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Fall 2008 Newsletter Captain Patrick Madden President Andrew Moir |
YALE 29 - UMass 20On Saturday an eager squad of nearly 40 Yale ruggers including a core veteran crew and a large rookie class - rumbled north to Amherst, MA to challenge UMass in a preseason tune-up. Instead of the normal A- side and B-side match format, however, the scrimmage was organized in six 20-minute periods with unlimited substitutions and re-entries. Yale opened the first period with a lineup comprised of veterans, and after briefly falling behind after Umass converted a penalty kick, Yale was quick to regain the lead. Center and team captain Mike Atkins 05 began the scoring when he broke the gain line on a set crash play, and senior fullback Matt Reagan found the try zone several minutes later, also on a backline move off the scrum. Junior flyhalf Rob Smith converted both kicks and Yale held the opposition scoreless for the remainder of the period. Aside from several substitutions and position changes, Yales lineup remained intact in the second period. While continuing their solid play, Yale showed some early season rust in the lineouts, rucks, and team defensive play. Umass was able to score at the end of the period on a breakdown off a ruck, but missed the conversion to bring the score to 14-8. In the third through sixth periods, coach Jan Pikul and assistant coach John Broker experimented with the lineup, throwing rookies into the fray and moving veteran players into alternate positions. Several rookies with prior experience impressed with their play, among them 8- man Ben Swiss 08, flanker Mark Cotter 08, and Sean Walbridge 08, who displayed talent at both center positions as well as flanker. Newbees Clarence Stephen 08 and Silas Kulkarni 06 each celebrated their first try, and Yohannes Abraham 07 and Aaron Friedman 08 contributed strong play on the wings. Among the veterans, Ervin Yeo 07 and Will Harper 05 showed poise and leadership in the pack and Jason Park 04 lent his experience and talent in the backline. After taking last year off, wing/flyhalf David Smith 06 recorded his first try since the 2002-3 season. Yale was forced to make due without several important players who are sidelined with injuries. Star second rower and 8-man Pat Lombardi 06 is most likely out for the fall season with a broken wrist, and center Jack Mahoney 07 and lock Frank Busch 05 are hoping to return within several weeks. Nonetheless, Yales vets showed poise in following their practiced pattern of play and the rookies took a giant step in learning the game of rugby. The final score was Yale 29, Umass 20. |
