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The Marin Highlanders Rugby Football Club is open to any high school-aged athlete. We are an independent club, unaffiliated with any individual school or high school district. We operate under the by-laws of USA Rugby, the national governing body for American rugby. As such, players must be under 19 years of age and be enrolled in high school. While the bulk of our players has come from Redwood High School, we also have had players from Tam, Drake, Marin Catholic, San Rafael, Marin Academy, St. Ignatius, Novato, San Andreas/Tamiscal, Terra Linda and San Marin High Schools on the team.
Rugby season runs from January through early May. We begin playing non-league games in late January and start our league season in mid-February. League play will continue through the middle of April, with playoffs in late April and early May.
We regularly have both basketball players and wrestlers come out for rugby at the end of their season. We welcome these players, as wrestlers and basketballers tend to be outstanding ruggers! Additionally, we offer players from winter sports a reduced dues fee because of their shorter season with rugby.
Marin Highlanders RFC plays in the Redwood Empire Conference of the Northern California Rugby Football Union, which in turn is part of the USA Rugby organization. The Redwood Empire Conference is composed of teams from Marin and Sonoma counties. The top two teams from that conference compete in the Northern California playoffs, with the winner of that competition advancing to the USA High School Championships.
We will begin non-league match play in mid-January. League matches begin the middle of February and continue through the middle of April. The Northern California playoffs will begin in late April. Occasionally, it may be necessary to schedule mid-week matches, usually to make up weather related cancellations. Normally, our home matches are Saturday (12 noon - 4 PM), played on Redwood’s all-weather field.
We practice Tuesdays and Thursdays (and Wednesdays in January) at 4:00PM until dark on the all-weather field at Hall Middle School, just down the road from Redwood.
Practices will begin on Tuesday, January 8, 2008.
Check out the article "Why Rugby Makes Good Football Players" The majority of rugby players also play football. In addition to providing plenty of contact and specific practice at tackling, rugby practice provides high-level training in the areas of endurance, speed and agility. Because rugby practice is not every day, players are encouraged to pursue additional strength and fitness programs on our off days.
No. After soccer, rugby fields more players than any other team sport. As such, it has a variety of positions that work for a variety of body types. There are positions for big, small, fast, slow and in-between players.
Rugby is a contact sport and there are bound to be some injuries as a result. However, the absence of protective equipment makes it much less a 'collision' sport than football. The majority of rugby injuries are cuts and bruises. Joint injuries and broken bones are much less common than in football, as are very serious injuries to the head, neck and spine.
See USA Rugby links:
We encourage players to start as freshmen, allowing them to develop into skilled and experienced players by the time they are juniors and seniors. We keep the older and younger players separated during any type of contact practice. If we have enough younger players, we will have one separate practice for them each week. We will field three teams, freshman, JV and Varsity, with each team playing matches against other clubs that field similar teams.
Every player needs a uniform, consisting of team jersey, shorts and socks. Players are also required to have a mouthguard and rugby boots. Rugby boots have cleats, either metal or plastic. There are boots made specifically for rugby, but soccer boots will also work at many positions. Football boots have a toe cleat that is illegal in rugby. We also encourage players to take advantage of new rules allowing the use of protective headgear and shoulder pads. There is a list of vendors on the club's home page.
Dues for 2008 are $295, except first year players' dues will be $180. Additionally, the required club uniform is $90.00 and rugby boots run between $40.00 and $140.00. We have options available to pay the dues in installments. The dues (or first payment) are required to begin practice, but if a player chooses not to play within the first month he will receive a full refund of the dues. The money for the uniform is required before the team submits its order with our uniform supplier, and it is non-refundable.
The Marin Highlanders RFC is committed to allowing anyone with interest to play for the club. If playing presents a financial difficulty for you, all or part of your dues and equipment costs will be covered by the club. We only ask that you pay what you reasonably can. People in this circumstance need to speak with Randy Faccinto (Club President).
Check out the USA Rugby website. This is also a major focus of our training sessions with new players.
Top-level international rugby is available on Setanta Network (available on satellite services) and on DVD's and video tapes available from the several rugby specialty suppliers via internet (rugbyrugby.com and others). Live broadcasts of top international matches are available to satellite dishes. Locally, the USA Super League holds matches at Balboa Park in San Francisco, while Northern California men's club matches are played at numerous venues, including the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park. The University of California-Berkeley has the best collegiate program in the country and St. Mary's College (Moraga) boasts another top team. All rugby is played during the winter and spring months. The club will actively promote watching and viewing these matches as the best learning tool available for new players!
If you have additional questions please email them to: coach@marinhighlandersrugby.org