Coach’s Letter to Alumni – BU v Babson College & Upcoming Nationals
Our final game before next week’s Nationals meant making the short trip to Babson College. The main objective was to look at some new combinations and give those on the fringes of the squad one more chance to put their hand up for selection next week.
One of the great strengths of the team this season has been the versatility of so many of the players. Several have played in three or four positions, and it has been common for a fly half to replace a prop (via some shifting around.) With our resources being tested to the limit due to a bad run of injuries, it was important to give players some game time in unfamiliar positions that they may have to fill next weekend.
From the start BU forwards clearly had the upper hand in the set pieces and showed more physicality at the breakdown. However, poor handling, and many unforced errors were letting us down. The backs were guilty of trying to force the pace and offloads when patience and playing for position would have served us better.
Impressive rucking and high work rate gave us a slender 14-7 lead at halftime. Ten changes at for the second half did little to change the pattern of the game as the BU forwards continued their dominance and the very inexperienced backline showed a lack of killer instinct in the last quarter of the field. We eventually ran out 21-14 winners.
Whilst we did not reach the level of performance we have in recent weeks, it was pleasing to keep the winning momentum, try out alternative combinations, and perhaps most importantly, come away with no further additions to the casualty list.
Excitement and nerves will definitely be prevalent during this week’s training sessions as we bid this weekend to qualify for the Final Four. Our opponents on Saturday will be Towson. Kick off 11am at Dartmouth’s rugby field in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Kind regards,
Justin Evans
Coach, BURFC
Coach’s Letter to Alumni – 2012 Rhody Cup – URI Tournament
Dear Alumni,
Hope this email finds you all well. The BU rugby team’s preparations for the Nationals at the end of the month continued on Saturday as both A and B sides competed in a tournament hosted by URI.
Roger Williams were the first opponents for the A side. A couple of fine individual efforts from Colin Yipp put us in control early on. Some wasted chances ensued for BU with the try line at our mercy, however it wasn’t long before the constant pressure paid off and by half time we held a 27-0 lead. Excellent ball retention and handling in the second half from BU lead to several fine team tries as we ran out 58-0 winners.
Revenge was high on the agenda as we faced rivals Providence College, responsible for knocking us out at the semi-final stage in two of the last three years at the Beast of the East tournament and having beaten us last time we faced them in a conference game. BU started brightly and managed to boss the early exchanges. The Terriers pack drove their counterparts backwards at the scrum and turned the ball over in contact almost at will. The team was again dominant in all areas of the field and chalked up a 39-0 win to earn a slot in the final against Salve Regina.
The B side meanwhile also secured a victory in their second pool match to advance to the final.
From a results perspective things were going fantastically, however the two victories were proving very costly. Top try scorer from the fall, Phil Brougham, pulled his hamstring, talismanic second row / flanker Amaar was rushed to hospital with broken ribs and the early morning news was that captain Aaron Stanley had a confirmed fractured cheekbone. All three are at best doubtful for the Nationals in two weeks.
Our final opponents had looked hugely impressive in dispatching NERFU finalists and regular season winners URI in the earlier round, and were bounded to prove formidable opponents. Size (their scrum half was 6’2 and bigger than any of our pack!) coupled with terrific speed out wide had proved a potent combination for them thus far.
BU were slow out of the blocks and were soon down 7-0. A penalty from fly half Antoine cut the deficit however indecision in the BU defence allowed our opponents in for a soft try and to go 14-3 up at half time. We were clearly getting little change out of a solid Salve defence and decided to change tactic. Fielding an inexperienced backline, including three freshmen with less than a season of rugby between them, we decided to opt for pick and go’s from the forwards. In a quite staggering move launched from well inside our own half, the forwards showed great technique and guts to inch their way down field and score possibly the most incredible try I’ve seen in my years at BU. The joy was short lived as Salve Regina worked the ball to their right wing who had little difficulty in rounding our defence and extend the lead to 19-8.
Undeterred, BU kept to the game plan and following more than ten phases, prop Ed crashed over to cap a fine performance. At 19-13 down we suddenly found ourselves very much in with a shout. Our opponents had other ideas and with five minutes on the clock, they again took advantage of our inexperience out wide and sent their lightening quick wing over for his third try to nudge further ahead. With the game seemingly over, BU again stuck to the tactic that had served them so well already in the game and Mike Martino got his just rewards for a magnificent effort to dive over and bring us to 26-18. Unfortunately no time was left and we had to settle for second best on the day.
While we now have a considerably thinner squad due to some cruel luck, the quality of rugby shown by the BU players was hugely encouraging and an improvement on our performances so far this spring.
Next week we have a friendly away to Babson where we will have to be sensible with squad rotation, with the Nationals just a week later.
Kind regards,
Justin Evans
Coach, BURFC
Coach’s Letter to Alumni – 2012 Beanpot
Dear Alumni,
BU got their spring season underway on Saturday. After months of practice we could finally test ourselves against stiff opposition in the form of neighbours BC and Harvard in an abbreviated Bean Pot tournament.
Despite dominating possession and territory, BU looked like a team who hadn’t played together for months as poor decision-making at crucial moments prevented us from closing the game out. With minutes on the clock left and guarding a slender 11-7 lead BC took advantage of some naïve defending to score a try in the corner and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It was very disappointing to lose after being on top for most of the game but hopefully some harsh lessons were learned.
Next game Harvard looked hugely impressive as they demolished BC to win 29-0.
BU were clearly going to have to improve their game considerably if they were going to compete in the final game of the afternoon. However, this team has shown plenty of character and self-belief in recent years and the players took to the field determined to put right the errors committed in the earlier game. Harvard scored first from a well worked set move but on the stroke of half-time BU touched down to trail 7-5 at the break.
The second half saw BU begin to play with fluency and intensity. Confidence began to ooze from the players as eight – nine phase plays were strung together. Tries from Ed, Colin Yipp, and Freshman Chris Smith in addition to a penalty from Antoine gave us a very satisfying 27-7 win. Whilst we were left to rue a missed opportunity in making it two wins from two, it was great to see the team play so well in emphatically beating a powerhouse such as Harvard.
Attention turns to this Saturday and I very much look forward to seeing many of you at the Alumni game on Nickerson at 1pm. Kind regards,
Justin Evans
(Coach, BURFC)
Coach’s Letter to Alumni – 2011 NERFU Final
Dear Alumni,
Saturday marked the biggest game for the club in many years. Having finished runners up in this year’s conference, Boston University aimed to go one better than the last two years by winning the NERFU Division 2 Final and qualify for the Nationals next spring. Standing in our way was the formidable URI team – The only team to beat us at home in the past two years and winners of the conference in the regular season.
For many players it represented the last chance of glory with the team after narrow misses in the past two campaigns. BU started brightly, with the forwards solid at the breakdown and patient in recycling the ball, as we looked firmly in control in the opening exchanges. The ball was worked to fly half Frank who with a deft show of the ball and then inside pass, sent no.8 Mike crashing over to put us 5-0.
After ten minutes URI eventually managed to gain some possession and with their first foray into our 22’ worked the ball to their highly impressive full back, who had tormented us on previous occasions, and he duly went over in the corner. Minutes later we were pinned back near our try line. Opting to run instead of kick, wing Colin Yipp, playing his first game back from injury on the opening day, ran the length of the field, offering three powerful hand offs on the way, to touch down under the posts. Outside centre Jay added the conversion to send us 12-5 up. URI however are a team that never lie down and following a huge up and under from the fly half, they scrambled over in the corner to reduce the gap to two. Minutes later URI took the lead for the first time in the game with a penalty. Momentum was by now with the home side and they soon extended their lead, aided by some poor defending from a scrum. With the conversion added, we were 20-12 down and under immense pressure. With the last play of the half, Frank again found a gap to put second row Campbell under the posts. Jay’s successful conversion made for a 20-19 half time scoreline.
URI were first to trouble the scoreboard in the second half as they edged to 25-19. The six-point cushion was short-lived however as BU bounced back with a converted try of their own and regain the initiative at 26-25. The momentum now swung our way as some mesmerizing hands and pace put full back Phil over the line only to see the ball punched out of his grasp as he was about to touch down. From the ensuing scrum, BU regained possession and a perfectly timed pass put Colin over for his second try. Jay was again on target with the conversion and we had opened a two score lead for the first time in the game to go 33-25 up. Straight from the kick off a mistimed pass fell gratefully into the hands of the URI blindside who cantered over and bring us to 33-30. BU’s riposte was immediate, the ever reliable Jay punishing a URI infringement with a penalty to extend the lead to 36-30 with five minutes remaining. Such was the intensity and drama of the game it never looked like being the definitive score. A wayward clearance kick from BU was gathered by the home side, and aided by a blatant forward pass, the URI right wing skipped round the defence and touched down under the posts to bring the scores to 36-35. The URI fullback stepped up to hit the conversion and regain the lead, only to see his attempt drift wide to the astonishment of everyone at the game. It was a huge let off. BU’s strength and resolve was being tested to the limit. From the kick off we managed to keep our opponents on the back foot and following a driving maul, tight head Ed bundled over to put us 41-35 up. The dying minutes of the game saw BU defending their try line as though their lives depended on it. A URI infringement allowed fly half Frank to clear for touch, and the ref blew to end an incredible game.
Without doubt it was one of the most dramatic games I’ve witnessed. While mistakes were inevitable in such a pressure game with so much riding on it, the character, self-belief, and sheer doggedness of BU was hugely impressive. To be crowned New England Champions and to qualify for the Nationals is something the nucleus of the squad has been close to doing for the past few years. To achieve it is fully deserved and we now set our sights on testing ourselves against the best in the country.
Justin Evans (Coach, BURFC)
Coach’s Match Report to Alumni – 2011 Season
Hi,
I hope this email finds you all well. Firstly I would like to apologise for not sending my usual weekly match reports so far this season. The BU rugby website has had all sorts of problems and I can no longer access the site or the alumni email addresses. We are however in the process of setting up a blog and have a BU rugby Facebook page to help keep friends and supporters in the loop with regards to the rugby club’s progress both on and off the field.
The format for the championship this season has changed in that there are eight teams who play each other once. The top two teams at the end of week 7 then play off to decide the eventual winner for the New England region and its’ representative in the Sweet Sixteen National Finals to be held next spring.
Our first game pitted us against Coast Guard. Although we started brightly with a try in the corner from a well-worked set piece move, it was all Coast Guard for the rest of the half. A half-time deficit of 22-5 meant we had a mountain to climb and already the hard pre-season looked like it was going to bring scant reward. Things didn’t get any better when BU were penalized in the first minute of the second half and at 25-5 we were facing the prospect of a drubbing. However, confidence began to seep into the team and after a couple of sweeping moves and strong running; BU had pegged the home side back to 25-17. As the game wore on BU kept up the pressure and produced some stunning rugby. Forward and backs linked well as they began hit holes down the middle and then spread the ball wide. Coast Guard could not hold the waves of attack as BU helped themselves to 34 unanswered points and run out 39-25 winners in an incredible second half effort. Talk about a game of two halves!
The task didn’t get any easier the following week with a visit to perennial playoff contenders Norwich. However dogged defence and a fine individual performance from Jay saw us edge the contest 22-17.
Week 3 we hosted URI. A physical and fast-paced game which saw the lead change hands several times was settled by a penalty as URI ran out 22-19 winners.
With a record of 2-1, we knew another defeat would probably signal the end of our chances of qualifying for the playoffs. Every game now would feel like a cup tie. Next we traveled to UNH. An outstanding first half display by the forwards with three tries from rolling mauls set the platform for a 34-15 victory.
Next a road trip to newly promoted Holy Cross saw us eventually home in a tight fought 38-19 win.
This past weekend we faced UVM. In past seasons we have endured some tough defeats at the hands of the team from Vermont who have competed and acquitted themselves very well in the National Championships in recent years. With both teams still in the running for the top places it was always going to be a keenly fought match. Again the lead changed hands several times but this time BU did just enough to secure the 24-20 win.
With a win- loss record of 5-1, victory against UMaine this weekend would guarantee us a place in the playoff. Kickoff is at 5.00pm on Nickerson.
Be great to see any Alumni that can make it.
Best regards,
Justin Evans (Coach, BURFC)