The LSU men’s rugby team played its first conference match of the season Oct. 26 at home against University of Texas. Despite the rainy weather, LSU pulled off a 36-7 win on the rugby pitch next to the band practice field.
“It was a sloppy game because of the rain,” said Ben Lunsford, fullback for the LSU men’s rugby team. “It made it harder for us to get into a groove or any kind of pattern. There were a lot of penalties.”
A team effort was responsible for the win against Texas as Sean Malek, Cris Sanford, Craig Gothreaux, Lunsford and Seth Stevenson each contributed one try.
“They beat us last year, so we got revenge,” Lunsford said.
A try is similar to a touchdown in American football, except it adds five points instead of six. The field goal kick in football often is referred to as the point after try, or PAT. This comes from football’s rugby roots, where players are allowed a conversion attempt for two extra points after the try.
The men’s team pulled off its largest victory of the year as it dominated Southeastern University Oct.19 with a final score of 83-5.
Lunsford and Chris Shinners were the leading scorers with three tries each.
The Texas Rugby Union Conference holds tryouts each year for its all-star team. This year Chris Lockwood, Lunsford, Mike Relle, Zeb Thrasher and Gothreaux were selected for the 2002 Texas Collegiate All-Star squad. The all-star team will be traveling to Lawrence, Kan. this weekend to play in the Western Regional All-Star Tournament.
This is a repeated accomplishment for Gothreaux and Relle, as Lockwood, Lunsford and Thrasher make their first appearances on the all-star team.
The rugby team’s next match is a conference game against Rice Nov. 9 in Houston.