Games To Watch This Weekend (Louisiana High School Rugby – Week 4)

This week in Louisiana High School Rugby, we have a strong line up of games. Lets share a few of the predictions that we have for this week.

Bayou Hurricane vs. St. Paul’s

This is arguably the biggest game of the league. This is the battle of the current state championships, St. Paul, taking on the up and comer Bayou Hurricanes, in Raceland, LA. The battle of the undefeated. This will be a home match for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have been on fire as they have been led by coach Conrad Breit. They are an athletic team with a blue collar approach to their game play.

photo by Jacqui Millard Breit
Bayou Hurricanes photo by Jacqui Millard Breit

St. Paul’s has not been shy to success. In their second year, they took home the State championships last year. The team, lead by head coach, Dr. Donald Hart, have been working the formula of rugby. This team has come in with a mantra of telling teams “they will earn every centimeter of ground if they are going to beat them”.

Bayou Hurricanes enter this season as a statistical favorites. In 3 games matrix games, have scored an average of 49 points per game. Held their opponents to just under 7 points per game. St. Paul’s has not been to far off. St. Paul’s has averaged 38.5 points per game, and has given up 14 points in two games.

St. Paul's Rugby
St. Paul’s – Covington photo by St. Paul’s

Both though they haven’t played too many opponents, they have shared a common opponent in Niceville. Both teams defeated them, but Hurricanes had the advantage of being at home defeating them 51-5, while St. Paul’s had been on the road, defeating them 29-14.

This will be a close game for both teams. Though one has to lose, both will most likely see themselves in the Louisiana State High School playoffs. The top spot in the league, currently held by the Hurricanes, is up for debate. Despite the closeness of both of these teams, I have to put my predictions in the hands of the home team. The advantage of being on home turf plus having a bit more speed off the edges, look for the Hurricanes to continue their winning ways and take this match. Hurricanes win, 32-20.

NOLA Barbarians vs. West Jefferson

The NOLA Barbarians (0-1) host West Jefferson (0-2) at City Park. This will be a little more of a tougher game to predict. Both these teams are relatively new and still finding themselves. West Jefferson is still building in their first year. This is a team with plenty of athleticism, but are still working on the fundamentals. They are a work in progress. The NOLA Barbarians are in a similar position. This team has been reformatted a few times over the years, but has been a channel for new rugby players in New Orleans who don’t have a rugby program connected to their school. The Barbarians, lead by Matt Austin, have a little more experience under their belts.

Look for the Barbarians to take this game. It’ll be a low scoring game, but well entertaining. Barbarians win, 21-5.

Jesuit vs. Brother Martin

This is a tough game to measure. Only one of these teams have played any games. Brother Martin (0-1) struggled against a tough Niceville team, losing 19-14. Jesuit is just opening their rugby season.  It’s tough to predict this team with little information available. Though Brother Martin lost to Niceville, they are still a team to contend with. Look for Brother Martin to take this game early, 20-14.

 

UPDATE (2/20/2016): Coaches for the Bayou Hurricanes are Gregg Dinicola, Conrad Breit, and Clay Benton

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