The Gamecocks left the Clemson Invitational Tournament Saturday knowing they have much work to do to return to the top 7s form that propelled them to a Southeastern Rugby Conference 7s Championship and a deep run in the play-offs last year.
The round-robin included Clemson and Tennessee, traditional rivals and historically the strongest programs in the 13-team conference. The Gamecocks travelled with more than 30 players and fielded three teams.
USC A finished 2-2, logging wins over Clemson B 15-10, UT B 40-0 before losing games to Clemson A 27-5 and UT A 19-14. After dropping a lopsided 41-0 loss to Clemson A, the USC B side put in two solid games by tying UT A 19-19 and Clemson B 21-21. The Gamecocks had plenty of chances against UT B but fell short 19-14. The Gamecock C side lost a pair of games to Clemson C 17-5 and 31-5.
In all, nearly 30 players saw pitch time Saturday, good news for a program with only three seniors.
“The bad news is that our defense was poor at times, and we lost or tied several games that were within our grasp,” said Coach John Roberts. “The good news is that these games against excellent programs exposed areas that need work. You learn more in defeat than victory.”
The Gamecocks get back to work this weekend. The A-sided travels to Southern Virginia to take part in a Rugby East Tournament that will include mostly D1A programs. The B-team will travel to Athens to compete in the Georgia Invitational.
The round-robin included Clemson and Tennessee, traditional rivals and historically the strongest programs in the 13-team conference. The Gamecocks travelled with more than 30 players and fielded three teams.
USC A finished 2-2, logging wins over Clemson B 15-10, UT B 40-0 before losing games to Clemson A 27-5 and UT A 19-14. After dropping a lopsided 41-0 loss to Clemson A, the USC B side put in two solid games by tying UT A 19-19 and Clemson B 21-21. The Gamecocks had plenty of chances against UT B but fell short 19-14. The Gamecock C side lost a pair of games to Clemson C 17-5 and 31-5.
In all, nearly 30 players saw pitch time Saturday, good news for a program with only three seniors.
“The bad news is that our defense was poor at times, and we lost or tied several games that were within our grasp,” said Coach John Roberts. “The good news is that these games against excellent programs exposed areas that need work. You learn more in defeat than victory.”
The Gamecocks get back to work this weekend. The A-sided travels to Southern Virginia to take part in a Rugby East Tournament that will include mostly D1A programs. The B-team will travel to Athens to compete in the Georgia Invitational.
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