Men’s rugby to battle in-state foe UVSC on HPER
Playing for their first win of the season, the Utah State University men’s rugby club will battle Utah Valley State College Saturday at 1 p.m. on the HPER Field.
After losing two games recently to Idaho State University and a Bozeman, Montana professional team, the Aggies feel driven to win their first game of the season,said Head Coach Nev Pulotu. But they’ll have to do it against what Pulotu said is a very experienced team.
“They have a lot of players who have played rugby awhile, and they have a couple of Samoans who really know what they are doing,” he said. “They’re pretty well stacked up.”
Despite the experience of UVSC, the Aggies believe they are in a much better position to compete against the Wolverines this year, said captain Bryce Baxter.
Although most of their players are new, Baxter said, the Aggies believe the overall skill of the team is better this year than last.
“Our tackling and rucking compared to last year is extremely good,” he said. “The new guys are even better tacklers than the older players.”
The skills provided by the rookies are exactly what USU is counting on. Only nine of the 25 players on the team played last year, and with 15 players on the field at once, many of the positions must be filled with rookies.
Player Trent Nielsen said two of those rookies the Aggies will be counting on to do great things are Jeremy Davis, playing scrum half, and Cody Peters, at back.
With the skill level of the new players like Davis and Peters, Nielsen said USU has a fairly deep roster. The only thing the Aggies worry about is the inexperience of the team, he said.
But hopefully, the attitude of the team can overcome the inexperience, Baxter said.
“I’ve never seen it [attitude] so positive,” he said. “I think this week we’re really going to compete.”
-csmo@cc.usu.edu