The UC Davis Men’s Rugby team opened the fall season with 2 wins over Sac St and Chico. In a 3 half scrimmage on 10/16 the Aggies overcame numerous mistakes in their first game back in action since May of 2021, with a 14-5 victory over Sac St. Multiple newcomers to the game of Rugby helped the Aggies bring home the modified victory.
Next, on the 23rd, were the Chico Wildcats. The Aggies were a much more cohesive unit on this wet and muddy day at Russel Field and prevailed 40-0. Full write up below from Coach Andy Malpass:
The UC Davis Aggies took on the Chico Wildcats in their second pre-season scrimmage at Russell Field this past Saturday. From the start of the game the Aggies exerted pressure against Chico using a clean defensive line and clinical approach to the basic skills.
Max Schoenberger put the first points on the board breaking through Chico’s defensive line to score a try after 14 minutes of play. He then converted his try for a 7 point lead over Chico. The Aggies continued frustrating Chico’s attempts to get over the gain line. Backed into their own 22, Chico kicked the ball away giving the Aggies possession and the perfect set up for their second try. With the conversion slotted, the Aggies were up 14 points just minutes into the second quarter. But Chico warmed up and dominated possession and territory for the remainder of the first half. Taking the bait, the Aggies gave away penalty after penalty allowing Chico to press closer to the try line. Despite being on the back foot the Aggies kept a solid defense and thwarted Chico. Late in the half, Chico over threw their line out finally giving the Aggies possession and an opportunity to get back in the game. With a little momentum they were within meters of the try line when the whistle blew for halftime with a score 14 to nil.
Both teams came back in the second half strong with the Aggies’s Sam Faucette breaking through Chico’s defensive line to get the ball within meters of the try line. But the Aggies lost possession with another penalty and soon found themselves back in their own 22 where they stayed for several minutes. Not willing to give up, the Aggies took advantage of a Chico penalty to score their third try with less than twenty minutes left in the game. Minutes later the Aggies demonstrated their intent to close out the game dominant when the Aggie's Josh Bagwell accepted an offload and sprinted the length of the field to secure the fourth try of the game. Within minutes of the restart the Aggies took control with Sam Faucette slicing through the defense and setting the ball just inches from the try line. Aiden Moore was only too happy to pick it up and dive over the gain line to score the fifth try. Max Schoenberger missed the conversion to leave the score 33 nil. Chico did not lay down in the final minutes of the game, continuing to challenge Davis, but the Aggies had the momentum and they were not letting go. After the restart, the Aggies had another thriller, getting possession quickly and taking the ball more than half the field length to lay down the sixth and final try for the Aggies. The final score was 40 to nil.
Overall the Aggies created pressure for Chico at the set pieces and demonstrated a cool adherence to the basic skills eventually wearing Chico down. Coach Andy Malpass was particularly pleased with the defensive work and strong communication. He says the team with continue to work on their attack to build more fluidity but sees a good amount of potential. Josh Bagwell had an exceptional game and deserves special mention for demonstrating versatility by playing out of position at the wing. Lucas Peters also deserves special mention for yet another solid performance as tight head prop.
Write up by M Parton