Rugby players past and present assemble for alumni game
It was a mud bath.
By the end of the annual men’s rugby alumni game Saturday, the puddle at midfield was a few inches deep and had been visited by a number of players from both sides.
Utah State jerseys that started as blue and white turned blue and brown, before eventually settling on just brown.
It was cold and wet, but it was good times.
“It was tons of fun,” alumni team member Tyler Olsen said. “I had a great time. It’s great for some of the alumni to get out there and keep the tradition going – to build friendships and bonds around the game of rugby.”
Olsen, a former football player and ASUSU athletics vice president, he said only played a couple of semesters of rugby as a student, but still enjoys the game.
“I liked playing, so it was nice to be back out there,” he said. “It was fun to actually catch the ball. When I played football, I never got to catch the ball and run with it. So this was a blast for me – just like playing backyard football.”
USU head coach Brant Fletcher said the game was an opportunity for current players to practice, while at the same time allowing former players to play the game at full-speed again.
“It’s good to get out and be able to play the old guys,” Fletcher said. “They haven’t played for a while.”
“I felt a little uncomfortable as far as knowing what I was supposed to be doing,” Olsen said.
Despite Olsen’s struggles with technique, the alumni team still managed a 20-10 victory over the current Aggies.
During the game, several alumni players offered advice and helped coach the other players on technique and execution.
“It was a laid-back game,” Fletcher said. “Given the conditions, we could have done better. But, we had some starters sitting out in different positions.”
One of those starters, Kyler Ovard, said he opted to forego the alumni game in favor of other opportunities. Ovard said the game was scheduled after Oregon, who the Ags were slated to play Saturday, canceled.
The Ags now travel to Idaho State next week to finish off their fall season against the Bengals.
Fletcher said he’s been happy with his team’s performance so far this season and expects continued success when play resumes in January.
“When we’ve got it together, we’ve got it together,” he said. “We’re pretty good this year.”
Losing to BYU and Utah and notching wins over ISU and Utah Valley State College, Ovard said the team is playing good rugby.
“This is the best we’ve played in a long time,” Ovard said. “We beat UVSC and we haven’t beaten them in ages.”
The team currently boasts a record of 2-2, but might just as easily be 3-2 going into next Saturday.
With a lead over Weber State early in the season, the game was thrown out after a fight erupted between the two teams.
“It was a big old fight – a brawl,” Ovard said. “For some reason, the [Utah] Union didn’t send a referee. Some guy stepped in and he just lost control. One of their guys threw a cheap shot at one of our players.”
Ovard said the team is confident going into Saturday’s matchup with the Bengals.
“Our tackling is a lot better than in the past,” he said. “The guys are starting to get more and more unified. I’d be disappointed if we didn’t beat them by 30 or more points.”
He said he also credits players for stepping up their level of play and said he was particularly impressed with the play of Nate Neagle.
“Nate’s one of the smallest kids on the team,” Ovard said. “But, he’ll take on the biggest guy on any team we play.”
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Utah State´s Nate Neagle looks to an open teammate for an outlet as a member of the alumni team comes to make the hit. The alumni squad edged the current players 20-10 Saturday in the annual game. (Photo by John Zsiray)