Sports

Danville Lady Oaks Rugby Team Going to National Championships

The Danville Lady Oaks Rugby Team is looking for fundraising to help them travel to Wisconsin for national championships in May.

In just a matter of months, the Danville Lady Oaks rugby team has gone from playing their first match ever to being considered one of the best girls rugby teams in the country.

The team, made up of high schoolers in the Bay Area including the San Ramon Valley, have dominated in their first months of existence.

Initially, because of their first-year status, the team wasn't eligible for the national championships. Then the squad started beating every team put in front of them and it was realized by the National Rugby Association that it wouldn't be a national championship without the Lady Oaks participation.

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But the only thing holding back the Lady Oaks from possibly bringing a national championship back to Danville is money. Not all of the girls can afford the trip to Racine, Wisc. for the national championships in May. The cost to send the entire team is $17,000.

The team has already had fundraisers and are continuing to reach out to the community for support. Individuals can make a donation on the Danville Lady Oaks website here, or you can send a check to the Danville Lady Oaks to 416 Jonathan Ridge Drive, Danville, CA  94506.

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Businesses can sponsor the team for $100 and the business will be listed on the team's official website.

(Note: The Danville Oaks Rugby Football Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (ID number 36-4646987) and all donations are tax deductible.)

The team is led by coach Simi Hingano, who was a collegiate rugby player at BYU and two of his sons play for the Danville Oaks boys rugby team. The team practices at Diablo Vista Park and California High School.

In the Lady Oaks first tournament of the year in January on Treasure Island, it became clear they were a dominate squad. They won the tournament by winning their matches by a score of 36-0, 27-0 and 47–0.

The team was the then promoted from the silver division to the gold division. It didn't stop the team from dominating, beating the Lobos 87-5, Pleasanton 36-7, Bullard 63-7 and Mother Lode 77-14.

The Lady Oaks catipulted to a No. 10 ranking in the country after they beat Bishop O’Dowd 17-12 and the No. 4 ranked team, the Sacramento Amazons, 19-7.

“This is a dream come true for these girls," Hingano said. "They have played so hard and played so well. It would be disappointing if they couldn’t go because we cannot afford to get them to the national competition."


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