BYU rugby played on its home turf against the Utah State Aggies in its home opener Saturday.
The Cougars started early in their home opener, scoring the first of many trys in the third minute. BYU scored a total of 15 trys against the Aggies which ended the game 91–3. Prop David Williams, fullback Will Taylor, centers Chris Wernlu and Lelann Latu and flanker Jon Layne all scored two trys in the game.
“Well I’m very happy with the effort the boys put in,” BYU coach David Smyth said. “They worked hard and the kept the pressure on late in the game.”
The Cougars started the game with a bang, racking up two trys in the first 10 minutes and another five by the end of the half. The Aggies lone score came from the Utah State scrum half in a beautiful drop kick late in the first half. BYU led at the half 45–3.
“It was just a result of our preparation,” junior wing Andrew Carver said. “We came out hard and overcame adversity when it was in our way.”
The pressure never let up. BYU tallied eight more trys in the second half.
“We practice pretty hard and build up a lot of fitness,” senior halfback Jordan Lee said. “We have intense training but we still need to eliminate our bad habits if we expect to win next week.”
The home games continue next week with a challenging game against the 2012 defending Super League champions, the New York Athletic Club.
“We need to get our mindset right this week,” BYU assistant coach Wayne Tarawhiti said. “It will be an intense week. It needs to be. Next week will be the most physical rugby match BYU has ever played at home.”
Next week’s game is being titled the Champions Challenge, as the collegiate national champions take on the top men’s club in the country.
“We need to do a little bit of what we did this week, but better,” Smyth said. “Keep the pressure on and never let up.”
The teams will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday on the South Field.
