Oregon’s men’s club rugby team secured a 19-10 win on Saturday over Washington to end its regular season on a high note. The rugby Ducks put a winning gloss on a season that has been a learning experience for the players and the first-year head coach.
After taking a two-score lead into the halftime break, the Ducks finished the game off with a try – the rugby equivalent of a football touchdown – mid-way through the second half to secure its lead over the Huskies. Oregon could have had a larger lead, but missed the conversion kick after the try.
The Ducks staved off attacks from the Huskies in the second half, including an early penalty kick that came up short, a breakaway run that was called back for an infraction, and a late drive deep in Oregon territory. The Ducks earned their try after mounting pressure on the Huskies through multiple phases and five minutes or more inside the Washington 22-meter line. Collegiate club rugby has 35-minute halves to a game, and, much like the red zone in football, the 22-meter line is an indication of the attacking portion of the field.
Oregon almost lost its grip and allowed Washington to kick the ball upfield out of the shadows of its own goal posts, but the Ducks’ back line marched the kick back into the Huskies’ zone, and an Oregon forward punched through for the score.
Despite late surges from the Huskies – including a sure breakaway for a try called back for a forward pass, and a series of play where the Ducks were forced into a goal-line stand – Oregon did not concede a point, and left the field victorious for only the third time this season.
The match, played at Riverfront Field near the Autzen Stadium footbridge, saw the Ducks control what was a matchup of the two teams at the bottom of their division. Both Oregon and Washington play in the Pacific Northwest Rugby Union’s men’s collegiate Division I, along with clubs from Central Washington University, Oregon State and Washington State. Oregon sits fourth with 12 league points, ahead of the Huskies (4 points) and behind the other three teams in the league, who all have 16 points.
Though first-year head coach Tim Wilkinson is pleased with the result and the improvement he’s seen this season, there is still work to be done.
“I haven’t been worried about wins and losses, more about them playing the style of game I’d want them to play,” Wilkinson said. “What we needed to work on today was general game play.”
Specifically, Wilkinson said he’s aiming to keep Oregon’s backs spread out and away from trying to pound the ball up the gut. “We have a big fascination with cutting the ball back inside and isolating ourselves, and we get a penalty for holding and lose the ball,” Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said the team has improved from the start of the year, winning their last three games in a row, and that continually playing as a group has led to improvements on the pitch.
“It’s a work in progress, and I have high hopes for next year,” Wilkinson said.
The club plays year-round, with league matches taking place in the fall and winter terms already this year. Practices will continue through the spring, and Wilkinson is working on acquiring equipment and funds for the team, including a new scrum machine. A requirement of collegiate rugby clubs is playing a second-side game to ensure all players get a chance to hit the field, so every Duck that shows up gets the chance to play for the club.
For more information see the club’s Web site, http://www.uoregon.edu/~rugbymen.
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