Golden hour was in full swing Friday as the University of Michigan Men’s Rugby team took the field against the University of Cincinnati. Although the game is the first of the season for both sides, a defensive battle kept the score close until the 80th minute. Joining the team at halftime was University of Michigan President Santa Ono, who diligently watched the game from the team’s sideline.
While the game was a defensive battle, rife with mistakes on both sides, Michigan was installing a new offensive system. This year, the team shifted to the traditional 1-3-3-1 offensive structure, focusing their attention on a larger group of forwards than in years past. With true freshmen both starting and sitting on the bench as reserve players, mistakes and errors were expected.
Shea Loughnane kicked off the low-scoring bout with a penalty kick early on, putting the Wolverines ahead 3-0. The theme of the first half was territory, with Michigan taking advantage of a deft kick game to assert themselves inside Cincinnati’s 22. Sophomore Sam Glusker, a star on the team’s 7’s squad, punctuated his first 15s appearance with the Wolverine’s only try of the game. The conversion by Loughnane was unsuccessful and a late try by Cincinnati put the score at 8-5 going into the half.
Both sides entered the second half with an opportunity to win, but penalties by Cincinnati gave the Wolverines 3 different kick attempts for points. Lougnane again took up kicking during the second half, missing a long penalty kick for points. Later attempts were successful, with two five meter center kicks setting the Wolverines up for their 14-5 victory and second half shut-out.
Earlier that day, the Michigan and Cincinnati B-sides faced off in a friendly developmental match. Despite a strong defensive showing, the Michigan Bs failed to gain momentum on offense, falling 26-0.
Michigan Rugby received a boost of confidence when university president Santa Ono arrived on the sideline. Arriving with foldable chairs and an affable attitude, Ono asked pointed questions about the rules of the game and cheered along to the big hits. After the game, Ono joined the team for a club photo.
Although Michigan found the victory, there are many areas to improve. With a week to go until their next game, the Wolverines will look to cement the new offensive system. This Friday, Michigan will travel to Bowling Green University to face off in a must-win matchup. Since 1983, Michigan has managed to beat the BGU Falcons only once, and have been outscored 78-25 in their last two matchups. With a win on the road, Michigan could make the case for dominating their Big Ten opponents this season.
