The St. Edward’s rugby football club team faced off against the Texas State University rugby team in their second match of the season, which resulted in a losing score of 38-8 for the Hilltoppers.
The match took place on the West Sports Fields of Texas State University in San Marcos. As a result, few Hilltoppers made the drive down Interstate 35 to support the team; however, this deficit was made up with an excess of Texas State fans who filled the bleachers and sat along the field’s sideline. This was a result of it being family weekend for Texas State, as well as home site vicinity.
“My friend James Williams is on the rugby team, and he brought me out here today,” St. Edward’s sophomore Ben Snowden said. “The games are always really fun, and I wanted to support them since the match wasn’t too far away.”
This amount of fans coincided with the equally large number of Texas State players. The team, referred to as the “Renegades,” had the full roster of 23 players for their “A” team in addition to another 23 players comprising a “B” team. Comparatively, all of the St. Ed’s rugby team could only bring 22 players together for the match.
Another notable difference between the Renegades and Hilltoppers was the size of the players. Texas State’s team featured a greater variety of sizes between their forwards and backs which allowed them to maintain strong offensive and defensive positions.
“We have a good mix of thinner and faster guys with bigger and heavier guys,” Texas State junior Avery Bouskila said. “I think this gives us a really dynamic playstyle against teams that lean heavier or lean lighter like St. Edward’s.”
Still, the St. Edward’s team did a good job of defense against the Renegades. Notably, scrum half William Perrins consistently performed successful tackles which slowed Texas State down. Scrum halves are responsible for moving the ball around the field as well as standing as defensive and offensive position.
Tackles in rugby must be performed precisely with proper technique, otherwise risking the player’s safety. Additionally, rules require players to drop possession of the ball immediately upon being tackled — which can then be collected by either team.
However, several times throughout the game, Texas State was able to break through the Hilltopper defense and score six tries: the equivalent of a touchdown in American football.
“Our lads played a really tough game; we put our body into it,” team captain Remigio Vitores said. “We got tired in the second half of the game, but we put our ‘fight’ in it throughout the whole game.”
The game’s loss brought the St. Edward’s season record to 0-2 in the Lone Star Rugby Conference, a stark contrast to last year’s undefeated season.
“We made a few mistakes, but we are going to correct them by our next game,” Vitores said. “Our communication is there, but we have to continue to work on it. We have a great team with great players, and I know I can push myself more to continue to do better.”
The St. Edward’s rugby football club is set to play Baylor University on Nov. 2 for the Homecoming game.
