Rugby tames PSU
KU traveled to Happy Valley to face fifth-ranked Penn State University and came out victorious, 13-10.
PSU is and has been a strong adversary for any team. Before the game, Coach Gregg Jones said about PSU, “We respect them and admire their history and culture but we live to beat them, especially in Happy Valley. The rivalry is intense, as well as a win could insure a higher seed for us in the playoffs.” Coach Jones continued on their strategy against the Nittany Lions, “We will focus on defending the perimeter attack. Penn State is very similar to us. They have very quick backs and move the ball wide at every opportunity. They focus on stretching your defense to create space for a striking fullback or an overlapped backline with weak side wings. Our strength just might be our forwards putting pressure on their mid-field defense out of first and second phase, and driving forward to contain their defensive scheme as we create space for our backline in multiple phases. This will be a challenge. Penn State is extremely well drilled in their defensive patterns. They recently signed the USA national team’s defensive coordinator to their coaching staff.”
Senior Jamie Gregory had the only try for KU, while junior David Kornock successfully converted his efforts. Before the half was up, Kornock kicked for another three points on a penalty. The score was tied up at 10 at the half, with PSU only scoring two unconverted tries. KU’s defense was tried again but the Golden Bears stood firm. Kornock had another opportunity to strike, finishing the game with another successful penalty kick.
The Golden Bears improved to 3-2 as they wrapped up their league season.
Originally, KU had a bye this coming Saturday, and would have played Virginia Tech University the following Saturday, Nov. 14. However, VaTech’s rugby program has been suspended for a whole year after the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) found them guilty of hazing in August. While VaTech officials and coaches said the party was not an official team event, the rules said otherwise. Some ill-advised behavior involving alcohol consumption was deemed hazing; the club was suspended.
Senior captain Kyle Travelet said, “I’d like to thank everyone that came to support us. Our crowd clearly outnumbered PSU’s, which was really great. Our forwards had a little trouble in the scrums, but everywhere else, both the forwards and the backs were harder and more skilled.”
Senior Marco Barnard also added, “I think we out played them (PSU) in every aspect of the game. It was great to be a part of that.”
Off-season training has already begun for the Golden Bears. KU looks to further improve in hopes of claiming the top spot once again. Regarding the off-season, Coach Jones said, “The first team traveling side of 25 players will be starting the spring season on Feb. 10, 2010. They are competing in the National Collegiate Invitational Tournament. This year’s tournament is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Men’s and Women’s teams from Collegiate and high school levels will compete from around the nation will compete in their respective divisions. During these tournaments, there are professional matches held at Sam Boyd Stadium at the University of Las Vegas. Featuring 16 professional teams from all parts of the world, the weekend event captures international attention with its exciting brand of play in front of passionate fans. The sport competition takes center stage over two days, with 44 games providing more than eight hours of play on each day.
Share
