Columbia, SC –
On a brutally hot Saturday afternoon in
Columbia, USC Men’s Rugby opened the
season with a 35-15 win over Columbia
Olde Grey, a Men’s South Division II
club. The match was very close in the
first half with Olde Grey using their
sizable forwards to much effect with
hard rucking and mauling and close pick
and drives. USC got on the board first
with a penalty by sophomore fullback
Cullen Clair, but Olde Grey had much the
better of the first half. OG replied
with a penalty goal of their own and
then loose defense around the 22 led to
a clear run to the line by the OG
standoff. This try was converted and the
sides went to half-time with Olde Grey
leading 10-3.
The second half was a different story
for USC. Playing with a slight wind and
with more movement of the ball through
the USC backs, the gaps began to open up
in the OG defense. Several tries were
almost scored and Cullen Clair kicked an
early penalty to narrow the score to
10-6. The USC centers, Richard Pyke and
Peter Boland made several strong runs
and made inroads into the OG defense.
Running at an angle off a pass from
Boland, Pyke scored the first USC try
which was converted by Clair. USC took
the ball from the kick-off and the
forwards mauled the ball almost twenty
yards into OG territory. Good work by
the forwards through excellent support
play and close offloading saw another
try to Pyke in close. This also was
converted and the USC lead was stretched
to 20-10.
Pyke was troubling OG every time he
touched the ball and his support led to
another try, which meant his third of
the afternoon. It too was converted and
the Gamecocks led 27-10. Olde Grey
struck back with an unconverted try to
make it 27-15, but USC finished strong
with another unconverted try, again by
Pyke, and then a penalty goal by Clair
to make the final tally USC 35 –Olde
Grey 15.
USC was best served by Irishman Richard
Pyke with four tries, scrum half Richard
Short, prop Ian Toomey, and lock Calvin
Storey. USC B-side also played Olde Grey
B and the match ended in a 12-12 tie.
The Gamecocks look forward to hosting
East Carolina University RFC this
weekend in what should be a hard fought
match against one of the nation’s
Division II college powerhouses.
American Rugby News (ARN) article on
the match |
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