KUA improves to 2-1-1 on Senior Day!
Boys Rugby
KUA 53 Kearsarge 20
KUA won the home end of the away and home match up versus Kearsarge. Asher Pollak scored from 3 meters out to put KUA on the scoreboard, and Will Robbins-Cole added the 2-point conversion kick. Soon after, Kearsarge’s Ryan Alton ran in for a try to bring the score to 7-5. KUA’s Xavier Manning broke open a run for 51 meters to get the score to 12-5 KUA. Kearsarge answered quickly with two try’s in 5 minutes and held a 15-12 lead with minutes left in the half. Momentum was in Kearsarge’s favor until Will Robbins-Cole of KUA put 10 points on the board with a try, a conversion kick, and a penalty kick. KUA lead 22-15 at the half.
Despite the heat both sides came out charged up in the second half. Will Robbins-Cole converted a penalty kick to bring the lead to 25-15, and Xavier Manning scored two trys of 40 meters and 45 meters. Will Robbins Cole added both conversion kicks despite tired legs. Late try scores by Kearsarge’s Ryan Alton and KUA’s Will Robbins-Cole closed out the match. It was a day of action in the rucks and mauls, and both sides controlled the ball equally.
Playing a match just days after the physical outing against Portland RFC, meant putting the soreness aside and gearing up for another match against a team that plays a physical style of game. Illness and injury plagued the side, but the boys fought on. Without Rinataro Kawahara, Brandon Yep, and Busara Hall, the KUA side went into the 15’s match with only 16 players. Brandon injured his finger in practice and is out for the season. True to his nature, though, he wanted to keep playing and thought tape would take care of things.
As they say, however, it is not the number of players that counts. It is the drive, determination, and heart each player brings with him onto the pitch that counts. That is what carried KUA on this day. With each match played, this group of young men get better and better at their craft.
Accolades:
Will Robbins-Cole accounted for 18 points with his foot, and 33 points total on the day!
Freshman Xavier Manning had three tries on the day, and all were on long runs of close to fifty meters or more.
Nick Powers and Henry Hamilton won defensive honors on the day. Nick hugged the A gap all day and took down Kearsarge’s biggest attackers. He closed off the channels that their props were trying to use to gain an advantage.
Henry played solid defense all day, but also put his ball handling skills to use. He had a number of long runs that swung the momentum back to KUA.
Anthony Intrieri took ill the day before the match. He not only rallied to play today, but played extremely well as both a forward and a back. His ability to play as a back and forward kept us in the match.
Nihat Alizade had an outstanding solo tackle to prevent a try. He took on a much larger opponent with full momentum, and brought him to ground.
Arthur Hwang made adjustments in his positioning that few others noticed. He consistently balanced his placement between the forwards and backs in such a way as to be in a prime position all day. He was there in the tackles and he was there to run the ball.
Asher Pollak plays scrum half. It is one of the most demanding positions in rugby. There is no time off for a scrum half. Asher not only scored the first try, he was there in every ruck, maul, scrum, and lineout on the day. He was spent after the match ended.
Hamson Shen was called on to play most of the match today. He came within 5 meters of scoring his first try of the season. Hamson was exposed to the physical nature of this sport, but he always bounced back. He had a great day.
The core of the pack: Antonio Suer, Trevor Adams, Eliot Stevenson, Charles Qian, and Patrick Quinn. These young men are the pack equivalent of the scrum half. They are the players that actually keep things going. These young men tackled, rucked, scrummaged, and crashed the ball all day. Without them there would be no accolades.
Tanner Fisher, although only a sophomore new to the sport, has been the starting wing for two matches. He plays a tough position, but he plays it well!
It was a great day for KUA Rugby. The joy of victory, however, was muted due to the loss of Jorge Manzur who suffered an ankle injury. Jorge had played an excellent match! Throughout the season he has blessed us with his heart, desire, and tremendous athleticism. The entire side wishes him well.
