The rugby match on Oct. 2 against BYU-Idaho ended in a blowout, with a final score of 71-14 for the Wolverines.
The win is more impressive considering the early call against the team for unsportsmanlike play that resulted in a red card. This came during the first 10 minutes of play, leaving the Wolverines to play one man down the remainder of the game.
UVU spent the first half demonstrating their attacking skills with a series of very long tries. At the end of the half, Dan Otteson ran 92 yards downfield before touching the ball in the BYU-I goal for a successful try.
Mo Mitani managed a perfectly timed pass, sideways to Johnny Schumacher, to set up a 71-yard earlier in the half that resulted in a try. The third long try during the first half was a 60-yard run to the corner of the goal by Matt Lefrandt.
To begin the second half, UVU played its B team, already leading 47-0. Despite the large deficit, BYU-I continued to play hard to the end of the game, managing to score two successful tries before the game ended.
The B-team still played well, managing to put 24 more points on the board. The highlight of the half was Chase Boyle’s recovering of a clearing kick by Schumacher to run it down 76 yards to the opposing goal for a successful try.
In all, ten UVU players made successful tries, including Mitani, Tyler Jones, Aaron Manwil, Molo Tuakimoana, Vili Fonohema and Nick Dargel. Joe Carnation also had a much better day after the difficult game against Snow College, going 8- for-11 on his kicks.
In the future, the men’s rugby team looks forward to helping BYU-I build up their team, as they are still relatively young. UVU coach Josh Cooper hopes the team can help them play a few more games and also join the Utah Union that UVU is a member of during the next few years.
The next home game for men’s rugby is on Oct. 16 against Boise State University. The game begins at 1:00 p.m. on the Education Field.
The team would also like to remind those planning on attending to bring one or two cans of food to donate to the community food bank.
