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NEWS
06/19/10 → Charleston sent a fairly inexperienced team to Greensboro this weekend to take on the challenge of the Triad 7s tournament. With many of our party new to sevens it was always going to be a learning process for the team and the Charleston team took to the field in game one with slight apprehension but with a lot of energy. Fort Bragg were the first opponents and despite their greater physical presence Charleston kept up with them for much of the first half. Unfortunately with legs starting to tire, Bragg got two quick tries. Into the second half the Cougars were again holding their own and a deceptive step from Austin Coon left the space for the man from Pandora; Eric 'Avaratar' Harris, to score. CofC 5, Bragg 12.
Game two saw a full rookie 7s team take to the pitch. Despite an early onslaught, the team held firm, with notable tackles from Cody Scattergood. Unfortunately they were undone in the closing moments of the half and Charleston went into the break trailing. After a couple of Changes the Cougars were back in the hunt with Rupert 'Pip' Munro scoring a breakaway blindside try. Greg Fronda followed up with a score, taking the game to a close final score of 17-12.
The final two games of the day were a defining point in the development of the Charleston 7s team. Taking a number of points from the earlier games, the entire squad came together to produce two quality performances to turn around their somewhat underserving 0-2 record. Game 3 saw the Cougars crush the host's second team, Triad II, 26-0 with two breakaway tries from Rupert Munro and another two quality back plays giving Lee Altman and Austin Coon their first points of the day. The final game was more of an annihilation than a rugby game with Charleston playing Eno River. Marc DiFronzo scored his first try for the club early in the first half with George Woolston adding to the score. The second half changes brought on some fresh legs and the score racketed up with a quick duke returning 5 points to Austin Coon after the opponent cynically fly hacked him en route to the try. The resulting red card gave CofC a penalty restart which within seconds resulted in Lawson Ballard adding to the score with a preposterous dummy and run. Cullen Lea and Ollie Dedominicis finished out the half scoring, taking the Cougars to a deserved 32-0 win.
With a final total of 75 points for and only a meagre 29 against, the young Cougar team can take pride from the 2-2 result. The team developed throughout the day with notable potential for the coming games and 15s season shown by several of the younger members. The results came from a combined squad performance and the quality of the final two games is a credit to the participation of all Charleston rugby players who took part this weekend.
05/24/10 → Cougar Rugby is in the process of purchasing new jerseys and needs your help. We currently have two major sponsors and are very grateful for their support, however, we would appreciate any further donations. No donation is too small or unappreciated - every cent raised is put into the team to ensure the continual development and support of rugby at the College of Charleston. For more information or to make a donation, please contact Rupert Munro - rupertmunro(@)cofcmensrugby.com. Thank you.
05/24/10 → Memorial Day 7s. The Charleston Outlaws will be hosting the Memorial Day 7s tournament on Daniel Island. Full details can be found here: http://www.charlestonrugby.com/tourney.html It's a great day out for rugby fans so come and support our local team. You can purchase a copy of the tournament poster by Marcell Easter here: http://fluidcolor.imagekind.com.
04/11/10 → CHARLESTON WIN THE BLACKOUT TOURNAMENT!!! Full report to follow.
03/28/10 → Cougar Rugby is sad to report that Dave Cole will be relinquishing the reigns of the team. Dave has been the catalyst for the development of the team and his countless hours of hard work, dedication, sweat and tears have propelled CofC to a divisional force. He moves on to a new job out of the state and the team wishes him well. The confidence, ability and spirit he has filled the team with will not be lost and his foundational work has ensured that the team will be a developing force for the future. He'll be missed but the team he leaves is very different from the one he inherited and for that we are all grateful. Thanks Dave, its been great and we'll miss you.
03/27/10 → A perfect saturday afternoon brought the Cougars to battle it out with the local Men's team, the Charleston Outlaws. Fielding a rookie team, the young Cougars showed the potential for the club's future, holding the more experienced Outlaws at bay for much of the frst half. Some strong kicking by George Woolstan rebutted the Outlaws for a long period before they found the gap and took a 7-0 lead. Soon enough though the young Cougars we right back in the game with a return try. The second half started with another try for the Outlaws before a turn of form and some fresh legs brought the CofC team back into the game with an unconverted try, taking the score to 13-12. The Cougars looked the better team for the remainder of the game, however, a slipped tackle caused them another try loss and the game ended 19-12. Despite the loss there were plenty of positives to take from the game, with a lot of potential for the future.
Man of the Match: George Woolstan, Wade Bereth
Dick of the Day: Mike Bannon
03/20/10 → The final day of the Matrix season. The last day for may of the cougars. Furman rolled into town friday night in preparation for the Charleston onslaught that they knew would be waiting for them the next morning. The game started with the Furman team coming out of the blocks strong pushing CofC to the endue of their 22 off the first kick. An early slip on the cougar defensive gave Furman an early try. Charleston got on the board with a well take penalty thanks to Ryan Murray. Furman came back strong again with another try due to some poor defensive play. However, the tide was soon due to change thanks to some penetrating play by the Cougars. Lawson Ballard and Lee Altman Scored taking the Cougars back into the game before Furman brought it back with a penetrating run from their Big No. 12. Thanks to strong defense for the rest of the game from Mike Bannon and David Bethel the center wasn't back in the mix for the rest of the game. The final part of the game brought equal amounts of fear, jubilance and anger. Ollie Dedominicis brought about the winning try and an outstanding conversion thanks to Ryan Murray from the edge of the field secured a 30-25 win for the rejoiced Charleston team. So the end of the matrix season came about with a bittersweet victory that realized the crushing truth, that CofC had come so close, but due to the fewer bonus points they weren't on the way to Murfreesboro for the regional finals.
Man of the Match: Ryan Murray
Dick of the Day: David Bethel
03/13-14/10 → The Cougars traveled to Savannah for the St. Patrick's weekend tournament hosted by the Savannah Shamrock's. Due to the hectic matrix schedule, CofC fielded a near full rookie back-line for the first game with a Detroit Men's social team. The rookie line showed potential for the future of the club with solid performances from all, especially Carl Moores. Finally the experience of the opponents showed and the cougars dropped first five and then a further seven points. After some spritely action from a team renewed with some starters, the Cougars showed renewed vigor and pushed upfield nearly scoring on two occasions. At the final whistle the bigger men's team were the victors 19-0 but CofC can take solace from the promise shown by the younger members of the team.
The second game of the day built on the future promise of the team with another young Cougar side storming to a 12-0 lead by the half thanks to scores from George Woolstan and Carl Moores (Zulu) against High Country. The second half showed some lax play brought about in part by a very enthusiastic referee, taking the score to 12-14 before a late penalty kept the spoils for Charleston, with a 15-14 win. the last game of the tournament saw CofC take on Auburn. A team without a single starting back line player and injuries throughout the pack showed with Auburn scoring an early try. There was solid play shown by several of the Cougar team and things to be learnt, however, considering the circumstances the final 19-0 loss wasn't a bad result.
Man of the Match: Carl Moores
Dick of the Day: Ryan Murray
02/27/10 → Rarely is there a boring game between CofC and the Citadel and the round 4 matrix game was true to form with both teams coming out hard. Ryan Murray put the Cougars ahead with an early penalty before the Citadel tried to do the same but hit the upright, Matt Ward retrieving the ball and pummeling up field. Before long the Cougar offense was making progress down the field, despite strong defense from the Citadel, however, eventually the persistence paid off with David Bethel scoring for the backline. Again the forwards pushed and through some decisive backline work Dan Markevich slotted outside the centers and took the cougars home for their second try. With seconds left in the half Austin Coon was sin binned and the Citadel capitalized on the extra man to put 7 points on the board. The second half was a slog with both teams becoming sloppy. Citadel had a man binned for a cynical off the ball challenge as Rupert Munro had gained 40 yards from a quick penalty. With the forwards tiring and having lost Matt Ward to injury, the Cougars tried to get going but couldn't find the key to opening up the Citadel's defense for a third time in the day. With Tate Smith yellow carded for a reckless slap at the ball in a ruck, the Cougars were deserving winners, taking their matrix season to 3-1.
Man of the Match: Lee Altman
Dick of the Day: Tate Smith
02/20/10 → Never have a group of college rugby players given so much for so long, to come so close but be denied at the last. After the postponement of matrix week 3 due to snow, week 4 saw the College of Charleston head north along route 17 to take on Coastal Carolina. On a perfect day, the cougars took to a field that was a distant relative of the mud pit they had become accustomed to playing on. The game started with both divisional contenders hitting hard and making ground up and down the field, however, after some early warnings the Chanticleers broke through the Cougar ranks to post their first score. Soon after a decisive intervention by the referee saw the Cougars down one man as Jon Bernstein saw yellow. Coastal Carolina kept pushing, and soon their endeavors paid off with a 5-0 lead, soon followed by another try taking the score to 10-0. However, CofC showed renewed vigor and soon after the Cougars were back within 3 points. An early yellow card for Dan Markevich in the second half put another dent in the rails of the cougar express and with coastal capitalizing the score was soon 15-7, then a controversial red card for Joey Ingham spurred the Charleston team into a full pitch push, resulting with an audacious Lawson Ballard to Matt Ward penalty move taking the cougars to within a point. Coastal recovered to put another five points not the board before a Ryan Murray try brought the game back to 22-19. With the referee showing cards all match long it was soon 13 v 14 as Kirk Wrenn and a Coastal player both saw red. Coastal seized one last push to take their total to 27 and the never-say-die cougars pushed until the last, bringing the score to 27-26 at the final whistle, thanks to a Lawson Ballard try and Ryan Murray Conversion. On a day of if's and maybe's a dejected Cougar team thought about how it could have been had a few small things gone another way. However, the heart and pride shown by the team was a credit to the College and the season is not over yet.
Man of the Match:
Dick of the Day:
02/06/10 → Matrix day 2 saw CofC Rugby making the trip to Columbia to face USC. After drying out from the previous week, Charleston took a little time to warm up to their opponents. However, the persistence took hold and after some solid play from Austin Coon, Lee Altman walked in possibly the easiest try of his career. A second try, scored by Ryan Murray, took the Cougars to a 12-0 score at the half. Then the barriers truly fell apart. The second half saw a devastating Charleston team score a further 5 tries without loss. Joey Ingham took on the entire USC team, and won. Taking down yard after yard, he marched the Charleston team to within inches of the USC touchline. George Woolstan scored the first try of his college career, and within minutes we had two further zulu warriors, and a score line to match. Jon Bernstein scored before Rupert Munro took a darting scrumhalf run and with Ryan Murray hitting two conversions, the Cougars wrapped things up with a 39-0 win.
Man of the Match: Joey 'the beast' Ingham
Dick of the Day: Rob James
01/30/10 → The College of Charleston Men's Rugby team opened the season on a rather wet note. After a week of pounding rain, the James Island field resembled more of an oozeball site than a rugby pitch. But with this being a men's game, both Charleston and the visiting Armstrong Atlantic faced up to the battle ahead. The conditions reigned in the game and at times what is usually a skillful game became a game of who could hold onto the ball. However, with some strong work from the forwards, Charleston took the lead from some decisive forward play. A quick break from Ryan Murray, taking the field in his stride, set up the second score to take the Cougars into a 10-0 lead at the half. A third try in the second session brought up 15-0, before some sloppy play gave Armstrong 7 points. However, the Cougars battled on and took a deserved 15-7 win and a 1-0 start to the matrix.
01/17/10 → Cougar rugby takes 2nd place at SoCon Round Robin! Due to some teams pulling out, the SoCon tournament was redesigned to incorporate a round robin format with Furman playing host to CofC, AHO and the Citadel. The first game brought D1 Appalachian State up against the traveling Cougar side. The break had clearly taken its toll on the Charleston team, with AHO taking charge in the first half and holding a 7 point lead at the break. Charleston turned it around in the second half, showing renewed vigor and Cullen Lea getting points on the board. However, the damage had been done and the strong D1 team took the game by 17-13, despite the resurgence in the second half.
Next up was local rivals the Citadel. Despite two key starting players being taken out, due to injury, the Cougars came out strong and dominated the first half, despite not setting out a clear lead with points. The second half brought the break through through with the rampant Cougars scoring tries thanks to Austin Coon and Rob James. Conversions and penalties from Ryan Murray and Rupert Munro brought the final score to a convincing 17-5 win.
The final game of the day brought together two of the divisional contenders. Despite mounting injuries, a confident CofC took to the field as the rain began to hit down on the Furman field. The cobbled together back line showed that it was up to the job and continually pressed the Furman defense. Thanks to a convincing display buy the forwards, who had stepped up to the opposition all day, Charleston continued to press and finally their perseverance was repaid with a great set of moves resulting in Ryan Murray scoring. The subsequent conversion and penalty late in the game took the Cougars to a deserved 10-0 win, capping a great team performance.
Man of the Match: Lawson Ballard - For being the Judge.
Dick of the Day: Jon Bernstein - For being late to everything.
01/10/10 → Spring practice starts on Monday 11th at 3.30, meeting at the AT&T lot, as usual. If you want to joint the team Email vicepresident@cofcmensrugby.com or call Rupert at (843) 475-4291 for more info.
10/15/09 → Need a new rugby ball? Why not buy a "Cougar Rugby" ball? Email vicepresident@cofcmensrugby.com for pics and more info!
12/05/09 → Cougar rugby reaches Toys for Tots final! CofC rugby won the battle for collegiate dominance at the Christmas Toys for Tots tournament, hosted by the citadel, before succumbing to the Charleston Outlaws in the tournament final.
The Cougars started out with a hard fought match against Myrtle Beach. Ryan Murray put Charleston ahead by 3 with an early penalty before a 60m run by hooker Matt Ward pushed the cougars deep into the Myrtle Beach half, some good back work finished off the play that the forwards had carved out with Brendan McSherry scoring in his last tournament for the team. Myrtle Beach came back to take the game to 8-12 and with the game drawing to a close Lawson Ballard scored a sneaky try, taking the cougars to a deserved 13-12 win, thanks largely to a dominant pack. The second game saw the cougars run to a dominant win, taking the Citadel to a 29-0 win, with both backs and forwards competing on all fronts and ensuring that CofC were collegiate champions of the weekend thanks to tries from Ryan Murray and Austin Coon (2). The final saw the Cougars up against the Charleston Outlaws men's team. The tired Cougars fought to keep themselves in the game but in part due to some missed tackles they fell to a 21-0 loss.
11/14/09 → A rampant Charleston rugby put 39 points on a somewhat depleted App. State team this weekend. After a scrappy start with DotD Cullen Lea diving 5m back to put the ball down in our own try zone, with a App. try being scored from the resulting scrum, the Cougars quickly upped the ante and put three point on the board from a Ryan Murray Penatly before a 50m run from Austin Coon resulted in Ryan Murray scoring a try. After an attempted quick restart from the mountain men, the Cougars capitalized on some sloppy defending and Rob James ran home an easy try before another run, this time by Mike Bannon, made it 24-5 at the half. With some subs coming on after the break, freshman Johnny Jagger scored off yet another break away before Shaun White scored to finish the try scoring. Ryan Murray stepped up yet again to slot the conversion from the sideline before tucking away a 45m penalty kick to bring the Cougars home with a 39-5 win.
Man of the Match: Johnny Jagger / Zulu Warrior
Dick of the Day: Cullen Lea
11/07/09 → The day started out with the College of Charleston having a breakfast with Mr. Lea, who during give an inspirational speech. The Cougars hit the field against a much larger and much older Sumpter men's team, who had a few highschoolers to fill in their Ranks. Within the first 10 minutes of the game the college went up 28-0, with Sean White, Matt Ward, and Coti Phillips scoring. Considering we had a mainly B side in the game, this was a huge accomplishment. The Cougars dominated every phase of the game with Sumpter barely having posession during the match. By the end of the match the Cougars had subbed in most of their A-side who continued on where the baby cougars left off. Final score CofC Men's RFC 60 and Sumpter Mens 0.
Man of the Match: Coti Phillips, Matt Ward, and Sean White
Dick of the Day: Ryan Murray for falling down on a break away which would have resulted in a score, and Jazzy Jeff for starting a fight with the opposing team's scrummy who weighed all of 100 pounds and looked like he was 12 years old.
10/31/09 → Charleston rugby welcomed the Alumni back this weekend for them to try and hold on to the 100% Alumni record. It was an interesting start to the game with both teams feeling each other out to gauge their respective levels. After some poor decisions by the alumni, Cofc gained a penalty on their 22. Seeing that the alumni were in disarray, Rupert Munro tapped the quick penalty and made 50 meters before offloading to Ryan Murray in the tackle who finished off the decisive move. The Alumni came back hard and scored a return try, bringing the score to 7-7, before CofC kicked home a penalty. After more tough plays on both teams part, the poor fitness levels of the Alumni started to show. Scores from Mike O'Bannon, another from Ryan Murray and one from Austin Coon finished off with the first win for the College over the Alumni, with a 29-10 win.
Man of the Match:
Dick of the Day:
10/11/09 → Cougar Rugby was represented at the Palmetto Tournament this weekend, hosted by Furman University. Charleston started with a disappointing 10-12 loss to the Citadel. The forwards never really turned up to the game and despite some solid tackles in the back line and tries from Mike O'Bannon and Bryan O'Kelley, the Cougars fell to a first game defeat. The second game gave CofC a chance at retribution by playing the Citadel B team. After some early resistance the break came and tries flew in from Lee Altman, scoring a decisive backline play, Rupert "Pip" Munro from a 5m penalty and Austin Coon. Conversions came from Mike O'Bannon and Rupert Munro to seal the 19-0 win. In the headline game of the day Charleston took on Furman in the game which would ultimately determine who progressed to the Championship final. In a nervous game chances were slim for both teams. Tackles were flying in all over the pitch with the Cougars making ground but unable to find the finishing blow. As the Cougars marched towards the Furman touchline for yet another time, a break came with a 5m penalty. After the initial rebuttal, Jeff Seidel saw the loose ball at the back of a ruck and with the scrum half engulfed through the previous play, he struck the scoring chance away to give the Cougars a 5-0 win, sealing the first win for Charleston against Furman, in game length competition, since the inception of the club in 2002 and taking the club through to the Championship game.
The sun rose on sunday to a huge day for Charleston rugby. The lunchtime kickoff gave the team time to prepare for the onslaught on the Championship. The game started with each team feeling for a weakness in the other. While there was strong forward and back play, neither team could find a gap until Charleston got on the board through a penally kick, scored by Mike Bannon. Strong scrum half play by Rupert Munro, forcing an error at the back of the Carolina scrum led to a chance for the weekend's captain before being cynically brought down as he chipped the ball through to score, ending in a penalty try and yellow card for the Carolina full back. Carolina came back strong with a score of their own before deep into the second half Austin Coon connected to plant down the ball in the Carolina try zone. With minutes left of the clock the Cougars endured a torrent of attacks on their try line, time after time keeping the hungry Gamecocks out, however, with 2 minutes left on the clock the resolve of Carolina proved fruitful and took them to a 17-15 win. Overall it was a positive weekend for the depleted Cougar squad, with obvious disappointment over the final result.
Man of the Match: Jeremy 'Penguin' Tindal & Mike O'Bannon
Dick of the Day: Jeremy 'Penguin' Tindal & Jeff Seidel
10/4/09 → CofC Rugby travelled to Boone, NC, this weekend to play in App. States's Rucktoberfest. The day started against a tough DI opponent, USC, with the Cougars taking a tough loss against their long established opponents. The second game was against a strong NC State team. The match started well with the cougars holding the NC team, however, the strength of the NC State team proved too much and they went into the half with a 14-0 lead. The second half opened with a try from the out of retirement David "Stach" Bethel. However, this turnaround was short-lived and State ended up running out 21-5 winners. The final game of the day was against App. State, the hosts. With many players out injured and others tired from the first two matches, the B side went into the game and held them to only 12 points at the half. The second half saw the introduction of some first team players but the damage was done and App. State scored three more to end deserved winners, before going on to win the tournament outright.
Man of the Match: Rupert Munro & Coti Phillips.
Dick of the Day: Rob James, Jeremy Tindal, Ollie Dedominicis, Austin Coon
9/28/09 → The Cougars were very unfortunate to be on the losing end of the game against Auburn this weekend. The match started with both teams showing some promise, the cougars taking slightly more possession and gaining yardage with some well placed kicks. Finally the pressure showed as Auburn conceded several penalties. From the back on a resulting ruck, Rupert "Pip" Munro picked the ball and scored a solid try. Auburn came back before Logan Honeycutt scored from a powerful forwards move taking the game to 12-8. With time up, all the cougars needed was for the ball to go dead. In what was thought to be the final ruck, the ball squirmed out and into the hands of Brendan McSherry, from nowhere the resulting pass flew into the hands of the Auburn 8-man, who ran the field and scored. Final Score Cougars 12, Auburn 13.
The B team game showed promise for the future of the club with a rookie team taking the game to the Auburn second string. Playing out of position, filling in at 7 for the B team, Rupert "Pip" Munro scored after securing an opposing lineout error and crashing through the Auburn line to make it 2 tried from two games. Strong tackling from Jeremy "Penguin" Tindal, starting his first game for the club and some powerful runs from Brandon Fowler at full back capped a solid first half. The second half started with a score from Auburn before Brendan McSherry came on as a late sub to score the winning try. Overall a solid, yet disappointing weekend for the Cougars with a few points to work on before heading to Rucktoberfest this coming weekend.
Man of the Match: Rupert Munro; Two tries and a solid showing.
Dick of the Day: Brendan McSherry; Need we say more...
9/25/09 → CofC are heading to Alabama today with both A & B sides taking on Auburn. Check back on sunday to see how we got on.
9/13/09 → Cougar Rugby took a squad with many of our new rookies over to Vanderbilt for the Oak Leaf Cup this weekend. THe first game showed us that the summer had taken its toll on the team with the Cougars losing 19-12 to Georgia Tech, however, the scoreline was still close despite this poor performance. Joey Ingham earned the first accolade of the season through removing the opposition prop within 26 seconds of the game with a devastating legal tackle. 'Tall' John Bernstein scored a good first try and Rupert 'Pip' Munro scored from a blindside scrum-half run. In the second game, against Vanderbilt, the cougars again started strong. With several key players out for the weekend it was up to the new recruits to step up and perform. It was a rejuvenated team which took to the field and scored an early try. Vanderbilt came back through two missed tackles and led by the half. Early in the second Austin Coon scored from a good team build up finishing off after a perfect mid-tackle pass from Ryan Murray. Tate Smith played exceptionally well with his first weekend out with the team as did the other new recruits including Matt Ward, Ryan Mullin and Mike Fielding.
Man of the Match: Tate Smith; great first showing for the team.
Dick of the Day: Mike Fielding; for destroying his head on Coti…
9/11/09 → CofC Rugby is traveling to Vanderbilt, TN, this weekend to take part in the inaugural Oak Leaf Tournament. Check back on Sunday/Monday to see how we did!
8/15/09 → The Cougars are currently recruiting for the Fall '09 season and are looking for experienced players and newcomers. Never played rugby before? Want to see what it's all about? All it takes is a desire to try. Contact us at president@cofcmensrugby.com
or call Rob James or Rupert Munro on 443-690-4767 / 843-475-4291 for more info. We will be holding a meeting for new prospects on thursday 27th August at 7pm in Cougar Mall and our first practice for newcomers will be wednesday 2nd September (meet at the YWCA at 3.30 - see practice section for more info). Practice for current members will start on monday 31st August.
7/1/09 → 9 Cougars traveled up to Columbia to play in their second 7s tournament. The 1st match was against Savannah Men's Club, they scored first but we came back and won by two trys through some excellent team play. In the second match we came up against a very tough Charlotte professional side and only lost by 9 point through some excellent defensive and offensive work, making it into the playoffs. The battered Cougars were out of steam after their tough previous match and after lunch lost horrendously to the Charleston Outlaws in the first round of the playoffs. Overall their were a lot of positives to be taken from the tournament and things which we can work on for our next round of games.
5/23/09 → The Cougars took a depleted 7s team to the Memorial Day Tournament, hosted by the Outlaws, on Daniel Island. The first game ended with the Cougars losing 12-5 before turning it around in the second game vs the Misfits with a solid 29-15 win. Tries came from, Wade "Easter" Berreth, scoring a powerful run from the wing, Mike "O" Bannon, Kirk Wrenn and two blindside darts from Rupert "Pip" Munro. The final game came right down to the wire, with the Cougars narrowly losing 12-10.
Man of the Day: Wade Berreth
Dick of the Day: Brendan "Cpt. Ahab" McSherry, for thinking he had scored, while only on the 5m line.
Top Scorer: Rupert Munro (17pts)
5/1/09 → Pictures from the Blackout tournament are now in the gallery section. The Cougars won the first game of the day against NC State before losing to the deserving winners, Wake Forest, who has beaten UNC earlier in the day.
4/11/09 → The Cougars are hosting our first ever tournament this weekend and would love all the help and support we can get.
4/4/09 → The Cougars traveled to play the Citadel this weekend which was guaranteed to be an intense rematch of our previous clash. The match started off sloppy with the Cougars making quite a few substitutions and both teams having trouble getting things started. Brendan McSherry spent his first game at prop and new comer to the team, Allen Tang, was consistently strong in his first match. The Citadel went up in the first half while the Cougars trailed in what seemed to be a full on kicking game. In the second, both the Cougars' forwards and backs came together to score a few trys and to come out on top. A surprise of the match was Greg Hayes' TWO drop goals during play. Most likely a first for the College. Brendan "Cpt. Ahab" McSherry, Tyler "T-9000" Pitmman, Rupert "Pip" Munro, and Mike "O"'Bannon all scored. The Cougars were victorious 38-24.
Man of the Match: Allen Tang
Dick of the Day: Ian McKenzie, apparently you must throw the ball backwards in rugby.
3/13-15/09 → The Cougars travelled down to Savannah this weekend, entering into the legendary St. Patty's tournament. This year marks the 31st time this prestigious tournament has been held drawing teams from all over the country and even some from abroad. Over 70 teams made it this year to compete all weekend on 10 pitches in downtown Savannah. The Cougars first match up was against SEC monsters Auburn. The first half the Cougars played solid holding the mostly 30 and older Tigers to only 3 points. We were worn down though in the second, and the added combination of poor refereeing allowed the Tigers to pull ahead 13-0. We lost a hard fought match, mostly due to our inability to finish the drives once inside their 22, but were not discouraged by the Division One juggernauts.
The second match of the day was against Towson University out of Maryland. This match was even closer with Towson going up early in the first half to take the lead 7-0. The Cougars fought back and Greg Hayes put up three points on a penalty. The half ended with the Cougars down 7-3. The second half was brutal with each team failing to score. After a long drive with no time remaining on the clock the Cougar pack drove Towson into their own try giving Freshman 8-man Jon Bernstein the opportunity to pick the ball and dive across the line. Greg Hayes finished the conversion as the whistle blew giving the Cougars a 10-7 victory.
On Sunday, the Cougars faced the United States Air Force 3rd side, along with a few random players. The match was sloppy with the Cougars emerging victorious 12-10. Overall the Cougars played great earning a well deserved second place finish in our bracket, the cup was nice too.
Man of the Match: Jon Bernstein
Dick of the Day: Logan Honeycutt, for leaving his jersey in Savannah
2/28/09 → The Cougars hosted the Citadel for the first time ever at home. The match was one sided as the backs finally emerged and performed to their ability. Tyler Pittman switched back to scrumhalf and performed beautifully. The Cougars went up early with multiple penalty kicks in a row. Greg Hayes was almost perfect on the day scoring 18 points on Conversions and penalty kicks. We had three tries on the day. The first went to Outside Center Mike (O)' Bannon, who caught a quick pass on the outside and hammered through a few cadets to put it in. In the second half the Citadel was pinned down inside their own 22. Our backline pressure was intense causing them to lose ground as they sent it outside. On the pass from the center to the wing, Austin Coon sprang into action, intercepting the pass in mid-air easily putting in the second try. The third try on the day went to Tyler Pittman. Greg Hayes took the ball towards the goal, and formed a menacing maul on Citadel's 5 meter. The forwards help drive the maul in close, and as it fell to the ground Tyler was there to pick the ball and run over a cadet on his way across the try line. The pack lost almost zero scrums and almost zero lineouts, adding great support for the first time since January. The Cougars won the match 33-0 ending our matrix season at 3 wins and 2 losses.
Man of the Match: Mr. Mike (O)' Bannon
Dick of the Day: Nobody!
2/21/09 →
Coastal Carolina traveled down to play the Cougars this weekend. Weather conditions were perfect as the teams took the field. The Cougars dominated the first half running all over the massive Coastal pack. Mid way through the first half the Cougars were attempting to score and were awarded a scrum down on Coastal's 5 meter. The pack took control driving Coastal into the new goal posts. The ball came out wide to Ryan Murray, the Fly half, and he ran right over the opposition putting the first points on the board. Greg Hayes put it through from the sideline for the conversion. Coastal came back in a furry quickly pinning us down near our own try line. After a penalty the spun it out wide to hammer it in for a score. After some more poor play Coastal broke it open and put in a second try just before the half. The score was 7-14. No one scored in the second half which was again dominated by the tiny Cougars Pack.
Man of the Match: Lawson Ballard, in his first match at lock he played beautifully.
Dicks of the Day: The entire back line!
2/14/09 → The Cougars made it almost all the way to Lander when the match was called off due to field conditions. Heavy rain made the pitch unplayable. Lack of a field forced Lander to forfeit, giving the Cougars another win 15-0 by default.
2/10/09 → This week the Cougars were fortunate enough to receive two large donations that are worth mentioning. First, long time benefactor Mr. Lea, contributed heavily to the team, helping to replace long term equipment needed to keep us competitive in the future. Second, new backs coach Clint the Lego-Man, has contributed both monetarily and is in the process of helping to improve the horrible conditions of the Cougars pitch at the Yard on James Island. It is more of a sand box right now. Clint is a great new addition to the team as our weakest point has been our back play over the past six months. We hope to see this kind of support continue as we host a fundraiser next Tuesday at O'Malleys. Contact us for more information. Thanks again to Mr. Lea, Clint, and all of the Cougar supporters out there.
2/7/09 → The cougars started the Matrix off with an easy victory over new additions, USC-C side, 45-5. We then took on Furman and lost a heart breaker 15-8. Tyler Pittman scored a great try on the wing ending the half 5-5. Furman then scored two straight to go up 15-5. After a long drive we put up three more via penalty kick. The rest of the match was a tug of war for field possesion, with time finally running out. We next travel to Lander, and finish the Matrix with two home games vs Coastal and the Citadel.
1/31/09 → The Cougars hosted new Matrix additions USC-C side this weekend. The weather was perfect and the Cougars played perfectly. Defensively we gave up only three points to a penalty kick, while offensively scoring seven tries. Using all of our subs we maintained a huge lead from the first half winning the test 45-3. The Cougars are good and warm for Furman next weekend.
1/25/09 → The Cougars traveled down to Georgia Southern this weekend to participate in the 1st annual Southern Conference tournament. A step in the direction of NCAA birth. Eight teams attended, C of C A and B, Ga Southern A and B, Appalachian State University, Davidson, Furman, and the Citadel. This is the first tournament The Cougars have entered two teams. Although the baby Cougars played well they finished Saturday 0-3 against Ga Southern A, Appalachian State, and Furman. The Cougars A side went 3-0 on Saturday scoring 101 points to 7. The first match, under much confusion put the Cougars on the field with less than a minute to spare before kickoff. In glorious traditional style of our squad, we did not stretch or warm up and still managed to triumph over Ga Southern's B-side 27-7, the only points scored against us during the day. Next we challenged Davidson and came away with another victory 34-0. Finally the Cougars took on Matrix rivals Citadel. The match was smooth with the Cougars winning 40-0. Two shutouts on the day and once again amazing kicking from Greg Hayes brought the Cougars into the playoffs for Sunday.
On Sunday the Cougars first matched up against Ga Southern's A team. The match was even throughout and at the end of regulation was 10-10. After a long push and a penalty in triple overtime, Greg H. kicked it through the stumps to clinch the win 13-10. Next the Cougars took on Appalachian State University in the SoCon Championship. The Cougars went up early 3-0 scoring on a quick penalty, but the Mountaineers were relentless. Going back and forth scoring tries App state finally held the Cougars off 15-10. The Cougars came in second at the tournament winning their first trophy since 2003. The team is warmed up and ready for the Matrix to start against new additions USC-C Side.
