Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
                         April 12, 2002

Rugby takes 2nd

By Cadet 1st Class Jerrod Adams
Army Rugby PAO

Saturday and Sunday the Army rugby team competed in the 36th Annual Cherry Blossom Tournament in Washington, D.C. Twenty-four collegiate teams were present, including teams ranked in the top 15 in the country such as Navy (#2), Penn State (#3), Ohio State (#8), and Virginia Tech (#13).

The team won its first two matches Saturday against Georgetown and Le Moyne, 46-0 and 52-0 respectively, to advance to the championship bracket. Sunday, the team squared off against Virginia Tech first and won 11-0. They then faced Penn State in the semi-finals and posted another win with a 17-12 final score to advance to the final round.

There they met Navy, who beat Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State, 7-5 and 12-0, respectively, to set the stage for an Army-Navy duel for the championship.

Army scored the only try of the match, but Army penalty troubles allowed Navy to convert four kicks, thus giving Navy a 12-5 victory to become the tournament champions.

The loss was a very tough one for Army as they outplayed Navy and could have beaten them. Luckily though, the weekend was intended as preparation for the Sweet 16, so hopefully the team will be able to focus on the weaknesses highlighted in the matches and correct them before the start of the national championships in two weeks.

This weekend Army will compete in the Ultimate Spring Classic tournament in Islip, NY.