Rugby drops match against KSU 29-12
Jack Nicholl
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: Sports
A few minutes can make all the difference.
The Bulls rugby team clung to a five-point lead for most of the first half against Kansas State University last Saturday, but just before halftime, the momentum shifted.
KSU scored two tries, including one in injury time, before the end of the half en route to a 29-12 victory. The loss drops the Bulls' record to 1-2 with one more match remaining in the fall season.
"We played about 25 minutes of really nice, quality rugby, and then they had a couple breakaways, and the one that really hurt was right before half," head coach Bill Sexton said. "And you could just sense this degree of frustration at halftime in the players."
There was a similar pattern in the second half. The Bulls kept the score close for about 20 minutes, but KSU pulled ahead at the end with two scores, including another in injury time.
Freshman David McDonough said the turning point in the second half was with about 20 minutes to play, when "everything just fell apart" for the team. He said the Bulls started making turnovers and the level of fitness caught up to them.
"Our forwards are bigger than them, so we thought we could control the pack a little bit better than we did," McDonough said. "And in the back, we just didn't perform like what we wanted to."
During the second half, the Bulls had chances to score near the goal, but Sexton said Kansas State often regained possession and punted the ball downfield.
Vice-captain Jason Ralph said Kansas State's two scores at the end of the first half represented a "huge momentum change" and that KSU entered the second half with a lot more confidence.
"K-State has a lot of weapons, and whenever they get motivated, get excited, their rate of play just jumped dramatically, and we were not able to stay up with them," Ralph said.
Sexton said the team struggled to finish movements throughout the match, and they did not respond well to Kansas State's pressure and defense. The final score was a stark difference from the matchup last spring, when the Bulls won 36-0 at home.
The Bulls rugby team clung to a five-point lead for most of the first half against Kansas State University last Saturday, but just before halftime, the momentum shifted.
KSU scored two tries, including one in injury time, before the end of the half en route to a 29-12 victory. The loss drops the Bulls' record to 1-2 with one more match remaining in the fall season.
"We played about 25 minutes of really nice, quality rugby, and then they had a couple breakaways, and the one that really hurt was right before half," head coach Bill Sexton said. "And you could just sense this degree of frustration at halftime in the players."
There was a similar pattern in the second half. The Bulls kept the score close for about 20 minutes, but KSU pulled ahead at the end with two scores, including another in injury time.
Freshman David McDonough said the turning point in the second half was with about 20 minutes to play, when "everything just fell apart" for the team. He said the Bulls started making turnovers and the level of fitness caught up to them.
"Our forwards are bigger than them, so we thought we could control the pack a little bit better than we did," McDonough said. "And in the back, we just didn't perform like what we wanted to."
During the second half, the Bulls had chances to score near the goal, but Sexton said Kansas State often regained possession and punted the ball downfield.
Vice-captain Jason Ralph said Kansas State's two scores at the end of the first half represented a "huge momentum change" and that KSU entered the second half with a lot more confidence.
"K-State has a lot of weapons, and whenever they get motivated, get excited, their rate of play just jumped dramatically, and we were not able to stay up with them," Ralph said.
Sexton said the team struggled to finish movements throughout the match, and they did not respond well to Kansas State's pressure and defense. The final score was a stark difference from the matchup last spring, when the Bulls won 36-0 at home.
Be the first to comment on this story