Men’s rugby falls short in bid for national championship

The Middlebury College Rugby Club traveled to Pittsburgh last weekend to compete in the Division II National Championship round of the DII men’s rugby playoffs. After hanging on for the win against a surging Salisbury side in the semifinals, the second-ranked MCRC faced off against top-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater with the national title on the line. On a cold, rainy day in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the larger UW-Whitewater ruggers stood admirably against the more skilled Middlebury players and held on for a 7-3 victory.
After bussing down from Vermont on Thursday night, the MCRC had a day of practice on Friday before taking the pitch against Salisbury to make the final four. Salisbury jumped out to an early lead, but the MCRC struck back behind inspired running from their backline and the usual solid kicking of backs captain Brian Sirkia ’12.5. After staking themselves a 26-14 halftime lead, and seemingly in control of the game, Middlebury managed only one three-point penalty kick in the second half as Salisbury turned up the pressure on “the Blue.” Salisbury scored two tries in fairly rapid succession, and the MCRC suddenly found themselves with their backs against the wall on their own goal line as the Salisbury ruggers desperately tried to punch in the winning score inside of two minutes left in the game. However, Middlebury’s defense tightened up at just the right moment, and the MCRC found themselves walking off the pitch with a 29-26 victory and a date the following afternoon with Whitewater.
The conditions that were found in the Pittsburgh area on Sunday were unfavorable to Middlebury’s brand of rugby. For a team that relies on agility, quickness and getting the ball smoothly out to their backline, a slow field and a wet ball were less than ideal. However, the MCRC came out for the opening kick unfazed, Whitewater came out of the gate strong, applying constant pressure on the Middlebury defense and keeping them in their half of the field, but Middlebury refused to break until two yellow cards saw them playing with 13 men to Whitewater’s 15 for a brief period of the game action. That would be all the advantage Whitewater needed, as they were able to punch in a try and convert it for a 7-0 lead. Middlebury’s first chance to get on the board came shortly afterwards, but a Sirkia penalty kick hit the upright and glanced off, keeping the MCRC scoreless. Sirkia would convert another kick just before the half of the match, making the halftime score 7-3 in favor of Whitewater.
Middlebury had been dominated in the first half in terms of possession, and seemed to have more confidence maintain and moving the ball after the second-half kickoff. However, they were unable to string together any significant phases, and Whitewater’s defense refused to allow many significant breakaways and missed very few tackles on the afternoon. As the minutes of the second half ticked down without any significant action, Middlebury’s attacks became more intense and desperate, as the men were looking for any kind of offensive advantage against the powerful Whitewater side. As the game devolved into a back-and-forth contest of turnovers and penalties, with the opposing sides trading possessions rapidly, Middlebury continued to perform with incredible heart and determination, despite the fact that they were facing real adversity on the pitch for the first time this season.Characteristic of this determination was the performance of forwards captain Chris Marshall ’11, who had earlier refused to leave the pitch after suffering an injury and was finally forced out of the game with about 15 minutes left, literally leaving it all out on the field and ending his illustrious career with a performance to be envied by those that call themselves warriors everywhere. Despite numerous substitutions by the coaching staff, hoping to infuse new life into the offense with fresh legs, Middlebury remained unable to get anything going offensively, and after a few frantic attempts at moving the ball in added time, the final whistle blew with the score still 7-3, and UW-Whitewater as the DII national champions.
Though the MCRC’s season ended on its lowest point in terms of result, the on-field performance in the face of adversity by the team left them with no need to hang their heads or regret their own exertions. The MCRC is bound to face more adversity next season, with a move to Division I competition looming, and with the impending graduation of key seniors— notably Marshall, Chris Vandergrift ’11, Michael Pappa ’11, Drew Harasimowicz ’11 and Zach Bills ’11 in the forwards, and Sam Harrison ’11, Ben Cmejla ’11 and Dane Steel ’11 in the backs— the club will be looking to replace a large portion of their formidable starting line-up. However, if they can face this adversity with half the heart and courage that they exhibited in their match against Whitewater, they remain in very good shape to be a serious player on the national level.