GRR: Women's Cougar Rugby
BYU has acknowledged the women’s rugby team as an extramural sport. Why is that important? The answer lies in the complicated relationship between school and team.
It’s been a busy 30 days for Women’s Cougar Rugby. From Albuquerque, to Pittsburgh, to Colorado Springs, BYU has kept its bags perpetually packed during the post-season. The Provo, Utah, team ended its quest for a DI 15s title two weekends ago, and quickly switched to 7s for last weekend’s Piper Cup, a national 7s qualifier held at the Air Force Academy.
Central Washington has perfected the art of the comeback, rallying from a 15-point deficit against Women's Cougar Rugby (BYU) to win the DI spring championship 29-15. The game looked eerily similar to yesterday's semifinal against Life, which took a 17-5 halftime lead before being held scoreless in the second half.
It’s down to two teams: Either BYU or Central Washington will advance to the May 9 national bout as the spring champion. Two very different games evolved today, but both exciting.
New Mexico is a top-10 team, and that ranking hinged greatly on its one-point victory over Women’s Cougar Rugby (BYU) last November. Since then, the Lobos have remained relatively silent, while the Cougars have been active, and Saturday’s rematch looked nothing like the fall fixture. Host BYU dominated New Mexico during a 105-5 romp.