Aggies to make up game vs St. Mary's in Moraga on Sunday 4/3

The Aggies make up game vs St Mary’s will take place on Sunday, 4/3 at 12 NOON on the stadium field at the back of campus in Moraga

Ags Rally around Seniors for Huge Win vs Santa Clara

In their final home game of the season UC Davis Aggies faced off against the Santa Clara Broncos, a well respected club in the division.  Before the game started, the Aggies honored the players who will be leaving at the end of the season including seniors Sam Eddins (captain), Lucas Peters, Alexander Obodoefuna, William ‘Cole’ Lipelt, Aidan Moore, and visiting students Thomas Dowling (Ireland) and Roberto Natho (Chile).  This was the final home game for each of these players. And they made this game count.

From the start, UC Davis was controlled and accurate but it was the performance in the first scrum that set the tone for the remainder of the game.  The Aggies didn’t just hold the line, they trampled the opposition. Santa Clara didn’t do themselves any favors giving away penalty after penalty.  In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Aggies had already tagged 6 points on the board as a result of Bronco errors.  The Aggies quickly set a rhythm to the game capitalizing on Bronco penalties to gain meters and over the next 30 minutes scored five tries (four converted).  The Broncos finally had a break in the last minute of the half with an uncoverted try.  The score at half-time was 39 to 5.

Santa Clara came back in the second half stronger in defense and more controlled in their ball handling but within 15 minutes the Aggies scored another try.  The Aggies added points on the board with another penalty kick but then let Santa Clara in to score a try. It might have seemed that Santa Clara was perking up just as the Aggies fitness was starting to wane until the Aggies made a break just minutes later and bagged their sixth try of the game.  Unfortunately, with just about 10 minutes left in the game, Aggies #4 was penalized with a yellow card and the team would have to finish off the game one man down.  The final ten minutes was a testament to the resilience and determination of both sides. Santa Clara used the final 10 minutes of the game and the diminished numbers of their opposition to put three tries on the board while the Aggies pushed on making one final try.  The team memorialized the final try with Captain Sam Eddins stepping in to kick the conversion in his final home game. The game concluded with a score of 61 to the Aggies and 31 to the Broncos.

The coaching staff was pleased with the performance because it demonstrated everything they knew the players were capable of bringing to the game.  After a few disappointing losses this season, it was heartening to see everything come together for a group of very hard working young men.  When asked for comments, Coach Malpass said, “Davis showed up on Senior Day. It was wonderful to see the team finally start to tap into their abilities and play with some confidence.”

Aggies First Travel Game Proves Difficult

Reminder for the Final Home Game BBQ:

The UC Davis Men's Rugby Club invites you to return to Russell Field for the final home game of the '21-22 season as the Aggies face off against Santa Clara on March 12th.  A-sides clash at 1pm.

After the game, alumni and team parents are hosting a BBQ fundraiser as a tribute to the club's seniors, families and supporters.  We want you to come out and help us celebrate.  Find more details and RSVP here by March 8th:

https://ucdavisrugby.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/8258

UCSB Recap:

The UC Davis Aggies suffered another disappointing loss on Saturday (February 19th) at their away game against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.  In the early minutes of the game, the Aggies appeared ready for the challenge, holding onto possession and making progress down the field.  However, their defense struggled and so did their set piece.  The first scrum of the game made the Gauchos’ dominance in the set piece abundantly clear and set up the play that would lead to the first try of the game for UCSB just ten minutes into the game. UCSB scored a second try ten minutes later.  

The Aggies fate seemed sealed until Azeh Kani’s quick thinking and speedy footwork chased down a UC Davis penalty kick that failed to find touch and was knocked back into the field where Azeh was perfectly positioned to secure possession for the Aggies.  This set up a great field position after a blistering run into midfield. From a quick ruck, a short pass sent to the blind side set up a series of pick and goes at the Gauchos’ line. The Gauchos finally succumbed to this leading to the Aggies’ Mike O’Donnell (#6) scoring their first try of the game with 10 minutes left in the first half.  

The teams returned to the field after half-time without a lot of changes. Both sides had some egregious ball handling errors but the slight advantage of the Gauchos’ set piece ultimately secured the game.  With a successful penalty kick ten minutes into the second half and then three tries within just a few minutes of each other in the fourth quarter, the Gauchos secured the win. The Aggies were able to slip in one final try. After a successful counterruck UCSB had taken possession and attempted to kick the ball down field. The kick was charged down by Aggies’ William Bradford (#7). The charge down was picked up by Aggies’ Aidan Moore (#3) and carried under the posts.  With this try, converted by Francis Schumann (#12), the game closed with a score of 34 Gauchos to 12 Aggies.

The coaching staff and players were disappointed with the result.  

Coach Malpass felt the team struggled to handle the difficulties of travel.  This was the first travel game in 2 years and the affects of the long drive and quick game turnaround proved difficult.

On a positive note, due to continuing injury crises, we were forced to give some inexperienced players the opportunity to play first team rugby thus increasing the depth of experience through the squad.” 

Special mention has to go to the heroic efforts in defense of Guy Barrons (#9) and William Bradford (#7). Both players never gave up on the defensive effort and saved the team from what could have been a worse score line. 

Thank you to Santa Barbara’s new coaching team and players for being excellent hosts and demonstrating a classy program.

Grand Canyon Dominant First Half Puts Aggies in Hole

On Friday, February 11th, the UC Davis Aggies faced off against Grand Canyon University, a

team ranked 21st in D1A Rankings (Oct 11 2021). In the opening minutes of the game, the

Aggies looked strong with good line speed and game management. There were a few ball

handling errors but other than that the team maintained discipline in open play against a very

powerful side. The glaring weakness became apparent with the first few scrums. GCU

dominated in this set piece and with growing confidence translated this strength into open play

and the breakdown with a physical style of play that overpowered the Aggies.

With about 12 minutes into game GCU scored their first try off the back of a scrum near the 5

meter line after several phases of aggressive engagement and a failed Aggie line out. Several

minutes later, the Aggies (Francis Schumann, #12) secured a penalty kick awarded after GCU

was caught offside, bringing the score to 3-7.

Those would be the only points the Aggies won in the first half. GCU went on to score four

more tries in the second quarter as a rattled Aggies defense allowed GCU to add speed to their

powerful play. The score at half time was 3 to 31. The Aggies coach’s speech in the interim

was simple. The players needed to face the powerhouse head-on and slow them down to regain

the advantage in the game.

Grand Canyon ran another try in with just three minutes on the clock in the second half. But

something clicked for the Aggies at that point. They firmed up their defensive line and brought

the aggression up a level. By the end of the third quarter, the Aggies ratcheted up the score to

13 to 36 with two unconverted tries from James ‘Cole’ Lipelt #5 and Jordan Naumburg #13.

GCU had one more moment on the field with their seventh and final try of the game with just 10

minutes left on the clock. But it was the Aggies who had the last sip of glory with a try by Sam

Faucette #4 right as the buzzer went to end the game. The final score was 20 to 43

All in all it was physical match. Both sides had their share of yellow cards and the Aggies lost

Harrison Wheeler #8 to an arm injury halfway through the game.

Coach Malpass summed up the game stating the team showed a strong start with a

disappointing second quarter. However, he was pleased with mental fortitude in the second half

from some young players who are learning to step up and take more of a leadership role.

“There is some very good young talent on the team. They are facing some difficult tasks in their

growth and understanding of the game. Mistakes are an important part of learning but being

able to restart when challenged is critical. We will take what happened in the game and

continue to grow from it. The big lesson from today’s match is to stay mentally in the game

despite set backs.”

Club captain, Sam Eddins, was ruled out of play for this game due to his head knock in the last

game. But he continued to lead from the sidelines throughout the game with encouragement

and tips for the players. In his absence, Cole Lipelt (#5) was awarded captaincy for this match.

Cole has shown consistent dedicated play throughout the season and his career at UC Davis.

He carried this new responsibility as captain very well in the game.

Coach Malpass recognized Tom Dowling (#2) as his player of the match for the Aggies. Tom’s

high energy and physicality at high tempo continues to be an asset on the team and for this

game.

Also critical during the match and deserving of highlight was the work of Aiden Moore (#3), Sam

Faucette (#4), William Bradford (#7) and Cole Libelt (#5) carrying hard in the tight and

producing quick ball which allowed for Guy Barrons (#9) to move the ball away from the

breakdown quickly creating space for the outside backs to attack. This display of quality skill

gave Azeh Kane (#14) the opportunity to show off his dazzling footwork, high work rate and

speed in the game causing problems for the the GCU defense.

Special mention also goes to Alexander ‘Obi’ Obodoefuna (#1) who played a full 80 minutes as

loose head prop in a very physical game. Obi is showing great potential in his skill and handling

in the game as he continues to learn.

The coaches and team wish to thank the GCU players and coaches who brought a hard

physical game after several hours on the bus. They also want to thank the parents and alumni

for all the support including another wonderful meal for both teams at the end of the match.

Aggie Rugby to Hold Post Game BBQ/Fundraiser on 3/12

 FINAL HOME GAME OF THE YEAR + BBQ FUNDRAISER

The UC Davis Men's Rugby Club invites you to return to Russell Field for the final home game of the '21-22 season as the Aggies face off against Santa Clara on March 12th.  A-sides clash at 1pm.

After the game, alumni and team parents are hosting a BBQ fundraiser as a tribute to the club's seniors, families and supporters.  We want you to come out and help us celebrate.  Find more details and RSVP here by March 8th:

https://ucdavisrugby.charityproud.org/EventRegistration/Index/8258

If you can't make it, please consider making a donation here:

https://ucdavisrugby.charityproud.org/Donate

What else?

All proceeds will support the club's operating costs.  

 This is an on-campus event so alcohol is prohibited.

 Unofficial pre-game or post-game gatherings are encouraged.

If you need a refresh or some recommendations on where to go pre-game or post-game, or where to stay in Davis, reach out to ian@ucdavisrugby.com.  

That's it for now.  Stay tuned to ucdavisrugby.com for more.