After arguably one of the toughest preseason schedules in all of collegiate rugby, the intense competition will continue for the ASU men’s rugby team as they open the regular season against the No. 1 BYU Cougars on Saturday.
It’s a game that the ASU men’s rugby club has had great preparation for after its preseason schedule included top-notch collegiate teams such as Cal, Penn State and Army. The Sun Devils have made steady improvements with each game, as their final preseason game was a close 16–9 loss to Army.
“(The preseason has) been huge,” sophomore Adam Sandstrom said. “Teams like Army, Penn State and Cal have been great for getting us ready for this regular season.”
Now, with the focus turned to BYU, the Sun Devils are looking to upset the Cougars in their run to become Western Conference champions. It will be a shot of redemption for the Sun Devils as their final regular season game in 2011 came against the Cougars who handed them an 80–0 loss in Utah.
“That definitely wasn’t us last year,” senior forward Will Walmsley said. “We just went in with a bad mentality in the last game of the season. This year, our goal is to show them how good of a team we are, go out there, compete and beat them.”
Much like the game against Cal, ASU has had two weeks to prepare for the season opener.
“Last week, we focused on our fitness and conditioning, and this week we’ll raise the level of contact,” coach Gary Lane said. “Having two weeks to prepare is very nice. It’s a luxury in this league.”
The two weeks will be key as the Cougars are going to be the toughest squad the Sun Devils will face in the regular season. BYU went undefeated in its preseason schedule, including two wins over Rugby Super League teams and a 101–0 victory over Missouri. The Cougars return as defending Western Conference champions and runners-up in last year’s national championship game.
Much like the Cal Golden Bears, BYU has one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, giving up an average of just 10 points per game. It will also be a challenge to tame BYU’s scoring attack since they are just as strong offensively. The Cougars averaged 57 points per game in their six preseason contests.
“We’ve got to do well with our defensive structure,” Lane said. “If we keep our defensive structure together and attack BYU and put pressure on them, the result will be a lot better than 80–0.”
With their game happening in Arizona, the Sun Devils will also look to capitalize on the home-field advantage the warmth the state offers.
“Hopefully the weather is bright and hot out,” Walmsley said. “We’re used to that, and hopefully they’re still playing in the snow and it’s going to be a pretty big surprise to them.”
The Sun Devils face the Cougars Saturday at 3 p.m. at Mountain Pointe High School in Chandler.
Reach the reporter at talopez3@asu.edu
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