Rugby club to host Cougars
The Utah State University men’s club rugby team will match up with in-state rival BYU at 1 p.m., Saturday, a team that has given USU quite a hard time in the past, captain Brant Fletcher said.
Last time both teams met, which was last season, USU was defeated by more than 30 points.
“They’re really well-conditioned and most the players know the game really well,” Fletcher said.
A number of players on BYU’s team are originally from areas of the country and world where rugby is prevalent, giving them an upper hand on the game and making them one of the top teams around, he said.
Because of BYU’s skill and knowledge of rugby, Fletcher said, USU will have to make some improvements in order to compete.
“This season we’ve been competing really well in the first half, and then we kind of lose it,” he said.
The Aggies have lost most of their games in the second half, which is why conditioning has been such a big focus for the team.
“If we can resist the second half onslaught, we’ll do all right,” Fletcher said.
USU will be playing without Fletcher, who is out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury suffered April 4 in practice.
Kevin Arrington is also questionable for play due to past injuries.
The 4-3 women’s rugby team is feeling positive about their game Saturday against Boise State University, captain Lauren Drietzler said, which will also be on the HPER Field.
The time of the game is not yet determined and there is a possibility of a second game for the Aggies.
This week’s match against Boise will be the second match in a row between the two teams.
Saturday in Idaho the Aggies proved to be the better team when they won 41-0.
With last week’s blow out though, Drietzler said, the Aggies are treating Saturday’s game like just a regular match, realizing anything can happen.
“I don’t think we are too over-confident,” she said. “We had a lot of mistakes [against BSU] and there were a lot of things we need to work on.”
Once again the Aggies will be counting on outside center Heather Taylor and wing Jessica McInelly, both of whom scored in the team’s previous victory against BSU, along with the team’s speed, Drietzler said.
“We had a lot of speed in that game. We got it to our backs and they finished the job,” she said.