Tech rugby’s first tournament produced a mixed bag of results.Playing two men down in the second half as a result of red cards, Tech’s rugby team came together and refused to surrender any more points. The end result was a 28-0 victory Friday night over host Vanderbilt in the two-day tournament.
Junior Ben Hobbs, a flanker for Tech, emphasized the importance of becoming a team and how it impacted them in their matches last weekend.
“It is impossible for me to think that one man can beat a team,” Hobbs said, “The game is solely set on supporting your teammate in tackling, running or passing the ball. Without support from your other teammates you will not win a rugby match.”
Tech surprised MTSU Saturday afternoon, coming out with a tough overall effort.
“This was the toughest and most entertaining game [of the tournament],” Hobbs said.
Trailing by 12 in the second half, Tech scored two tries but missed the conversion to tie the match. With 1:30 left in the game Tech received a penalty, allowing MTSU to attempt to make a three-point field goal. MTSU later had a penalty called against them, but the game-tying field goal attempt fell short by one yard, sending Tech to the loser’s bracket with a 15-12 loss.
Despite the defeat, Tech came a long way from their loss to MTSU the previous week.
“For some odd reason we came off the MTSU game a week earlier not really connecting as a team to just playing extremely well,” said.
Hobbs said the difference was in Saturday’s match against MTSU was better communication to each other, supporting one another when they got tackled and gaining more confidence in each other, which helped them not to miss any tackles.
“It was a complete 180 from the week before,” Hobbs said.
The last game of the tournament, only twenty minutes after the thrilling battle against MTSU, Tech fell to Missouri 7-0. Although they fought hard, fatigue played a big factor into this match.
Hobbs summed the tournament up saying their success as a team “is great news for future games.”
Tech will play at 1 p.m. tomorrow on the President’s lawn against Western Kentucky.
