Kansas Jayhawks Make a Move

09.27.2023College Men

Kansas State's shutout win over Arkansas put many in the Heart of America on notice but a week late KSU got a notice of their own after Kansas beat them 34-12.

For the Jayhawks, this was a fairly important showing because KSU had already shown themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.

"Kansas State had a bunch of really good athletes," said captain and hooker Trevor Lister. "They scored early and we had to adjust. But we have good athletes too and we're improving. We were able to find the space on the edges and went from there."

In a hugely competitive Heart of America Conference, this is a good start for a Kansas team that is looking for a conference championship and perhaps more.

"Weren’t too happy with the number of penalties," said Lister. "Our set piece was pretty good, especially the scrum, but too many penalties. Also we know we need to work on the accuracy of our passing."

So there's more to give from Kansas, but they did have some impressive performances aside from Lister leading the way. Outside center Quentin Pithey is converted from the forwards and has a playmaker's vision, giving Kansas a nice combination of Harrison Gloe at flyhalf—another player who reads the field well—and Pithey further outside to help organize the attack and the defense. With Luke Connor moving the ball well at scrumhalf the Jayhawks have the potential to be very dangerous ... if they fix their passing.

"We want to play fast," said Lister.

It all helps that there's been an influx of new players who have rugby experience.

"We've got a really strong freshman class," said Lister. "We have freshmen in important roles now and they have come in and embraced our culture and everyone’s super-motivated to work hard. That's a big thing. Everyone loves to condition, they are all eager to learn, and they have some grit."

Seth Akpovona stepped in as coach last year and certainly has the team playing well. They approach the game with the idea that mistakes are going to happen, so don't worry about them, but keep playing.

"Seth's been awesome," said Lister. "He brings a whole new dynamic to the team. He's still playing as well as coaching and he's closer to our age so it's good. We bounce ideas of each other, and we're enjoying it. Everyone respects Seth, but we have a good time with it."

Next up for Kansas is Oklahoma State. The Heart of America Conference is a D1AA conference and has been playing within American Collegiate Rugby (ACR) where Kansas made the final in the spring of 2021. The ACR championship has been played in the spring and there's some talk about ACR's playoff combining with the conferences that play within CRAA. Stay tuned for that.

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