By ASP Staff Writer Nicole Russo, Bronx, NY - Two losses, but brilliant performances for ARFC
In the UAlbany men's rugby team's B-side game against Fordham this week, The Great Danes put out a great showing. After a quick drive downfield Tom Sullivan found the try zone putting the Danes five points up on Fordham. Brian Smith sit up for the extra two points, but the kick went wide, leaving UAlbany with five points. Fordham replied with a fast try of their own. the extra point was no good, and the game was now tied. The rest of the twenty-minute half passed uneventfully as fa as points were concerned. The battles for possession took place mid-field with neither team able to get back to the try zone.
After half time, the pace of the first half carried into the second with hard rucks and strong defense. The Danes dominated in the scrum downs and tackles, keeping control of the ball and keeping Fordham from again finding the try zone. A hard drive brought Fordham into UAlbany territory, and they set for a three-point kick. The Danes now trailed 8-5. Time was running low and UAlbany needed to score a try to come back and win the game. The teams made their way up and down the field, both threatining to score more than one. A long, hard drive down the field from UAlbany territory to Fordham's 5 meter-line was not enough to get the Danes into the try zone before time ran out. The final score was Albany RFC B-side 5, Fordham University's B-side 8.
In the A-side game against Columbia, the Danes put out for another amazing game. The UAlbany forwards dominated the scrum downs, pushing Columbia back or wheeling them arond, gaining possession of the ball nearly every time. The game was a slow one, riddled with penalties and almost constant whistle blowing from the referee. Ultimately, the victory went to Columbia, but the Danes played even better than they did against Long Island last week.
The UAlbany defense was tenacious right from the first kick off. Any blue jersey with the ball was swarmed by a rush of purple and gold before he got five meters down field. The game immediately proved to be a harsh one for both teams, and not ten minutes into the half, the referee had blown his whistle more than once. The penalty-ridden game resulted in yet another see saw game with both teams taking turns marching down field into scoring position. A penalty inside the UAlbany 5-meter line almost meant a try for Columbia, but the purple brick wall that is the Great Danes defense kept the game scoreless. Kicker Brian Smith booted the ball from inside his own try zone and sent Columbia scrambling to their 5-meter line to gain possesion. The ensuing battles in Columbia territory saw the Great Danes find their way into the try zone, but were unable to touch the ball down for five points and the lead. The Danes stayed in Columbia territory but soon found themselves being driven slowly back to midfield. A break-away almost resulted in a try for Columbia, but the UAlbany defense kept the game scoreless.
A fast break brought the game back to Columbia territory, but hard defensive drives pushed the Great Danes back to midfield and then inside their own 5-meter line. Another long kick sent the ball back to the midfield and put the Grat Danes into scoring position. Brian Smith kicked for three points and scored the first points of the game. UAlbany was now up by three points and both teams found themselves scrambling up and down the field as both used their kicking games aseffective defense. The game started to turn dirty as the half wound down and more than one scuffle began on the field. A breakaway by Columbia threatened UAlbany's lead, and as the small back tore downfield, full-back Erik "Gretal" Galaway managed to tackle the would-be scorer about ten meters short of the try zone. A hard kick sent the game back into Columbia territory and the Great Danes continued to dominate Columbia in the very frequent scrum downs. Two more times the Great Danes fround themselves inside the Columbia try-zone but had the touchdowns overturned by the referee. The Great Danes soon found themselves in a position to kick for points twice before the half ended, but both kicks went wide, leaving the score 3-0 at the end of the longest half ever.
The second half began with both teams battling at mid-field. the amount of penalties increased as the half began to wear on and the game slowed down considerably. Deep in UAlbany territory Columbia found the try zone for the first time. The two extra point kick was good and the Great Danes now found themselves down by four points. The game continued to be a back and forth battle to get into the try zone. What looked like it should have been a high-scoring game seemed to crawl as both teams could not manage to score again. To slow things down more, Columbia had to stop the game twice as one player had muxcle cramps, one had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, and one left the game with a dislocated shoulder. The Great Danes were looking like Bill Parcell's 1986 New York Giants this half: literaly beating the Columbia team into the ground. The score did not reflect this performance, but those Ivy League ruggers didn't once forget that they were playing a championship rugby team.
More up-field-midfield-downfield- and-back-again running went on as the second half crawled toward its end. The pace of the game tried to pick itself up, but was hampered by a whistle-happy referee whose calls were consistently against the Great Danes. "Whos's paying the ref?!" was heard more than once from the UAlbany sidelines (from players and spectators alike) as the penalties bbecame more frequent and in Columbia's favor. In the final minutes of the game Justin "Uncle Bob" Rizzo made a long . fast run inside Columbia's 5-meter line and it looked like UAlbany would come from behind and win despite the slow pace and a seemingly biased judge. But the penalties mounted against the Great Danes again and they found themselves pushed back out of scoring position. When the final whistle blew, a hard fought game that was ARFC's second loss of the spring ended. The final score was Columbia 7, the Great Danes 3. The point totals showed a loss, but a Coach John Durant said, "We outplayed them all game. The breaks just didn't go our way."
Another disappointment hit the ARFC this, as the much-anticipated annual Capitaland Classic hac to be cancelled this year due to logistical problems. Instead, UAlbany is playing nearby Siena College. Concerning the cancellation of the Capitaland Classic, second row Marty "Sandman" Telfer commented, "The only consolation we have is that we get to kick the crap out of Siena." The Great Danes and the Saints are long time rivals and have face each other in the finals of many tournaments and playoff games. Next Saturday, April 12, the Great Danes travel west to play the Syracuse Chargers.