Photo by Rick Gustafson
Following a short delay while players and University of Northern Colorado grounds crews cleared five inches of snow from the pitch, the Western Regional Rugby Championships kicked off in Greeley Sunday morning. Number two seed the Colorado State University Rams and third seed the Louisiana State University Tigers started the action.
With a strong wind helping the kicking game and poor tackling by the Rams, LSU held the ball deep in CSU territory for the majority of the first half. The tigers scored two trys (one converted) and two penalty kicks shutting out CSU 18-0 in the first forty minutes.
Late in the first half, LSU’s Full Back Saade Bou-Mikael received a yellow card for repeatedly diving into the ruck. The infraction sent to him to the sin bin and gave a CSU a man advantage to open the second half.
Taking advantage of their man advantage, CSU started the second half with aggressive play that resulted in two converted trys in the first eight minutes. The return of Bou-Mikael balanced the sides, and neither team was able to add to their tally. During the final minutes, the Rams had possession deep in Tiger territory, but LSU was able to hold off the effort, and the score remained 18-14 as time expired.
A Victory in the championship game againts Air Force advanced LSU to the USA Rugby National Guard Collegiate Playoffs in Berkley California on April 17. As the West's number one seed, LSU will play Utah in the first round.
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