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Show StatesmanSports Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 Page 7 Rugby: Popularity on the rise -continued from page 6 newcomers, recognizing the improvement that should come as a result of the rookies having a game under their belts. “I would say it was a learning experience,” she said. “Our next game is this Saturday against Colorado State, and now that the new people have more of an idea of what a game is like, we hope to do better and win.” The Aggies will play CSU in Provo this Saturday, and welcome instate rival BYU to Logan Sept. 26. Game time against the Cougars is set for 11 a.m. Men’s Team: As of late, men’s rugby in the state of Utah has been building quite the national name for itself. The Highland High rugby team out of Salt Lake City won their 19th national championship in the last 24 years, last season. The remarkable accomplishment may have been overshadowed, however, by “Forever Strong,” the documentary featuring “The Lord of the Rings” star Sean Astin, which is based on true stories about the storied Rams program. Instate rival BYU is also coming off its first ever Division I National Championship. That’s all well and good, but the Utah State men’s rugby club is hoping to make a few headlines themselves, this season. “I want to get to the playoffs, beat the University of Utah and give BYU a challenge,” said club President Teddy Smith when asked about the goals he has for this year’s team. As part of the Men’s Collegiate Division II classification, earning a spot in the playoffs will require the Aggies to finish first in their six-team league, something they fell agonizingly short of last season. The Aggies finished the regular season tied atop the league standings with rival Utah Valley University, but lost in a tie-breaker game played on the Wolverines home field. The team will be led by a stellar, physical group of forwards featuring Smith, Jeremy Hanks and Jake Gunter. The speedy Porter Macey will be looked upon to provide leadership for the backs, and the team hopes some talented newcomers will help provide the lift they need to get them over the top. Smith said he thinks this may be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Aggies, but after their opening tilt this past Saturday against Weber State, some may wonder if Smith wasn’t being a bit too modest. The Aggies traveled down to Ogden and walloped the Wildcats, 42-8. Macey and fellow back Kade Robinson drew specific praise from Smith for their efforts on Saturday. “They did exceptionally well,” he said. “Last year we had problems with our backs, but this year we can count on them.” This Saturday the Aggies will be playing in the North and South Tournament held in Pocatello, Idaho. Joining the Aggies will be tournament host Idaho State, Boise State, Weber State and possibly a few local club teams. Smith says the North and South Tournament will become an annual event, changing venues each year. In his time playing for the Aggies, Smith says he has seen a continual rise in the sport’s popularity on campus. The Aggies first practice of the season saw 60-70 people show up. “What’s really helping is that it is starting to grow at high schools in Utah,” Smith said, noting many football players join rugby teams to stay in shape, and some end up picking the oval-shaped ball over the pigskin. While he is excited about the increased interest in the sport, Smith hopes rugby newcomers recognize the transition to the sport may be a difficult one, and that it is important to stick with it. “We do a really good job with recruiting, and we’re pretty patient,” Smith said. “But, usually what happens is they get nervous because rugby has different terminology, or they are intimidated by the hitting, or they are afraid to make mistakes.” “You can’t learn rugby in a day. I’ve been playing for eight years and I still don’t know everything.” –majerusforpresident@yahoo.com Goals: Ags gunning for WAC title SectionF A different point of view A s badly as I’d love to be the first to start talking about Aggie basketball in the newspaper, especially with a bye-week for football and the soccer and volleyball teams out on the road, basketball is just too far away for me to not feel guilty about talking about it this soon, so instead I’ll make this week’s column a couple brief bits on football, soccer and volleyball. With two more weeks of practice to work out the kinks, I’m as excited as anyone to see the Aggies back in action this coming Saturday. I burned last week about how the team had only a few minor things it needed to improve in order to be competitive. Whether or not they’ve really patched those holes up will be shown Saturday. It could end up being a very good day to be a USU fan as Texas A&M, despite many people’s misconception, is far from the team they’ve traditionally been. They were picked to finish dead last in the Big XII South division this year, and I’m a firm believer that the Big XII is currently massively overrated, so being forecast to be the worst team among an overrated bunch doesn’t exactly strike tons of fear into anyone who’s really paying attention to things. A&M is far from as talented of a team as Utah is, however, their home field advantage likely will make up for some of that ground. This could either be a breakthrough game, or another indicator that USU has a little bit more ground to cover before the blue Aggies are winning these types of games. If nothing else, the rest of the WAC this year outside of Boise State has looked very beatable. Soccer and volleyball are owed so much more attention than they actually receive from the students up here. The women’s soccer team went undefeated in WAC play a year ago and are off to a solid start to this season in defense of that title. Volleyball has been a program steadily progressing year by year to the point where they finally are holding some solid preseason expectations this season. This is all on a team that doesn’t have a single senior on the roster, so the future is plenty bright as well. They opened the home schedule with a solid win over BYU, lost a heart breaker to Utah a week later and have been on a tear since then winning four straight matches. As far as fans go, I have been impressed with the turnout so far this year for both soccer and volleyball. Volleyball especially has had some impressive crowds thus far, which head coach Grayson DuBose has praised for making a difference in the home matches. I dare say a lot of the credit for the numbers of people coming out should go to the HURD club on campus, which looks to be working toward shedding the stigma of being just a club that offers a lot of free food. If you haven’t been out to watch either teams, I suggest giving it a try. Throw on some blue and yell some mean things at the opposing team, it can be one hell of a time. If nothing else, warm up the vocal chords for the inevitable thrashing opposing teams are likely to receive once basketball season starts. WINDSHIELDS MEMBERS OF THE USU men’s rugby team move the ball during a match the team played last season. Rugby is a growing sport at USU. CODY GOCHNOUR photo Matt Sonnenberg is a junior majoring in print journalism. Matt is an avid fan of Aggie athletics and can be found on the front row of every home football and basketball game. He can also be reached at matt.sonn@ aggiemail.usu. edu. -continued from page 5 more tournaments than the rest of the team has played in,” said Johansen. “Any time you have that on your team it’s a huge strength.” Along with the team goal to win the WAC, McFarland has personal goals as well. “My personal goal for the season is to make first team all WAC,” he said. The only weakness this year’s team has is how young they are, as only five of the 10 players have experience as Aggies. USU is not going to let the inexperience of the team stop them from accomplishing its goals. “I’ve got kids that like to work hard and want to win. A lot of times it doesn’t matter how much experience you have,” Johansen said. One of the big strengths on this year’s team is leadership. Truman is a leader and has been with the team for two years and is expected to help the younger players, Johansen said. “I am one of the ones that has been here for a while. It’s kind of my role to help the younger guys along, to lead by my play and by the way I act on the course,” Truman said. “I do view myself as a leader.” One thing the team is stressing is working hard and not just on the golf course but in the gym also. The Aggies pride themselves on being one of the hardest working teams in the gym. They mainly focus on core strength, stomach, back and legs. “Teams that are in better shape perform better. We walk 36 holes while carrying your clubs on your back, you have got to be in good shape,” Johansen said. “We are in the gym all the time.” After the Air Force tournament the Aggies will play Sept. 28 at the Utah-Weber State Purple & Red Invitational in Layton. –p.d.k@aggiemail.usu.edu Statement: Playing for WAC pride -continued from page 5 can change the idea that the bottom-tier WAC teams are among the worst in the country. That’s where this week’s game comes in, and that’s why Utah State’s ability to stick with its Aggie brethren could have resounding national implications. The thing is, the Aggies – the ones from Utah, that is – don’t need to pull the upset to be successful from a conference perception standpoint, and can turn heads around the country by merely avoiding the kind of blowouts they’ve been on the losing end of in the past. Count ESPN.com senior writer Bruce Feldman as one of those intrigued by the implications of this game. “They key for (Utah State) is to be competitive,” wrote Bruce Feldman in a recent e-mail to The Utah Statesman. “When people see ticker scores and notice a 63-10 kind of game it leaves such a bad impression. Just hanging with A&M would build a lot more confidence in the players about what the new regime is doing (at Utah State).” That A&M could dominate a traditional middleweight Mountain West opponent like New Mexico says a lot about the strength of the Big XII, but it also could expose the idea that the middle of the pack teams in the MWC aren’t as good as we previously thought. For that to be proven, however, the Aggies will need to show that the WAC has taken a step forward, and that means avoiding the same fate that the Lobos suffered when they played A&M two weeks ago. Considering how strong Texas A&M looked in week one, it may be a little too ambitious to expect a Utah State upset in College Station this weekend. Yet with a good showing against the seemingly resurgent Big XII power, the Aggies can not only announce themselves as having emerged on the college football landscape, but they can help the WAC take a major step forward in its fight for national respect. –adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu Perfect Partner 905 NORTH MAIN 753-6671 up to $125 off deductible expires April 2010 Answers To Today’s Crossword Puzzle! $9.95 rock chip repair expires April 2010 Let us help plan your big day You Best Choice for Wedding Invitations & paper goods 630 West 200 North 753-8875 |