Outmanned Pygmies Fall to Las Cruces

by Dave Wheelock, Rugby coach

SOCORRO, N.M., April 16, 2002 -- New Mexico Tech's rugby team was already in trouble before they left Socorro Saturday, and New Mexico State's Chiles took advantage to come from behind, stealing a 36-25 win in Las Cruces. Traveling with the bare minimum of 15 players and no reserves, the Pygmies played one man short in 90-degree heat for half the contest after ironically losing outside center Patrick Simons on their second scoring play.

Tech looked like business early, crisply winning inbounds lineouts, set scrums, and rucks to deprive State of the ball while working it into Chile territory. After nine minutes Katsuya Sugimoto spotted a gap in State's defense and the compact flyhalf bolted 25 yards for a five-point try. Jason Lennane continued his consistent kicking form with the conversion, 7-0 to Tech.

The Pygmies' dominance continued as the speedy Simons took a pass at his backline position and barreled through and past the State defense to score from 40 yards out. Again Lennane answered the call and Tech had a 14-0 lead after fifteen minutes. But as the loosehead prop was lining up his kick, Simons was down, receiving attention for a careless blow to the knee delivered by a would-be defender after Simons had already touched down. As Tech prepared to field the resulting kickoff (the scoring team receives in rugby), the promising freshman was limping to the sideline for running repairs, not to emerge until well into the second half. Hardworking flank forward Nick Ledesma now dropped back into the center position, and played inspired rugby the rest of the way.

Now playing with 14 men against State's 15, the match's momentum began to shift slightly. After several minutes of desultory play, NMSU's forwards were able to get more ball possession, and at 23 minutes former Pygmy Chris Foss, now playing center for NMSU, shot a gap and drew first blood for the home team. Joe Boyle's conversion kick was good, and State was back in contention at 7-14. Less than two minutes later big fullback Manny Griffin exploited another defensive breakdown and stung the Pygmies again. The conversion kick failed, 14-12.

After a brief break for water at twenty minutes, the visitors again found their momentum. While not being able to breach the Chile defense as they had earlier, three-point penalty kicks were cashed in at 28 minutes by scrum half Josh Ulbricht and just before halftime by Lennane. Tech's 20-12 lead at the break looked ominously vulnerable in such a high-scoring match.

The teams swapped ends and New Mexico State went right to work. From a lineout (inbounds) throw at the field's halfway line, State's scrum half Aaron Cardiel took the tap and dashed around the end of Tech's line of forwards. No one could catch the powerful little halfback and he dotted down 50 meters later between the posts. This time the kick was good, and Tech's lead had shrunk to 20-19.

The Pygmies were now starting to show the wear of being outnumbered, and mistakes and missed tackles began to creep in. In particular Tech's forwards seemed unable to withstand pressure in the set scrums, and their backs found themselves starved of useable ball possession.

At the six-minutes point NMSU # 8 eight Mike Benting put the cap on some good driving play by his fellow forwards, just reaching the ball over the line in the tackle. The kick failed but Tech now found themselves trailing for the first time, 24-20. Things did not improve measurably for the Tech side, and at 24 minutes State's wing Luke Clemens began his campaign to upset the Pygmies. Breaking free of an initial tackle attempt, the game's fastest player found paydirt from well over half the distance. The successful kick stretched State's lead to 31-20.

But Patrick Simons was not through yet. Re-joining the match with twenty minutes to go and his contused knee firmly wrapped, he found himself with a chance after a prolonged attack near the Chile line. Again and again the defense repelled the charge, and each time Tech's brave forwards regained possession of the ball. When the ball was recycled his way, the freshman knew what to do, and battered through from short range. "It hurt, but it felt good" was Simons's comment later.

Lennane could not connect on the angled kick and the boys in black and blue were now within six at 31-25 with 14 minutes to go. A converted try would put them back in the lead. But the next bounce went State's way in the form of a streaking Clemens, who once again eluded the up-front defense to go the distance. An exhausted Tech side had no answer to the 11-point lead and four minutes later, the rivalry was closed until the fall semester: New Mexico State 36, New Mexico Tech 25.