University of Dallas News

Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Peter McDonough The Hoggies took a 22-0 loss in their Groundhog Weekend game, but they allowed no score in the second half.

Undeterred by the miserable cold and frozen mud, the Hoggies faced off against the Dallas Area Rugby Club last weekend. The tone of the first half was set on the first play when Shane "Wild Thing" O'Neill broke his previous personal record by getting into a fight within 30 seconds of the start of play.

"We weren't really focused in the beginning," captain Greg Deschler said after the game. "I think the cold took our minds off of rugby, and it showed."

DARC scored two tries right off the bat and the first half quickly went downhill for University of Dallas. By the end of the half, DARC had scored five tries, and all UD had to show for it were muddied jerseys and numb fingers.

The second half proved far more productive for the Hoggies. DARC never scored, and UD spent the rest of the game playing on DARC's half of the field. Joe "Scoreboard" Meier had several break out runs, and Joe "The Phantom" Bascom proved a constant thorn in DARC's side.

The Hoggies played out the game to the final minute with repeated attempts to break through DARC's try line defense but to no avail. It was a hard-fought game, and many lessons were learned. Coach Matt Jones stressed the importance of teamwork and fundamentals during his talk after the game. There were too many quick penalties and wild plays in the first half. Once the Hoggies settled into their normal routine of kicking to touch and maintaining ball possession in rucks, the team really started to come together.

Let's hope our UD ruggers can apply these lessons to next week's game when they travel to Waco to play Baylor University. One thing is for sure though: There will be kolaches.

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