Tight Battle Sees Lindenwood Past BYU
Tight Battle Sees Lindenwood Past BYU
Lindenwood came back to bet BYU 21-14 in what was a battle of a game in St. Charles, Mo. Friday.
Both teams played very solid rugby, executed well, and were up for it. In the end, Lindenwood’s powerful scrum produced two key scoring chances late in the game to win it.
The teams opened the game working on testing each other with kicks and trying to gain ascendency in set piece. It took 20 minutes for anyone to score.
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LIndenwood got a penalty and took a lineout about 10 meters inside their own half. However, the Lions couldn’t get the handle on the throw and the Cougars recovered the ball and ran their big forwards to push the gainline. Multiple phases after that saw BYU unable to gain any more territory; unable, that is, until wing TIelu Sagala was sent through the middle and raced into the Lindenwood 22 before passing to flyhalf Wyatt Parry. He was tackled, but high, and while advantage was played the ball was eventually brought back to the point of that penalty.
BYU tapped and ran, after a few bashes at the line flanker Lilo Clark twisted his way out of clutches and stretched over. Fullback Tayson Hammer slotted the conversion and it was 7-0.
Neither side could add to that scoreline through the first half as both defenses hit hard.
Early in the second half Lindenwood tied it up. They took a penalty and from the ensuing lineout ran a maul close to the BYU line. The Cougars stopped the maul, but Lindenwood ran their shape nicely and a little tips pass from prop Connor Devos to lock Eduan van Heerden put the junior second row through for a try. Brendan Mason converted and we had a tie ballgame.
BYU answered at about 52 minutes when Parry ran a nifty little loop move that opened up a massive gap. The flyhalf took off and was in at the corner. Hammer slotted a superb kick from the sideline and it was 14-7 BYU.
Lindenwood rang the changes in their tight five and that paid off. After a kick wide to Nick Hardrict didn’t quite go to hand, the Lions pack shoved BYU off the ball and after a bit of a pileup flanker Alejandro Martinez Tapia picked up and stretched over to Slam the ball down.
Reserve Byron Forword, a freshman, put over the clutch conversion from the touchline and it was 14-14.
TIme was winding down as Lindenwood found themselves in BYU territory once more. Once again pressure off the scrum proved crucial. BYU was shoved back and while they won their ball, they were stuck on their tryline, eventually forced to surrender a five-meter scum to the Lions. Off that platform Lindenwood sent center Declan Ries through grasping hands to dive in near the posts.
Forword slotted the conversion and Lindenwood had their first lead of the game.
And they only needed it for a few minutes as Lindenwood was able to close it out.
The game was worthy of two high-ranked teams and confirmed Lindenwood’s lofty #2 ranking with GRR. But it was a close one, and certainly BYU will take many useful lessons from it.
Lindenwood 21
Tries: van Heerden, Martinez Tapi, Ries
Convs: Mason, Forword 2
BYU 14
Tries: Clark, Parry
Convs: Hammer 2