The Yale University Rugby Football Club

YALE 0 - UCONN 30

This weekend marked the beginning and end of Yale’s preseason match play as they faced off against UCONN in a preseason scrimmage held at Yale. On a beautiful day Yale entered the game full of confidence despite the loss revered seniors and other players to injury over the off-season. To incorporate rookies into the game, Yale played seven 20 minute periods, with the first three comprising the first squad of 22.

At the outset Yale came out firing, setting up camp deep within opposition territory. For the first 15 minutes of the game Yale seemed to click together and force UCONN pack on their heels. Despite the constant pressure, some rust in the backline lead to poor finishing and the inability to come away with any points. A couple late scores by UCONN meant Yale entered the intermission 10 points adrift despite being dominant for the majority of the period.

Those scores seemed to suck the wind out of Yale’s sails as they entered the second period very flat. Yale retained very little possession and was unable to use their backs effectively. The rust and position shuffling in the backline prevented any forward momentum and allowed UCONN to set the tempo for the rest of the game. Yale did show some flashes of class rugby, but their inability to win in the set pieces meant very little possession was to be had.

After the end of three periods Yale found themselves the receivers of a 30-0 loss from a very good UCONN squad. That Yale was able to set the tempo in the opening period gave the club reason to be confident about their season and look forward to beginning next week against Amherst College.

The b-side game faired better for Yale, whose rookies made up the majority of the squad. For such an inexperienced team the game played in excellent tempo and style. The rookies picked up on Coach Pikul’s game plan and implemented effectively. The game did have its scrappy moments as is to be expected and Yale again ended up on the losing side 10-7. Despite the loss it was encouraging to see the talent on the field and that raw talent could run with a much larger UCONN club.

Next week Yale opens their season at Amherst College. All alums in the area are encouraged to attend as your support is always appreciated.