Savannah,
GA –
In their final Palmetto League match of
the season, USC ‘C’ lost a thriller in
Savannah, GA. Taking on upstart
Armstrong Atlantic State University, the
Gamecock third-side once again fought
valiantly against A-side competition
before ultimately falling, 32-29.
After weeks of struggling to find their
offensive game, the Gamecock Palmetto
team unloaded a bevy of tries in this
fast-paced heartbreaker. The first try
of the match was by wing Parker Myer,
who was able to pounce upon a loose ball
inside the goal. The second try later
followed by flanker Adam Walker, a
former high school football standout
from Columbia, who broke loose with the
forwards. Fly-half Andrew Thorndyke also
scored, securing a penalty try after a
pair of defenders clung on to him as he
chased down a grubber kick through the
AASU defense. Thorndyke’s services as
kicker were also critical throughout the
game, as he notched two of his four
conversion attempts to put points on the
board for USC.
A final pair of tries were scored by
scrum-half Mike Varga, as he valiantly
tried to narrow the scoring gap as time
began to run out. The first try saw
Varga run the ball in from the foot of a
ruck approximately 10 meters from the
goal line, where he broke 3-4 tackles
before scoring. His second try came as a
support piece off a penalty play,
wherein he received the pass from 7
meters out and broke past 3 tacklers to
put points on the board.
According to USC C-side head coach Mark
Morris, “USC’s scrumming dominated set
pieces, but tackling cost us the game in
the open field and against their
counter-attacks from kick-offs and punts
downfield. After taking a 17-10 lead
into half-time and giving up 4 tries
with 2 conversions in the first 20
minutes of the second half, the boys
fought back and scored 2 converted
tries. I am really proud of the effort
of the 19 players that went down to
Savannah, Ga. They really played well
and never gave up. We just ran out of
time.”
Many regular C-side players were missing
due to injury, while others were called
up to aid the A & B-sides as they
defeated UNC Chapel Hill and East
Carolina.
The loss unfortunately means USC’s
C-side will finish at the bottom of the
Palmetto League standings this year, but
the club sees a lot of value in the
continued development of its players.
While USC’s C-side is primarily composed
of underclassmen and newcomers to the
game, the side faces off against A-side
competition as the players get in their
many-needed repetitions to contribute to
the Gamecocks’ top sides. The Palmetto
League is a brutal Division III
competition that has produced 7 straight
South Championships, as well as 4 of the
past 7 Division III National
Championships. Nevertheless, USC sees
the competition as a vital part of its
sustained growth and success, as the
Gamecocks are the only club in the South
to field 3 sides in league competition,
where they continue to maintain a policy
that anyone who wants to play will
always get a chance.
Fortunately, the season is not over for
USC’s C-side, as they will soon host the
Atlanta Renegades U20 side on March 20th
at USC’s
STWFC
Rugby Field
(1:00 PM – Admission is free).
Thereafter, they will also host Lander
University on March 27th and the senior
men’s side Sumter Diamondbacks on April
3rd. Both matches are also on USC’s
STWFC
Rugby Field
at 1:00 PM (Admission is free). USC ‘C’
will later end its season at the College
of Charleston Blackout Tournament in
Charleston, SC, ensuring that USC’s
developmental players will be primed and
ready for competition next season as the
Gamecocks look ready to repeat this
season’s success.
___
|
Palmetto League
Standings |
|
|
|
|
Record |
|
|
Bonus |
|
|
Team |
Div |
GP |
W |
L |
T |
PF |
PA |
+4 |
-7 |
POINTS |
|
Furman University
|
III |
04 |
04 |
00 |
00 |
125 |
041 |
02 |
00 |
18 |
|
Coastal Carolina
University
|
III |
04 |
03 |
01 |
00 |
138 |
047 |
03 |
01 |
16 |
|
College of Charleston |
III |
04 |
03 |
01 |
00 |
095 |
041 |
02 |
01 |
15 |
|
Citadel Military Academy |
III |
04 |
02 |
02 |
00 |
105 |
043 |
02 |
01 |
11 |
|
Armstrong Atlantic State
Univ. |
III |
05 |
01 |
04 |
00 |
077 |
230 |
01 |
00 |
05 |
|
University of South
Carolina C |
N/A |
05 |
00 |
05 |
00 |
034 |
167 |
01 |
00 |
01 |
|
|
|
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) |
|
* - Forfeit victories
also receive a bonus
point, as they are
recorded as 20-00 (4
tries) |
___
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 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. |
|
