Yesterday, a mixed contingent of the UC Davis Men’s Rugby Club traveled to Cal Poly SLO for a rugby 10’s tournament with several other schools.  Participation in this tournament was designed to be developmental, so the team brought many b-side and new players.  In total they played 4 games, with the following results:

UCSB: 32-0 Loss
Man of the Match:  Travis Orem

The boys fought hard in their first match. In 10’s (10 players per side instead of 15), small mistakes can often lead to a breakaway or turnover.  Travis in particular played his heart out the whole game and tried to minimize the damage, making big hits and always communicating.  Overall, many new players learned a lot from this first game.

Santa Clara 2s:  45-5 Win
Man of the Match:  George Zavala

The second match went much differently against Santa Clara’s second team.  A fresh squad went in and immediately controlled the game.  George was awarded man of the match for scoring two tries in this game.  In both, he was isolated to a 1v2 or 1v3 and used his footwork to get past defenders. This game was a great showcase of what the team has been working on so far in practice this year.

Saint Mary's 3s: 20-17 Loss
Man of the Match:  Francis Schumann

The third match started off well. The boys went in with high expectations, and fought hard to secure a 17-0 lead early. Unfortunately, the game slipped away in the second half despite their greatest efforts. The man of the match, Francis, made several notable plays such as a charge down on a kick (that nearly led to a try) and a hold-up in the try zone to stop SMC from scoring. This game really showed the team what they need to work on moving forward.

Cal Poly 3s:  15-5 Loss
Man of the Match: Kian Alamir

In the last match of the day, the boys gave it their all, but came up short.  Some small mistakes led to breakaways, but they kept fighting on and scored a try on the last play of the game.  The try scorer and Man of the Match, Kian Alamir, broke through the line and took it all the way to the try zone. This was Kian’s first try for UCD Men’s Rugby.

Overall, there were many positives in exposing new players to rugby and there is much to work on in upcoming trainings.  The mixed results left the club looking forward to future matches and hungry to put a full A-side together to see what they're capable of, together.

Fundraising Note

If you haven't yet donated please visit our donation page and support if you can.  Thank you to everyone who has already donated as well.  The students and coaches appreciate your support.

Also, if you know alumni or past supporters that may be able to help, please forward the link to them or connect us via info@ucdavisrugby.com.  And if you have ideas for how the club can raise more money or you are able to help in other ways, please let us know. 🙏 🏉