By Jesse Munro
Injuries, inexperienced backs and holes in the Thunder’s wide-out defensive game contributed to the eventual fall of the men’s rugby team with a final score of 50-36 against Trent on Sept. 28.
With an explosive start that saw both teams with two tries each just 15 minutes into the game and a half-time score of 24-19 in favour of the Thunder, Algonquin seemed on its way back to the win column. But the Trent Excalibur, conscious of last year’s loss to the Thunder, pulled ahead at the outset of the second half to a lead that grew too fast for Algonquin to match.
“The guys are disappointed, the coaches are disappointed. Everyone is frustrated,” said head coach Geoff Tomlinson following the game. “We’ve got some injuries now and our backs are a little bit less experienced.”
Although the Thunder came away from this second loss of the season unhappy with their performance and while they were aware of their potential for improvement, there was an air of respect as the team discussed what went wrong.
“I thought our work rate was good,” continued Tomlinson, referring to the game’s high score and his team’s unwillingness to back down in the game’s latter half when their early lead was lost. “They’re all very hard workers – they don’t shy away from it at all.”
The players echoed their coach’s criticism-praise combination.
“We need to work on our defense out wide and tackling low,” said fly-half and team captain Brian Hue, a student in the building construction technician program. “But we kept composure and we aren’t too hard on each other. We’re a positive team.”
Three tries made prop Andrew ‘Apples’ Nicol, a student in the paralegal program, the game’s highest scorer.
“We need to be calmer and safer with the ball,” said Nicol. “The forwards played really well and everyone kept their head up.”
A smaller roster than average coupled with a sport where injuries are common means an often battered team. Kathleen De Jesus-Gauthier, the team’s athletic therapist, spoke of the effect that hurt players seem to be having on this year’s team.
“[The high number of injuries] is really the nature of the game,” said De Jesus-Gathier. “This year’s team has less players so they’re definitely felt a little more on the field.”