Sunday was bittersweet for the LSU rugby club.
The Tigers earned a bid to the Round of 16 in the USA Rugby National Guard College Club Championships but fell short of claiming the Western Rugby Union championship after a 20-14 defeat against Texas A&M.
The Tigers (8-2), No. 11 in the American Rugby News collegiate rankings, couldn’t overcome injuries and mistakes in a highly contested matchup with the No. 10 Aggies (7-2).
In a clash of styles, the Aggies controlled the pace of the game, utilizing their size advantage to slow down the Tigers’ breakneck attack and transform the game into a defensive standstill.
The Tigers earned an automatic bid into the Round of 16 with their finals appearance after they defeated Colorado, 17-10, on Saturday in a semifinal match.
Cody Cadella, senior forward and LSU rugby club president, said he was impressed with the Tigers’ effort despite the loss.
“It was a tough game. But in the end, we’re happy with the way we played,” Cadella said. “We’re going to the [Round of 16] either way, so it was a good day for us.”
The Tigers took the field missing two of their starters, senior center Nick Raziano and senior fullback Adam Davis. Senior fullback Sidney Blakemore suffered a shoulder injury during the game as well. Cadella said the extent of Blakemore’s injury is still unknown.
The Aggies got a 6-0 head start in the first half when senior forward Matt Graves capitalized on two drop goal kick attempts in the first 26 minutes. Both drop goal attempts came courtesy of LSU penalties.
The Aggies were able to dictate the pace for the rest of the first half, forcing the Tigers to defend their own half of the field for much of the first 40 minutes.
“We knew they were going to try to play a slow game,” Cadella said. “They have some bigger forwards than us, so we knew they were going to try to push us around a little bit.”
The Tigers were unable to cash in on two scoring chances in the first half. A drop goal attempt in the 13th minute hit the crossbar, and senior Robert Johns’ try was called back for an offside penalty in the 35th minute.
The second half looked much different as the Tigers were able to accelerate the pace of the game. LSU took a 7-6 lead when sophomore winger Jeffrey Levasseur scored a try in the 46th minute.
“We came out in the second half firing. We were all over the field,” Cadella said. “[The Aggies] were pretty much on defense for the rest of the game.”
The Tigers’ lead was brief as the Aggies responded with 14 unanswered points to make the score 20-7.
The Tigers launched a tremendous comeback effort in the final 15 minutes of the match, culminating in a score by sophomore scrumhalf Michael Bordes that reduced the Aggies’ lead to 20-14. The Tigers earned one last scoring chance in stoppage time, but a turnover of possession secured the win for the Aggies.
Cadella said the Tigers will have no time to dwell on the loss, and the team must heal in coming weeks before play in the Round of 16 begins.
“Once you get to this point, every week you’re going to play a tough team,” Cadella said. “So you have to deal with that adversity. If the ball doesn’t bounce your way, you have to get right back up and keep playing.”
Contact Cory Boudreaux at [email protected]