Rugby fans were treated to back to back games, on Sunday, when the St. Thomas men’s and women’s teams hosted Mount Allison University.
The women opened the action and did not waste time proving that they were the better team. Ten minutes in, the game was tied at seven, but that was as close as Mount Allison would ever get. The Tommies put the pressure on early, with Whitney Upshaw and Ashley Giddens adding tries before the half.
In the second half, St. Thomas found a rhythm that their opposition simply couldn’t match. Dominant rucking by the forwards allowed fly-half Hannah Davies to score under the posts, less than one minute in. Soon, the backs were finding holes in the defence at will, and the game turned into a clinic.
Nearly the entire match was played in the open field, where St. Thomas wanted to keep it. Big breaks from Whitney Slipp and Hannah Davies put the game out of reach.
Throughout the match, Mount Allison never quit. In the final minutes, they managed to create enough space to allow their wing to score, but even this small victory was short lived. Off the following kickoff, the Tommies quickly pushed up field, and Marissa Walcott touched down a 15 meter run to end the game, with St. Thomas winning 42-15. The women are now 2-0 to start the season.
From the dominance of the women’s team to a disappointing loss by the men’s, the difference between the two squads is apparent. The men’s forwards were crippled last week because of the loss of back row standouts Ryland Davies (broken collar) and Colin Beylea (shoulder).
Besides an intercepted pass in the opening minute, which led to a Mount Allison try, the beginning of the first half looked promising for the Tommies. Ten minutes in, both teams looked evenly matched, with a battle between the packs being played out in midfield. The forwards were able to gain ground through effective rucking and scrummaging, and for a few minutes the loss of Davies and Beylea was forgotten. When Mount Allison was yellow carded it looked like St. Thomas had every chance of taking control of the game.
But the momentum soon swung in Mount Allison’s favour. A fight broke out after twenty minutes involving several players from both sides, and you could feel St. Thomas losing focus. Soon, they were pinned against the goal line, and Mount Allison put in two more tries. The half ended after a hit from flanker Trevor O’Leary put a Mount Allison player in the hospital.
In the second half, St. Thomas’ backs were exposed. They simply could not contain the speed of Mount Allison’s wing. The #14 scored three tries, one of them an end- to-end sprint past nearly every Tommie player. Mount Allison continued to run up the score until the final whistle, and the match ended in a 43-0 loss. The men’s team is now 0-2.
