Westlake Prepares for State Championship Tournament

April 4, 2010

            The Westlake rugby squad is on a roll.  It’s not just that it owns an undefeated record this season.  Or that it will be representing its Central Texas District in the State Rugby Championship Tournament this weekend at Burr Field in Austin.  Or that its veteran squad is playing with a consistency not seen before in schoolboy rugby in Central Texas.  It’s that, since Spring Break, it has crushed its completion and not allowed a single point in three matches.

            On March 25, Stony Point High School fell to the Chaps by a score of 59-0.  Alamo Heights High School was next, and got trounced 65-0.  Last Saturday, the Westbank ruggers travelled to Houston and beat St. Pius 44-0.

            Even Westlake coach Al Neice, who has coached schoolboy rugby in central Texas for many years is impressed.  “This team is highly capable and very experienced.  If they play the way they’re capable of playing, there’s really no limit.”  If the team wins the state championship nest weekend, they will qualify for a national regional tournament in Fort Worth the following weekend.  Beyond that, the National Championship Tournament will be held outside Salt Lake City the weekend of May 22.

            Westlake faces perennial rugby powerhouse St. Thomas in the fist round of this weekend’s State Championship Tournament.  Although Westlake beat St. Thomas when they met earlier in the season on a blustery Friday night in Houston, the Chaps aren’t taking the opponent lightly.  As Coach Neice observed, “St. Thomas is the reigning state champion and they have a proud rugby tradition.  They don’t like to lose.” 

            It’s been a great year for schoolboy rugby fans in central Texas and the State Championship Tournament at Burr Field in Austin this weekend promises to be exciting.  Check out the Westlake Rugby website, http://westlakerugby.com, for details and directions and come on out to support the Chaps.

Charles Vermont