By Jonathon Eyre
The BYU men”s rugby team rebounded from last week”s loss to the University of Utah by routing the Weber State Wildcats 69-3.
Coach David Smyth said his team played a lot better than they did last week.
“The new guys we played today really stepped up,” Smyth said. “We rucked better and we played with more intensity.”
The Cougars controlled the ball both offensive and defensively for the entire game.
The Wildcats only crossed midfield five times the entire game, and never came close to the try line.
“This was one of the better Weber State teams I”ve played,” junior scrum half Pierre Fourie. “We were fitter than they were. We wore them out in the second half.”
In the first half the Cougars outscored the Wildcats 29-3. Weber State”s only points came off a penalty kick.
BYU got on the board early when junior winger John Blaser scored a try.
Also scoring tries in the first half were junior fly half Kalem Nordstrom, junior flanker Dan Bennion and Fourie.
Bennion also had an excellent game kicking the ball. He kicked seven out of ten points after try.
“The kicks went in for me,” Bennion said. “I was happy I could put a few through today.”
The Wildcats didn”t fair any better in the second half. The BYU offense scored 40 points, while their defense blanked the Wildcats.
BYU scored six tries in the second half.
Scoring for the Cougars in the second half were senior lock Brian Westenkow, scoring two tries, Bennion, junior hooker John Gowdy, Nordstrom and senior hooker Seth Herway.
Nordstrom had the best looking run of the day near the end of the game.
“I chip kicked the ball over the defensive line and Hutch scooped it up and drew the fullback,” Nordstrom said. “He pitched the ball to me and I went the rest of the way.”
Nordstrom also said that he was pleased with how the team stepped up their intensity from last week.
The Cougars do not have a game next week because of General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The next take the field against UVSC on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Helaman field just south of the football stadium.
