Match Report - Yale vs Amherst

Today’s game against Amherst began like many others on the season with Yale scoring first. The ball was placed down in the right corner of the try zone by Andy Beck (2008). An unsuccessful conversion left the score Yale 5, Amherst 0.

After this initial try, the Yale club would find itself on its back feet for the next twenty minutes of play. Good support and offloading by the Amherst side, along with the failure to match numbers on the outside by the Yale side led to two tries within five minutes for Amherst. Two successful conversions left Yale trailing 14-5.

However, this brief defensive breakdown would be Yale’s only of the day. The rest of the afternoon was marked by tremendous play on Yale’s part in both facets of the game. With good phase play and support, the Elis cut the lead to two when Tom Kidd (2008) scored in the left center of the try zone and then converted the kick.

They the regained the lead before half on a nice piece of running by Sean Walbridge (2008), who placed the ball down in the center of the try zone. A successful Kidd conversion made the score 19-14 at the half.

The second half was dominated by the Yale side. They would score 27 unanswered points during this time and perform well in nearly all facets of game. Five minutes into the half, the Elis worked the ball wide, where it would eventually placed down by a diving Sam White (2008). Only minutes later Terrence Depentheny-Okelly (2007), who was put into the game along with Chris Hathaway (2007) at half to give the Yale squad a boost, did exactly that, scoring on the left side of the try zone. Hathaway himself would find himself in the tryzone later in the afternoon, but only after Ryan Salinas (2009), who played very well on the day scored the first of his two tries. After all was said and done, Yale was victorious by a margin of 46-14.

The game was marked by incredible set pieces, in which the Yale pack thoroughly dominated the Amherst side, complimented by proficient back play in which crisp passing and nice running was a common theme. The win leaves Yale with a record of 4-2 and most importantly, ensures that Yale will remain in Division I next year, when the field will be cut from 12 teams to only 8.

The Amherst squad was unable to field a B-side, and thus, Yale held an inter-squad scrimmage. The A and B sides were mixed together and the resulting match proved to be both fun and competitive. This type of occurrence marks a high point in the development of the Yale Rugby Club, in that it shows the growth in talent and numbers that allows the team to field two competitive sides.