Rugby is not a sport for the faint of heart or any other part of the body. The U rugby club learned that lesson the hard way last weekend in San Diego.
The No. 3-ranked Scrummin’ Utes took on a pair of top-ranked teams in Nebraska (No. 11) and Navy (No. 13) on Friday and Saturday. The Utes easily dismantled the Huskers on Friday for a 58-11 blowout.
But it was the 31-13 setback at Navy on Saturday that had some Utes limping and others being carried off the field.
“(Navy) had some big guys and they’re very well conditioned,” U team captain Jacob Anderson said. “We were able to play with them the entire game, but the refs blew us up for an 80-meter penalty (near the end) which changed the momentum of the game for the worse. Right after that we were hit with injuries.”
Starters Chase Jardine (knee injury) and Matt Wunderli (shoulder injury) exited the game, as well as top reserve Cameron Bird (concussion). Wunderli and Bird will return this season, but Jardine is expected to sit out the remainder of the schedule.
“Injuries are common in rugby, but when you’ve already lost (starters) Nate Herrscher, Cam Kiser and Andrew Swindle early in the season, it hurts to get hit again,” Anderson said of the U’s second plague of injuries in as many months.
Swindle is out for the season with a torn ACL but the Utes are hoping that the rest of their walking wounded can return in time for the playoffs in April.
Just before practice kicked off Tuesday, the Utes received some much appreciated consolation and encouragement from an unexpected source when Runnin’ Utes head coach Jim Boylen visited the team.
“Coach Boylen spoke to us for a few minutes about what it means to wear ‘Utah’ across our uniforms,” U fullback Ryan Bailey said. “He talked about giving it our all on and off the field and keeping our heads up. It’s great to have someone like him in our corner.”
Boylen, an avid rugby fan, told the club he had been following it and its success this season.
“He was awesome,” Anderson said after the speech. “We are not out, just down. We wanted to play hard teams like this early in the season because it will prepare us for playoffs.”
The Utes can also take solace in the fact that their short-handed roster took the lead twice against Navy-with a touchdown to open the game and another to start the second half and regain the lead.
Whether Utah will meet again with the Midshipmen in the postseason is a tossup, but the Utes are counting on a healthier squad with a few lessons learned.
“We will learn from this loss and bounce back,” Anderson said. “We are excited to get back on the field and fix our mistakes, heal from our injuries and keep taking steps forward.”
The Utes will play Utah State on Saturday at 1 p.m. They were originally set to play March 15, but scheduling conflicts will have the two teams playing on a snow-covered field in Sugarhouse Park. Attendance to the game is free and encouraged.