The Yale University Rugby Football Club

Yale Rugby Football Club - Cherry Blossom Rugby Tournament Champions 2007

Friday, April 6th 2007, the Yale rugby team headed for Washington D.C. for the weekend-long annual Cherry Blossom Rugby Tournament.

Saturday, April 7th:

Yale's first match-up was against Virginia Tech. Though Virginia Tech has a size advantage, Yale managed to use their superior speed and handling skills to move the ball into space and create scoring opportunities. Yale also managed to retain ball possession by quickly forcing turn-overs whenever Virginia Tech were on offense. The final score:

Virginia Tech 5 - Yale 15

The second and final match of the day put Yale up against Marry Washington, a team that had won their regions division in 2006. From the start, Yale dominated all phases of the game. Strong running in the backline and an effective expansive game-plan created numerous opportunities to score, however, simple mistakes kept Yale from running away with the match.

Yale won convincingly.

Sunday, April 8th:

Yale played Norwich in the quarter-finals. Both teams came out fired-up for a physical match, however, Yale's pack was able to dominate the Norwich side. Norwich's possession was restricted Yale's ability to once again force turn-overs, especially at the break-down.

Norwich 10 - Yale 21

In the semi-finals Yale faced the merchant marines from King's Point. The match promised to be a physical contest, but once again the Yale pack was able to manage the pressure and good linking between players allowed Yale to create scoring opportunities.

In the final Yale played James Madison, a team that had beaten the Yale B side on their way to the finals. Though both teams were tired after playing two games that day, Yale managed to maintain a high level of pressure of the Madison side. Yale were up and in control of the game when the final whistle blew.

Having played and 5 matches in two days, winning all 5, Yale returned to New Haven the 2007 Cherry Blossom Rugby Tournament Champions.

The Yale Rugby Football Club would like to thank the White family and friends for hosting a number of the team members and for their hospitality in inviting the team for dinner. It was greatly appreciated by the team and added to the experience of the weekend.

The Cherry Blossom Rugby Tournament allowed the experienced Yale rugby team to find their rhythm and continuity. As the tournament progressed, the side's momentum grew and the mistakes decreased. Yale is looking forward to continuing with this momentum in next weekends Ivy League Championship in Providence next weekend.