Tough Slog in the Rain for Saint Mary's, UBC, and UC Davis
Tough Slog in the Rain for Saint Mary's, UBC, and UC Davis
The idea that the USA and Canada should cooperate in developing high-level rugby extends past the national teams, and certainly has a place in the collegiate game; witness then this past weekend's clash between Canadian champions UBC and USA runners-up (spring 2022) Saint Mary's.
As expected, this game was intense, thumping, and close. Played on the eighth day of a nine-day series of rainstorms in California, UBC at Saint Mary's was a back-and-forth slog which the Thunderbirds won 33-28. Certainly UBC had trouble staying out of penalty trouble early and realized, as most good teams do, that complaining about it doesn't really help, and so they adjusted some things.
The result was the 'Birds turned a 21-19 halftime deficit into a 33-28 win. Despite being penalized more than the Gaels, UBC scored at least twice on quick taps and perhaps made penalties work a little better for them.
For Saint Mary's, territorial dominance in the first half, and generally a series of positive outcomes for what they did most of the time put them in front. They probably needed to prevent those little periods where UBC scored quickly. Down 14-7 the Thunderbirds took a scrum thanks to a not-straight lineout and attacked left. A penalty was tapped quickly and soon the Thunderbirds were on the Saint Mary's tryline, where referee Tim Lew called a penalty try as the Gaels tried to prevent the score.
A few minutes later a superb break from scrumhalf Jack Carson, who was excellent all day, set UBC up to go wide and score to make it 19-14. The Gaels responded well wit a run from Dom Besag and after a few phases the freshman capped it off. Flyhalf Joe Yacoubian converted the tough angle in the mud for the lead.
But the second half started more in UBC's favor and that period from minute 40 to about 60 was a period the Gaels would have wanted back. Carson and hooker Jacob Bossi were both very strong for the Thunderbirds. Carson's break and try under the posts gave his side the lead and a brilliant pass from center Takoda McMullin set up wing Tenniel Cowen for the try.
It all settled down for the next 30 minutes or so with no scoring. The Gaels' finally did maul a try over late but couldn't catch UBC.
"It was awesome to play them," said Saint Mary's Head Coach Tim O'Brien. "It sets us up pretty well for Cal Poly this week. The conditions were very difficult and that's probably reflected in some of the stats, such as turnovers and mishandling the ball. But it was fantastic to play them and host them."
For UBC, Carson was excellent and Head Coach Curry Hitchborn praised his side for making second-half adjustments to the refereeing and also issues in set piece.
"Saint Mary’s was hard and direct and they took advantage of our mistakes and poor discipline," said Hitchborn. "They were effective at making sure we stayed in the breakdown when they had possession."
Along with Carson and Bossi, UBC No. 8 Relmu Wilson-Valdes was solid in support and wing Alastair Marshall continued to play well.
For Saint Mary's, captain and prop Joe Marchant led from the front. Besag had some big moments, Inoke Waqavesi at center was elusive and smart, while Kaipono Kayoshi showed he can take charge of a game.
UC Davis Face Gaels
On the same day, Saint Mary's took on UC Davis in a California Conference match. UC Davis scored early and it wasn't until the 21st minute that Saint Mary's got on the board. They built from there, however, with prop Jack Wilson, hooker Nate Deegan, and freshman flyhalf Sosaia Pongi leading the way.
Ultimately Saint Mary's won 45-12, but it was a lot more competitive, and a lot more difficult, than that.
"UC Davis are tough and have some very useful players," said O'Brien.
Next up for Saint Mary's is Cal Poly, a match that will see brothers face off on the coaching sidelines (Chris O'Brien heads up the Mustangs) and on the field (Joe and Jack Marchant). It's early days for conference play, but Saint Mary's usually can be confident about that. In addition, the Gaels have their tour of the UK and Ireland, when they play Cambridge University Jan 28, Oxford University February 41, and Trinity College (Dublin University) February 4.
