Articles
Rugby season gets off to strong start...
Learning the intricacies of Rugby...
Men's rugby look to get back on track...
Rugby club clinches postseason berth...
Men's Top 20: Is it Cal, BYU and the Rest...

---

Rugby club clinches postseason berth
by Korben Cook, Staff reporter

The Central Washington University Rugby Club achieved a great accomplishment last Saturday in beating the Oregon State University Beavers 17 to 13. Senior Josh Baxter said that with this win the club locked up a first round playoff weekend in Ellensburg.

In the first half, Central took the lead over Oregon State with a touchdown from sophomore Siupeli Sakalia giving Central six points. It was converted by senior Josh Baxter giving them an extra point.

Oregon State scored a try, giving them six points.

Early leaders in the game were sophomore Charles "Charlie" Brown and senior Michael Merril. Brown led the offense into each end breaking through Oregon State’s line while Merril was a strong defensive force catching the majority of the kicks.

In the second half, senior Adam Ralston and Merril both scored 6 point tries.

"[Ralston’s try] put us up for good," Baxter said.

During the second half, the crowd was up in arms about the refereeing. Accusations of a lack of calls brewed anger on the sidelines. Sophomore Joe Schmid of Central’s Rugby Club knows about refereeing during these matches.

"There’s one ref for thirty guys, he’s not going to see everything and again he’s not going to call everything either," Schmid said. "You got to roll with the punches."

The Beavers’ anger built up in the second half until finally players started yelling at the referee.

Oregon State started to catch up, but got held back by the fierce Wildcats.

Rushing back and forth between touchdowns and tries, Central was able to hold the Beavers off through the two hour game.

The playoffs are a time for a new beginning for the Rugby Club. Since past wins and defeats do not matter anymore, the club can reformulate its strategies and tactics. The club will be working on their line-ups and their scrummaging for their opponents in the playoffs. They will find out who they are playing in the next few weeks.

Schmid said Coach Bob Ford and Coach Jason Ray have helped the club out greatly during their free time as both coaches give their time voluntarily. Schmid said a new coach from South Africa, coach Carl, is helping the club with its game plan and enlightened them with a foreign view of rugby.

The first games of the playoffs will be held in Ellensburg at North field on April 7 and 8.

Schmid said that Central does not have high hopes going into the playoffs, but they are expecting more out of themselves in the playoffs.