HAMPDEN SYDNEY, VA – The Tigers improved their record to 2-2 with a home win against the Wasps of Emory and Henry. The Tigers were coming off a hard loss on the road to Roanoke College, while the Wasps sought to secure their first road win of the season. These two teams met last in the fall 2015 season at Hampden-Sydney, a blowout win for the Tigers, due in part to the youth and inexperience of the Emory and Henry team as well as playing a man down for the entire match for personnel reasons. Two years' worth of program growth found both sides much improved and, while the Tigers came away with a sound win, the Emory and Henry program is definitely headed in the right direction. Both sides sabotaged themselves with mistakes and sloppy handling throughout the game, but the Tigers managed to capitalize on the Wasps' mistakes more often and to greater effect, securing them the win.
Hampden-Sydney, once again, came out of the gate with aggressive play, but sloppy play (knock ons and offsides) kept them from finding the try zone on their first few possessions. After the Tigers conceded a penalty inside the Wasps' 22m, Emory and Henry's clearance kick didn't manage to clear the 22m line, keeping the ball deep in Wasp territory. The ensuing lineout for Emory and Henry was not straight and so the Wasps turned the ball over the Tiger lineout. Hooker Will Wilson called a front-lifter crash play for prop Spencer Parrish. Parrish went directly into contact and the Tigers quickly made the ball available for flanker Brendan Schwartz, who picked and charged toward the goal line, being stopped just shy. Two quick phases later, in the 9th minute, fly-half Austin Hardman dove in for the first points of the day. His conversion kick, however, was not good. The Tigers took an early lead, 0-5.
The Tigers' next points came in the 13th minute when prop Chris De Salvo recovered the ball from a tackled Emory and Henry back about fifteen meters from the Wasps' try line. Two phases later, Austin Hardman passed wide to no. 8 Lawson Omer, skipping another player and stretching the Wasp defensive line. Omer drove forward and offloaded to wing Ciaran Lewis, who ran in from ten meters out. Austin Hardman's conversion kick again failed to connect, but the Tigers extended their lead to ten, 0-10.
After slightly mishandling the ensuing kick restart, Hampden-Sydney managed to maintain possession. A kick clearance by Austin Hardman on the Tigers' 22m turned over possession but gained territory as well as a chance to reset the defensive line. In the second phase of the ensuing attack, the Wasps lost the ball out the side of the ruck and Lawson Omer quickly scooped it up. He found wing Ian Fraser with a pass from the ground and Fraser found scrum-half Brennan Vaught in support. Vaught ran in for the last forty meters for the try in the 16th minute. Austin Hardman's conversion kick was no good, but the Tiger lead grew, 0-15.
The Tigers' kickoff woes continued when Emory and Henry won possession back as the ball came out the side of a Tiger ruck. They held the ball for a few phases but couldn't find much territorial gain, and eventually Hampden-Sydney wing Ciaran Lewis turned the ball over for the Tigers and offloaded to center Conor McCabe. McCabe took off on a forty meter run before being caught from behind. The Tigers rushed up in support and maintained the pressure for a couple of phases before center David Miller took the ball into the try zone. Miller, however, was ruled to have not released the ball when he was tripped and went to ground—but was not held—at the five meter line. This resulted in a penalty for Emory and Henry, but the kick failed to find touch and winger Ciaran Lewis ran back into the Wasp 22m. Two phases later, fly-half Austin Hardman attempted a chip kick toward goal for the Tigers to run onto, but it was fielded by a Wasp back, who was tackled near the five meter line. A strong counter-ruck by the Tigers created a turnover ball, which hooker Will Wilson scooped up and took in for the Tigers' fourth try of the day. This try game in the 20th minute and was the Tigers' third try in less than eight minutes. Ian Fraser's conversion kick was good and the Tigers extended their lead by seven, 0-22.
The Tiger's fifth and final try of the first half came ten minutes later in the 30th minute. The Wasps conceded a penalty barely on their side of midfield, and Austin Hardman's kick failed to find touch. However, it was mishandled by the Emory and Henry wing just inside their 22m. Pressure from the Tigers created more and more territorial losses as the Wasps tried to find a gap in the Tiger defense. Once again Tiger defense created a turnover at a ruck when prop Spencer Parrish picked up a ball in the loose and created an attacking ruck for the Tigers. On the second ruck after the turnover, fly-half Austin Hardman picked the ball out of the ruck and dove in the remaining meters for the try. Ian Fraser's kick was again good, extending the Tigers' lead by seven, 0-29.
Emory and Henry found success in scoring at the end of both halves as the Tigers lost focus on playing team defense and allowed too many opportunities. The Wasps' first try came in the 38th minute when the Tigers conceded a penalty just inside their own 22m. Emory and Henry's fly-half took the penalty kick almost immediately, catching the Tiger defense unawares. He drove forward and toward the wide side of the field offloading to his inside center, who found the seam and dove in for the try. Their conversion kick was no good, but they had cut the Tiger lead by five, 5-29. The half ended moments after the conversion attempt and restart.
The second half produced much of the same feel. Both teams committed enough penalties and sloppy play to prevent both the Tigers from running away with the game or for the Wasps to mount a significant comeback.
The Tigers kick restart for the second half failed to go the requisite ten meters and resulted in a Wasp scrum at midfield. They won their scrum but quickly turned the ball over with an ill-advised kick—recovered by center Will Harrison (who had come on for Conor McCabe in the first half)—turned the ball over to the Tigers. Four phases later, captain and no. 8 Lawson Omer scored the first points of the second half in the 43rd minute when he muscled his way into the try zone from three meters out. Ian Fraser's kick was no good, but the lead was again twenty-nine, 5-34.
Nearly twelve minutes later, in the 55th minute, the Tigers scored again. The Wasps were awarded a lineout after a Tiger throw had been called not-straight and Wasps won their lineout. After a number of phases, Emory and Henry worked the ball back to the weak side of the field and into the hands of their winger. He was tackled near the touch line and when only one Wasp forward came into the ruck, rookie hooker Spencer Parrish (having moved to hooker from prop after Will Wilson left the game) pushed the Emory and Henry player back over the ball. Rookie prop Christopher De Salvo quickly rushed in, gathered up the ball, and took off running. Being on the weak side and away from supporting Wasp defenders, he only had one or two men to beat on his way to his first career try. Zack Toney's conversion kick sailed wide, but the Tiger lead grew to thirty-four, 5-39.
The Tigers' next try was again a long-distance run, but this time by rookie scrum-half Brennan Vaught in the 67th minute. Due to Tiger turnovers, mistakes, and penalties, the Wasps were able to maintain territorial advantage for a considerable part of the second half. This stretch was one of those. In the 66th minute a forward pass in the Tiger back line gave the Wasps a scrum on the Tiger 22m line. The Tigers, however, won the opposing scrum and rookie flanker Will Rinn took the ball out and charged up field, being tackled just shy of the Tiger 10m line. Scrum-half Brennan Vaught rushed in and picked the ball, seeing the Wasp defenders nowhere near the gaps on either side of the tackle. He made one defender miss early and then outran the others for a sixty-plus meter dash for his try of the day and his career. He took his own conversion kick, but it fell short. The Tiger lead grew to thirty-nine, 5-44.
Hampden-Sydney's final points of the day came late in the match, during the 77th minute. Fresh legs on the Tiger backline created some explosiveness late in the second half and produced several big territorial gains, though only one of these resulted in points. In this instance, the Tigers put together a multi-phase possession beginning inside their own 22. Through seven phases, spanning backs and forwards, the Tigers moved the ball to within five meters of the Wasps' try line. Unfortunately, in the eighth phase, the ball was knocked on while it was being picked up for the try-scoring phase. Emory and Henry, however, lost their own 5m scrum and as the ball traveled back in the Tiger pack, no. 8 Lawson Omer picked it up and went forward, breaking an immediate tackle attempt by the play-side flanker and three other Wasps on his way in. Brennan Vaught's conversion kick was on target but, once again, fell short. The Tigers' lead was forty-four, 5-49.
Emory and Henry wasted literally no time in the counter-attack. While the Hampden-Sydney players were leisurely rehydrating near their 10m line, the Wasp kicker charged to midfield and restarted play. The Tigers fielded the kick but their disorganization produced an immediate turnover in the tackle. The Wasps moved the ball across the field and back again, advancing it with big runs to near the Tiger goal line. A quick pick off the ruck by their fly-half in the 78th minute produced Emory and Henry's second try of the day. The kick conversion was good and the Wasps cut the lead to thirty-seven, 12-49.
The final points of the day came off a penalty inside the Tiger 22m. The kick restart following the Wasps' second try again failed to travel the requisite ten meters, and so the Wasps elected a scrum at center field. Three phases of aggressive play had the ball about ten meters from the Tigers' try line. The referee penalized a Tiger player at the ruck and when Emory and Henry could not produce anything from the advantage, the penalty brought the ball back across the field. The Tiger line did not set up quickly or effectively and when the Emory and Henry player took the penalty kick immediately, no one was able to stop him from scoring the try. The conversion kick was again good, and the Wasps cut the lead to thirty, 19-49. As the kick sailed through, the ref blew the whistle for full time.
