Columbia, SC –
USC Rugby wrapped up
its Fall season this
afternoon with a decisive 24-8 victory
over AHO (Appalachian State University) Rugby. Both sides were missing
key players on a surprisingly hot
Southern day. AHO was missing most of
their back line and some of their more
experienced pack members, who were
previously committed to the North
Carolina All-stars weekend. USC was also
missing 9 starters due to injuries and
previous commitments. According to club
president/captain Anthony Hughes, "the
players that came into the game from the
B and C sides really stepped up and
played a solid game of rugby."
Led by their most experienced player
and captain, Matt Espy, AHO put on a good
stand against the Gamecocks in the first
half, but couldn't hold multiple tries in
the second. Strong forward play in open
space and pressure from scrums was the
key to Carolina's success. The backs
played well, spinning the ball wide in
the second half and putting pressure on
the relatively inexperienced AHO back
line.
"It was a perfect way to end this
great season and I definitely consider
it one of my best here at USC"-club
president/captain Anthony
Hughes.
Tries were scored by Tom Plumly, Anthony
Hughes, Josh Skaggs and Colin McKeon.
The win moved USC up to #24 this week in
the
American Rugby
News Collegiate Top 25, a
poll the Gamecocks have remained ranked
in after their October 27th debut at
#22. Following the match, Men's Rugby at
the University of South Carolina hosted
a barbeque social for players, friends,
fans, parents, and alumni inside the
Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness
Center. The event was well attended, and
was also open to USC Women's Rugby,
their opponent UNC-Greensboro, and
Appalachian State University Rugby
players. International matches were
played in the background as USC
celebrated the end of its Fall campaign.
The victory over the Mountaineers gives
USC 'A' an overall record of 14-3 for
its Fall season, with the team never
having lost a non-tournament
full-regulation affair (the club lost
twice at
Rucktoberfest
and once in the
SEC Tournament).
One of those losses came at the hands of
#6 Louisiana State University, and the
other two were both avenged in a
full-regulation match in Columbia, with
the Gamecocks defeating AHO this week
(24-08), and N.C. State on October 17th
(19-07).
The club also finishes the fall
undefeated at home, and USC 'B'
finished 5-2-1 (9-2-1 if you consider it
was the 'B' side that powered Carolina
to the 2009 Palmetto Collegiate Cup
Championship), also going undefeated at
home. USC 'B' was also the 2009
Rucktoberfest Second Division Champions.
Next week, the Gamecocks will send 15
players to compete on behalf of the
Palmetto Rugby Union Collegiate All-Star
Team in the South LAU (Local Area Union)
All-Star Tournament in Knoxville, TN.
The event is not only for bragging
rights between the South's 6 LAUs, but
also a showcase of the best regional
rugby talent. The tournament serves as a
critical first look for South All-Star
selectors, as they look to piece
together the 25-man roster that will
travel to the USA Rugby Collegiate
All-Star Tournament in Glendale,
Colorado next summer. Carolina players
attending include seniors Corey Benov,
Anthony Hughes, Justin Schlachterman,
Josh Skaggs, Chris Stevens, and Calvin
Storey,
juniors Peter Boland and Nick Hart,
sophomores Cullen Clair and Ian Toomey,
freshman Matt Hale, as well as
study-abroad players Richard Pyke, Rich
Short, and James Taylor.
___
The next home match for the Gamecocks
will be Saturday, January 23rd, at 1:00
PM on USC's
STWFC Rugby Field. Carolina will be taking on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in
their inaugural
Carolinas Rugby
League match, and both A & B
sides will be actively competing to
finish atop the standings. The Carolinas
Rugby League is USC's new spring matrix,
and consists of the top 7 clubs in North
and South Carolina, including USC, Wake
Forest, Clemson, North Carolina,
Appalachian State University, North
Carolina State University, and East
Carolina University. As the league is a
mixture of Division I and Division II
competition, it will send its top DI
school into the South DI Final Four and
its top two DII clubs to the South DII
Quarter-Finals. The CRL will be naming
its own all-star team, as selected by
coaches and referees, and will reward
the top club with its own trophy at the
end of each season. The brainchild of
former UNC head coach Andy Richards, the
league is intended to limit regional
clubs' travel time while promoting local
growth through rivaled competition.
The Gamecocks Palmetto ('C')
side will play in USA Rugby South's
Division III competition, taking on
Furman, College of Charleston, The
Citadel, Coastal Carolina, Lander, and
Armstrong Atlantic State in the Palmetto
League - a brutal conference that has
produced the last 7 South Championships
while capturing 6 of the last 7 Division
III National Championships. Such
competition will do wonders for the
continued growth and success of USC
rugby, as participation in last year's
league is a large factor behind USC's
dominant run in Fall 2009. The
University of South Carolina is the only
school in all of USA Rugby South to
operate 3 full sides in South matrix
competition, with USC A and B
participating in USA Rugby Division I.
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Other News & Headlines on
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