Rugby Falls to Brigham Young in Varsity Cup Semifinal
PROVO, Utah — The quest for a Penn Mutual Varsity Cup 15s championship ended Saturday for Arkansas State University when the Red Wolves fell, 68-20, to top-ranked Brigham Young in the semifinals.
“Brigham Young is a quality side and they were the better team on the day,” said Shaun Potgieter, A-State head coach. “We made some vital errors that BYU took full advantage of and ended scoring.”
BYU got on the scoreboard first to lead, 7-0, and scored again shortly after until A-State’s Tabo Maree picked up the successful try to cut the Cougars’ lead to 14-5. A penalty kick gave BYU a 17-5 cushion, and then A-State’s Zinzan Elan-Puttick added his own penalty kick to close the gap to, 17-8.
Just before the halfway mark of the match, Brigham Young players scored two more tries to take a 27-8 lead at halftime.
BYU opened the gates early in the second half to raise the tally to 51-8 before Elan-Puttick scored another try. The conversion was good, giving the Red Wolves 15 total points.
Two more tries were successful to increase the Cougars’ lead to, 68-15. Then, Red Wolf Ricardo Lategan picked earned five points with a successful try to leave the final at 68-20.
“We had multiple scoring opportunities throughout the game,” Potgieter continued. “If we had capitalized on those opportunities, it would have been a different ball game. I don’t think the score was a true reflection of how we played.
“I am proud of the team for its effort in this match and for making it to the semifinal of the Varsity Cup for the first time. We’ll work harder to prepare for next year.”
Arkansas State will return home to begin preparation Monday for the Penn Mutual 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC), June 4-5, at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia.
