Last Saturday was the UW Rugby season opener against WSU. The east side school had two games under their belt and looked sharp as they scored their first try 3 minutes after the kickoff.

The Dawgs quickly realized it wouldn't be a walkover and got to work. We scored our first try 15 minutes in to tie it up. Working on our attack shape and ruck speed, UW continued to mount attacks averaging 2-3 seconds per ruck (2 seconds being the target). Unfortunately, our ball retention was not consistent, with knock-ons and late support repeatedly giving WSU possession.

The trys were one for one throughout the game, with UW coming from behind, and tying the score three times before finally pulling ahead around the 70th minute.

Our lineouts were sharp in attack and disrupted a few on defense. Scrums were strong but inconsistent as we tried different combinations, bringing in a total of five players for their first-ever rugby game.

Trys were scored by Orion Lehnert de Smet, Ash Mohamed Bakhash, and the first and last both by Brian Cain Jr. Two conversions by Christian Mirich.

With lots of work still needed defensively, on individual skills, ball retention, ruck arrival, and support, the coaches see a great future for this group. The Dawgs showed more intensity in attack than WSU, and dotted down one more time than they did, with the final score UW 24-17 WSU, to take home the Apple Cup for a second year in a row after a 4-year hiatus.

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