USU rugby falls to Utah
Confidence and optimism weren’t enough to combat the experience and crisp execution of the University of Utah’s men’s rugby team Saturday, as the Aggies fell to the Utes 30-5 in Salt Lake City.
The Aggies, who had just come off their season-opener win against Weber State, went into Saturday’s contest with hopes of an upset.
Their practices were upbeat and positive. Head Coach Jeff Bruce was encouraging. In general, the team seemed buoyant.
Then the rain came.
On what was one of the coldest and wettest days of the season, the Aggies marched on to Fort Douglas Field and quickly realized they were in for a long, hard afternoon. It took only a few minutes of play before the Utes would get onto the board-something they would continue to do throughout the remainder of the game.
“They were a good team,” said Porter Macey, junior and two-year member of the Aggie squad. “They came out and dominated, which is what you would expect from a nationally-ranked team.”
The Utes, who finished last season ranked No. 4 in the nation, were led by senior David Bonnemorte, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound giant from Lyon, France, who was a constant threat when on the field. But it wasn’t Bonnemorte’s performance alone that did the Aggies in.
It was the complete team effort, consistency and execution from the Utes that proved to be too much for Utah State.
The Utes seemed to have better ball control, force more errors and continually interrupt the Aggie game plan. Utah State didn’t help themselves at times, committing several unforced errors that the Utes happily cashed in on.
On the other side of the scrum, however, the Aggies didn’t just fall down and accept defeat. They held their own as they went head to head with one of (if not the) best teams in the nation, and only lost by 25.
Nationally ranked teams such as Purdue and Air Force can’t boast the same-both teams lost to the Utes last spring by margins of 43 and 62, respectively.
Utah State’s lone score came late in the first half. By that time, however, the Utes were already in the height of their rout. The points, unlike the stone and sling of David, hardly seemed to slow this Goliath up at all.
“We came out and did our best,” Macey said. “We’re proud of our effort, but now we’ve got to focus and get ready for next week.”
-jackson.olsen@aggiemail.usu.edu