SALEM, VA – Hampden-Sydney entered the 2017 National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO) tournament for the Cardinals Collegiate Rugby Conference (CCRC) seeded fourth. This ranking was a result of losing regular season matches to both Roanoke, the number two seed, at Roanoke and to the University of Richmond, the number three seed, at home.  The number one seed, Washington and Lee, had only played Roanoke and had won that match-up. The Tigers had high hopes for moving up in the rankings, but in order to do that, they would need to win a play-in against number five, Emory and Henry, whom Hampden-Sydney had defeated three weeks earlier during Hampden-Sydney's Homecoming.

In my match report for the Emory and Henry match on Homecoming, I noted how far that program had come since the last time we had played them two years before. If possible, the team we played in the tournament on Saturday as much better than the team we faced three weeks ago as that team was than the team of two years prior. Coach O'Neill at Emory and Henry is doing great work and this Emory and Henry team will only continue to improve. Their school is backing rugby with considerable support and is beginning to offer scholarships not only to bid athletes away from other sports but also to recruit high-quality high school players. These are great steps forward for that program but more importantly for rugby—on college campuses, in Virginia, in America—and I hope other schools will follow suit. Coach Brammer and I are proud that this program leads in so many facets (a designated field, athletic training, tour buses, etc.); it's great to see other schools making the kind of commitment to rugby that Hampden-Sydney has made. Better competition makes for better teams, and Coach O'Neill and his Emory and Henry side made us a better rugby team with this match.

Match-time weather was in the low 50s and rainy, creating less-than-ideal handling conditions, which created plenty of knock-ons and off-the-mark passes for both sides. It took its toll especially on Hampden-Sydney, who this season have found success working the ball wide on overloads.  Emory and Henry struck first in the 5^th minute off a lineout.  They won their line and set up a maul, pulling Tiger defenders in close. As they passed the ball out, the Wasps' outside center, a new and promising recruit, looped inside the fly-half and took a pass into the gap, striding in from near the 22m.  The kick was no good, but Emory and Henry had found early success, taking the lead 5-0.

The next ten minutes was a see-saw between the 22m lines as neither side could get a foot-hold and advance the ball on account of penalties and knock-ons.  The Tigers began to get traction in the 16^th minute when repeated Wasps penalties and strong runs by Lawson Omer finally broke inside the Emory and Henry 22m. Omer fielded a clearance kick just inside the 22m and in the process of tackling, the Emory and Henry outside center, who had scored their first try, came into the tackle without any intention to wrap. For this, the referee showed him a yellow card and Hampden-Sydney was playing with a man advantage. The Tigers took the penalty but the Wasps defense was strong enough to deny the Tigers an immediate try. Strong, perhaps, but fueled by penalties. Over the next two minutes of play, the Wasps gave away four penalties before the Tigers finally found the goal line on a carry by Lawson Omer in the 18^th minute. Brennan Vaught's kick was good and the Tigers took the lead, 5-7.

Emory and Henry responded in the 21^st minute as their wing picked the ball off the turf and beat three would-be tacklers on his way in for a try from midfield. The try was created by breakdowns in the Tiger defensive line. The wet conditions created sloppy passing for both sides, and in this instance, it worked against the Tigers. The Emory and Henry scrum-half passed the ball out of the ruck and through the fly-half, whose pass sailed over inside center's head and through his hands. Two Tiger defenders rushed on to pressure the defense, but the whole line didn't move up with them. When a supporting Wasps player scooped the ball up and passed it wide, the Tiger line was out of position to make the tackle and the speedy wing made them pay. The kick was good and Emory and Henry had taken the lead back, 12-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Wasps again found a weakness in the Tiger defense. Perhaps expecting the inside move again, both the Tiger fly-half and inside center converged on the Wasps fly-half. He made his pass, however, and the overload was already there. Two more passes, one in contact, put the ball in the hands of their winger, who had only the fullback to beat on his way to his second try of the day. After a brisk sixty-meter run, he touched the ball down in the 22^nd minute, just under thirty seconds after the kick restart and on the second phase of the Wasps' possession. Twice the Tiger line had broken down and given away big run tries. Adding to this disappointment, Emory and Henry was playing with only fourteen men on the field. The kick was good and the Wasps extended their lead to twelve, 19-7.

The Tigers ended the half on a slightly higher note when, in the 26^th minute, Lawson Omer stripped the ball from a Wasps player near the Emory and Henry 22m and, after breaking one tackle and fending off another, he found the goal line. Brennan Vaught's kick missed the mark, but the Tigers had cut the lead to seven, 19-12.

I don't recall the details of the halftime talk. Coach Brammer and I knew the players knew they hadn't played up to their potential and that if they wanted to avoid going home after one disappointing loss, they would need to change things. The only solid advice he and I offered was to keep the ball closer in and stop trying to work it wide. The reasoning for this is the comparative strength of the Emory and Henry back line and the sloppy conditions, which had been making passing difficult. In terms of motivation, the players did the rest. It was on them to decide how they would play the second half. They didn't disappoint.

The Tigers were kicking the ball away to start the second half and Dakota Reinartz's kick bounced in play and was fielded by wing Dylan Cate. Dylan tried to keep the ball in play, but was ruled to have gone into touch, giving the lineout to Emory and Henry. Lawson Omer and the Tigers' first pod disrupted the throw and rookie second-row Jacob Blankinship grabbed the ball, setting the ruck. Tiger forwards rushed in to set the ruck while Lawson Omer dropped back in support. He took the pass from Dakota Reinartz out of the ruck, again breaking tackles and fending off Emory and Henry defenders, on his way into the try zone. He touched the ball down just over fifty seconds into the half in the 31^st minute. Brennan Vaught's kick was good and the score was tied, 19-19.

The Tigers didn't let up. The kick restart was not taken cleanly, resulting in a scrum center for Hampden-Sydney. Having won it, the Tigers worked their attack strategy of quick rucks and strong support. In the 34^th minute an offside penalty by Emory and Henry gave the Tigers an attacking opportunity just outside the Wasps' 22m and near the middle of the field. Dakota Reinartz took the kick quickly and passed to Lawson Omer, who broke two tackles and fended off a third defender on his way to the try line. The referee deemed the ball held up, however, and awarded the Tigers a 5m scrum. The Tigers won their scrum and scrum-half Dakota Reinartz picked the ball, attacking near the scrum. The Tiger forwards won the ruck and center David Miller picked the ball, attacking alongside the ruck. He was tackled short of the goal line, but the Tiger forwards were there to maintain possession. Reinartz got on his feet and passed to a recovering Miller, who charged forward, spun off a tackler, and dove into the try zone for his first try of the day in the 36^th minute. Brennan Vaught's kick was good and the Tigers increased their lead to seven, 26-19.

Emory and Henry found some success in the following minutes after sloppy rucking on the part of Hampden-Sydney turned the ball over after the Tigers had taken the restart. In their attack, Emory and Henry found progress on some phases, but managed to maintain possession against the Tiger defense. In the 40^th minute they broke through and nearly scored a try, but passed the forward out of contact trying to force a try. The referee, however, has been playing advantage for two phases after a Hampden-Sydney defender had been offside. The penalty brought the ball from near the goal line just outside the right upright back to the 22m near the 15m line. Coach O'Neill elected for a penalty kick, perhaps sensing that getting points of any kind was worth it in this match. His decision was probably the right one, as his kicked made the kick easily, even with unfavorable conditions and from a difficult angle. Emory and Henry cut the lead to four, 26-22.

Emory and Henry knocked the kick restart on and gave the Tigers a scrum near the 22m. The ball went straight out of the scrum and referee awarded the Tigers a free kick, which they took and began working the ball to the wide side of the field through six phases before David Miller picked the ball out of the ruck and dove toward the goal line. The referee, however, ruled that Miller had made an illegal second move on the ground and gave a penalty to Emory and Henry near their goal line. The Wasps again lost their lineout as Lawson Omer spoiled the throw and Hollis Jennings took the ball into contact, setting a ruck. The Tigers worked the ball wide once more, and were taken into touch, but the referee awarded a penalty from an offsides infraction two phases before. Dakota Reinartz took the kick quickly and passed the ball to Will Rinn, running up in support. Rinn broke two tackles on his way to the goal line, touching the ball down in the 45^th minute. Brennan Vaught's kick was no good, but the Tigers extended their lead to nine, 31-22.

The next break for the Tigers came in the 47^th minute when fly-half Ciaran Lewis kicked over the Wasps back line to test their reaction. The Emory and Henry player fielded the kick but was driven into touch. The Tigers won their lineout and after a ruck at the site of the lineout began working the ball wide. Two phases later the Emory and Henry inside center was penalized for tackling Hampden-Sydney wing Dylan Cate around the neck from behind. On the penalty kick, Jonanthan Abkemeier went into contact setting the ruck and center David Miller took the pass from Dakota Reinartz out of the ruck. Miller offloaded to fly-half Ciaran Lewis who split two Emory and Henry defenders, carrying one of them into the try zone for his first try of the day during the 49^th minute. Brennan Vaught's kick was no good, but the lead again grew, now up to fourteen, 36-22.

The Tigers' final points came in dramatic fashion of what could be one of the most impressive tries of the season. Emory and Henry's kick restart failed to go ten meters, so the Tigers elected for a scrum center. Unfortunately, the Tigers did not win their scrum, and the Wasps were on the attack. They made good progress, aided by an offside penalty committed by two Tiger defenders. Two phases after the penalty, the Tigers managed to turn the ball over in a Wasps ruck and go back on the attack. On the third pass an Emory and Henry defender attempted to intercept the ball but fortunately knocked it on. The Tigers set up their scrum and won the ball, but were being pushed back as Dakota Reinartz passed the ball out. Brennan Vaught ran forward and took the ball just outside the Tiger goal line and, instead of kicking it away, took off running through a gap he saw in the Wasps' defense. He made the fly-half miss on an arm-tackle, juked the fullback, and cut inside the backside-wing's attempt to tackle him. The wing recovered, however, and—having demonstrated his superior pace in the first half—took off in pursuit.  He caught Vaught from behind about seven meters from the goal line, but in his tackle did not hold him down, and Vaught rolled over and bounced up to his feet just as he crossed the goal line in the 54^th minute. Exhausted, Vaught did not take the kick; Ian Fraser's kick was on target but a little low. The Tigers again grew their lead, now to nineteen, 41-22.

As in their previous meeting, Emory and Henry managed to find success against Hampden-Sydney in the final moments of the match. The final minutes were dominated by Emory and Henry possession, aided by Tiger penalties. The last of these came in the 58^th minute when hooker Spencer Parrish was given a yellow card for a high tackle. This was only the second yellow the season for the Tigers, but high tackling was obvious a foul the referees were keen to target and enforce, as there were several such yellow cards over the course of the tournament weekend. The ensuing penalty and man advantage gave Emory and Henry enough spark to find the goal line after several phases of goal-line grinding. The Tigers put up an admirable defense, but did concede a try in the 60^th minute. Emory and Henry's drop-kick conversion sailed wide and the final score drew to 41-27.

As disappointing as the first half was the second half was impressive. This team showed what they could do against a pretty good opponent. Emory and Henry's style of play, close and supportive with deeply-stacked, hard-to-assault rucks would show up in both of the other two games that weekend. Emory and Henry should be very proud of the work they've done this season in building their program. It is a shame that they would not have another match that weekend, as Lynchburg dropped out at the last minute. I look forward to the improvement of both these programs and the great matches that will come. Despite the fatigue and minor injuries suffered in this match that would hurt our chances against Washington and Lee, this Emory and Henry side was a great way to start our tournament weekend. I know that having to put together a game plan and come back from behind was good experience and confidence builder for this team.