In a game rescheduled due to rain, 19th-ranked Roger Williams defeated #33 Bentley 36-5 Thursday evening in Rugby Northeast Men’s DII college rugby action.

Going into the game, Roger Williams Head Coach Chris Palombo said he wanted his players to be smarter with the ball in hand, and more careful with the ball in contact.

“We also need to improve on our ball placements once tackled,” he added. “We are playing good rugby; however we need to ensure the basic skills do not break down.”

On Thursday, it all seemed to come together.

“We executed pretty much in all phases,” said Palombo.

Outside center Colin McSweeney was excellent on defense, while flanker John Rice was also strong on D and scored two tries.

“They were real good at poaching the ball,” said Bentley Head Coach Brian Pendergast. “Any time they isolated us, they poached and countered. They came up fast on defense and were really solid in the tackle.”

Roger Williams’ performance was even more impressive given that it was on the road.

Both teams now look ahead to their regular games on Saturday. Palombo said he wasn’t worried, having been able to sub out several of his forwards early.

“Our fitness is one of our strong points,” said Palombo. “Our depth really helped us out.”

Meanwhile, Bentley has some work to do.

“A couple of losses in a row, we don’t have much time to regroup and we’ve got a tough Southern Connecticut this weekend,” said Pendergast. “Roger Williams really come at you at pace and they wear you down. They were pretty clinical on offense. They’re a good team. We need to tighten everything up if we want to make a run at the playoffs.”