Kutztown Rugby

Unfortunately, Brockport University cancelled their fixture on Saturday and Luckenbill Avenue was quiet. However, Head Coach, Doc Jones, discovered that Penn State University was hosting a line out and scrum clinic that very same weekend.

The Kutztown Pack with USA Scrum Coach : Bill LeClerc USA Coach Luke Gross - KU Coach Doc Jones - USA Coach Bill LeClerc

Always the opportunist, Doc arranged to transport two sets of forwards and two halfbacks to State College, Pennsylvania. The Golden Bears were whisked away to Happy Valley for a rugby experience, they will not soon forget. Fortunately, two other members of the Kutztown coaching staff were in attendance, Coach Frick and Coach Cobb. The clinic coaches were none other than, USA National Team line out coach, Luke Gross and his counterpart, USA National Team scrum coach, Bill LeClerc. Together, they are highly regarded by many, as the two best set piece coaches in America.

The only two teams in attendance were Penn State and Kutztown. This was truly an educational experience, as our players received tremendous individual attention, as well as the necessary unit skills required for success. The players spent Saturday morning working with Coach Gross on line out play. The afternoon found them in the skilled hands of Coach LeClerc, as they discussed and practiced the intricate physics of scrum technique. Both of these talented coaches broke their specialty down to the very essence of basic skills and then patiently reconstructed the scrum and line out to a simplistic degree of perfection -emphasizing all of the components necessary for efficiency, speed and power.

The Golden Bears with USA Line Out Coach Luke Gross

The next morning saw the teams review line outs and scrums. The two teams then competed against one another in lineout and scrum competition. It was a very professional atmosphere, as all of the coaches and players worked to help one another improve individually.  The unit skills of both Kutztown packs improved noticeably and we look forward to the practice field to perfect our new found knowledge. The coaching adage that we live by:  Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail.                    

RUN WITH THE BEARS!