The KSU men’s club rugby team dismantled the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Friday night’s season home opener.
The Owls showed no mercy, scoring 10 total team try’s — a method of scoring — in the 52-7 victory over the Yellow Jackets.
“We just knew that their backs couldn’t execute,” said starting fullback Josh Inglis. “All we need to do is work on our forward play and our set pieces. Other than that, we had the game in the bag.”
Inglis and Chris Bagby led the Owls with three tries each. This was Inglis’ first game back since tearing his ACL and meniscus this past April.
“I got cleared this morning, and I just decided to put on my boots and come out and play,” Inglis said.
Bagby showed quickness and agility while recording multiple solo-effort, try-scoring runs. Bagby is an important facet to the rugby squad as his teammates and coach Randall Joseph boasted about his contributions to the team.
“Chris runs the ball, takes care of the ball and supports the ball carrier,” Joseph said. “He’s always in position to make the play.”
Bagby is coming off a four-try performance in last weekend’s competition against Georgia Southern University. The Owls seemed unstoppable on offense, finishing that game 67-22.
The Owls have dominated their opponents in their first two competitions of the season. This can be attributed to the rugby team’s experience and aggressive defensive play.
Tyler Bohn led the Owls defense with seven tackles and still managed to score one of the Owls’ 10 team tries. The rugby team excels at swarming the ball handler, forcing turnovers and their physicality in rucks — when players are in contact and fighting for the ball with their feet.
Although the rugby team has experience, some players feel the team lacks depth and could use more skill in the forward positions.
“We are kind of low on numbers,” Inglis said. “We are always looking for recruits, so if anyone wants to come out Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 at night, you are more than welcome to come and train with us.”
The next men’s rugby game is against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 28 at the rugby fields at 8 pm.
