The USC Gamecocks opened their Southeastern Rugby season with a 43-8 victory over the University of Georgia.

Carolina started well, with speedy sophomore Brett DeBoy scoring early. The Bulldogs responded with a penalty kick when South Carolina was caught offside at their own 22. 

But the Gamecocks responded with a try from sophomore Chris Harrell, who dove through a ruck to touch down. Carolina kept up the pressure and captain Tim Hamill burst up the middle for 60 meters. Georgia then got their only try of the day to make it 19-8 at halftime.

In the second half the Gamecocks showed off their fitness with tries from senior Ben Mather, senior Michael Rudzinsky, senior James Whipper, and one more from Hammill. Man of the Match honors were awarded to junior lock Sam Brennan from Newcastle, Australia and senior fullback Tim Hamill from Downingtown, PA.

“It’s the second match of the season and we’re still learning to gel as a team,” said Head Coach Mark Morris. “The first half was very disappointing with the number of knock-ons and forward passes, though the second half saw mass improvement and consistent play. We plan to keep the training sessions simple this week to eliminate a handful of mistakes that killed our continuity. We want to get back to a fast paced offence and keep the opposition on its heels. Overall, it was an outstanding performance against a very aggressive Georgia side and we’re looking forward to a great matchup against Kentucky.”

The only other game played in the SCRC this past weekend was University of Mississippi against Vanderbilt, with Ole Miss winning 43-21.