Chaps Continue to Roll

 January 31, 2009

            An energized Chaps rugby team, coming off an impressive win last week over Texas rugby powerhouse, Dallas Jesuit, traveled to San Antonio last Saturday and notched another victory, beating an oversized San Antonio club team 20-7.

            The match began at noon under a bright cloudless sky and San Antonio’s scrum lost no time in using its size and strength advantage against the Chaps.  Aggressive rucking by the home team helped keep Westlake, with its superior speed and quickness, bottled up at mid-field for much of the period.  Sean Potter finally broke through the San Antonio defense for the Chap’ only score of the half when he caught a pass in the middle of the field and outran the competition.  He crossed the try line with a string of San Antonio backs trailing behind.

            Observers could sense San Antonio’s rising tide of frustration on the ensuing kick-off as the contest threatened to devolve into something resembling less than a rugby match.  The referee called the half early after penalizing the San Antonio team for unsportsmanlike conduct and sending one of their scrummies to the sin bin.

            San Antonio scored quickly when play resumed after one of their backs broke free in the middle of the field.  With a successful conversion kick, Westlake found itself down 7-5 early in the second period.

            But the Chaps responded almost immediately.  Fly half  Markham Sayers fielded a San Antonio kick and took advantage of an unbalanced defense, racing toward daylight and the Chap’s second score of the contest.  A few minutes later, lock Josh Womack picked up the ball after a loose ruck and, after a series of crisp passes, got it to fullback James Robison, who was perfectly positioned on the wing.  Robison left several defenders gasping in pursuit as he raced across the try line for the Chaps’ third score of the contest.  Flanker Ari Shita added another try just before the final whistle when he dragged the ball, as well as a number of San Antonio  scrummies, in for the final try of the match.  At the end, Westlake had prevailed by a score of 20-7.

            Westlake’s second side played an inspired match against Alamo Heights High School’s first side.   The home team used its superior size to good advantage and scored first on breakaway shortly after play got underway.  But number 8 man Rogan Lye fished the ball from a scrum, ran to the weak side, and executed a perfect pass to Pace Tripp, who rambled in for the score.  Alamo Heights scored once more before the half and went up 12-5 at the break.

            But it was all Westlake in the second half.  The scrum, led by Sam Wakefield, Kalai Cordova, and Chris Van Datta, wore down the opposition and the backs capitalized.  Reid McMenamin scored 3 points on a penalty kick and Vince Costa scored two tries late in the game to seal an impressive win against Alamo Heights, 18-12.

Charles Vermont