See our website for current information on practices, registration and matches:

JV Travels to Bishop O'Dowd Apr 6

JV plays at Bishop O'Dowd JV Saturday April 6 at 10:30. Meet at Gilman for car pools at 9 am.

Practice During Spring Break

Regular practice times on Tuesday April 2 and Thursday April 4.

Varsity Hosts Silicon Valley Mar 30

Varsity plays Silicon Valley at Gilman, Saturday, Mar 30. Kickoff at 10:30 am.

Rhinos On The Road in Mid-March

On March 16 and 23, the Rhinos play away games. We meet at Gilman to fill car pools. On March 16, we meet at Gilman at 7:30 am for travel to Treasure Island for two matches against SFGG. On March 23, we meet at Gilman at 8:00 am for travel to San Jose for two matches against Bellarmine.

Mar 2--Rhinos at Home: Var at 9 am v. Napa; JV at 10:30 v. Danville

Varsity plays a new team from Napa. Hosting afterwards. JV plays Danville.

Feb 23--Varsity Away match at Danville

On Feb 23, the Varsity travels to Danville for a 1:00 match. Meet in Gilman parking lot at 11 am for car pools The JV match is canceled. Practice at Gilman starting at 9 am.

Feb 9 at Gilman

Feb 9 at Gilman v. Pleasanton-- JV kickoff at 9 am; Varsity kickoff at 10:30 am

2013 Schedule

Feb 9--Var and JV at Gilman v. Pleasanton Feb 16--bye Feb 23--Var at Danville; JV at Piedmont Mar 2--Var v. Napa and JV v. Marin--both at Gilman Mar 9--Var and JV at Gilman v. South Valley Mar 16--Var and JV at SFGG Mar 23--Var and JV at Bellarmine Mar 30--Var at Alameda; JV at Los Gatos Apr 6--Spring Break Apr 13--Var and JV at Gilman v. Bishop O'Dowd

Feb 2: Var Scrimmage and JV Match

Greetings, Rhinos. On Saturday morning, Varsity players arrive at Gilman at 8 am for 9 am scrimmage v. Alameda. JV players arrive by 9:30 for a 10:30 League Match v. Raptors.

Below is the downloadable flyer with all the information for Sunday's end of the season BBQ at Longfellow School, Berkeley.

Rhino end of the season flyer

This is the last week of our season:  we have practices on Tuesday and Thursday, and two games on Saturday--JV and Varsity--against San Francisco Golden Gate.  JV kickoff at 9:15; Varsity kickoff at 10:45.

Team photos will be taken on April 14 after the JV and Varsity matches.

Our last event of the year is a team BBQ on Sunday, April 29 to honor our graduating seniors.  We will gather at Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby Street (between Sacramento and California) in Berkeley, beginning at 1 pm.

pre game Alameda 3-4-2011

Cleat check! Varsity just before game starts.

Rhino Match Feb. 25

We have two matches on Saturday in Moraga, and need car pools to get our Varsity and JV players there. We'll meet at the Gilman parking lot at 8:15 am Saturday, leaving by 8:30.  The JV kicks off at 10, the Varsity at 11:15.

The games are on the Campolindo High School Football field, which is uphill from the campus.


Directions to Campolindo High School:


View Larger Map

2012 rhino flickr archive

Click here for flickr 2012
Players and fans of players please comment, like and rate best photos from games.
Anyone else clicking pics at games? you can post too! Just ask Alan, he is looking for a replacement photographer as his 4 years will end this season.

2012 Schedule

Jan. 21 - home vs. Piedmont 9:30am
Jan 29  - away all day Tournament
Feb. 4  - home vs. South Valley 9:30am
Feb. 11- away vs. Danville F/S team
Feb. 25 - away vs. Lamorinda
March 3 - away vs. Alameda / Peninsula
March 10 - home vs. Oakland. F/S vs. Marin
March 17 - away vs. Diablo
March 24 - home vs. Bishop O'Dowd 9:30am
March 31 - away vs. Silicon Valley. F/S at Pleasanton
April 7 - home vs. De La Salle 9:30am
April 14 - home vs. SFGG 9:30am

Game details posted here prior to each game.

Blue Barn Kick off Meeting Highlights

Introducing the coaches
Chris Nolan, Dave Williamson, Ted Picket, Brandon Perry, and Frans Op den Kamp
Coaching philosophy: Safety, Enjoyment, Respect, Scoring Tries
Registration forms DUE by Monday Jan. 23
Parent Coordinator: Kathryn Levenson email is klevenson@aol.com
Every player needs
a mouthguard, boots
studies come first
call coach if you are missing a practice or game
Volunteers needed each game
sideline monitors and touch judges
action photographers
home team hosts food and drink after games
washing the team uniforms
car poolers for away games

BHS Jacket Article

On Wednesday I had a chance to speak with David Williamson, one of three coaches for the Berkeley Rhinos Rugby Club. The club is primarily made up of Berkeley High School Students, although it has members from all over the East Bay. The club consists of three teams: a boys varsity team, boys Sophomore–Freshman team and an all levels girls team.
The Rhinos are currently recruiting, especially for the less experienced team. Their first practice is on Tuesday, November 29, and they hold practices every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The Rhinos’ season runs from February through mid–April, rain or shine. The Rhinos are part of the Northern California Youth Rugby Association, a group consisting of about 3,000 players divided into several conferences.
Despite being the national sport in countries like New Zealand and Wales, rugby is fairly obscure in the U.S. However, the sport is growing in popularity due to being televised by stations such as NBC and, perhaps, by efforts like Mr. Williamson’s. Just last year rugby was made an official Olympic sport, and will be featured in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The biggest difference between the professionals and the Rhinos’ league is that while pros play games of seven versus seven, the Rhinos play fifteen versus fifteen, which creates a very different type of game. In addition, the Rhinos league can switch out players freely, ensuring that everyone gets a chance to play.
Mr. Williamson, now retired, has been coaching the team for seven years. He played Rugby as a kid, starting in 1973. “My older son played, then I went out to help as a parent. I started working with the coaches ... I then took over as head coach seven years ago,” he explained. When asked why he coaches, he replied, “I love the game and I want to encourage other people to play it and enjoy it as well and spread the spirit of the sport.” This spirit, he said, compared to a lot of other sports, “is more inclusive, based on respect of the opponent and officials.” After a game, the home team will host a meal for the opposing team. When asked what motivates him to continue coaching, he said, “It’s a great group of kids and a great sport. To see them learn and improve is very rewarding.”
Although very physical and athletic, rugby is also very much a thinking sport, even if you’re on the sidelines. “You can learn a lot by playing [and] you can learn a lot by watching,” Williamson said. The biggest difficulty for players, other than finding time, is “to get in shape so that you can think on your feet.” Planning and preparation are also critical. In addition, despite appearances, rugby is fairly safe. Although rugby players wear very limited protection, even when tackling other players (which is done in a manner to prevent head injury), there were only five injuries in a team of about fifty.
However the biggest component of rugby, more than physical or mental prowess, is spirit. “A lot of rugby is desire — how much heart you have. It takes time and energy to devote to it,” Williamson said. But you don’t have to be the best rugby player in the world to play. As Wiliamson puts it, “If you come to practice you’ll play.”

Rugby World Cup Highlights

Enjoy the action and power of 2011 World Cup Rugby for free!
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/video/index.html

1 More: Rugby this Summer

SFGG Rugby Club has organized a Summer High-Performance Rugby Camp at St. Mary's College.

DATES:  July 7-10   

COST: For commuters $350. With lodging $425.

For registration please visit our website at www.sfggrugby.com. 

If you you have questions  phone# 415-362-1010 or email sfggoffice@gmail.com

register by going to eventbrite http:/sfggcamps.eventbrite.com