Blacksburg Rugby

A 29-19 win over Cleveland (OH) Eastern Suburbs in the USA Rugby Men's Division III national tournament has seen Blacksburg through to the national quarterfinals. The "Sweet 16" match, the first of the national tournament rounds, was played in Lexington, South Carolina (just outside of Columbia). With half of the "Sweet 16" brackets in Divisions I, II, and III played at the venue on the weekend (the other half were played simultaneously in Austin, TX), Blacksburg's contest was just one of twelve on the day played between the 24 sides at the South Carolina event.

Blacksburg got off to an early start, cruising to a 24-0 lead by half by way of four tries and a pair of conversions, but endured a late scare before all was said and done. Leading 29-0 miidway through the second half, Blacksburg dipped heavily into the reserves and players' minds perhaps drifted prematurely to the following day's quarterfinal. The Cleveland opposition, meanwhile, were eager to remind Blacksburg that there are 80 minutes to a match and scored 19 unanswered consolation points narrow the margin and put Blacksburg under pressure to the end. The late surge notwithstanding, Blacksburg walked away with a first ever national tournament win and a berth in the national quarterfinals the following day. Lock Ty Hopkins was named man of the match by coach Chuck Rockwell for providing a shining example of hard work and on-field leadership.

Blacksburg's relieved players walked off the park less than thrilled with their finish, but as legendary New Zealand coach Fred Allen once famously said, "A win is a win, son." Meanwhile, Danbury (CT) accounted for Pensacola (FL) by a 19-3 margin, putting Blacksburg and Danbury on a collision course in the quarterfinals to determine which side will appear at the national semifinal rounds in Glendale, Colorado.