Out with the Old; Women’s Rugby team beats up on alumni
Maybe there is something to that old adage “practice makes perfect.” This seemed to be the case as the much-practiced Aggie women’s rugby team downed the Utah State alumni team 60-7 Saturday afternoon on the HPER field.
The two teams mounted the field amid rain and light wind, but not before the alumni team passed around a Bud Light for good luck. The alumni team came out with a strong presence in the early minutes of the game and quickly gained possession of the ball. They moved in to score, but were stopped just short of the goal line. The Aggies gained possession and made a strong push to score the first try with a successful conversion.
The alumni team pressed back, winning multiple scrums, but could not penetrate the Aggie defense.
The alumni team struggled to score the rest of the half as the Aggies put pressure on the offensive end. Outrunning the alumni team and passing to their spread line, the Aggies scored again with the conversion.
Senior Bryn McMillan scored back-to-back tries within minutes of each other.
On her second try, McMillan kicked the ball downfield past alumni defenders, picked up the ball and ran in for the score.
Fighting back, the alumni team ran the ball to within feet of the goal line. After multiple rucks, the Aggies regained possession of the ball and kicked the ball out.
McMillan grabbed the ball near half field and ran the remaining distance, past a lone alumni defender, to score directly between the posts.
The Aggies scored one more try before the end of the half, making the score 36-0.
Regrouping after the half, the alumni team applied defensive pressure, keeping the Aggies away from the goal line and the ball near center field. With better field position, one alumni player broke free and ran the length of the field before being tackled just before the goal line.
After a ruck, the alumni team scored their first and only try of the game and made the conversion, making the score 36-7.
The Aggies answered with quick back-to-back scores, missing the conversion both times.
The alumni responded with a strong defense, keeping the Aggies from scoring for the majority of the half. Near the end of the game the Aggies broke through the defense and scored another try with the conversion.
McMillan ended the game with a run that spanned the length of the field to score the final try with the conversion, making the final score 60-7.
“They gave us a good game,” McMillan said.
McMillan, who is the coach of the team, scored four of the 10 Aggie goals.
She said the Aggie team has struggled by not having an official head coach, but the team has worked hard the past two semesters to play well with each other.
The ladies rugby team is no longer in season play because of lack of players, but McMillan said the season went well until players left the team.
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu
The USU women’s rugby team prepares for scrum against the USU alumni team during Saturday’s game on the HPER. (Timothy Mecham)