In a game that proved to be a defensive battle, the Cougars were forced to look for a come-from-behind victory as the Bears edged to a 13 to 0 halftime lead. But it wasn’t to be as stingy Cal defense, turnovers and penalties close to the Cal endzone kept BYU from scoring until 74th minute with No. 8 Ryan Roundy surging over for a late try.

Cal got on the board early however, with a short 5 meter lineout move to the blind side that resulted a try in the corner of the Cougars’ endzone. Another series of exchanging offensive and defensive blows by both sides saw Cal awarded a penalty that was converted for an 8 to 0 lead in the 18th minute.

A late try by Cal in the first half from another lineout move rounded out the scoring for the 13-0 lead with BYU rueful of their missed opportunities and a potentially uncalled try by the official late in the first half.

But as the Cougars worked to find their chances in the second half Cal worked at the break down to disrupt the BYU attack. And it was Roundy that finally broke through for BYU late in the second half to pull BYU to 16 to 7 after Cal had slotted another penalty goal in the 65th minute.

With some momentum BYU worked feverishly to get in the endzone again in an effort to come-from-behind for the second year in a row, but some late penalties and turnovers again left the Cougars lacking.

With time a precious commodity in any comeback effort it was Cal who used up the waning moments keeping the ball tight. And a late drop goal from Cal proved the cap on the score line for a 19 to 7 victory.

“We battled hard,” said BYU captain Dylan Lubbe, “I’m proud of the boys. Cal came after it and we had to scrap for everything. This was a good game and we have no regrets.”

Despite the result, the effort by the Cougars left no questions begging that BYU wasn’t about to simply hand the trophy back to the Cal Bears for their 25th title.

With the result in the championship match BYU now finishes with a 14-3 record on the season.

“We definitely are proud of what they did as a team,” BYU assistant coach Kimball Kjar said, “To have done what we did with the injuries we had, along with everything else that we faced as a program off and on the field, you can’t but be pleased with how these guys wrapped up the season tonight in spite of  the bitter taste left in the mouth.”

Head coach David Smyth shared Kjar’s sentiment and carried some praise for the Bears effort.

“Tonight was a good night even though we didn’t come out on top,” Smyth said, “Our guys fought hard the entire game and showed what is great about college rugby. We’ve had a great year and we have nothing to be disappointed about. Cal is a great team and they did what they needed to do to win. But in the end we did all we could and we can live with that.”

The Cougars now move into the off-season with their focus on the 2011 season and their off-season skills and strength and conditioning preparations that begin in earnest starting in the fall.

Stay tuned to www.byurugby.com and www.twitter.com/byurugby for details, updates and further information on the BYU Cougars off-season and upcoming events.

BYU Team vs. Cal Berkeley

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo
   
3. Joey Mount (Ray Forrester @ 52″)
4. Viliami Vimahi
5. Mark Bonham
   
6. TJ Allred
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Isikeli Volavola @ 64″ Blood Sub)
8. Ryan Roundy
   
9. Shaun Davies
10. Inoke Funaki
11. Andrew Harrison
    
12. Tupu Folau
    
13. Dylan Lubbe
14. Sean Howard
15. Ryan Blaser

SCORING

BYU: 7

Tries: Roundy 74″

Conversions: Davies 1/1

Penalties: Davies 0/1

CAL: 19

Tries: Cal 4″, 39″

Conversions: Cal 0/2

Penalties: Cal 2/2

Drop Goal: Cal 1/1

BYU's Tupu Folau scores the opening try in the first minute of the game.

Palo Alto, CA—The BYU Cougars used a first-half barrage of 7 tries to run away from the Cadets of Army by the final score of 63 to 28 to advance to their fifth straight national championship game.

The Cougars scored five tries in the opening 30 minutes of the game to surge out to a 35-0 lead. BYU scrum half Shaun Davies went 9 for 9 on conversions to keep the Cougars’ edge after the tries.

But the theme of the game was BYU’s forward pack as they scored or set up all of the Cougars’ points.  It was BYU No. 8 Ryan Roundy running rampant through the Army defensive lines, along with lock Viliami Vimahi and flankers Hynie Leaatoa and TJ Allred linking well together also.

The forward-built platform was strong enough to give the Cougars a try in just the first minute. After the opening kick off BYU was awarded a scrum 25 meters from the Army goal line following a Cadet knock on.

Following the scrum the BYU forwards and backs linked for a well-worked score by former Cadet and current BYU All American Tupu Folau.

“I was really looking forward to this game,” Folau said following the game, “We played really good in the first half and we’re really excited about the game tomorrow.”

Folau’s try was followed up by Davies scoring a short and slippery try of his own that was set up by props Mikey Su’a and Joey Mount making a break up the middle.

Mount would score the next try and was followed by fullback Ryan Blaser and Roundy to pull the Cougars to an confident 35 points before Army was able to gain some positive momentum.

After the opening 30 minute volley from the Cougars the Cadets worked a strong set piece move scoring from 30 meters out that was followed by another try just moments later.

The 14 points from Army however was responded to well by BYU as wing Sean Howard gathered in captain Dylan Lubbe’s chip kick in the 37^th minute.

Another late first half try by Davies rounded out the scoring and the Cougars went into the half with the momentum at 49 to 14.

The momentum wasn’t quite carried over however as the Cougars were yellow-carded in the 41^st minute and Army was able to work around the vacated BYU player to score two second half tries.

But as the Cougars’ were able to rebound with a full complement of players following the 10 minute sin-bin BYU once again relied on the two leading point-scorers in Davies and Roundy for two more tries respectively.

The final score had BYU winning 63 to 28.

“That was probably one of the best first halves we’ve played all year,” said BYU head coach David Smyth, “We did a great job keeping the pedal on the gas. I’m proud of the boys for responding the way they and I hope we can see the same sort of performance come tomorrow.”

And it will take another strong performance by the Cougars if they’re to have a chance to knock off an all-too-familiar foe in Cal Berkeley in tomorrow’s final.

With an undefeated 25-0 record, the Bears beat an eager Arkansas State side that was making their first ever semi-final appearance 83 to 37.

BYU and Cal have faced each other for the National Championship every year since 2006 years with the Bears owning a 3-1 advantage.

The Cougars’ lone victory against the Bears came last year as BYU clawed back from a 19 to 7 deficit to win 25 to 22 and claim their first ever National Championship. The loss was the first of it’s kind for Cal who had never lost a National Championship game.

BYU is hoping for their second National Championship, while the Bears are hoping a win will give them an incomparable 25^th championship trophy.

“Any time you step on the field with Cal it’s a big deal,” said BYU captain Dylan Lubbe, “They’re a great team, no doubt.  We’re looking forward to tomorrow night.”

Kick-off for BYU vs. Cal is set for 7pm PT at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium. Tickets are sold at the gate for $15 adult and $5 youth/student/military/seniors (55 and over) with valid ID. Children 4 years old and under are free.

Tomorrow’s championship tilt can be viewed online at www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo (Ray Forrester @ 44″)
3. Joey Mount (Inoke Hafoka @ 75″)
4. Viliami Vimahi
5. Mark Bonham (Isikeli Volavola @ 58″)
6. TJ Allred
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Moana Hafoka @ 70″)
8. Ryan Roundy (Ben McKay 75″)
9. Shaun Davies
10. Inoke Funaki
11. Lelan Latu
12. Tupu Folau (Charlie Uluave @ 40″)
13. Dylan Lubbe
14. Sean Howard
15. Ryan Blaser (Adam Kuchin @ 68″)

SCORING

BYU: 63
Tries: Folau 1″; Davies 5″, 39″, 73″; Mount 19″; Blaser 21″; Roundy 27″, 68″; Howard 37″;
Conversions: Davies 9/9

Army: 28
Tries: Army 30″, 34″, 42″, 51″
Conversions: 4/4

Yellow Card: BYU 41″

Freshman wing Lelan Latu dots down his first half try.

Santa Barbara, CA–The BYU Cougars advanced to their sixth straight Collegiate Championship semifinal appearance with a 46 to 10 win over the University of Arizona today at Harder Stadium on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.

With the win BYU now moves on the Collegiate Championships semi-finals to be held at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium April 30th. Winners of the semi-finals will advance to the National Championship tilt the following day on May 1st at the same venue.

In the victory over Arizona the Cougars notched 8 tries against with the forwards and backs splitting the scoring duties equally. A lone try by the Wildcats in the 34th minute was the only score allowed on the day by BYU.

BYU took some time to muster their scoring swagger however, as Arizona looked to pressure the Cougar defense using the kicking game. For over ten minutes the Wildcats were in control of the field position and overall possession keeping BYU’s attack at bay deep inside their half.

And the Cougars didn’t help their cause with a handful of possessions and potential scoring opportunities going to waste due to turn overs and execution errors.

But after an attacking platform deep into the Arizona 22M a broken play run from freshmen fullback Ryan Blaser finally got the Cougars’ scoring started in the 13th minute.

Another freshman was not to be outdone as wing Lelan Latu slipped his opposite to scamper for a 15 meter run and try in the 16th minute.

Two forwards would represent the pack scoring well with hooker Ishmael Tilialo picking from the base of ruck after a long set up run by the BYU backline.

The try of the first half however was a long bullying run for a try by No. 8 Ryan Roundy of over 45 meters. After a quick strike and ruck the ball was moved wide by scrumhalf Shaun Davies to Roundy who was sitting on the wing.

Roundy would take the pass, sprint past the first would-be Arizona defender, stiff arm another and then shoulder barge the Wildcat fullback 5 meters from the tryline continue un-phased for the solo score.

The long Roundy try would come in the 36th minute and at the half it was BYU 24-7.

A revitalized Arizona team would come out swinging to keep themselves in the game as they notched a penalty goal in the 44th minute. But the penalty points would be all that the Wildcats would muster for the rest of the game.

And it was BYU who would drive the game home with four more tries in the second half via flyhalf Inoke Funaki, lock Mark Bonham and captain center Dylan Lubbe. A late try by lock Isikeli Volavola in the 77th minute would round out the point tally and it was BYU 46 Arizona 10 at full time.

“It was a good weekend with the boys being very efficient in their play,” said BYU head coach David Smyth, “We played two very well coached teams and our hats go off to both Arizona and Delaware. We’re glad to have come away with two victories and we’re looking forward to heading back to Stanford in two weeks.”

Today’s Pool A final victory marks the sixth straight quarterfinal win for BYU and the sixth subsequent semi-final appearance where the Cougars hold a 4-1 record to date.

The Cougars will face the winner of tomorrow’s Army vs. Utah quarterfinal match which is set to kick off at 1pm ET at Life University in Marietta, GA. The Utes escaped an upset attempt by the Aggies of Texas A&M by the score of 36 to 34, while the Cadets soundly beat the Vols of Tennessee by the ironically familiar score of 46 to 10.

In other action locally BYU’s 2009 quarterfinal opponent Arkansas State held on for a 17-10 win against the Cougars’ 2009 semi-final opponent San Diego State. The win gives the Red Wolves their first ever semi-final appearance and they will play the winner of tomorrow’s Cal Berkeley vs. Penn State quarterfinal, also to be played at Life University but at 3pm.

Kickoff times for the Collegiate Championships semi-final matches are yet to be determined. Please stay tuned to BYURUGBY.com for further details as they are released.

___________________________________

1. Mikey Su’a

2. Ishmael Tilialo (Inoke Hafoka @ 73″)

3. Joey Mount (Ray Forrester @ 49″)

4. Viliami Vimahi

5. Mark Bonham (Ben McKay @ 61″)

6. Isikele Volavola

7. Hynie Leaatoa (Moana Hafoka @ 45″)

8. Ryan Roundy

9. Shaun Davies (Jordan Lontine @ 71″)

10. Inoke Funaki

11. Lelan Latu

12. Tupu Folau (Adam Kuchin @ 22″)

13. Dylan Lubbe (c) (Charlie Uluave @ 64″)

14. Sean Howard

15. Ryan Blaser

Scoring:

BYU—46

Tries: Blaser 13″, Latu 16″, Tilialo 22″, Roundy 36″, Funaki 45″, Bonham 54″, Lubbe 61″, Volavola 77″

Conversions: Davies—4/7, Uluave 0/1

Penalties:

Arizona—10

Tries: AZ 34″

Conversions: AZ 1/1

Penalties: AZ 1 (44″)

BYU lock Viliami Vimahi tackles a Delaware player jarring the ball loose.

Santa Barbara, CA–The BYU Cougars got the 2010 playoffs off to a good start tonight at UCSB’s Harder Stadium by getting past the Blue Hens of Delaware by the score of 33 to 13.

The Cougars added to their previous outing in January against Delaware by scoring a total of 5 tries and surge ahead of their round of 16 foe in the first half.

Starting their 2010 playoff campaign with a strong win was an emphasis said BYU captain Dylan Lubbe.

“We wanted to play well to get some confidence going no matter who we played,” said Lubbe, “Our goal has never changed this year so we wanted to set the tone for our post season with a good win against a good team.”

The Cougars started their scoring in the 16th minute with prop Mikey Su’a finishing a series of forward-oriented phases.

Despite Delaware’s competition at the breakdown the Cougars were able to rattle off four more tries and hold the Blue Hens to a lone first half try and penalty goal. A late quick tap try from Delaware rounded out the scoring in a game that was stunted in large measure to player errors and referee whistles.

Regardless, BYU head coach David Smyth said he was proud of his team and their first 2010 post-season win.

“The game had a start and stop quality to it,” he said, “But our boys played some very good defense and adapted to the game’s situations well. It’s good to get the first one under the belt and we look forward to meeting Arizona tomorrow.”

BYU now faces the University of Arizona in the Pool A final at Harder Stadium. Kick off is set for 3pm PT.

The Wildcats dispatched post-season first-timers Syracuse University by the score of 25 to 20 earlier today.

BYU and Arizona last met in the BYU’s first attempt to return to the post-season in 1999. On the day the Cougars beat a highly touted Wildcats team in triple overtime 16 to 11 in 1999′s round of 16 only to forfeit their quarterfinal match against Army on account that it was to be played on Sunday.

The Pool A final match up between the Wildcats and the Cougars can be viewed over the internet at www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

1. Mikey Su’a

2. Ishmael Tilialo

3. Joey Mount (Ray Forrester @ 40″)

4. Viliami Vimahi (Ben McKay @ 65″)

5. Mark Bonham

6. TJ Allred (Moana Hafoka @70″)

7. Hynie Leaatoa

8. Ryan Roundy

9. Shaun Davies (Charlie Uluave @70″)

10. Inoke Funaki

11. Lelan Latu

12. Tupu Folau

13. Dylan Lubbe (c) (Konner Wiscombe @ 75″)

14. Sean Howard

15. Ryan Blaser

Scoring:

BYU—33

Tries: Su’a 16”; Allred 22”; Vimahi 26”; Davies 35″; Lubbe 39″

Conversions: Davies—4/5

Penalties: Davies—NA

Delaware—13

Tries: Del 31”, 71″

Conversions: Del 0/2

Penalties: Del 3″

Senior Sean Howard scoring his second half try.

Provo, UT–The BYU Cougars bounced back from a tough two point loss last Wednesday night to their rival Utah by beating the highly ranked San Diego State Aztecs on South Field today by the score of 36 to 22.

BYU was in control of the game by the score of 29-10 with 20 minutes to go, but a late two try rally saw the Aztecs pull within 7 in the 72nd minute. A late try by Cougar No. 8 Ryan Roundy however, put the game out of reach and deliver a well fought victory.

The Aztecs came to Provo ranked as high as #2 in one national poll, but the solid running of Roundy and multiple first half breaks by the Cougars was too much for the SDSU side.

BYU got on the scoreboard first in the 13th minute with Mike Su’a barreling his way for a 10 meter try. And after a series of kicking exchanges and missed opportunities by both teams it was captain Dylan Lubbe that put in the Cougars’ next try.

From a 22m scrum the ball was passed to Lubbe who dummied a pass to beat the first line of Aztec defense and then dummied again to beat the fullback. A last burst of speed put Lubbe under the posts for a solo 80 meter try.

Roundy would get another try in the in the 35th minute to round out BYU’s first half tally. A turn over from a BYU lineout allowed the Aztecs to bully their forwards for a series of phases and eventually score out wide for their only first half score.

2 out of 3 conversions for BYU were missed but it was BYU 17 SDSU 5 at the half.

The Cougars continued their line breaks out wide in the second half, but it was scrumhalf Shaun Davies who dodged and bobbed his way for a try in the 48th minute after dummying a pass from the base of a ruck.

SDSU would notch another try in 57th minute, but BYU would respond right back in the 60th minute when senior Sean Howard gathered a rolling kick from Lubbe and dive in the corner for his lone try of the game.

The Aztecs wouldn’t back down and battled for two more tries to edge within 7 points late, but Roundy’s final score iced the SDSU comeback attempt. Final score was BYU 36 SDSU 22.

“This game was pretty normal for us,” BYU head coach David Smyth, “We played well in patches and then we let off the gas a bit and let them climb back into it. It was a good performance overall, but it shows we still need work. We have a few weeks to do that which is nice, so we’re looking forward now to getting on with the business end of the season.”

BYU will now turn their attention towards the USA Rugby collegiate playoffs in Santa Barbara, CA. The Cougars will face the loser of tomorrow’s Penn State vs. University of Delaware match in their round of 16 April 16th playoff tilt.

Rounding out the festivities for today was the honoring of three BYU seniors: Andrew Harrison, Sean Howard and Moana Hafoka. Each was recognized following today’s game and the team honored these three graduating players with the BYU haka.

“It was a great day,” said Harrison, “To cap off my time here with a win was great. It’s been a privilege playing here. I just hope we hope we have four more games to play.”

1. Mikey Su’a

2. Joey Mount

3. Ray Forrester

4. Mark Bonham

5. TJ Allred

6. Moana Hafoka

7. Hynie Leaatoa

8. Ryan Roundy

9. Shaun Davies

10. Inoke Funaki

11. Lelan Latu

12. Tupu Folau

13. Dylan Lubbe

14. Andrew Harrison

15. Ryan Blaser

Scoring:

BYU—36

Tries: Su’a 13”; Lubbe 24”; Roundy 35”, 72″; Davies 48″; Howard 60″

Conversions: Davies—2/6

Penalties: Davies—NA

SDSU—22

Tries: SDSU 40”, 57″, 70″, 72″

Conversions: SDSU 2/4

Penalties: NA

BYU No. 8 Ryan Roundy makes a break during the Cougars' match against Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Sandy, UT–The BYU Cougars let a 7 point half-time lead slip away and lose narrowly to Utah by the score of 31-29 at Rio Tinto Stadium tonight.

Utah scored 17 points in the opening 15 minutes of the second half to rally from their half time deficit to pull out to a 31-21 point lead.

But a penalty goal in the 62^nd minute and a try both by scrum half Shaun Davies in the 78th minute gave BYU a chance to tie the game. The ensuing conversion kick sailed wide right leaving the Cougars 2 points short and gave Utah their first win over BYU since their 2005 meeting in the collegiate semi-finals.

“This was a very good spectacle tonight,” said BYU head coach David Smyth, “If you were a fan of rugby you were treated to some good rugby. Unfortunately, Utah did just enough to win but we didn’t.”

Both teams looked to come out fast as each side missed scoring opportunities in the opening minutes of the game. A ruled knock-on against Utah negated an apparent Utah scrum half Don Pati try in the opening minute. And just seconds later an untimely forward pass left BYU winger Lelan Latu begging his chance to race for a Cougar try.

As each team settled into their patterns BYU was the first to get in the end zone.

A bullying run from 20 meters at the hands of BYU prop Mikey Su’a led to the opening try of the match and another good sequence of Cougar play led to an easy score for center Tupu Folau who jogged into the endzone for BYU’s second try.

Both tries were converted, but a missed penalty kick in the 6th minute by the usually consistent Davies proved rueful after the full time whistle.

The Utes however weren’t about to lay over and were able to score at in the 21st and 34th minutes at the hands of hooker Matt Wunderli and lock Mike Kimball.

A Utah turn over from the ensuing restart gave the Cougars an opportunity to score just before the half time whistle with BYU lock Viliami Vimahi doing so in fine fashion in the 37th minute.

At half time it was BYU sitting tenuously with a 21-14 lead.

Following the second half restart BYU was pressuring the Utah defense close to their goal, but a heady play by substitute wing Naki Angilau led to what was arguably the game-changing moment of the second half.

As BYU pressured only 5 meters from the Utah tryline a BYU 4 man overlap was sure to offer another try to the Cougars, but a wily intercept from Angilau, who was the last Utah defender in the line, left him racing for the 95 meter try in the 43rd minute.

With the large pro-Utah crowd behind the Utes the momentum was fully behind the crimson and white and Utah capitalized in the 47th minute with another bullying try to pull ahead 28-21.

The successful penalty goal in the 54th minute was Utah’s last on the scoreboard, but it proved enough as BYU was only able to muster 8 second-half points.

With no playoff implications coming from this match other than pride, Utah’s head coach said the showcase game showed once again why the BYU-Utah rivalry is one of the best collegiate rugby rivalries in the country.

“It was another hard fought game that could have gone either way,” said Burdette, “The games this season have proved that this is the best rivalry in college rugby.”

The Utes for their part complete their season with a strong win against their rival while BYU will look to finish the regular season on a high note as they host San Diego State this Saturday at 12pm on South Field in Provo.

The match against the Aztecs is Senior Day for the Cougars so be sure to arrive early. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students with ID, $3 for youth and groups larger than 15.

1. Mikey Su’a

2. Joey Mount

3. Ray Forrester

4. Mark Bonham

5. Viliami Vimahi

6. TJ Allred

7. Hynie Leaatoa (Moana Hafoka @ 76”)

8. Ryan Roundy

9. Shaun Davies

10. Inoke Funaki

11. Lelan Latu

12. Tupu Folau

13. Dylan Lubbe

14. Ryna Blaser

15. Andrew Harrison

Scoring:

BYU—29

Tries: Su’a 11”, Folau 18”, Vimahi 37”, Davies 78”

Conversions: Davies—3/4

Penalties: Davies—1/3 (62”)

UTAH—31

Tries: Wunderli 30”, Kimball 34”, 47”, Angilau 43”

Conversions: McMullin 4/4

Penalties: McMullin 1/4 (54”)

Attendance: 4,127

BYU's No. 8 Ryan Roundy makes a break against the Colorado defense.

Provo, UT–The BYU Cougars scored 47 points in the second half to race away with a win today against the Colorado Buffaloes by the final score of 52-7.

The five point first half for the Cougars was the lowest first half output for the Cougars all season, but a determined BYU squad opened up the scoring in the second stanza playing quality rugby in less than ideal weather.

A drizzling rain kept South Field and the ball wet enough to cause havoc on both teams. But it was the Cougars who suffered the most turning over the ball a total of 19 times in the first half alone despite controlling possession and territory in the opening 40 minutes.

The Cougars continued their lineout troubles that plagued them a week ago in the Wasatch Cup against Utah losing 3 of their 6 first half throw-ins today.  But the set piece possession they did gather or even disrupt BYU ended turning the ball back over to Colorado negating any positive momentum.

The lone score of the first half came via a Colorado turnover which was finished by flanker Hynie Leaatoa. With the elements offering excuse for a variety of handling errors, it was simply poor play by both teams in the first half that led to a lowly 5-0 half time score.

“It’s a bit frustrating to have the territory we had and not come away with more points,” said BYU head coach David Smyth, “But the penny seemed to drop in the second half and the boys played some good rugby. It was nice to see the ball moving like it did and to have responded like we did in the second half.”

As the wind picked up and the temperature cooled the Cougars second half play heated up.

From the opening kick-off of the second half Colorado kicked back to the Cougars clearing the ball deep into the BYU half.  From the ensuing counterattack flyhalf Dylan Lubbe stepped his way past the Buffalo kick chase and positioned a BYU attacking ruck well inside the CU half.

A string of phases led to lock Mark Bonham carrying a couple CU defenders over the tryline for the first score of the second half in the 42nd minute.

With some inspired attack BYU also played some inspired defense led by center Tupu Folau. In fact, a crunching tackle moments later led to a turnover and Cougar try from Lubbe who paced 20 meters for the try.

It was more of the same as BYU notched another four tries before the game was done. Replacement lock Viliami Vimahi provided some needed lift for the Cougars as he rumbled 35 meters for his first try and scored on a well placed kick late in the game that he caught and carried over for his second try.

The lone points for Colorado came in the 65th minute after the referee awarded a penalty try against BYU for a professional off sides infringement. Final score was BYU 52 and Colorado 7.

“We came out a lot stronger in the second half,” said BYU captain Lubbe, “This was a good game for us to work through the problems we were having. Now we just need to carry this forward and keep improving.”

The win puts the Cougars season mark at 10-1 with only three more games to play before the postseason. Today’s match, which was broadcast nationally live on BYU-TV can be reviewed at www.byu.tv.

Following the 1st XV win was a confident abbreviated 2nd XV match with the Cougars winning 33-7.

BYU next faces one of it’s last two home games as the Cougars face off against in-state Division II side Weber State University next Saturday, March 20th at 1pm on South Field.

The Cougars last home match against the Aztecs of San Diego State will serve as Senior Day on March 27th. Kick off for that match is also set for 1pm. A rematch tilt with the Utes of Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT is sandwiched between the final home fixtures on March 24th at 7pm.

Stay tuned to BYURUGBY.com and www.twitter.com/byurugby for updates and news on BYU’s upcoming fixtures.

BYU 1st XV vs. Colorado

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ishmael Tilialo (Ray Forrester @ 54″)
   
3. Joey Mount
4. TJ Allred (Ben McKay @70″)
   
5. Mark Bonham
6. Moana Hafoka (Viliami Vimahi @ 40″)
7. Hynie Leaatoa (Dave Barnes @ 70″)
8. Ryan Roundy
   
9. Shaun Davies
10. Dylan Lubbe (c)
11. Lelan Latu
12. Tupu Folau
13. Inoke Funaki
14. Ryan Blaser
15. Andrew Harrison (Sean Howard @ 40″)

Scoring:

BYU–52

Tries: Leaatoa 9″, Bonham, 42″, Lubbe  49″, Davies 54″, Vimahi 56″, 80″, Blaser 60″, Roundy 75″

Conversions: Davies 6

Colorado–7

Tries: CU 65″

Conversions: CU 1

BYU center Sean Howard (with the ball) paced the Cougars against UVU tonight with two tries.

Provo, UT–The BYU Cougars held off an athletic Utah Valley University by the score of 29-6 at South Field tonight.

The Cougars scored a total of five tries and held UVU out of the endzone allowing only a penalty goal and drop goal to their cross-town rivals in the first half.

BYU was led by veteran senior center Sean Howard who tallied a bevy of tries, one coming in each half.

Three Cougar newcomers also found the endzone tonight in sophomore flyhalf Charlie Uluave, sophomore center Konner Wiscombe and freshman flanker Ben McKay.

With BYU dominating the opening sequence of play the Cougars looked ready to run away but handling errors and turn overs stuttered any positive BYU momentum.

BYU match-day captain scrumhalf Mike Smith felt his team’s effort was good, but the results begged questions.

“We played hard tonight,” Smith said, “The guys did a good job. We just couldn’t finish for some reason. We came out better in the second half I think and put the game away.”

With the half time score at 12-6 in favor of the Cougars a bullying run from Wiscombe in the 47th minute showed BYU was interested in putting the game away. Ten minutes later a good sequence of phases led to a lunging score from Uluave.

But it was Howard’s second try in the 75th minute that finalized the point tally for BYU and a good win against a UVU team who is readying for it’s Utah Rugby Union playoff run next week.

“UVU is a very athletic team,” BYU asst. coach Justen Nadauld, “They have some very good players. Our guys did a good job keeping it a structured game and taking their opportunities in the second half.”

BYU now prepares for a quick turn around against a highly ranked University of Colorado side that comes to Provo for their first meeting with BYU since 2008.

The Cougars last faced the Buffaloes in the 2008 college semifinal and won handily 42-13 after dropping a road loss in Boulder to Colorado earlier that same season 28-22.

Kick off is set for 1pm at South Field. The game with be broadcast nationally on the BYU-TV network. Check your local listings and service provider for details.

Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $5 for students w/ ID, $3 for youth under 12. Groups and teams of 15 or more can also get in for just $3 per person. Fans who arrive before an hour early will receive $1 off the price of admission. Fans are urged to arrive early as seating will be limited.

BYU 1st XV vs. UVU

1. Inoke Hafoka
2. Ray Forrester
3. Chad Harker
4. Hans Schultzke
5. Kyle Lontine
6. Ben McKay
7. Dave Barnes
8. Dan Hubert
9. Mike Smith (c)
10. Charlie Uluave
11. Adam Kuchin
12. Sean Howard
13. Konner Wiscombe
14. Sam Wolthius
15. Jordan Lontine

Scoring:

BYU–29

Tries: Howard 15″, 75″; McKay 31″; Wiscombe 47″; Uluave 57″

Pens: NA

Conversions: Uluave 2

UVU–6

Tries: NA

Pens: UVU 33″

Drop Goals: UVU 35″

Conversions: NA

Flanker Moana Hafoka & flyhalf Dylan Lubbe pressure the Utah attack.

Provo, UT–The BYU Cougars beat their rival Utah today by the score of 15 to 10 in front of a sold out South Field crowd.

The win for the Cougars was a tryless affair with all 15 points coming on the boot of Shaun Davies. Meanwhile, Utah’s points came from two tries which the Utes never converted.

But it was the weather that was the story of the weekend. With six inches covering South Field only 30 hours before kickoff the BYU grounds crew worked their magic to prepare the field for today’s much-anticipated Wasatch Cup match.

With the field still wet underfoot the ball and footing of the players gave both teams trouble. With the conditions both teams reverted to a straight forward attack and kicking game that at times slowed the pace of the game down considerably. But in the end too many penalties inside the Utah half gave BYU the opportunities they need to win the game.

“It wasn’t a pretty game by any means,” said BYU assistant coach Kimball Kjar, “We had to really work in attack and we held our own in the kicking game I thought. So in the end I was pleased with the outcome.”

Despite his team’s outcome Utah head coach Blake Burdette said today’s Wasatch Cup meeting was one of the more memorable in the history of the rivalry.

“These were two evenly matched teams,” he said, “It was a great game, but we just came up short and it’s unfortunate the ball didn’t bounce our way in the end.”

Wasatch Cup 2010 Champions BYU Rugby

The Utes were in decisive control in the last 10 minutes of the game pressuring the Cougars and living off of the BYU mistakes. In fact, BYU was in possession of the ball in the 79th minute of the game after a Utah penalty but a Cougar turn over gave the Utes a chance to tie or win the game.

Unfortunately, a subsequent Utah penalty for holding the ball in the ruck gave BYU the win and the 2010 Wasatch Cup.

“We played okay today,” said BYU captain Dylan Lubbe, “We had a lot of mistakes, but we found a way to win and that’s all that matters right now.”

The Cougars now garner the overall #1 seed into the USA Rugby collegiate playoffs with the win and will look to Santa Barbara, CA for their opening playoff round against the yet-to-be-determined Mid-Atlantic #2 seed.

In the first half of the game the run of possession and territory was largely controlled by the Cougars.  With the pressure, and three Utah penalties, Davies notched three penalty goals to push the BYU lead to 9-0 by the 25th minute.

But handling errors and some forced turnovers put Utah right on the BYU tryline.

A wide pass from Utah flyhalf Thretton Palamo gave Chase Jardine an easy try out wide. An unsuccessful conversion let the Cougars go into halftime with a 9-5 lead.

Conversely, the second half was largely controlled by Utah as 12 BYU second half penalties continually undermined the Cougars’ efforts. Utah however, was only able to capitalize one time with a try off a Utah lineout only meters from the BYU tryline in the 64th minute.

But another missed conversion proved unlucky for Utah and BYU still held a 12-10 lead.

As time wound down Davies would take three more long shots at goal only converting on one of them. But it was enough as the Utah penalty in injury time gave the Cougars a fifth straight Wasatch Cup win.

Despite not being able to recall when the last time that his Cougars weren’t able to score a try in a BYU win, head coach David Smyth said he was pleased with the ending.

“I’m always happy with a win against Utah,” he said, “We had to really fight for this one. It wasn’t our most accurate performance, but sometimes you don’t get into the endzone and our guys figured out what it took to win this game. Now we move forward and build for the playoffs.”

The Cougars next face their cross-town rival Utah Valley University in a Friday night fixture. And then 2008 semifinalist the University of Colorado comes to town for an afternoon kickoff the next day. Both games are slated for South Field.

The latter match against Colorado match will be broadcast live on BYU-TV.

BYU 1st XV vs. Utah

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Joey Mount
3. Ray Forrester
4. TJ Allred
5. Mark Bonham
6. Moana Hafoka (Ishmael Tilialo @ 65″)
7. Hynie Leaatoa
8. Ryan Roundy
9. Shaun Davies
10. Dylan Lubbe
11. Lelan Latu
12. Tupu Folau
13. Viliami Vimahi
14. Ryan Blaser
15. Andrew Harrison

Scoring:

BYU–15

Tries: NA

Conversions: NA

Penalties: Davies (10″, 19″, 22″, 54″, 73″)

UTAH–10

Tries: Jardine 29″, Kimball 64″

Conversions: NA

Penalties: NA

BYU scrum half Shaun Davies dots down his disallowed try in the Cougars' narrow loss to Denver (Photo by Paul Meyers)

February 27, 2010

Provo, UT–In a match that lived up to it’s billing the BYU Cougars were edged out by the Rugby Super League’s Denver Barbarians by the score of 21-18 today in Grand Junction, CO.

The Barbos, who were playing their first game of their 2010 season, came into the match with pistons firing and playing wide open attack under the tutelage of new head coach Steve Hazel.

The pace of play led to 21 points for the Barbos in the first 25 minutes, but once the Cougars settled into their senses they mounted an 18 point comeback that fell short with a slew of BYU missed-opportunities and a much-maligned try that was denied by the match referee late in the second half.

Despite the loss, BYU assistant coach Kimball Kjar said the game was exactly what they needed in order to improve.

“This was a great game for our guys,” said Kjar, “We were put under a lot of pressure by a good team and after our guys got their whits about them they were able play very well. Unfortunately, the score doesn’t reflect that, so we’ll learn and move on.”

The opening quarter of the match saw BYU pressure deep into the Denver territory via a long clearing kick from center Viliami Vimahi and Denver turnover. But a similar turn over from the Cougars and a missed series of tackles gave Barbarian flyhalf Maximo De Acheval the platform for wide kick that was regathered for the opening try of the game.

The Cougars wouldn’t fluster early however and built a series of phases that led to a Denver penalty and scrum half Shaun Davies’ subsequent shot at goal that was good. In the opening 10 minutes the score was in the favor of Denver 7 to 3.

But a continued series of defensive pressure from the Barbarians at the break down led to two BYU turn overs that would give the men’s club two tries in the next 15 minutes of the match. After giving up the bevy of tries the Cougars were able to settle into their defense and hold the Barbarians out of the end zone for the rest of the match.

In fact, the defensive effort of the Cougars was the emphasis for the team said BYU hooker Ismael Tilialo.

“Our defense was improved today,” he said, “We knew we had to do well defensively if we wanted to stay in the game. Unfortunately we didn’t make the stops we needed to early enough, but I think we had them figured out by the end of the game.”

Given the heavy emphasis on defense the game was a very physical affair that led to numerous turn overs and missed opportunities by both teams. But it was the 38 turnovers to Denver’s 25 that proved the ruin of the Cougars as they tried to mount their come back.

As BYU worked to stem the tide of the Denver attack it wasn’t until the final moments of the 1st half that the Cougars scored their first try on the back of flanker Hynie Leaaetoa as he picked up from the base of BYU 5 meter scrum and bullied his way into the endzone.

A conversion from Davies edged the Cougars closer at halftime 21 t0 10.

More pressure and territory ownership from BYU led to a  number of missed chances that would have given the Cougars a chance for the lead heading in to the final stanza of the match.

A heel tap tackle from a covering Denver defender on a breaking BYU flyhalf Dylan Lubbe saved a sure try and another knock-on yards from the tryline by Lubbe also left the Cougars begging for more chances to dot down.

But it was finally prop Mikey Su’a who forced his way down for the score from a mauling lineout move by the Cougars in the 48th minute. A missed conversion followed by a well slotted penalty goal from Davies pulled the Cougars within 3 and the momentum was well within the favor of BYU.

But more turnovers and more missed opportunities to finish their line breaks plagued the Cougars. Two tries went begging however within the deluge of BYU pressure.

One of the tries was a slippery run from Davies that saw him dot the ball down for the try, only to have it denied by the referee in the waning moments of the game. The other was a well-worked set of hands only to see fullback Andrew Harrison called out of bounds as he dotted the ball down near the touch line.

Both lost opportunities didn’t keep the Cougars from continuing their interest to close out with a win however. In fact two chip kicks and a wide kick from the Cougar backline were unlucky not to bounce into the waiting hands of a Cougar near the goal line.

With the lost opportunities the Cougars conceded a well fought game to their Denver rivals.

“[Denver's] a great team,” said assistant coach Wayne Tarawhiti, “They’re very physical and very good at playing a wide open game. If there was a loss that was good for you, this was it. We’ll take a lot of lessons from this game.”

BYU head coach David Smyth was pleased with his team’s performance despite the narrow and tough loss.

“Denver came out of the blocks well,” he said, “They worked through the phases very efficiently and outplayed us at the breakdown and punished our mistakes. We were a little slow to adjust in the first half, but I felt we
turned the tables on them in the second half. We did very well and dominated territory and possession and I felt we did enough to win the game. I was pleased with the effort, we learned some valuable lessons and we’ll be better for it.”

With the first BYU loss since 2008 the Cougars will now look to recover and turn their focus to what is easily the biggest game of the regular season: The Wasatch Cup. BYU has owned the Wasatch Cup against their rival Utah with the cup traveling north only one time in the last six years.

BYU ran away from the Utes on their home turf in 2009 on their way to a 59-15 win and their fourth straight Wasatch Cup victory.

The 2010 version of the Wasatch Cup is also set as the Cougars’ home-opener and homecoming game with all Alumni being honored at half time for their contributions to the BYU Rugby program. The 2010 Matt Brown Distinguished Alumnus Award will be awarded by the Brown Family as well during the half-time festivities.

The Wasatch Cup game will also be shown live on BYU-TV with Jarom Jordan calling the game. Check your local cable and satellite service provider listings for availability and broadcast details. BYU-TV will also offer a live webcast on www.byutv.com/streaming.

The must-see kick-off for the Wasatch Cup match is set for 1pm MT at South Field in Provo, UT. Ticket prices are $7 adults, $5 students w/ ID, $3 for kids under the age of 12 and can be bought the day of the game at the South Field gate.

Youth rugby groups of 15 or more will be admitted for $3 per person. Also, adults and students who arrive before 12.00pm can get in for $3 each person. Early admission is recommended as seating will likely be limited.

The BYU 2nd XV also saw action today and were able to post a win against the Denver Division I side by the score of 32 to 24.

BYU 1st XV vs. Denver Barbarians

1. Mikey Su’a
2. Ismael Tilialo
3. Ray Forrester
4. TJ Allred
5. Mark Bonham
6. Moana Hafoka
7. Hynie Leaaetoa
8. Dave Barnes
9. Shaun Davies
10. Dylan Lubbe
11. Lelan Latu
12. Inoke Funaki
13. Viliami Vimahi
14. Ryan Blaser
15. Andrew Harrison

SCORING:

BYU–18

Tries: Leaaetoa 40″, Su’a 48″

Conversions: Davies 1

Penalties: Davies 2 (10″, 55″)

DENVER–21

Tries: Denver 5″, 17″, 23″

Conversions: De Acheval 3

Penalties: NA