Aggies Crush Sooners in Norman

Texas A&M travelled to Norman, OK, to play their long-time rival the University of Oklahoma on Saturday (03-30-13) and as has been the case all season, the match had major implications within the ARC standings.  The winner would take the regular season championship and a place in the ARC championship game in College Station.  While the Aggies had already earned a spot in the championship, a bonus-point win by Oklahoma would make them the higher seed in a rematch.  If Oklahoma lost, the best they could do was a spot in the 3rd-4th place match at the championships, so a great deal was on the line for the Sooners.  Oklahoma is always extremely tough at home and the Aggies were expecting a hard game in Norman.  Wind conditions on game day were bad which added to the concerns of the coaching staff.

Guillen scoring one of his three tries

The Aggies began the match by asserting a great deal of pressure on the Sooner's backline, resulting in a penalty which flyhalf Conor Mills quickly converted (3:01) for a 3-0 lead.  The defense continued to stifle OU with pressure at the 9-10 exchange which resulted in more Aggie ball.  Wing Brian Guillen scored the first of his three tries (4:35) after getting a pass from Mills and it looked like the Aggies were off to the races.  The Aggies maintained possession after the restart and were able to create a massive overload wide after multiple phases.  Hooker Andres Diaz cruised in for the score (14:46) as the Aggies upped their lead to 13-0.

Guillen scored his second try after delivering a devastating stiff-arm to his opposite number.  He shook loose from the defense and sprinted in for an exciting score (21:45).  The Aggies now had a 18-0 lead, but the offensive onslaught came to a sudden halt.  TAMU began to exhibit the negative effects of the hot day and an early lead.  They allowed the Sooners to come roaring back at the end of the half.  The Sooners managed to score the next two tries (26:12 and 40:32) to close the halftime score to 18-12.

After making some serious halftime adjustments the Aggies unleashed their potent offense in the second half, outscoring OU 52-7.  The Aggies had tries from De la Garza (48:11, 83:07)), Guillen (54:05), Jacobson (58:56), Dowlearn (61:15, 78:56), Mills (67:32), and Smiley (74:18).  TAMU was unstoppable and the Sooners had no solution defensively.  All the tries were well-worked, through multiple phases and demonstrated that the Aggies are continuing with their growth on offense.  The effort in the second half was  fantastic - providing the Aggies with another excellent team win - 70-19.

The Men of the Match were Armando De la Garza (forwards) and Brian Guillen (backs) - both had multiple try days and dominated their opposite numbers.

Scoring Summary (04-09-13)

TAMU Rugby Scoring Summary 2013
Player			Tries	Conv.	PK	DG	Assists	Total
Conor Mills			7	37	5	1	15	127
Andres Diaz			7	0	0	0	0	35
Philip Hanson			6	0	0	0	1	30
John Deao			6	0	0	0	0	30
Brian Guillen			9	0	0	0	2	45
J.D. Smiley			5	0	0	0	0	25
Lukas Jacobson			5	0	0	0	2	25
Matt Krath			3	0	0	0	0	15
Francisco Brito			2	0	0	0	0	10
Matt Saladino			2	0	0	0	0	10
Dylan Starks			2	0	0	0	0	10
Matt Theodore			3	0	0	0	0	15
Alex Demblon			1	0	0	0	0	5
Chris Frazier			1	0	0	0	0	5
Grayson Dowlearn			4	0	0	0	0	20
Armando De La Garza			2	0	0	0	0	10
Totals			65	37	5	1	20	417

Nine Aggies Named All Conference

Aggies lead the way onto ARC All Conference Team

The Allied Rugby Conference announced its inaugural 1st and 2nd Team All Conference players (selections were made by the coaches). The two squads include members from all six teams with A&M leading the way with 9 selections, followed by 7 Red Raiders from Texas Tech, UT with 6, OU and Baylor with 3 each and Sam Houston with 2.  Conor Mills (A&M), Andres Diaz (A&M) and Michael Al-Jiborri (OU) were unanimous 1st Team All Conference Selections. 

1st Team	2nd Team
Andres Diaz*	Fernando Assing
Armando De La Garza	Khoby Moore
Jake Hoffman	Nic Roach
John Deao	JJ Pepper
Philip Hanson	Tommy Gilmore
Chris Frazier	Jordan Trout
Nathan Hatton	Jake Amescua
Dakota Wilkinson	Danny Cotton
Robert Poyser	Matt Theodore
Conor Mills*	Brent Drost
Brad Henry	Skylar Talley
JD Smiley	Kyle Kulka
Michael Al-Jiboori*	Stormy Weiss
Abdul Sule	Jared Baird
Lukas Jacobson	Taylor Hayes

Aggies Notch Crucial Win Over Red Raiders

The Aggies entered the post-spring break weekend with a 3-0 ARC record after gaining a big win in Austin over UT (44-17) the previous week.  A&M needed a victory against Texas Tech to match league leading University of Oklahoma in points, so this match was crucial to the Aggies championship aspirations.  The Aggies knew that the Raiders had a talented and physically tough squad and were looking forward to a very competitive match.

Texas Tech has done a fantastic job with recruiting high school rugby talent (they managed to get nine players from last year's Woodlands championship team) from across Texas.  They possess a great deal of skill and talent in their backline and one of the largest packs in the ARC.  Coach Murtchinson has done a wonderful job of molding the group into a solid defensive unit, along with a dangerous offensive - capable of scoring from anywhere on the field.  The Aggies prepared throughout the week to face these challenges and felt they had a good tactical plan to deal with the Tech threats. 

The Aggies attacked from the opening kickoff and quickly marched down field with flyhalf Conor Mills hitting the inside channel repeatedly.  After multiple phases off a scrum (including a big run by center J.D. Smiley), lock John Deao smashed over for an early try (2:15).  Mills slotted the conversion and the Aggies jumped in front 7-0.  The pace evened for a time until Tech was penalized for not rolling away giving Mills a shot at goal.  He hit the 28 meter penalty kick (8:30) for a 10-0 lead.  The Aggies managed to score again when they got a beautiful counter-ruck from Diaz and De la Garza.  De la Garza scooped up the ball and hit lock Philip Hanson with the pass for a score (16:40).  At this point it looked as if the Aggies were going to run away with the match, but the Raiders had a different plan.

Mills hitting a first half drop goal against Tech

Texas A&M knocked on the ensuing restart giving possession to Tech inside the Aggie 22 m.  After a couple of Aggie penalties, Tech's inside center managed to find a mismatch on the edge and run over for a score (20:45), putting the Raiders back in the game, 15-5.  The home team recovered quickly with a score of their own.  Tech kicked away possession with a deep ball to fullback Dylan Starks who mounted a very effective counterattack.  Starks managed to dodge a number of Tech defenders with elusive running before being tackled.  The Aggies got fast recycle on the ball and Mills hit a streaking Lukas Jacobson who then offloaded back to Starks.  Starks pushed toward the goal line before hitting a supporting Mills.  Mills was hit by three defenders but managed to dot the ball down for the score (27:30).  This was an awesome display of ball movement and support by the Aggie backs.  

The Aggies got another try before the half when Mills hit an up-and-under that was mishandled by Tech's winger Sule.  TAMU took the scrum and Mills hit a hard-running Smiley who then dashed in from 25 meters out (32:37).  Mills  finished the Aggie's scoring when he hit a long drop-goal as the ref prepared to blow the halftime whistle - 28-5.   

The second half started with more of the same from the Aggies.  After winning the restart and running multiple phases, Tech committed a penalty.  Mills kicked to the corner and Chris Frazier pulled down the lineout ball before the TAMU forwards mauled the ball over, with #8 Alex Demblon getting his first try of the season (43:26).  The humidity then took over the match for some time, with both teams looking sluggish and committing numerous errors.  However, at the fifty-six minute mark it look as if the Aggies had pushed over a score, but Francisco Brito was called for a double-movement.  After kicking to touch, the Raiders won  their lineout and managed to get a long break from their centers.  The Aggies got caught in a mismatch in the ensuing scramble and Tech's fullback ran in untouched for the try (56:34), making the score 33-10.  

Mills would add another penalty kick (63:35) and Guillen finished the Aggie scoring after taking a pass from Jacobson, who had made a long run, for the final try for Texas A&M (69:27).  Tech finished the day with a an intercept try a dead-time, making the final score 43-17.  

This was a great and important win for the Aggies coming off of spring break and put the ARC front-runners at 4-0 in conference play.  The Men of the Match were Armando De la Garza (forwards) and Conor Mills (backs).  The Aggies face the University of Oklahoma next in a crucial away match to end their ARC regular season.

Aggies Name Lineup for Oklahoma Matchup

The Aggies named their lineup for the match this weekend against the University of Oklahoma.

 

1. De la Garza

2. Diaz
3. Brito
4. Hanson
5. Deao
6. Amsler
7. Frazier
8. Demblon
9. Theodore
10. Mills (C)
11. Krath
12. Smiley
13. Jacobson
14. Guillen
15. Starks
16 .Garnett
17. Dowlearn
18. Semler
19. Cornitius
20. Larsen
21. McMath
22. Soni
23. Dishman



Wing Brian Guillen

Aggies Take Out UT in Austin

The Aggie v. Longhorn rugby match is always a fiercely contested affair, but it has been some time since it actually had some meaning in regard to conference standings.  This year's matchup boasted two teams with 2-0 Allied Rugby Conference records and a great deal on the line in terms of championship implications.  The match was played in Austin, giving the Longhorns a homefield advantage, which they made the most of.  UT had a great crowd for game which added to the excitement, providing a true "Friday Night Lights" atmosphere to the event.

The game was played after a womens' match featuring UT and Texas State University.  The weather was cool with a stiff breeze which had a impact on the kicking throughout the game.  Veteran and well-respected referee Scott Green was the official for the match.

Initially the match featured a great deal of defense with very little in the way of offense.  The Aggies were penalized repeatedly at the breakdown and the Longhorns spent a great deal of time inside the Aggie half.  Aggie handling mistakes also added to their woes.  However, at around the nine minute the Aggies began to take control.  After a period of sustained pressure fullback Dylan Starks went over for the first of his two tries (8:45).  After a period of more interchange and constant shifting of field position, the Aggies scored again off a Phil Hanson try (16:40).  The Longhorns had been awarded a 5 meter scrum after an Aggie knockon, but a poor pass by Texas led to a mishandle and Hanson fell on the ball.  For Hanson, this was his sixth try of the year and puts him among the leading try scorers in the ARC.

The game settled into a give and take affair for the next ten minutes.  Both sides were playing hard-hitting defense which resulted in a number of knock-ons.  After a long J.D. Smiley run, the Aggies managed to push out of their own end.  An ensuing lineout was won by TAMU and the Aggies put together a strong maul which ended with Andres Diaz punching over for a score (25:10) giving A&M a 19-0 lead.  The Aggies went on the board again after the Aggies stole the ball against the head at UT's 45 meter line.  Theodore worked the ball wide to Mills, who passed to Jacobson, who offloaded to Matt Krath for the score (34:13).  Krath delivered a nice stiff arm to a Longhorn before rolling over for the try.   The final score of the half came after Mills had made a long run into Longhorn territory.  After a couple of phases, the Ags were awarded a scrum.  Theodore took the ball off the base and cut off the edge before scampering untouched for the score (42:30).  The score at halftime saw the Aggies in front 29-0.

Matt Krath scores a try against UT

The Aggies kept up the pace early in the second half when John Deao scored seven minutes into the half.  After multiple phases the Aggies worked deep into Longhorn territory.  TAMU received a penalty and Theodore took a quick tap before offloading to the ever-present Mando De la Garza.  Garza pushed to the goal line, but could not get in.  After a number of pick-and-goes, John Deao dove over for a try (49:39).  The Aggies retained the ball after the restart and after a UT penalty Mills hit a 40 meter penalty kick from the far left side (54:15) to push the Aggie lead to 39-0.

Texas finally got on the board after a series of Aggie penalties.  The Longhorn #8 Cotton took a quick tap and UT managed to to maul him over for a try (61:19).  The Aggies scored their final try of the match after Chris Frazier delivered a vicious hit to a UT back causing the ball to spill forward.  Theodore quickly transfered the ball to Dylan Starks who made a beautiful run through the Longhorn defense.  Starks offloaded to Guillen who appeared to be heading for a try when he was tackled.  He made a fantastic pop-pass back to Starks who dove over for the try (70:45).  This try was a wonderful display of teamwork and ball-handling skills.  The Aggies now held a 44-7 led with ten minutes remaining.

All credit to Texas as they did not give up.  They would come back and score two tries (75:14 and 78:50) in the final minutes.  Penalties, poor tackling, and fatigue all figured into the Longhorn scores.  However, this effort was way too little and too late.  The Aggies came away from the capital city with a convincing 44-17 win and went to 3-0 in conference play.  The Men of the Match were Chris Frazier (forwards) and Matt Theodore (backs).  Frazier had some devastating hits throughout the game and Theodore did a masterful job of running the forwards throughout the match.

The Aggies next opponent is the Texas Tech Red Raiders who travel to College Station for an exciting matchup on March 23.

  

2013 Scoring Summary (03-26-13)

TAMU Rugby Scoring Summary 2013
Player			Tries	Conv.	PK	DG	Assists	Total
Conor Mills			5	25	4	1	10	90
Andres Diaz			6	0	0	0	0	30
Philip Hanson			6	0	0	0	1	30
John Deao			5	0	0	0	0	25
Brian Guillen			4	0	0	0	2	20
J.D. Smiley			4	0	0	0	0	20
Lukas Jacobson			3	0	0	0	1	15
Matt Krath			3	0	0	0	0	15
Francisco Brito			2	0	0	0	0	10
Matt Saladino			2	0	0	0	0	10
Dylan Starks			2	0	0	0	0	10
Matt Theodore			2	0	0	0	0	10
Alex Demblon			1	0	0	0	0	5
Chris Frazier			1	0	0	0	0	5
Grayson Dowlearn			1	0	0	0	0	5
Totals			47	25	4	1	14	300