The Ipswich Rangers Barber Cup team capped off an emotional week with a 27-22 victory over the Pine Rivers last Saturday in the Queensland Suburban Rugby Union's Barber Cup competition.

“This is for you Jeffery.”

With these words Rangers captain Cade Hill paid perfect tribute to his club’s late patron, Jeff McLean, who had passed away earlier in the week, then held aloft the premiership trophy to cap the perfect end to his team’s dominant season.

Rangers finished off the season with 11 wins on the trot to completely dominate the second half of the season.

This is the Rangers first Barber Cup premiership victory since 2006 and one that is sure to be savoured by players and supporters alike.

Coach Mike McLean paid tribute to all the people involved with the premiership from the players and coaching staff right through to the Club's Committee, and has already set himself of the goal of defending the title in 2011, and aims to help get the club’s Reserve grade team get there too.
 

It is with great sadness that I wish to inform players, supporters, Old Boys and friends of Ipswich (Rangers) Rugby Union Club that former Ranger, Wallaby, Club Patron and Club sponsor - Mr. Jeff McLean passed away this morning.

The McLean name is intrinsically linked with the Rangers Club, and we are all the better for having knowing him.

Our prayers and condolences go out to Jeff’s family and many friends at this time.

Funeral details will be forwarded as soon as they are known.

Damian Roche
President
Ipswich Rugby Union Club
On behalf of Ipswich Rugby Union Committee

The Ipswich (Rangers) Rugby Union Club are pleased to announce that our 2010 Senior Trophy Presentation Dinner will be held on Friday 10th Sepetmber 2010.

A great evening is being planned, including presentations for: 'Best Back', 'Best Forward', 'Most Improved Player of the Year', a special guest DJ, as well as Guest Speaker - former Wallaby Cameron Lillicrap.

Details of the evenig are as follows:

What: Ipswich Rugby Union Club Senior Trophy Presentation Dinner
Where: Ipswich RSL Services Club, North Ipswich
When: Friday 10th September
Time: 6:30pm for a 7pm start
Cost: $55 - includes Full Buffet Dinner, beer, wine and soft drinks
Attire: Semi-Formal
Tickets: must be pre-purchased by contacting Rob Wadley on 0419 179 535

Dont miss out on your opportunity to celebrate a great year of Rangers rugby!

A 24-10 bonus point victory over University of Queensland Gatton last Saturday saw the Rangers Barber Cup side claim the 2010 Minor Premiership, for the first time in…. well none seems to remember!

Rangers secured 1st grade Premierships in 2005 and 2006, however both of these were achieved without finishing in first place after the home and away season.

So despite consultation with a number of the Club’s stalwarts, none seems to be able to pinpoint when, exactly, the last time was that Rangers secured the Barber Cup Minor Premiership.

Not that the past matters now, as Rangers travel to fellow high flyers Wynnum home ground this Saturday to contest the Major Semi-Final and the chance for a well earned week off.

Rangers and Wynnum have been the standouts in this year’s Barber Cup competition, both teams finishing with an 11-3 win/loss record. Rangers secured the Minor Premiership courtesy of superior bonus points.

However, in a strange twist of fate a scheduling clash means that Ballymore – the traditional venue for Semi Final and Finals rugby, is unavailable for not only this weekend (Major / Minor Semi Finals) but also next weekend (Preliminary Finals).

The Queensland Suburban Rugby Union awarded Wynnum the rights to host this weekend’s Semi Finals, and Rangers the rights to host the following weekend’s Preliminary Finals.

Unfortunately Rangers weren’t in the reckoning to host this weekend’s Semi Finals as one of the key pre-requisates was the requirement to have three fields. An issue that the committee is keen to address in the future.

Not that it’s an issue for the Barber Cup boys.

“It will only make a difference if we let it” was Rangers Head Coach Michael McLean’s blunt assessment of the situation.

“The side is peaking at the right time of the year, and our combinations and fitness are exactly where they should be for this time of the year" McLean continued.

McLean also paid tribute to the wide variety of people who have contributed to the sides Minor Premiership success.

“It’s been a great effort from the whole squad.

“From the 15 that get selected each week, to the Pegg Cup boys who sit on the bench, the coaching and management staff and the Club committee who have been very supportive”.

The two combatants have locked horns twice already this year with the ledger even. Wynnum won the Round 5 meeting 20-13, with Rangers returning the favor in Round 12 with a 22-14 victory.

An ‘adults only’ Rangers supporters bus will leave the Coronation Hotel, Ipswich at 12pm this Saturday. $20 will get you a seat on the bus, and ‘refreshments’ for the trip home. Any person interested in getting a seat on the bus should contact Damian Roche on 0430 724 226.

The Rangers team to play Wynnum in this Saturday's Major Semi-Final is:

1.  Andrew Devantier
2.  Zan Branford
3.  Rob Beattie
4.  Alex McLean
5.  Silas Cocks
6.  Joe Creedy
7.  Maioha Gregory
8.  Charlie Scott
9.  Daniel Trevorrow
10.  Stewart Banks
11.  James Dwyer
12.  Cade Hill
13.  Thomas Dwyer
14.  Miller Lemalu
15.  Nick Horrigan

Reserves:
16.  Stewart Cameron
17.  Andy Daintith
18.  Daniel Fitzpatrick
19.  Terry Kita
20.  James McKnight
21.  Ben O'Connell
22.  Simon Patterson

Go the Rangers!

The Rangers Barber Cup side will be chasing a bonus point victory in this Saturday’s clash with UQ Gatton at Woodend Park, to secure the Minor Premiership.

Their final home game of the year, also marks the end of the ‘home and away’ season, and a bonus point win for the Rangers over their western neighbours, who they defeated 29-7 in their only other clash this season, will see the Ipswich club finish the regular season on top of the table.

Going into this weekend, the Rangers side (48pts) sits one point clear of rivals Wynnum (47pts).

“We’ve been building nicely, especially throughout the second half of this season, and a Minor Premiership would be a great reward for all of the hard work” commented Head Coach Michael McLean.

“The job’s not done yet though, and my expectation is that the boys will be just as committed to this weekend’s result as they have been over recent weeks” McLean continued.

Eight wins, from their last eight starts has the Rangers Barber Cup side peaking at exactly the right time of the year.

Such has been the dominance of the Rangers and Wynnum sides in this year’s Barber Cup competition that, irrespective of this weekend’s results, these two sides will square off against one another the following weekend in the ‘Major Semi-Final’, being hosted by Wynnum.

All three senior Rangers sides are playing at home (Woodend Park) this Saturday, as follows:

12.00pm, Scotney Cup: Rangers v GPS
1.30pm, Pegg Cup: Rangers v UQ Gatton
3.00pm, Barber Cup: Rangers v UQ Gatton

In other great news for the Ipswich Rangers Club, a scheduling clash means that the Queensland Rugby Union’s Suburban Preliminary Finals, originally scheduled for Ballymore, will now be played at Woodend Park, Ipswich on Saturday 7th August.

“This is a great result, for rugby union moving forward in the Ipswich area” commented Rangers President Damian Roche.

Rangers U8’s White players Macauley Rapmund (front left) and George Rowcliffe (front right) took the opportunity to attend the QANTAS Wallabies open training session at Ballymore on Monday 19th July and catch up with some mates.

It was a great opportunity to see the whole Wallaby machine in action, with plenty of prizes, activities and give-aways available, as well as the opportunity to meet and get ‘a prized signature’ from some Wallaby stars.

George and Macauley took the opportunity to give Rocky some helpful tips regarding the need to lift his ‘aggression at the break-down’ and what will be required this Saturday if the Wallabies are to get over the line against the Springboks at Suncorp Stadium.

All in all a very worthwhile experience, especially according to George and Mac because “they got to get out of school early”…

On the eve of Old Boys Day a group of Relics - ‘Rangers Relics’ to be exact, dusted off the boots to do battle with the ‘Pine Rivers Pensioners’.

The warm-up was quick and brief with a snort of port and a can of beer the battle began!

Within seconds there were creaks and groans from many a men and none had even touched the ball yet.

There were calls of “Gee we are stupid, why do we do this to ourselves”, “Oh, that’s going to hurt tomorrow” and the occasional yell of “is that half-time yet?” as the game progressed.

The game was fast paced (about the speed of Walla Rugby) with some real old timer’s skills from years of watching the Reds and Wallabies.

As the match worn on and the players wore out, the tide seemed to turn in favor of the Relics, not that anyone was keeping score.

The Relics thought they had this one in the bag, when all of a sudden the Referee started to turn against us and award the opposition with stupid penalties that I am sure were manufactured just too slow down the fast pace of the game!

Not that we could get any slower.

Just to add insult to injury, a quick feed into the scrum, saw the Pensioners half-back emerge out of the back of the scrum with no ball, with a brilliant dummy blind side move, the Referee took off up field in search of the Pensioners try line.

Whilst normally we wouldn’t condone players touching the Referee, pride was on the line and he had to be stopped – and he was (see attached photo)…

Well I guess the rest is history, the full-time whistle was blown much to the relief of all concerned, with handshakes all round and three cheers for each team and even three for the Referee we all retired for a well deserved beverage and BBQ.

It's nearing that day again, when Rangers Old Boys are given a licence to step out of current day reality and relive the 'good-ol-days', that time when props from yesteryear scored 70 metre run away tries, 1 game players captained premiership sides, and wingers tell the tale of the 'big' tackle they pulled off.

We hark back to the days when toe pokers were the norm, and round the corner kickers were thought to be imposters from Soccer.

You guessed it, the Rangers Old Boys Day is nearing and its set to be a cracker!

Save Saturday 10 July 2010 in your diaries for this year's Rangers Old Boys Day. The day will include 3 top class senior Rangers matches, as follows:

Barber Cup vs Wynnum (3pm)
Pegg Cup vs Wynnum (1:30pm)
Scotney Cup vs University of Queensland 2 (Noon)

Plenty of other activities will be organised for the day and announced in the lead up.

Its an idea that's still to be ratified by the Ipswich Rugby Union Club committee, but strong consideration is being given to offering free drinks to those who come to the Old Boys Day wearing Don Johnson style jackets with the sleeves pushed up (Miami Vice style).

So come on all you old Rangers, get your bell bottom pants and platform shoes out, grow your sideburns, and we'll be sure to stock the canteen with plenty of Tang and Tab, and some of the stronger stuff for those of us sick of hearing about the good-ol-days!!!

Keen observers of last weekend’s Wallabies vs Fiji test may have noticed former Rangers player Nemani Nadolo, formerly Ratu Nasiganiyavi suited up in the white and black of Fiji.

Nadolo played three year’s of junior rugby with Rangers whilst attending Kruger Park Primary and Ipswich Grammar School, before his talents were ‘identified’ by Nudgee College.

Formerly known as Ratu Nasiganiyavi, Nemani Nadolo came to prominence as a hard-running, powerful winger for Randwick in the 2008 Shute Shield. Nadolo’s try-scoring prowess earned him a Super 14 contract with the Waratahs, however a foot injury just before the trials cruelled his 2009 campaign and more recent times he has had to bide his times behind regular Waratahs wingers Lachy Turner and Drew Mitchell, and prior to this his cousin – Lote Tuqiri.

Recent reports have Nadolo linked with French Top 14 club Bourgoin-Jallieu for 2011, which probably rules out any chance of him being at the Rangers Old BOys Day on Saturdau 10th July!!!

It was one that the team ‘got away with’ according to Rangers Head Coach Michael McLean after a nervous 17-15 victory over competition rivals Goodna.

Despite Rangers stretching their 8-5 half-time advantage to 17-5 mid way through the second half, two tries to Goodna saw them come storming back into the contest. A missed conversion right in front of the posts by Goodna on the bell allowed Rangers to collect the points and cement themselves firmly in the top 4.

“For most of the match we were the better side, with our forwards holding their own against the bigger Goodna pack” commented McLean.

"There is no doubt the side is improving all the time, having now won three games in a row for the first time in 2 seasons" continued McLean.

For Rangers, captain Cade Hill was outstanding in both attack and defence, whilst in the forwards Mioha Gregory, Charlie Scott and Joe Creedy performed strongly.

Meanwhile in Pegg Cup, Rangers scored a gutsy 15-12 victory over competition front runners – Goodna, which sees the Rangers team also move into the top 4.

Check out how the Queensland Times reported on the Rangers vs Goodna Barber Cup match here.

Sponsorship has established itself as a serious marketing tool for companies. As long as there have been sports, there have been people who supported athletes, clubs and teams financially. More and more companies are now realising that they can gain commercial advantages by sponsoring a sports entity, and make it a part of their yearly marketing budget.

Ipswich Rangers over the years has benefited from support of the local business community with Jersey sponsorship and other club donations. This year is a new era for Rangers Rugby with better than ever sponsorship rewards, with the launch of Rangers new website http://www.rangersrugby.com.au sponsors now have a prominent place to be seen other than traditional jersey sponsorship and ground signage.

With Rangers new e-newsletter “Game On” sponsors now have an opportunity to display their offers to hundreds of people every week, tailor make a offer that not only gets message across but provides opportunity to make a sale.

If you are interested in talking to someone from Rangers on how you can assist our club but more importantly how we can assist you in getting your marketing message out into the community, please contact us at Rangers. president@rangersrugby.com.au

Check our existing Sponsors - http://rangersrugby.com.au/Sponsors/

Last weekend (29th & 30th May) was a fantastic weekend for Rangers teams, with 12 matches contested across all age groups (juniors and seniors) resulting in 8 victories.

This figure does not include the Rangers U6’s and U7’s teams who still play non-competitive Walla rugby.

Undoubtedly the biggest win of the weekend goes to the Rangers U8’s Green team, who notched up a 105-0 (21 tries to nil) victory over Ashgrove GPS. It’s worth noting also that the Rangers team chose not to take conversions, otherwise this score could have been anything…

Expertly coached by Rangers Old Boy - Brent Thorne this U8’s team is certainly one to watch this year. They have a perfect 3 wins from 3 matches start to the season, boasting a 265 points ‘for’ and 15 points ‘against’ record. The team was also undefeated in their 3 pre-season matches.

“I’m amazed at the skill level of some of these kids at such a young age” commented Coach Thorne.

Well done to the 7 boys and two girls in this team.

Congratulations also must go to their U8’s counterparts (Rangers U8’s White) who notched up their first victory of the regular season with a hard fought, sometimes spiteful 24-15 win over Forest Lake.

Other junior victories were recorded by:

U10’s: Rangers – 24 def Redcliffe Red – 17
U11’s Green: Rangers – 43 def Sunnybank Gold – 0
U14’s: Rangers – 24 def Sunnybank Black – 7
U15’s: Rangers – 53 def Albany Creek Green – 0

In senior gaes, the Rangers Barber Cup team recorded a comfortable 29-7 victory over the UQ Gatton, with the Pegg Cup side also recording a comprehensive 65-0 victory over the same opponents.

Get the full Barber Cup review story here.

Have you got a match report that you would like to submit for inclusion in the weekly newsletter / on the Rangers website? Send it to rangersrugby@three.com.au

A comfortable victory by the Rangers Barber Cup Team over University of Queensland (Gatton) has seen the team force their way back into the top 4.

Despite scoring early in the first half, the Rangers team couldn’t shake the determined University of Queensland ‘Black Pigs’ team.

The second half saw Rangers return to their quick ball style of play resulting in them being able to put a further 3 tries past the University team, and wrap up a comfortable 29-7 victory.

Best players were fullback - Nick Horrigan, flanker - Miaoha Gregory, centre - Tom Dwyer and second rower - Alex McLean.

The bonus point win sees the Rangers move into outright third on the table, only 2 points a drift of this weekend’s opposition Goodna, who sit in second place.

Coach Michael McLean is aware that this weekend’s match will be an all together different proposition for his team.

“The Goodna side is a very big group, and we know they’ll play a very forward orientated game. Our scrum and lineout in particular will have to be better than they have been in recent weeks” commented McLean.

Goodna will certainly be hard to beat on their home ground, however Rangers will take confidence from their round 1, 28-8 victory over them.

The Ipswich Rangers Rugby Union Club is pleased to announce our Rangers Ladies Day which will be held at Woodend Park, Ipswich on Saturday 22nd May 2010.

The cost is $20 per head, and this entitles Ladies to: a complimentary glass of champagne on arrival, as well as free wine and nibbles throughout the afternoon.

The day is, according to Club President - Damian Roche, a very important event on the Clubs calendar.

“Since the establishment of the Club some 40 odd years ago, women have played a significant and integral part in the development of the Club” commented Roche.

“Women are, in all honesty the backbone of the Club, offering support not only to their own siblings and partners, but also in the role of Team Managers, committee members and as volunteers generally, and this day recognises their contribution to the club” Roche continued.

The day will include ‘Lucky Door Prizes’ as well as prizes for the best dressed ‘Ladies Rangers Supporter’ on the day. So ladies get your best green and white frocks and hats together and get ready to strut your stuff at the Rangers Ladies Day.

The day includes a full schedule of senior Rangers matches, culminating with the Rangers A Grade (Barber Cup) match against Beenleigh on Saturday afternoon / evening.

In brief:

What: Ipswich (Rangers) Rugby Union Club ‘Ladies Day’
When: Saturday 22nd May
Cost: $20 per head (includes complimentary champagne, wine and nibbles)
RSVP: To Rob Wadley robwadley@yahoo.com or Simon Turner simon_turner@toll.com.au by Tuesday the 18th May.

In 2001 three young men started their journey as Rugby Union players when they registered to play rugby for the Ipswich (Rangers) Rugby Union Club.

That year Jordan Roche, Sam Graham and Lachlan Reid all signed up for the proud Club to be part of the Rangers U6’s team. Little did they know that some 10 years later they’d be part of one of the most successful junior Rangers teams ever.

“It certainly was fun times turning up at the Club as a 6 year old and learning the game. We were fortunate to have someone like Craig Eason (current Rangers U/12’s coach) to show us the ropes, and ensure we had plenty of fun along the way” reflected Lachlan Reid.

Now in 2010 all three celebrate their 10th consecutive year playing together in the same team for the mighty Rangers.

Playing together over all these years has been a great achievement from three young men who have shown incredible commitment to not only each other but also to the Green and White Jersey they choose to wear with pride.

This year’s Rangers Under 15 Green team has taken all before them in a whirlwind start to the 2010 season.

After four rounds of the competition the team are four wins from four starts, leading their competition with a for and against of 243 to 31, completely dominating the competition with three scores of 60+.

Rangers Club President – Damian Roche (who also happens to be proud farther to Jordan) had this to say about the boys’ achievement:

"To play 10 consecutive years of rugby is a fantastic achievement, to play for the same club is even more prestigious. The boys have become true inspirations to our next generation of junior Rangers".

The best thing about the boys is that they don't make themselves out to be the best players but they play for each other and their team mates, which is essentially what playing a team sport is all about.

The Ipswich Rangers will be looking to put some recent inconsistencies behind them when they tackle Beenleigh in this Saturday’s Barber Cup clash at Woodend Park, Ipswich.

A big crowd is expected to converge on Woodend Park as part of the Clubs first annual Ladies Day celebrations. Saturday afternoon / evening will see the Rangers contest four senior matches in Barber, Pegg and Scotney Cups, as well as colts.

Barber Cup will be keen to avenge last weekends 20-13 loss at the hands of Wynnum. Playing the majority of that match one man down certainly didn’t help the side.

“We were mostly very good in the second half and really showed some courage in defence but with one player down it was always going to be tough” lamented Head Coach Michael McLean.

With the Barber Cup competition so tight, the Rangers boys will certainly need to be at the top of their game this weekend, because another loss may see them drop to near the bottom of the competition ladder.

“We don't know a lot about Beenleigh other than they are equal with us on the ladder”.

“We can only concentrate on our game, and to this end we need to be very quick across the ground and to the beak down to be able to play the style of game we want to play” finished McLean.

Brady Castles is playing his first 1st grade game of the year at hooker.

This Saturday’s Rangers Ladies schedule is as follows:

All matches at Woodend Park, Ipswich

Barber Cup – 6:30pm kick-off
Rangers vs Beenleigh

Pegg Cup – 5:10pm kick-off
Rangers vs Redcliffe

Scotney Cup – 3:50pm kick-off
Rangers vs University of Queensland I

Colts – 2:30pm kick-off
Rangers vs Wynnum

The Ipswich Rangers Rugby Union Club are greatlful for the significant support that we receive from our Principal Sponsor - Apprenticeships Queensland.

Apprenticeships Queensland will be hosting a Trademan's Expo at the Ipswich Turf Club (Bundamba) on Friday 21st May 2010.

The club would like to encourage as many of our members and friends as possible to support this great initiative.

Get the full details regarding the Expo here.

With the top 6 teams within a couple of points of one another, Rangers Barber Cup Team Coach Michael McLean has identified consistency and urgency as the two main areas that his team will need to focus on.

"It's a very important game for us this weekend (against Wynnum) after a loss and a bye over the last two weeks" commented McLean.

Wynnum are on top of the table so it will be a good opportunity for McLean and his team to gauge where they are at with they are trying to achieve this season.

"We have been working on our urgency right across the team, and we just need do be doing things faster. We definitely have the fitness so we need to put the opposition under pressure with speed and urgency" McLean said.

"We need to concentrate on finishing well in everything we do, whether it's at scrum time, or the last pass in a backline movement, ever part of play needs to be finished without any lapses of concentration" McLean finished.

Whilst the team for this weekend's match hasn’t been announced (announcement is Thursday night), McLean did forecast some possible positional changes.

Only 2 competition points currently separate 3rd - 7th place on the ladder, and a win for the Rangers Barber Cup team this weekend will see them cement a position near the top of the table before next weekend's home clash against Beenleigh.

Meanwhile the Rangers Pegg Cup side will also be looking for a win this weekend. After a couple of narrow losses they are starting to come together as a team and some of the players are pushing hard for a spot in the top grade.

Our first away game for the season took us to the home of the Bugs. With an 8.00am start and the cool morning breeze from the bay not to mention the stunning ocean view the boys were set to do battle.

From opening kick, we received the ball and immediately went on the attack and scored a blinder of a try. The forwards finally cleaned out the ball and gave it to the backline allowing our half back Tyler to loop around the play to run the length of the field to score a try! I am not sure who was in more shock.... the opposition, coaches, managers or even the parents. The boys gave each other high fives and went about setting up for the next kick off as though they had planned it all.

The day continued to go our way with the boys running hard at every opportunity with the forwards cleaning out and the backs staying in position. With some great passing through the backline we scored our second try and the game was looking good.

Second half rolled around quickly with every player keen to get back on field for a shot at glory. We ended up scoring a few more times with Wynnum only getting past our defence once in the whole game.

By game end the boys were proud as punch that they had won and were all beaming with smiles (yet maybe it was the lollies they got from the team managers that gave them a instant sugar rush) but either way it was a job well done. If we were able to award 16 player of the match awards we would have given one to each of the boys. In the end our big prop Lockie was awarded the player of the match. Final score was 31 - 5 Rangers Victory!!!

As a footnote, we were all perplexed as to who the game referee was as he was a familiar face to all of us. Someone then tweaked to who he was - the Deputy Premier and Minister for Health Paul Lucus! I must say he did a great job, although I am sure the nurses would have been a little upset to see him moonlighting and not fixing the pay issues, but I guess a story for another day!!

Nail-biting 16-13 victory

The Rangers A Grade team was lucky to get away with a nail-biting 16-13 victory over Pine Rivers Boars in the third round of the Queensland Suburban Rugby Union’s Barber Cup competition held last weekend.

Commenting after the game Head Coach Michael McLean knew it was one that the side was lucky to get away with.

“Again we were a little inconsistent, only playing good rugby in short 20 minute periods” lamented McLean after the match.

“As with last week, we were strong in our set plays with our scrum and lineout both excellent” he said.

A defensive lapse just after half-time, saw the Rangers 9-0 halftime lead quickly narrowed.

A further two penalties to Pine Rivers saw them take a 13-9 lead deep into the second half.

If it wasn’t for a last minute converted try scored right on the bell, the side would have been facing a second successive defeat.

The best Rangers players on the day were Andrew Devantier, Tom Dwyer and Miaoha Gregory.

The Rangers Barber Cup team now sit in equal second position on the competition ladder, and will look forward to this Saturday’s home game against Brisbane Irish.

Other senior results from last weekend:

B Grade, Pegg Cup
Pine Rivers Boars - 20 defRangers - 0

C Grade, Scotney Cup
Qld University - 60 def Rangers - 5

Colts II
Rangers - 15 def Brisbane GPS - 7