Westlake High School Rugby Season Now Underway

2009-01-10

            The fledgling Westlake High School rugby squad gathered in the shadow of Chap stadium last Saturday morning and trooped off to Burr Field in East Austin for the pre-season round-robin tournament hosted by the Austin Area High School (AAHS) rugby club.  Longtime observers of youth rugby in Austin marveled at the large tournament crowd that had assembled to watch three Austin-area teams compete.  Not so many years ago, Austin featured only a single schoolboy rugby team that often had trouble fielding two sides.

            Westlake brought two sides of equal strength and its inaugural match featured the Chap “Red” side against a strong Stony Point High School team.   Any doubts about the new team’s pre-season preparation were put to rest when, shortly after the opening kick, scrappy scrum play by Ellis Glaw, Evan Breeland and Sam Wakefield pushed the action in front of the opponent’s try line.  Scrum half Connor McNally picked up a loose ball after a ruck and scampered in for the team’s first try.  A few minutes later fullback Sean Potter scored again on a breakaway down the right sideline.  After a conversion kick by Sam Wakefield, the Chaps quickly found themselves up by a score of 12-0. 

            The Chaps continued to dominate the remainder of the half as two of its scrummies also participated in the scoring frenzy.  Hooker Alex Putnam and eighth man Sam Wakefield each crossed the try line and the Chaps closed out their first half of play up 24-0.

            The second half looked as if it also would be dominated by Westlake when flanker Ellis Glaw scored just as the half got underway.  But Stony Point’s scrum stiffened in response and kept Westlake out of the try zone for the remainder of the contest.  The Chap’s shutout faded when Stony Point scored late in the match.  But by then it was too late.  Westlake had secured its first victory in commanding fashion, defeating Stony Point by a score of 29-5.

            Westlake’s “White” side then went up against a strong AAHS rugby squad in what, for many of the onlookers, was clearly the most dramatic match of the day.  Before the Westlake team was established earlier this school year, Westlake ruggers played for the AAHS squad.   Now they found themselves on the opposite side of the ball from their former teammates.

            Veteran scrum Half Markham Sayers directed the Chap attack and hard-fought scrum play, especially by the two locks, Ari Shita and Evan Von Zureuehlen, kept the action on the opponent’s end of the field for most of the half.  The match’s first score came when fly half Vince Costa broke through the opponent’s back line in the middle of the field.  Then right wing Thomas Robison found an open field on the right side and streaked down the sideline for the Chap’s second score of the half. 

            But the second half proved a different story.  AAHS fought back and their scrum half scored shortly after the second period got underway.  A second AAHS try knotted the score at 10 apiece and when the final whistle blew, the Chap squad had fought their former teammates to a draw.

            The third and final match of the day pitted a combined Chap team -- many of whom had just finished a game against AAHS and so had to compete without a rest -- against a strong Stony Point squad.  Veteran flyhalf James Robison led the backs but inspired scrum play by both sides kept the ball in the center of the field for much of the first half.  Two penalty kicks converted by Evan Von Zureuehlen accounted for the Chap’s only points. 

            Unfortunately for Westlake, the momentum changed just before the half when penalties forced the Chaps to play two men down for a total of 10 minutes.  Stony Point quickly capitalized on their advantage, scoring two tries and a conversion kick while two Westlake players sat in the sin bin.  Westlake kept their opponents from scoring once they were back at full strength, but they could not muster any additional points.

Although the final whistle found the Chaps down by a score of 12-6, there were smiles all around at the post-tournament bar-b-que enjoyed by the three teams.  Chaps coach Al Niece was clearly pleased as he remarked on Westlake’s aggressive and intelligent play.  “I’m impressed with the level of play I saw today.  Most of these kids have never played rugby before and have only recently learned the rules.”  Then he paused and said, “But they all looked like they were having a ton of fun out there today.”

Charles Vermont