Rugby Recap: January 21st and 22nd

(feature photo by Debbie Sheehan)

As another weekend of exciting comes to a close, we take a look at the scores from around the country and across divisions. In the collegiate realm, Arizona fell to Cal 39-12 to kickoff Conference play. Their peers at Arizona State suffered a comparable fate as well, falling to UCLA, 38-15, in opening PAC 12 play. Stanford hosted Arizona in a non-conference match up, and saw the Cardinal walk away with a home loss 12-25. Baylor took on Arkansas this weekend, and emerged with a 25-20 victory.

The men’s club division saw significant action this past weekend, with games across the nation and grades. The Austin Hun’s D1 and D2 teams squared off against the Dallas Harlequins with wins against both squads. The Hun’s elites won by a score of 68-5, and the D2 squad secured their victory 85-0. In a tradition of keeping Austin weird, the city’s namesake Blacks team was in action as well. The Austin Blacks visited Houston to square off against the HARC, and walked away with a 38-5 victory. The Tulsa Rugby Club visited the Oklahoma City Crusaders this past weekend, and secured a home field win via a 41-34 score. In Arkansas, Little Rock fell to Arkansas State 36-13 in regulation. In a stark point contrast, Jacksonville won their nail-biter match versus Okapi in regulation time 29-28.

Women’s rugby had a busy weekend as well, with multiple collegiate and club matches dotting the landscape. In women’s club division, Fort Miami hosted Orlando for a 36-12 victory. Although Orlando tried to rally a response with 2 tries from Shannon Steele, and a single from Zoe Sanchez, it wasn’t enough to stem the tide in their first Matrix match. In collegiate, UCF defeated the Gators, 53-14, in a Florida clash this past weekend, as FSU suffered a match cancellation versus Battleship RFC due to extenuating circumstances.

Last but not least, High School Division saw action across various settings this weekend to set a precedent for the New Year. The New Orleans Barbarians fell to Jesuit 10-14, with more scores to be announced.

Edited update: original article initially said that Tulsa hosted Oklahoma City. That was an incorrect statement. Oklahoma City hosted Tulsa