Blacksburg Rugby

Blacksburg's long 2009 run finally came to an end in the quarterfinals of the USA Rugby Men's Division III national tournament rounds. Blacksburg fell to Danbury (CT) by a 30-27 margin, but Blacksburg didn't let go of the match until the final whistle.

The early stages of the match were to and fro for certain, with Blacksburg scoring a converted try and a penalty against two unconverted tries from Danbury to draw the scores at 10-10 midway through the first stanza. Late in the first half, though, the Blacksburg contingent found itself rapidly shorthanded. A yellow card for serious infringements had been a rare sight for Blacksburg during the entire season, but in sudden fashion the side unexpectedly grew surprisingly well-acquainted with the device. Eight man Mike Lee was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements, and halfback and captain Kurt Goddard saw the same card just minutes later for being offside at a scrum. While these two key players whiled away their ten-minute exiles, Blacksburg's remaining 13 representatives scratched their heads and shrugged their shoulders at the stern treatment but buckled down to weather the storm. an eRugbyNews story on the DIII national playoff rounds, and a list of scores from all of the Sunday matches can be found at Rugbyrugby.com.

Things looked grim in the last ten minutes, as Danbury had built up a 30-10 lead. Blacksburg refused to lie down, though, and tacked no fewer than three tries and a conversion on the scoreboard in a hurry. With less than a minute left in the match, Blacksburg came roaring back once more with victory in sight. The march to the line ended around midfield, though, as Danbury took a tackle into touch by the slimmest of margins to emerge with an equally narrow victory. A gutted Blacksburg crew was left wondering what might have been while Danbury celebrated in preparation for the semifinals in two weeks. Coach Chuck Rockwell named fullback Mark Seiss man of the match for a perseverant outing, part of which featured him somehow doubling at halfback and fullback during Goddard's temporary absence.

A brief overview of the match can be found in an eRugbyNews story on the DIII national playoff rounds, and a list of scores from all of the Sunday matches can be found at Rugbyrugby.com.

Thanks are owed to every single one of the Blacksburg players and supporters for helping ensure a memorable season, as well as to sponsors Pabst Blue Ribbon, the London Underground, and Albright and Bongard for their generous support.