Publication Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2004
USA RUGBY
Stanford coach
Stanford coach
(April 28, 2004)shifts focus
for nationals
by Rick Eymer
Stanford rugby coach Rob Holder won't have any mixed emotions this weekend when the collegiate rugby world converges at Stanford again this weekend as both the Division I and II National Collegiate Champions will be crowned over the weekend.
"I'm happy with the way things have gone," said Holder, who coached Air Force to the national title last year before coming to Stanford. "This is the ideal situation. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Air Force hanging, and the fact they're successful makes it better."
Defending champion Air Force will be joined by Cal, Cal Poly and Navy in Friday's Division I men's semifinals, while Navy, Virginia, Princeton and Penn State square off in the Division I women's semifinals. Competition will be at the Steuber Field Stadium.
This will be the first time Holder will seen his former team since arriving at Stanford.
"I've kept in close contact and have a good relationship with them," said Holder. "Some of the Air Force graduates will be coming back too, and at least one of them will be crashing on my floor."
In Division II, Salisbury and Arkansas State meet for the national men's title, and Temple and Providence will compete for the women's title.
While Air Force won last year's title at Stanford, Cal will be playing in its 14th consecutive national semifinal. Cal Poly makes it first ever appearance and Navy returns for the first time since 2001.
Air Force and Cal Poly play at 4 p.m. on Friday. Cal and Navy precedes that at 2 p.m.
The women's semifinals begin Friday at 10 a.m. when Princeton and Virginia meet. The match between Navy and Penn State follows at noon.
Penn State won the national title in 2000.
Saturday's schedule begins with Temple and Providence playing for the women's Division II title at 10 a.m. followed by the women's Division I title contest at noon. The men's Division II championship is scheduled for 2 p.m., followed by the Division I title match.
Holder is in charge of the week-long event, which begins Wednesday with a clinic for kids at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in East Palo Alto at 2:30 p.m. which features coaches from the United States and England.
The event ends with a coaching seminar that kicks off the newly-created Collegiate Coaches Association.
"This is the best rugby event in history," said Holder. "It's a very unique situation. There are a whole bunch of people coming to Palo Alto."
Seating capacity at Stanford is 2,676 for the event, but there will be standing room available and a total of 7,000 people are expected to attend the two-day competition.
Holder was impressed last year when he came as a visiting coach. He's even more impressed now that he's involved in the day-to-day operations.
"That was my first taste of it last year and it was the best rugby event in my 14 years," he said. "It wasn't just the facilities, but the way operations ran the event with such professionalism."
Holder was drawn to Stanford because of the ability to oversee both the men's and women's programs. The women reached the national round of 16 this year while the men failed to reach the postseason.
Stanford's rugby program dates to 1906, and it reached national prominence in the 60s. As recently as 1996, Stanford competed in the national semifinals. If Holder has anything to say about it, the Cardinal will return to that level of success.
"The thing that appealed to me here was the opportunity to have an impact on both the men's and women's programs," said Holder. "And the support from Stanford is second to none."
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