Pygmies Drop Season's Last 15-man Match

by Dave Wheelock, NMT Rugby Director

SOCORRO, N.M., May 3, 2006 – After the trauma of the New Mexico State University match the week before, it felt good last Saturday (April 29) to be marking down Pygmy scores in my sideline notebook. On April 22, New Mexico Tech's Pygmies had been pulverized at home 55-0 by their downstate rivals in a loss magnified in scope by the absence of seven senior players preparing in various ways for their graduations. Now, on a gorgeous spring day at Santa Fe's showcase-quality rugby complex, the Tech lads had actually gone ahead of their men's club hosts 5 points to three after eight minutes of play on Matt Nelson's finishing run. Although the Pygmies would eventually lose 37-15, they would also score two more well-earned tries and gain the respect and compliments of their more seasoned hosts.

Santa Fe's Santos had gone into the lead on a three-point penalty kick just six minutes into the match, and combined with their early display of ball control, I braced for a repeat of the prior week's one-way traffic.

Left: Flyhalf Seth Daly fires a pass to his backs during the match against Santa Fe. Supporting on his left is Josh Hanson. #14 is Alejandro Gauna and #5 is Britt Catron.

Senior undergraduate players Phil Turner, Paul Quintana, Ben Brooks, and Alejandro Gauna were back in the squad following their forced absences versus NMSU, as was the reliable post-graduate fullback Justin Monroe. Yet we still had just three players more than the minimum of 15. The situation was sure to present challenges over the course of this 80-minute challenge, so the early success was welcome tonic.

The Santos put three first-half tries on the board, yet not only did they have to work hard for their scores, but were also forced to scramble a few times to thwart promising thrusts by our fellows. Both teams played with an enthusiasm that made for an entertaining first half, at which point Santa Fe held a 20-5 lead.

The Pygmies put to rest any ideas of a repeat of the previous weekend's disastrous second half against NMSU, as Paul Quintana followed up on his teammates' break downfield to scoop up the ball and drive over a scant two minutes after the restart. Seth Daly's usually reliable boot failed him on the conversion attempt, leaving the score at 20-10.

Four minutes later the collegians were at it again, combining excellent ball control with spot-on passing through several tackles before setting junior center Tory Tadano free in a triumphant dive over the line. Seth's kicking woes persisted but the pressure had now shifted onto the Santos to cool off the rampaging Pygmies, now dangerously within range at 20-15.

In the final analysis, perhaps we lacked the final and vital element of total self-belief. Or perhaps the more accomplished Santos just woke up. Whatever the case, Santa Fe dashed our hopes for an upset over the remaining 25 minutes, scoring three tries to none to run out 37-15 winners. Rob Harrison, former NMT stalwart, collected two tries for Santa Fe on the day. At the last whistle several members of the knowledgeable group of onlookers shook my hand and commented on the Pygmies' fine showing. It had been a delightful match to watch and demonstrably to play as well - a pair of 11-member teams were hastily assembled and play was rejoined for another half-hour, purely for the fun of it. As a former member of the Santa Fe club, my pleasure and pride were doubled at the sight of such sportsmanship between the teams.

Tech's young ruggers now turn their attentions squarely to final exams and for some, graduation on May 13. Perhaps there will be also an occasional thought to the upcoming Rio Grande Sevens tournament, which features an abbreviated form of rugby designed long ago in Scotland. The RG 7s will be contested throughout the day on Saturday, May 20, at Albuquerque's St. Pius Field.

-NMT-