SALEM, VA – Halfway through the fall 2017 season, the Tigers' record stands at 1-2 following a loss at Roanoke College. Roanoke, coming off a forfeit loss to Duke University due to scheduling difficulties, was well rested and hungry for a win, while Hampden-Sydney was looking to keep up its winning ways after a close win over Christopher Newport University the week before. Unlike the Maroons, however, who were at full strength, the Tigers had a number of injuries and had to rely on the depth of their bench to stay in the match in the second half. The Roanoke/Hampden-Sydney rivalry continues to develop with every match between the two sides decided by single-digit differences. This match was decided in the final minutes as the Tigers conceded a late, tie-breaking try and a conversion kick as time expired. Roanoke's raw athleticism and talent in key positions proved to be the crucial difference.
Roanoke's opening kickoff sailed directly into touch, giving the Tigers a scrum at midfield to begin their first possession. Hampden-Sydney won their scrum and were awarded a penalty at the first ruck when a Roanoke player had hands in. Dakota Reinartz took the tap kick and passed to no. 8 Conor McCabe (having moved back into the pack from inside center in place of the injured captain Ian Curley), who broke the Roanoke line and several tackles on a forty-meter run to within ten meters of the Roanoke goal line. On the second phase after the breakaway run, however, the Maroons' counter-rucking produced a turnover and they went on the offensive. Two rucks later, Roanoke had swung the ball wide to their fullback coming into the attacking line and reversed field position from deep inside the Roanoke 22m to inside the Hampden-Sydney 22m. His attempt to kick into goal produced a 22m drop when Tiger fullback Zack Toney downed the ball. The kick restart provided some important breathing room, but a number of Tiger penalties (predominantly offsides at the ruck) gave Roanoke life again and again, eventually producing, in the 5th minute, a try by Roanoke's no. 8 off a penalty near the Hampden-Sydney goal line. The conversion kick was no good, but Roanoke had struck first, 0-5.
These opening minutes summarize well the majority of the game. Roanoke committed plenty of mistakes—from kicking the opening kickoff into touch to repeated penalties for offsides or hands-in and diving-over at the ruck—but Hampden-Sydney both failed to produce quick points off these opportunities and gave Roanoke opportunities of their own through poor tackling, poor positioning, or penalties. The result was a game that was very close phase-to-phase, as neither pack was able to get a definitive upper-hand over the other, but decided in the end by big plays; the Tigers simply allowed more than they created for themselves.
Nine minutes after their first points, Roanoke again found the try zone in the 15th minute when they won the ball in a Hampden-Sydney scrum just beyond midfield. Roanoke's no. 8 picked the ball off the back of the scrum and ran up field, drawing in a Tiger defender before offloading to their fullback who was running through. Ten meters later, the fullback dished the ball off back to his no. 8, who ran in the forty meters remaining for Roanoke's second try of the day. The conversion was good and Roanoke pulled ahead, 0-12.
Hampden-Sydney, fortunately, didn't waste time finding their rhythm again. Scrum-half Dakota Reinartz's kick restart to the Roanoke backs created enough confusion for the Tigers to pin the Maroons deep inside their own 22m and to force a knock-on, giving the Tigers a scrum about ten meters out. Hampden-Sydney won their scrum and Reinartz took the ball from the back, running toward the Roanoke fly-half, who hesitated just long enough to create a seam for freshman fly-half Gray Breeden to take the pass from Reinartz in for the try in the 18th minute. This try was first of Breeden's Hampden-Sydney career and this was his first start for the Tigers in place of injured fly-half Austin Hardman. Reinartz's kick, however, was no good, but the try cut the Roanoke lead to seven, 5-12.
Roanoke answered, though, minutes later. A mistake in handling a kick near the touch line on the kick restart gave Roanoke possession near the Tiger 10m line. While the Tigers were setting up their defense, the Maroons passed the ball down their back line, again into the hands of their fullback who was charging into the attack line. Out of position and unprepared for the overload, the Tigers were unable to stop the Roanoke fullback who scored Roanoke's third try of the day in the 20th minute. His own conversion kick was good, and Roanoke's lead grew to fourteen, 5-19.
Roanoke's final points of the first half came in the 25th minute off a lineout. Immediately prior that lineout, fly-half Gray Breeden sustained a blow to head in a tackle and had to leave the game for evaluation. For safety reasons he did not return, and his absence sent the Tiger back line into disarray, as they were relying on a third-string fly-half, who had not played the position before. Realizing this change in personnel, Roanoke's fly-half attacked the Tiger back line off the lineout and produced a try through hard running and broken tackles. The conversion kick went wide, but the Maroons' lead grew to nineteen, 5-24.
Down nearly twenty points, the Tigers responded in a big way. Instead of hanging their heads and believing it just wasn't their day, they settled down and began playing a more measured, controlled game. The Maroons, on the other hand, increased their aggression and it was to their detriment. Reinartz again kicked the restart to the weak side of the Maroons' line and pressure by Tiger players stymied the Maroon attack. Pressure created mistakes and a turnover for the Tigers to begin their attack. Over the next few minutes, Roanoke conceded five penalties, one for throwing the ball away in frustration after a previous penalty at the defensive ruck. The Tigers found the try zone in the 29th minute when Dakota Reinartz took the tap kick from about five meters out and passed to second-row Lawson Omer, who in turn found wing Ian Fraser for the try—his first in fifteens. Ian Fraser connected on the conversion kick and cut the Roanoke lead to twelve, 12-24.
Due to dissention and unsportsmanlike behavior, the Roanoke scrum-half and captain was given a yellow card and sent to the sin bin. Playing with a man advantage, the Tigers pressed. They found the try zone again moments later in the 32nd minute when center David Miller took the pass out of the ruck, offloading to center Will Harrison and finally to fullback Zack Toney, who finished the run from just inside the Roanoke 22m. Ian Fraser's kick was again good, cutting the Roanoke lead to five, 19-24.
The Tiger's final points of the half came in the 36th minute when Ian Fraser took a long, wobbly pass from prop Hollis Jennings off a penalty kick. The penalty (playing the ball on the ground) was the result of a frustration after Conor McCabe turned a big territorial gain into an offload to wing Dylan Cate, who was tackled about seven meters from the Roanoke goal line. A tap kick and two passes later, the Tigers were in goal. Ian Fraser mis-struck the ball and his kick sailed under the crossbar. The try, however, evened the score at 24-24. Despite numerous opportunities—both while still playing with a man advantage for a few minutes and then at even strength—the Tigers could not manage to find the try zone again in the first half.
The second half saw more substitutions for an already injury-rich Tiger side. Scrum-half Dakota Reinartz left the game and wing Dylan Cate moved to scrum-half, opening the way for the first of many rookie substitutions. Over the course of the second half, three more starting players would be replaced by rookies. By the end of the match all seven players in the Tiger back line were either getting their first live play time or were playing out of their normal, practiced position. Despite the turmoil, the Tigers played a higher level than expected and made the most of their circumstances for the full eighty minutes.
The first points of the second half came in the 52th minute when winger-turned-fly-half Ciaran Lewis took a pass out of the ruck into the try zone from about six meters out. The try came from a high tackle near the Roanoke 22m; the Tigers took the tap kick and maintained possession through seven rucks, working from one side of the field to the other and back toward the middle, where Lewis touched it down right inside the left goalpost. It was one of the first times all seasons the Tigers managed to maintain possession through so many phases and shows promise for what the team will be able to do as they grow in experience. Ian Fraser's kick was good, extending the Tiger lead to seven, 31-24.
Roanoke responded quickly. They managed to recover their own kick off the high ball just barely inside the Tiger 10m line and an offload to their flanker produced a long run with broken tackles. Roanoke tried to move the ball wide, but the Tiger defense made the tackle. Not releasing the tackled player, however, gave Roanoke a penalty and then another for not retreating 10m before playing the ball-carrier. Roanoke tried to reverse field again, but their pass was dropped and cleared away by rookie wing Brennan Vaught. A Tiger offsides penalty, however, gave Roanoke another chance, which their no. 8 gladly took in the 56th minute, cutting and diving in for the try from five meters out. The conversion kick was good and the score was tied again, 31-31.
After a long stretch of even play, the next points came in rapid succession. Neither team was able to find much progress against each other until a mistake in kicking created an opportunity for Roanoke to counter-attack in the 75th minute. The Tigers attempted a kick for clearance, but it neither found touch nor cleared the Roanoke players and was fielded by no. 8, who began a run that resulted, forty meters later, in his fourth try of the day. The kick was no good, but Roanoke had taken the lead again, by five, 31-36.
Ian Fraser took the ensuing kick restart and dropped it between their front and second rows to the strong side. Second-row Lawson Omer fielded the ball off a fortuitous backward-bounce nearly thirty meters out and ran it in all the way, dodging two Roanoke defenders, breaking two tackles, and fending a third off. It was a phenomenal individual effort and gave the Tigers a much needed jolt. Ian Fraser's kick was good, technically giving the Tigers a two point lead, 38-36, but the referee had misrecorded one of the conversion kicks (for each of which we have video). The official score remained 36-36.
With mere minutes to play, the Tigers were set to receive the kick. All they had to do was maintain possession and try to put themselves into a place to capitalize on a Roanoke mistake. Instead, it was a Tiger mistake that proved decisive. The kick restart was sailing toward touch but was fielded by Hampden-Sydney. Instead of going directly to ground and allowing supporting players to set the ruck, the player was tackled into touch immediately and gave the ball to Roanoke for a lineout, a strength for them all day. Roanoke maintained possession in the lineout and set up their attack. Several phases later, Roanoke's no. 8 again was charging toward the try line, but the ball was called held-up by the referee. Roanoke won their scrum and moved the ball aggressively across the field, eventually into touch. An offside penalty against the Tigers, however, gave the Maroons a penalty near the middle of the field and only meters out from the Tigers' goal line. Their scrum-half took the penalty quick and dove in for the try in the 80th minute. The kick was good and Roanoke secured the win, 36-43.
