have put our heads down and gotten complacent. But this Agen team is much different now and stood up to the challenge, played some excellent running rugby and earned a penalty to make the score 3-7. We knew we could play with them and we played well; 5 minutes later we scored a try, which was a great individual run by our flanker. This was the beginning of an onslaught of points for us as we scored another penalty and another try before the 18 minute mark and brought the scoreline to 20-7 in our favor. It was a great performance overall and a feeling of relief to finished ahead in a "must-win" game. Final score: 26-17

Next week is another one of those however, at home against Castres, who are currently sitting 3rd in the Top 14. We are still at the 11th position, 1 point ahead of Brive, who also won on the weekend against the bottomless Bourgoin team. Here are the standings with just 4 games left:

Toulouse         69
Racing Metro  68
Castres            63
Biarritz            62
Montpellier      61
Perpignan        58
Clermont         58
Toulon            56
Bayonne         54
Paris               49
Agen              38
Brive              37
La Rochelle    33
Bourgoin          5

Extended Absence Update

Wow! It's been a lot longer than I thought since my last post. Needless to say, there's been quite a lot going on here, between figuring out my first year taxes in France, extra training sessions and most importantly, Lauren coming back, it's been quite busy. I hate to put blame on Lauren, but what are partners for:)

Anyway, let me give you a quick update on the last month. Four weeks ago we played at Montpellier to a nail-biter of a match. I started and played 80 minutes at left wing. We were up at the half 7-3 and playing really good defense. However, 3 penalties to start the second half put them ahead just 10 minutes in and from there it was a seesaw scoreline. Eventually they scored a try with 2 minutes left to go ahead by 8 and put the win out of reach. However, we knew we had to salvage something from our highly determined performance, and we did just that. We kept the ball for nearly 2 minutes of extra time, and ended the game with a try to get a much needed bonus point for losing by less than 7. Final score: 24-25.

The following week I had a mandatory one week rest for a "possible," yet, unconfirmed injury, which was pretty frustrating and resulted in me staying home for this match. It was much of the same for our team, however. Only down 3 at half, we tied it within minutes of the second stanza. Another back-and-forth of penalties made until we took the lead 18-15 with 15 minutes to go. However, just a few minutes later, the Parisians in Pink found the first and only try of the match. There would be no more scoring and we let yet another one slip away, 18-22.

Agen put up Triumphant win to stay at #11

Brive played Stade Francais on Friday night, displaying a pretty dominating performance and winning 26-10. This means they jumped ahead of both La Rochelle and us before we played on Saturday, putting the pressure on.

We were able to meet the pressure head on, to Brive's dissatisfaction. We played the late night match on Saturday, 8:45 pm local time. With all of France watching the last game of the night, it was a wet, but almost humid night in Agen. It had rained all day to soggy up the field, but halted before kickoff to keep the condition more decent.

Toulon had a star-studded team, even with some of their players out of the line-up because of the 6 Nations tournament. Their biggest star is Johnny Wilkinson. Even before I started playing rugby, I remember roommates of mine talking about "Johnny Wilkinson, he's the greatest." Of course that is arguable, but he has been one of the top #10's over the past decade or so. He's known for putting in solid tackles, attacking the line, and an incredibly accurate foot (however it was off on this weekend). And ironically our flyhalf was at Toulon, but came to Agen mid-season last year because of Johnny's signing and lack of playing time.

The game started quickly in Toulon's hands as they attacked early, earning a penalty just inside our half with only 3 minutes gone. Fortune would be on our side as the famous kicker was half a meter too short for the 50 meter kick. Traded penalties came over the next 10 minutes, until a try by our captain off a turnover and offload. It was a lot of back and forth after that, with our fullback and flyhalf winning every kicking exchange.
Another try and traded penalties left us at halftime up 20-6, and rather dominating field position. The second half was going to be tough, we knew they would come out running and try to play their wide open style of rugby. They would gain territory, 20, 30, sometimes 50 meters, but eventually would be stopped by our relentless defense. It was pretty tight near the end, as they scored a converted try with 15 minutes to go. But when we put back another penalty, it pretty much sealed it. The final was 23-13 and we retained our #11 position in the always difficult Top 14.

This week is off completely from training, and then the following weekend we take on Montpellier away.

Perpignan earn bonus with no time, win 31-18.

After finishing the European Cup Challenge matches, and having lost three in a row, our team was doing a lot of soul searching. Even after the win versus Bourgoin, something had to change when you give up as many points as we did in January. That's exactly what happened, from top to bottom. The coaches changed practices, pre-game warm-up, and in certain areas, systems, while the players came better prepared, mentally and physically.

We went in to Perpignan knowing we had to come away with points. We obviously wanted the win, but even just getting the 1 point bonus loss (when you lose by 7 or less) on the weekend is going to be very important for us. We played a great game, but for about 15 minutes we went away from our game plan and conceded two tries. The first half had a lot of big hits, but not a lot of running rugby (mostly kick and chase). Big Henry Tuilagi (Samoan) was putting in some pounding runs, but our pack was meeting him in pairs to stop him.

It was 12-10 at half, even though they had dominated possession. However, after halftime was when we started to get away from the game plan and that's when they put in two tries. A yellow card to our tight head prop didn't help the issues either. At the 56 minute mark we were down 26-10, and working back into our original strategies. It was looking good when we scored a penalty, and then a try, to make it 26-18, but it was all for not as we let in one more try with no time left to end the game 31-18.

All By Myself

Lauren returned home this past weekend and although she does an amazing job while in France in regards to her work duties, she needs to head home for client meetings as well.  

Only 13 left in the Top 14

That's pretty much it for Bourgoin as they lost once again last night. Even with nine games left, there is almost no way for them to get out of being relegated. That leaves the 13 other teams to battle for the top 12 (well actually it's just 11, 12, and 13th battling).

It was a close match throughout until we pulled away late. We always had the lead, but felt the pressure the entire night. It was tied at 3 early, and then 10-9 at halftime. But that would be all the points Bourgoin could get and would finally go down 26-9.

We scored two tries, from our fly-half and center, just missing out on a bonus point (in the French league you only get a bonus point when you score 3 or more tries than your opponent). With Brive losing by 8, they didn't earn any points and stay at 26. La Rochelle nearly had a massive upset, leading against Toulon at Toulon, until a late try (thank you) saw Toulon squeeze out the victory (12-9). They earn 1 point for losing by less than 7, and move to 27. And with four points for our victory, we jump back up to 11th, with 28 points. It's all undecided for that 13th spot and it will probably stay that way until the last match of the season when we play Brive at home.

Amlin Cup is Over for Agen

It was not too long ago I was talking about how much different our defense had been playing compared to the early part of the season. But after three losses, and over 150 points scored against us, it looks like we've taken massive downward spiral in this regard.

We lost last Thursday in Gloucester by a score of 60 - 7. I didn't go, nor was I able to view the match, however, it seemed, after talking with teammates, much of the disaster was due to our defense and missed tackles. The Amlin Cup is over for us, but as I said previously, it may not be a bad thing. What is definitely bad, is a scoreline of over 60 for your opponent, 2 out of 3 weeks.

This week is going to be the match that may decide our season. Without a win we can almost guarantee a departure out of the Top 14 next season. However, I believe this won't be the case, and once again this Agen team will win in a 'must-win' situation.

On off-the-field news, we had another wondeful time with our most recent guests, Lauren's brother, Cam, and his girlfriend, Sarah. They left this morning to finish their trip in Rome before departing back to their home in Salt Lake. They were able to spend 6 days with us, traveling around to some nearby cities of Agen during that time. More on their trip and pictures to follow.

Is Rest More Important than the Win?

This is a question asked many times, by many teams, throughout the season in France. With 26 Top 14 matches, at least 6 in European Cup, and then other preseason or friendlies, each team plays at least 35 games in a season (which goes from August to May). Of course no player plays all of these matches, but there are some who play most. And it's finding the right times to rest these players throughout the season, usually during matches you can afford to not win.

After last weeks beheading, I think the coaches realized that playing the same players almost 8 weeks in a row comes at a cost. In an Amlin Cup match that meant everything if we were in it to win it, the coaches instead put their eggs in the Top 14 basket and rested players. They realized guys were just plain tired, more mentally than physically, and that's everything in a game like this. I think only the hooker started both the Biarritz match and the Amlin Cup match against La Rochelle, everyone else was either on the bench or out of the 23.

After saying all this, it was still quite a competitive game, as La Rochelle rested many of their players as well. We were leading 17-16 with 17 minutes to go, but after back-to-back tries via mauls, the La Rochelle team finished the game on top, with the final of 28-17. What this means is the Amlin Cup is pretty much over, however, this is actually good for us. We have at least one less game by not advancing. Meanwhile, La Rochelle will most likely have one more. This will be good in regards to our Top 14 competition, and hopefully help us stay out of relegation.

Thursday we play at Gloucester for our final Amlin Cup match.

Agen crushed, 65-22.

Early in the season we were able to take down the highly competitive Biarritz Club that resides in the Basque country of France. It was a great game to play in, scoring my first try in Top 14 competition. Morever, the victory came over my USA teammate, Takudza Ngwenya, who is not only an amazing player, but stand up person as well. In this match we both played right wing, in other words, not against each other.

Thirteen games later we met again, however, this time we were playing against one another. Whether it was because I know how good of a player he is, or because I haven't played many games for Agen over the past two months, I was highly anxious, a little intimidated and super focused before the match.

Unfortunately, these emotions were short-lived as it was the worst performance of the season for Agen. We were beat everywhere on the field, left, right and center. Our narrow margin of victory 4 months ago felt amazing, but I couldn't imagine how a 40 point victory felt for them. They put up 10 tries to 3, in a 65-22 victory (Taku had 2 of those). 

Last post a reader asked what it's like playing against some of the best players in the world...well let me tell you. The concentration level for a match like this is already at ridiculously high levels, but now you have to focus on a single player as well. You have to do your role, and know where he is at all times. His first touch was an explosive run in which he ran one player over and continued while another three more finally took him down. His first try came when the Biarritz scrumhalf gave a great dummy to get through and with only the cover defense to beat, he passed to Taku; who with still much to finish, raced past one, handed off our big number 8, then ran past another to finish the try. Playing against a player like this is terrifying, yet exhilirating. I find I play my best rugby when it's against the best players. Your courage overcomes fear, which in turn gives you confidence. However, this time around I never had the opportunity to prove it and in a situation like this you can only say "job well done," and hope that next time it's a better challenge.

Next 2 weeks are Amlin Cup Matches, and then we have an all important game at home vs. Bourgoin.

Toulouse Ends 5 game winning streak...but Agen comes back to beat Bayonne

After having lost 7 in a row, it wasn't looking good for our rugby club in little Agen. However, we won our last 3 in the Top 14 and 3 of 4 in the Amlin Cup matches. With a 5 game winning streak ahead of our Toulouse match, even though they are #1 in the Top 14, we were feeling quite confident in our chances.  In the heart of winter in France, it was ironically a great night for rugby and there was a maxed out stadium to view as well. All this set up a great opportunity to take down the Giant Toulouse.

However, it took no more than 6 minutes to get their first 3 points on the board and it was all Toulouse in the first 20 minutes, tallying 16 points. It looked all but done, until we finally got on the board with a 3-pointer. The scoring continued, but slowed for Toulouse in the first half, ending at 25-3.

Over the last 7 or 8 games, the difference in our losing streak and winning streak has been our defense. We are realigning better/faster, tackling harder (and more often), and as a result, teams are drastically scoring less. Against Toulouse, we came out hard, and continued this aggressive play. Unfortunately there were lapses, which, against the best team, led to points. However, our defense quickly came back in the second half and we finished the way we wish we could have started, winning the second stanza 5-0. The final score was 25-8.

Against Bayonne, we learned from our mistakes. It was defense, defense, defense. They couldn't do anything offensively, and we were just waiting for the right time to strike during the match. To start the game we controlled possession and played advancing rugby, but just couldn't finish off the try at the end. It did lead to a 9-0 first half lead however, which was suitable considering how our defense was playing. The only difference in the second half was that we had to play a lot more defense, but it never faltered. They may have kept the ball longer, but big hit after big hit eventually led to a turnover.

After having missed most of the last 7 matches, I finally found myself on the bench, and eventually on the field. With my first touch of the ball, I stepped through the defensive line after a nice pass from a teammate, and then I set up another player for a try. Personally, it was nice to get back on the field, but even better, for the team I provided a big impact coming off the bench. That try sealed it with 8 minutes to go and the game ended at 21-3.

Next week we play at Biarritz, where Takudza Ngwenya, the USA National Team winger makes his home.

Christmas in Paris

Kevin had 3 days off from rugby for Christmas so we headed north for some important sightseeing. Drove to Poitiers to view a Chateau and then took the train to Paris for Christmas Eve and Day.

Stayed at a nice hotel 3 blocks from the Eiffel Tower.

Ice rink on the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower.

We woke up early enough on Christmas day to view the city before the tourist and Parisians flooded the streets. The Louvre was not open but it was still spectacular walking around the massive square with almost no one in sight.  

Crepes and hot chocolate kept us moving in the cold

Notre Dame

Fleeing Santa

Champs Elysee

Poitiers

We wish our family and friends a healthy and happy New Year.

Game verse Toulouse on Wednesday.

Rovigo Match - Amlin Cup

This past week saw us in Italy, taking on Rovigo, in what is called the Amlin Cup Challenge. Italy's rugby isn't as professional as it seems to be in France, which is funny, because the term "professional" in France isn't even close to what people in the USA see in the professional sports of football, basketball and baseball. So in that perspective, we're talking about a huge disparity.




When we began warming up in the stadium, there wasn't a fan in the stands, which made for a weird atmosphere. Eventually a few thousand filed in this 6,000 capacity stadium. In any case, the match started pretty quickly, with both teams running with the ball, maybe trying to play a little too much. That was the case for us, but we managed to exploit them twice early on, putting in two tries. It was my first match back for Agen since the November tour with the Eagles, and I was pretty excited about that. I managed to get my hands on the ball early and often, and set up a try



By the end of the match they were dominating possession of the ball, but we were playing some pretty good defense, keeping them from scoring. When they would finally turn the ball over, we would make a silly mistake and quickly give it right back. However, with 5 minutes left I managed to get into the try zone myself, scoring the last points for either team, and ending it at 33-10.



We play Rovigo again this weekend at home. We should definitely have a better performance this weekend, as we probably left out 3 or 4 more tries last week. Unfortunately I won't be playing again this week as I suffered a minor injury in training and will miss a couple days. Things are looking good for Agen, as we've won 4 matches in a row.

Lauren gets invited to USA 7's camp, but has to decline

If it was only as easy as saying yes, and then just showing up to play, Lauren would be there. But having to travel back and forth from France for her work makes it very difficult to maintain a solid training regimen.

In my entire sporting career, I've never seen anyone able to train as hard as Lauren. This is why she was so successful, but this is also the exact reason she won't play in the Vegas 7's this year. If she can't do her training the way she wants to, then she feels ill-prepared and won't be ready mentally.

It goes without saying - I'm very fond of this woman and I'm very proud of her rugby endeavors as well. First, that she took on a new sport and tried for a spot on the National Team. Second, that she made the USA team, and had the skill and defense to hold her own with more experienced players. And finally, to be able to step away temporarily when she loves this game. The greatest thing for her in regards to rugby is that she'll always be able to play. Whether it's one year, 2 years, or 4 years from now, she'll get back on the pitch and more than prove herself once again.

Agen jumps 2 positions to #11



After a 4 week hiatus from regular matches, and Agen having won the last two before that, SUA took on the number 11th ranked team, Brive, this weekend. It was an important match because it was our 13th, the half-way point of the season and a middle point to reassess where we are in the standings. We haven't won all season on the road, and for most teams, road wins are rare to begin with.

I realized the boys just flat out played with confidence and aggression, the two simplest things you need to win a match. We were starved of possession all day, but our defense held strong for 80 minutes not letting in a single try (the first time this season); with the final score 30-12. The upside is that our defense is what's winning games, which wasn't the case before, and we have a 3 game winning streak. The downside is that if we play the better teams with only 30% of the ball, we can't expect to win. Either way, there's a lot of confidence building here at Agen, which is something we have been dying for.

We have two games against Rovigo, an Italian club in our pool for the Amlin Cup. Then we have a weekend off before the second half of the season which begins with our home clash against Top seeded Toulouse. It's nice to finally be out of the red, otherwise known as the bottom two teams that get relegated to D2 in the end. But we are only half way through and it's only going to get tougher. Here are the current standings and points:

Toulouse         43

Montpellier      41

Racing Metro   39

Biarritz             38

Toulon             36

Castres            35

Clermont         34

Bayonne          32

Stade Francais 29

Perpignan        28

SUA               20

La Rochelle     19

Brive               19

Bourgoin         10

Final match of USA tour doesn't end well.

From one minute to the next, things can change instantly. This is exactly what happened at the end of our Georgia match. As a team we felt like we dominated many aspects of the match and lead most of the game. But in the end it was just a hard fought loss, 19-17, which was a tough pill to swallow as much of the success of this tour was based on the result of this test match.

However, I still feel the tour was still successful in the end. Maybe our biggest success is that we played to our pattern against Georgia well and it caused them problems. Once we add in our wrinkles, I think we'll be able to utilize the athletes we have even more. There's a bright spot for this eagles team going forward and I just pray I can continue riding the wave through it all with the rest of the boys.

It's TG day, Happy Thanksgiving!

It's probably one of my favorite holidays and all I can remember from back in the day was grabbing the biggest drumstick there was. And at 7 years old that turkey leg was almost as big as my face. I always ate the whole thing though.

This year, unfortunately, Lauren and I are miles apart on this holiday; however, she will be safely with her family in Seattle, and I'm definitely thankful for that. Tonight we'll have a nice Thanksgiving dinner with the team, courtesy of the Radisson of T'bilisi.

Thanks to everyone for keeping up on the blog, it's nice to be able to share our lives with family and friends. Enjoy the holiday wherever you are, with whomever you're with.

Kevin and Lauren

USA 1-2 after Scotland A loss

On a night that was almost unbearably cold, wearing three or four layers to stay warm; apparently it was great for a mid-November Scottish evening. The Scotsman sitting next to me was casually wearing his light overcoat and not showing an ounce of uncomfortableness. In the end, it turned out the conditions weren't too bad for the players.

It was a well fought in the first half, with nearly the same line-up as that of the Saracens 2 weeks earlier. Once again it was a lot of very good scramble defense, with very little possession of the ball. This obviously takes a toll. It was 6-0 to Scotland at about the 20 minute mark, but that quickly changed when our prop was sin-binned. They eventually scored in the corner and made it 11-0, which was the half time score.

At that point there was a lot of promise, some good movement of the ball when we did have it. In the second half it was much the same. They were pressing hard on our goal line, and even after we received our second yellow, we managed to keep them from scoring. We played continuous phases that finally got us into their territory and put pressure on them. An unfortunate turnover, led them into a promising position to attack, but we covered well. However, our tackler was whistled for yet another yellow card (so we were down to just 13 on the field). In the next 5 minutes they put up 14 more points.

That was all we could handle, and without much offense it didn't look promising. The score ended 25-0, but there were some good things to take out of the match, as there usually are. In the end there were only 6 points scored while it was 15v15. We either have to learn how to play better with a yellow card, or better yet, stop getting them.

(A beautiful Scotland sunset while visiting the castle together)

This weekend we play our final match on tour against Georgia. It'll be a very highly contested match and not easy by any means. Georgia beat Canada last weekend, so they're running high on that underdog victory.