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Ohio State Rugby (Official Thread)

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wadc45

wadc45

Bourbon, Bow Ties and Baseball Hats
Staff member
BP Recruiting Team
A new chapter in OSU rugby begins this weekend...ironically enough at the University of Buffalo. This will be the first time in collegiate rugby where the playing year is confined to one season...rugby will be a fall sport only moving forward. Our first task will be to win the B1G. The schedule looks like this:

8/31 - @ Buffalo
9/6 - Vanderbilt (Alumni Weekend)
9/14 - Penn State
9/21 - Michigan State *
9/28 - Wisconsin *
10/5 - @Minnesota *
10/12 - Purdue (Senior Night) *
10/19 - @ Michigan *
11/2 - @ Indiana *
11/9 - B1G Championship

* denotes league match

The backline will undoubtedly be the strength of the team this season...we return starters at 9-10-12-13-14...with quality experience at 11 and 15. The forwards will be thin but a couple of the rookies are already showing promise. The first two match ups will be interesting to gauge where we are before the first real test against non-league foe Penn State, who is competing in Rugby East rather than the B1G because of travel restrictions. After that the first home league match against MSU should be a good test followed by there ever dangerous Wisconsin, who has become one of the top teams in the conference in 15s and 7s. Trips to Minnesota, TSUN and Indiana around a home match against Purdue means we will be ending the season with quite a bit of travel, but I feel like this team is up the challenge. This is going to be an exciting team to watch...the focus will be on staying out of breakdowns and set pieces by keeping the ball alive in loose play. Again, with the playmakers we have in the backline, they should be fun to watch. The most interesting player to watch will be sophomore flyhalf Taylor Hurff. Can he take a step forward and improve upon what was a stellar year for a true freshman thrown to the wolves at flyhalf. Senior scrumhalf Luke Hickey should help ease some of the pressure in the forwards with his leadership and direction. The biggest position battle to watch will be in the front row...who will emerge as the go-to props and hooker amongst these young forwards. We will have a phenomenal 7-8 tandem at the back of the scrum but can we set a platform for them and the back to produce? That is the big question I hope to see at least partially answered this weekend in Buffalo, NY.

You can follow the team via social media or our website:

Website - www.osurugby.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/OhioStateRugby
Twitter - @OSURugby
 
Up 36-10 on Buffalo at the half when we made wholesale changes. Second side couldn't maintain that lead but all in all it was a solid performance by the top group. Keep in mind we were playing on a field with no lines and being reffed by a guy who had never done anything above high school rugby. The home cooking was rampant, even to the Buffalo coaches. After watching film, one up tackling is still the greatest concern, especially in the midfield.

The first real test comes this Friday night at 7:30PM against Vanderbilt. A sizable crowd by our standards is expected to be on hand.
 
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Beat Vanderbilt 60-7 on Friday night in front of a large crowd that included former Vandy chancellor and Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee.

Ohio State vs Vanderbilt - Sept 6, 2013

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Opened up B1G play with a 42-26 win at home against Michigan State. Not a real pretty game but great to start conference play with a win.

Big test comes Saturday against Wisconsin at home. If you plan to be on campus for the football game, swing by the rugby match. Kickoff is tentatively set for 12 noon.
 
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Tough one last weekend...up 21-0 at the half...scored early in the 2nd to make it 26-0....and then the wheels came off. Wisconsin kicks a penalty with under a minute to go to win 30-29. Fitness and injuries were the big issue. We couldn't sustain any kind of attack in the 2nd half. Tough to have the reigning B1G champs on the ropes and not be able to deliver the knockout punch.

This weekend we travel to Minneapolis this weekend to take on the Golden Gophers. Leaving at 8AM Friday morning via bus. Thank God for Wifi and individual power outlets.
 
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So damn proud of the way this team bounced back this week. LONG (and I mean L...O...N...G...) bus ride to Minneapolis on Friday for a Saturday match with the always tough Golden Gophers. It's safe to say that after the fiasco against Wisconsin we probably entered as underdogs. We actually trailed 19-15 at one point and then rattled off 20 unanswered to put them away...unlike last weekend where we collapsed at the first sign of adversity. Huge to not only get a win but also get a bonus point for four tries scored.

This weekend we play at 1PM at home against Purdue. No football so come watch what should be another physical match-up.

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Dropped a tough one to TSUN on Saturday. Played in game in just awful weather condition and it just didn't seem like our guys wanted to be out there. In the end they played hard, but Michigan capitalized on just about every opportunity they got while we rarely did. Case in point, we spent the first 10 minutes of the game inside their 22 and came away with no points. That was merely a preview of things to come.

The guys get a bye week before heading to 1st place Indiana next weekend for a showdown with the Hoosiers.
 
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wadc45 said:
Dropped a tough one to TSUN on Saturday. Played in game in just awful weather condition and it just didn't seem like our guys wanted to be out there. In the end they played hard, but Michigan capitalized on just about every opportunity they got while we rarely did. Case in point, we spent the first 10 minutes of the game inside their 22 and came away with no points. That was merely a preview of things to come.

The guys get a bye week before heading to 1st place Indiana next weekend for a showdown with the Hoosiers.
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Good luck at IU. Know some of the boys down there, but would love to hear of a W.

Would make the trip if I wasn't heading an hour the other direction from Indy to West Lafayette that day.
 
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