Okay friends, I know we all need some more BYU Rugby in our lives, so if your New Year's resolutions have already taken a back seat, then click these links to get back on track for the 2011 season:
The Playoffs are here, my friends, and Our BYU Cougars are set to spring big in a first-round bout against the University of Delaware TOMORROW!
Tune in to BYU Rugby Forever for USA Rugby's live video coverage of the BYU-Delaware game at 8 PM (MST)!!!
And while you're at it, you might as well fill out a tournament bracket to get a full dose of National College Rugby Championship spirit: Get Your Tournament Bracket Now!
And now, a few thoughts in anticipation of another crazy round of playoffs ...
Great expectations, as always, of Our Boys this time of year. The last few weeks saw them lose to Utah and then rebound against San Diego State ... To be perfectly honest, I'm still burned by the loss to the Utes: shoddy refereeing, sluggish second-half play by the Cougars, and a generally demoralizing defeat. Utah didn't even play that well at all; BYU dominated most facets of the game yet somehow surrendered it all to the U in the second half. What was with Our Boys anyway? In many instances, I felt like I was giving more than they were just by my frantic cheering ... talk about sadness and even a bit of betrayal.
Thankfully though, only days later, Our Boys met the SDSU Aztecs with more energy and creativity than they've shown all season. And I'm all for giving credit where credit's due: good leadership from Lock TJ Allred, the usual work-horse performance from eight-man Ryan Roundy, great work by the Deep Three, and a standout job by Captain and Flyhalf Dylan Lubbe. Let's not forget the beauty of a try delivered by Senior Center Sean Howard, a diving grab off a nicely-placed grubber by Lubbe ... awesome stuff! And what a way to close out your BYU Rugby home season. Nice work, fellas; way to come back and stick it to the then #3 team in the nation!
Now, looking ahead to the playoffs, it's time to talk turkey ... the 2010 tournament is not the 2009 tournament revisited, not at all in fact. Instead, it's a whole different animal. This year presents a noticeably softer road to the Big Four than last year. Not to knock Delaware, Syracuse, and Arizona, but they're not yet at BYU's level ... and I think they recognize the fact. So, to really have a chance to beat BYU, they're going to have to bring it full-time. BYU are not the same team as they were last year, but I would similarly wager that none of the three opposing teams in question are of the caliber as last year's Dartmouth and Arkansas State sides.
Of course, this situation poses a potentially crippling scenario for BYU: a padded road to the semi-finals only to be followed by meetings with not-so-soft teams, such as, Cal Berkeley, SDSU, Utah, Army, and Arkansas State. If last year's Cougar crew needed as tough a preliminary-round schedule as they had to prepare them for Cal, then this year's obviously different BYU squad will need to dig even deeper to get ready. It seems a recipe for disaster ... because, folks, regardless of what anyone thinks about any of the teams along the way, we all know that the formidable Cal will be ready. No question about it.
In conclusion, there is one great advantage, however, that the BYU Rugby team has always enjoyed throughout the years: the majority of people always discounts them when compared to the likes of Cal. Even last year's very dominant BYU side wasn't quoted to be Cal's match by any means ... and yet they prevailed against all odds.
And so it is, my beloved BYU Rugby fans, that Our Boys still have a great opportunity before them. If they can harness a collective desire to rise to the occasion and shatter the warped perspectives of their foes, then they will be victorious. And all along the way, if we BYU Rugby fans can collectively cheer Our BYU Cougars on to that victory (with a prayer in our hearts), then, believe it or not, we just might bring home that coveted National Title!
Pick it up, Boys, pick ... it ... up. Now's your chance, not tomorrow, not yesterday. Now ... today ... be the great team that we know you are! BYU Rugby Forever!!!
For us BYU Rugby fans at home, here's a veritable feast of BYU Rugby media to bridge the gap until tomorrow. Enjoy!
Well folks, the BYU Men's Rugby team has just come off a busy weekend with wins against UVU and Colorado's first and second XV. And while the consistency of their execution seemed to vary as much as the Utah weather, nevertheless the Cougars produced some of their best overall rugby yet this season... though later rather than sooner, happening mostly in second-half play.
Credit to the opposition as well; both UVU and Colorado provided great attacks on offense that truly tested the BYU defense while simultaneously holding BYU to relatively skimpy first-half scores. My respects to both programs. Take a moment and view the BYU vs. Colorado match to see what I mean...
When you get to the BYU-TV page, click the central "Tune in Now" banner; then load the player file (if you don't have it already), and search for "College Rugby" at the 1:00 PM time slot for March 13th.
If you didn't get to go to the games or just want to hear and see a little more in general (such as read the latest buzz about a possible College Premier League), then here's the scoop.
Folks, my apologies for dropping off the radar there for a spell... luckily, BYU Rugby rolls on whether or not the Superfans are in attendance at every match! (Although it could be debated that our mere presence accounts for a few extra BYU tries!) :D
Hopefully, however, all are well aware that the BYU Rugby team have continued their winning tradition in the last few weeks by defeating the likes of Utah State University, Texas A & M, Air Force Academy, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo, and Southern Utah University to improve their record to 7-0.
In an effort to keep every legitimate BYU Rugby fan 'in the know', BYU Rugby Forever introduces the "BYU Rugby Media Blitz", a deluge of current news and media from all over the web featuring content relevant to the BYU Men's Rugby team...
And with the Cougars' new status as "defending National Champions", there's definitely a whole slew of mentions here and there... Enjoy!
The new and improved BYU Rugby website is finally here, folks!!! Take a moment, and browse on over to byurugby.com to see all the new features of the site, including the new "Cougar Corner" team blog and "CougarCast" podcasts from Jarom Jordan!
Additionally, a new video section features the latest footage of the Cougars' match against UCSB Academy, and fans and visitors alike can leave comments on most news releases as well.
There it is, my friends... the future continually looks brighter for the BYU Rugby team! BYU Rugby Forever!
