Feb 9, 2026 Newsletter

Club Schedule/News 

This weekend we have the Oceanside HS boys (Varsity & JV) traveling up to Murrieta for a Valentine’s Day (Saturday Feb 14) night kickoff (you’re welcome Mom’s & Dads 😀). HS Girls will be hosting at MLK Friday night (Feb 13) under the lights…and it’s SENIOR NIGHT! U8-U14 are still getting scheduled finalized with SCYR but we’ve been promised clarity ASAP. Good luck everyone!

IMPORTANT - for the U16 & U18 ages Spring season, please register in Matchfacts ASAP (https://matchfacts.app/). Returning players just get in the system (choosing SCYR Spring season and Thunder Rugby club) and you can click “pay later” and the discount will be applied after you register. As always, any questions please ASK!

U8

Thunder U8 had a great day competing against OMBAC Wallabies, playing 3 games and continuing to build strong fundamentals. Players showed excellent effort, teamwork, and improvement in passing, defense, and field awareness. Most importantly, the team had fun, supported each other, and kept learning with each game.

Special shout to players of the week: Chris Martinez (Purple team) showing outstanding speed and effort, making a big impact in all three games. Consistently grabbed flags, scored tries, and stayed engaged on every play. Chris also was excellent listening to coaches and working through challenges. For the Black team, Kaleia Small was excellent. Quickly learning the game of rugby and continues to follow coaching instructions with great focus. Scored a try, kept a positive attitude, and showed what it means to be a supportive teammate and friend.

 HS Boys

Varsity welcomed Rancho Cucamonga Rebels in their 2nd league showdown of the season. Rancho has been pushing the league in close matches all season long. After a disappointing result last week, Oceanside was eager to get back to winning. The boys struck early with 2 tries on the outside by Kymani Nua, also converting 1 of them. Rancho answered with a converted try of their own but the boys followed up quickly with a hard crash from Exzodus Taele powering through for a try of his own. The teams traded scores but Vaughn Ellis capped off the half with a perfect defensive read just outside the Rebels 22 and intercepted a pass to stroll in to the try zone. Oceanside found their rhythm quickly in the 2nd half with a long try outside by Georgie Faasua showing off his electric pace. That would be the boys last though as Rancho found some momentum in the last 10 minutes scoring back to back tries to drastically cut the lead. O’side stayed calm with some strong defensive moments from Ean Glover, Deacon Maeva, Maxximus Maine and Eddie Patolo who made his Varsity debut alongside freshman Kingston Faletoi and Obie Paopao. Standout players were Ean Glover, Maxximus Maine and Kymani Nua. Final score 31-26.

The Oside JV team takes down Rancho Cucamonga 31 - 12, resulting in back-to-back wins.  Looking for some payback after losing to a mostly varsity squad back in January, the boys came out with intensity scoring their first try within the first 5 minutes of the match.  The try was scored by freshman prop, Malaeola (Lino) Ripley!  Oside never really backed down scoring four more tries including a season's first try for Francisco (Frankie) Mendoza.  Shay Chase put on another sprint clinic setting up the team for their first try and later scoring his own try in the second half.  Jayson Afasene continues to blow through the competition with hard hitting runs resulting in tries in two consecutive games now! The JV back line saw a lot more touches in this match thanks in part to freshman leadership from Alex Andino and Jaden Aumua-Patolo.  Jaden has also stepped up as the dominant kicker for the team making three successful conversions during the match.

U14 

Another strong win for our Thunder U14s against OMBAC!  Despite being down six players—four of them starters—our kids stepped up in a big way and earned a well-deserved victory 29-26. Several players had standout performances. Ryah did an excellent job at scrum half, keeping the game under control with strong communication and leadership. Ezra stepped in as captain for this match and led the team with confidence. Try scorers for the day were JJ, Nate, Ryah, Xavier, and Gavin, with Noah and Tanielu each adding a successful conversion kick. Xavier continued to shine on defense, covering the edge and making every tackle. His patience paid off when Ricardo delivered a perfectly timed behind pop pass, sending Xavier into the try zone. Outstanding defensive efforts also came from Noah, the twins Richie, Nate, Mason, Tanielu, and Ryah, all flying up on defense and making solid tackles throughout the match.

Another great day of rugby for Thunder U14—proud of the effort, teamwork, and heart shown by every player.

U12 

Our U12s competed in both A-side and B-side matches this weekend against a physical, evenly matched opponent. As a developmental group, we’re focused on stacking small wins each week, and this match showed continued progress. Defensively, tackling and coming up together remains a primary focus, with clear improvement, though there’s still work to do in consistently shutting down the opposition’s attack. Offensively, the team continues to move the ball well and create opportunities. The B-side delivered a strong performance, using physicality to disrupt play, force turnovers, and capitalize on breakaways for a well-earned victory.

Overall, the effort and toughness were there, and the group is getting closer to meeting its potential with each week.

Match A.    Thunder 12 - OMBAC 37

Match B.    Thunder 30 - OMBAC 22

U10 

U10 Thunder faced a challenging day with 2 matches against OMBAC. Despite the tough competition, players consistently demonstrated a commitment to skill development. The performance highlighted significant progress in passing and defensive strategies during the game. Among standout players were Matthew Ragudo and Mya Navarro, both showcasing impressive hard running, effective communication, and strong leadership skills. Following a heavy loss in the first game, Thunder came back to win the second game 35-25.

HS Girls

The Hs girls had a great start on Friday with wins against Torrey Pines (32-0) and Edison (50-0). Unfortunately due to multiple injuries throughout the 3 games we had to forfeit in the first half against Rancho Bernardo. We hope to heal up and get ready for our senior night this Friday against Vista Murrieta, San Marcos, and LCC!