The Rugby East is almost done, and Penn State is completely done, having run the table 8-0.

The Nittany Lions had already clinched the conference before they faced Kutztown on Saturday, but the game had plenty of importance, anyway. Kutztown wanted revenge for last year’s 24-15 loss to Penn State, a game that failed to deny KU the conference title, but one that stung nonetheless. 

The game itself was very well played, and very close. Penn State led 19-10 at halftime and 26-10 early in the second half before KU got one back, and then, with the score 36-17, Kutztown launched a three-try comeback to make it 36-36 late in the game. 

But a long period of Penn State possession ended with Jimmy Haley going over in the corner to seal a classic for Penn State 41-36.

“We just had to grind it out at the end,” said Penn State Head Coach Blake Burdette. “We’ve been working all year to do this. At times I think the guys were trying to do a little bit too much, but we’ll take the win.”

Finishing the conference 8-0 is a nice confidence boost for Penn State. Even though they had secured the conference title a week before, the players, Burdette said, wanted this one.

Among the players who have been key for Penn State, scrumhalf Jimmy Ronan gives them a reliable goalkicker who helps get maximum value for the tries. Center Selby Niumataiwalu has been excellent, and sophomore flyhalf Mike Dabulas has taken the #10 position with confidence. Dabulas, said Burdette, was probably the player of the game against Kutztown.

“He’s not going to light up the scoresheet, but he’s going to make plays,” said Burdette.

Also in the Rugby Easy, Iona finished off a 4-4 season with a 17-12 win over St. Bonaventure. John and Nick D’Allara scored tries for Iona, as did Jon Petteruti. Head Coach Bruce McLane was happy to see his team win, but also noted that it was an imperfect performance. 

“We blew a lot of opportunities,” said McLane, whose team was down a player for almost half a game because of cards.

St. Bonaventure drops to 3-5.

Buffalo improved to 2-5 with a 45-24 win over West Virginia. Head Coach Mike Hodgins said he is seeing more improvement from his players overall, but added that he, like McLane, was not overly thrilled with Saturday’s outing.

It was an ugly win, said Hodgins, because Buffalo mistakes allowed WVU to stay close (it was 33-24 well into the 2nd half. 

“Our fitness kicked in and we scored two more tries late,” said Hodgins.

Wheeling Jesuit finished their Rugby East season with a 65-12 win over Delaware. 

Two more games remain in the Rugby East. Buffalo is at Kutztown and West Virginia is at Delaware, both next week. The WVU v Delaware game is to see which team can get its first victory. The other game has no bearing on the standings. Win or lose, Buffalo will be 7th and Kutztown 4th.

Clearly Penn State was the best team of the conference, winning all eight games, and having only one game, Saturday’s against Kutztown, being within a try. They beat WVU, Delaware, Buffalo, and St. Bonaventure by an average score of 77-7. They beat Wheeling Jesuit, a real conference contender, 66-5. Iona pushed them at 36-19, and Army did also at 29-13, but none of those games would be described as a nailbiter.

For Kutztown, this has been a bit of a reloading year, and they will certainly be stronger next year as their new players are a year older. Iona continues to battle hard. They may not be expected to roll over the likes of Penn State and Army, but they are never out of it, and showed that this year. 

Wheeling Jesuit has had an up and down season thanks to a coaching change that took effect a couple of weeks into the season. They have been under question for eligibility of a couple of players, but more important for WJU is some coaching and program stability, which Coach Tom Duffy is expected to provide.

Army did well this year, going 7-1, but were a little fortunate to escape Iona. They have developed a nice three-team rivalry with Penn State and Kutztown. On the lower end, the teams with losing records are all expected to improve. Delaware is dealing with the after-effects of their long-term suspension, and some good recruiting will help there. WVU saw the effect of several talented seniors graduating. They, too, will need help with an influx of new blood. SBU and Buffalo are already taking forward steps, and will continue to do so.