The Yale University Rugby Football Club

Yale Defeats Crosstown Rival Southern Connecticut State

After a week to correct the mistakes against Middlebury, Yale came out strong versus Southern Connecticut. Despite the windy conditions, Yale maintained good field position throughout the first half thanks to the kicking of senior fly half Evan Edwards and freshman scrum half Sam Power. The first twenty minutes were a hard fought defensive battle, neither side allowing points, until a five phase Yale possession ended with sophomore lock Tim Shriver picking the ball for a score. Yale was able to cut down on turnovers and maintain the defensive intensity throughout the second half and keep Southern out of the try zone despite a few series of bad field position. Playing in his second game as captain, junior center Pat Madden broke the game open halfway through the second by scoring a hat trick of tries. The first came after a quick recycle on along the sideline by rookie wing Ryan Vandersloot, followed by two picked off passes that he ran back for scores. Southern was able to notch one score in the final ten minutes, but could not keep the momentum. Overall, Yale saw improvement in all areas of the game, especially around the ruck, which will be crucial if they are to reclaim the Koranda Cup from Princeton.

Men of the match: Mike Horrell and Pat Madden

Final score: 28-5

The B-side suffered a few injuries over the week that forced some players to move around positionally but nonetheless played a tough match against Southern, tying after the second half of play. Like the A side, defense was much improved, but tackling and posting still remains an issue.