January 12, 2010

WESTLAKE RUGBY TEAM PREPARES FOR SEASON OPENER WITH SCRIMMAGE

            With only a week of practice under its belt this season, the Westlake rugby team held its first full-contact, inter-squad scrimmage last Saturday.  Braving unseasonably cold temperatures, two mixed sides of returning players and newcomers squared off against each other.

            The scrimmage offered the first glimpse this season fans have had of a team that shocked the Texas rugby establishment in its inaugural season last year by becoming Central Texas champions and taking third place in the state tournament. The optimism on the sidelines in anticipation of the upcoming rugby season ran unusually high as players and fans alike speculated as to just how much more improved this year’s team, which returns veterans at virtually every position, is over last year’s. 

Front line players for both the Red and the White sides on Saturday established their presence early with hooker Colin Harman, and props James Howe,Chris Van Datta, and Alex Putnam dominating scrum downs.  Veteran Rogan Lye and newcomer Phillip Reed did a particularly notable job filling in for an injured rugby All-American, Evan von Zur Muehlen, at eight man.

Team speed was also on full display among the backs, all of whom are returning veterans.  Playing in white uniforms on Saturday, James Robison, Sean Potter, Paul Brown and Chase Corona demonstrated crisp passing and agility in a balanced attack led by scrum Half Connor McNally.  In fact, the backs scored twice during the scrimmage, once when veteran fly half Thomas Robison scooped up a ball after a loose scrum and rambled to the try line and again in the second half when McNally peeled the ball from a ruck in fron to f the try line and scored.

Aside from the veterans and first-timers mentioned above, notable newcomer performances on Saturday were also turned in by Martin McClean and Alex Faulkenberry, who both did a good job jumping for the ball during line outs and Lane Scarborourgh, who did a particularly good job at flanker covering the weak side.

Head Coach Al Niece was obviously pleased with the effort.  “You can see that the team picked up right where they left off after last season,” the coach observed after the scrimmage.  “And having talented newcomers playing with a core of solid veterans will be key,” he said.

Next Saturday, the Westlake team hosts the Second Annual Capital City Tournament, where the Chaps will compete against two other Austin-area teams, Stony Point High School and the Austin Area High School Rugby Club, for rugby bragging rights in Austin.

Charles Vermont