Columbia, SC –
USC Men’s Rugby had all three of its
sides in action on Saturday, despite
weather wreaking havoc in both Raleigh
and Columbia.
USC’s Division I A-side came off a two
week break from cancellations to compete
against NC State’s A-side. Coming into
the match, the Wolfpack were tied atop
the CRL standings with the 21st-ranked
Gamecocks. The first half scoring was
started by a penalty kick from fullback
Cullen Clair. Scoring was later capped
off for the half by an unconverted try
by Richard Pyke. The snowstorm that
swept the southeast created poor
conditions throughout the afternoon,
with a mud pit of melted snow placed
where a rugby pitch once stood.
The second half, which began with an
08-00 lead for USC, proved to be the
equalizer in the match. Firing out of
the gate, NC State’s A-side tied the
match at 8 with plenty of time to
spare. The rest of the match, however,
seemed to be in USC’s control as they
moved the ball through tough play from
the forwards. Utilizing multiple
pick-and-drives, USC moved the ball
close to the Wolfpack goal line, but
fell short thanks to a penalty as time
expired. Head Coach Geoff Mason
reflected on the important aspects of
the match:
"The forwards today were phenomenal.
Probably some of the best rugby I've
ever seen. Unfortunately, we weren't
able to put enough plays together in the
back line to carry the match."
USC will not have much time to regroup
as they prepare to host rival
Appalachian State University on Tuesday,
February 16, at 7:00pm. The match will
be take place on the
STWFC Rugby Field
located at 1000 Blossom Street, diretcly
behind USC's Strom Thurmond Wellness &
Fitness Center.
USC’s B-side won a forfeit against NC
State’s B side as they failed to put
enough players on the field. However,
the match was ultimately played, with
allowance by USC for NC State to use a
few A side players. The match ended in a
15-5 victory for USC, as it was the B
sides first match of the spring
season. Match scoring came from
unconverted tries by scrum half Brandon
Hahn and wings Alex Ruggieo and Colin
McKeon. Due to the official recording of
the match as a forfeit, it will be
counted in the CRL standings as 20-05,
as all forfeit victors are awarded a
minimum score of 20 points. Forfeit
victories also result in the inclusion
of a bonus point in the standings, as
the minimum score of 20 is recorded as 4
tries.
USC’s Palmetto C side competed in a hard
fought match against the defending DIII
National Champions, Coastal Carolina
University. The end of the first half
capped off a brutal 40 minutes which
ended 27-00 in favor of the
Chanticleers. In the second half, USC
greatly improved their defense through
rucks and tackling to hold their
opponent to only 5 points. Coastal’s
only points came off a penalty try due
to a ground tackle by wing Alex Darrah. Important
to note is that USC’s C-side played
without five starting forwards, as they
were used as fillers in the A and B side
games. Head Coach Mark Morris was very
pleased with the second half effort by
his team:
"The guys showed a lot of effort
today, with a number of improvements
made since last week's loss to
Charleston. We're still showing to be a
second half team so we're going to have
to find a way to start the momentum
early on to give ourselves a more
competitive edge against our opponents”.
The C side will hope to improve in the
coming week as they will travel to
Charleston to compete against Division
III rival The Citadel.
For news and
information on all the upcoming USC
Men’s Rugby games, please log on to
www.uscrugby.org.
___
|
Carolinas Rugby League:
A-Side Standings |
|
|
|
|
Record |
|
|
Bonus |
|
|
Team |
Div |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PF |
PA |
+4 |
-7 |
POINTS |
|
University of North
Carolina |
I |
03 |
02 |
01 |
00 |
113 |
056 |
01 |
01 |
10 |
|
University of South
Carolina |
I |
02 |
01 |
00 |
01 |
028 |
025 |
00 |
00 |
06 |
|
North Carolina State
University |
II |
02 |
01 |
00 |
01 |
029 |
026 |
00 |
00 |
06 |
|
Clemson University
|
I |
02 |
01 |
01 |
00 |
027 |
029 |
00 |
01 |
05 |
|
Wake Forest University
|
II |
03 |
01 |
02 |
00 |
057 |
110 |
00 |
01 |
05 |
|
East Carolina University
|
II |
01 |
00 |
01 |
00 |
008 |
012 |
00 |
01 |
01 |
|
Appalachian State
University |
II |
01 |
00 |
01 |
00 |
016 |
020 |
00 |
00 |
01 |
|
|
|
Carolinas Rugby League:
B-Side Standings |
|
|
|
|
Record |
|
|
Bonus |
|
|
Team |
Div |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PF |
PA |
+4 |
-7 |
POINTS |
|
University of South
Carolina |
I |
02 |
02 |
00 |
00 |
040 |
005 |
02 |
00 |
10 |
|
University of North
Carolina |
I |
01 |
01 |
00 |
00 |
039 |
007 |
01 |
00 |
05 |
|
Clemson University
|
I |
01 |
01 |
00 |
00 |
012 |
005 |
00 |
00 |
04 |
|
East Carolina University
|
II |
01 |
00 |
01 |
00 |
005 |
012 |
00 |
01 |
01 |
|
Wake Forest University
|
II |
01 |
00 |
01 |
00 |
000 |
020 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
|
Appalachian State
University |
II |
00 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
000 |
000 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
|
North Carolina State
University |
II |
02 |
00 |
02 |
00 |
012 |
059 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
|
|
|
Palmetto League
Standings |
|
|
|
|
Record |
|
|
Bonus |
|
|
Team |
Div |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PF |
PA |
+4 |
-7 |
POINTS |
|
Coastal Carolina University
|
III |
02 |
02 |
00 |
00 |
099 |
006 |
02 |
00 |
10 |
|
College of Charleston |
III |
02 |
02 |
00 |
00 |
054 |
007 |
01 |
00 |
09 |
|
Furman University
|
III |
02 |
02 |
00 |
00 |
040 |
012 |
01 |
00 |
09 |
|
Citadel Military Academy |
III |
02 |
01 |
01 |
00 |
061 |
028 |
01 |
01 |
06 |
|
University of South
Carolina C |
N/A |
03 |
00 |
03 |
00 |
000 |
098 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
|
Armstrong Atlantic State
Univ. |
III |
03 |
00 |
03 |
00 |
028 |
131 |
00 |
00 |
00 |
|
|
|
Key: |
|
Div - Division |
PF - Points For (in a
match) |
|
GP - Games Played |
PA - Points Against (in a
match) |
|
W - Win (4 pts) |
-7 - Bonus (1pt) - Loss
by 7 or fewer |
|
L- Loss (0 pts) |
+4 - Bonus (1pt) - 4
tries in a match |
|
T- Tie (2 pts) |
POINTS - Total League Points
(pts) |
___
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 and MVP, 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 is
playing in USA Rugby South's Division III
competition, taking on Furman, College
of Charleston, The Citadel, Coastal
Carolina, and Armstrong Atlantic State
in the Palmetto League - a brutal
conference that has produced the last 7
South Championships while capturing 4 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. |
 |
 |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C vs. Coastal
Carolina |
USC C after their match
with Coastal |
|
|
