Pygmies Finish Second in Seven Man Tournament

by Dave Wheelock, NMT Rugby Director

SOCORRO, N.M., May 13, 2007 -- A bare minimum of New Mexico Tech rugby players turned up for the Rio Grande Sevens tournament in Albuquerque Saturday, but still managed a second-place finish in the men’s division. The Pygmies advanced to the championship match of the seven-man team affair with a 3-1 record before falling to the Santa Fe Santos 28-7.

“Rugby sevens” is commonly played around the world at the conclusion of the regular fifteen-man season. A sevens team is comprised of three ball-winning forwards, three attacking backs, and a passing specialist (scrum half) to coordinate the efforts of the two units. Two halves of seven minutes are played on a full-sized rugby pitch (70 by 100 meters), with a one-minute halftime break.

Tech claimed a first-round forfeit when the van transporting the El Paso team was sidelined with mechanical problems. The eight Pygmies who narrowly filled the ranks on New Mexico Tech’s commencement day then squared off against the host Brujos team in a 10:30 a.m. encounter. Prop Steve Graves drew first blood with a five-point try two minutes into the first half, and Matt Nelson successfully added the two-point conversion drop-kick. Josh Hill added another try for Tech when he sprinted clear on the left wing. Tech led 14-0 at halftime after Nelson’s second conversion and the Pygmies didn’t look back in recording a 33-12 victory. Second-half tries were added by Tory Tadano, Cody McFarland, and Nelson, who connected on four of five conversion kicks. Ominously, McFarland was injured while grounding the ball and forced out for the day, leaving Tech with only seven players – Nelson, Tadano, Graves, Hill, Justin Guthrie, Jay Herrera, and Matt Kretz - with three matches left to play. Tech’s worries were compounded as temperatures soaring into the mid-eighties added to the physical burden.

Santa Fe’s Santos took advantage of Tech turnovers to race out to a 14-0 halftime lead. In the second half Matt Kretz sprinted in a long try for NMT after stealing the ball, and soon after Matt Nelson wove his way through to put Tech within two at 14-12. But the Santos regrouped to score a third try as time wound down and iced a 21-12 win.

NMT finished round robin play by qualifying for the championship with a 26-10 win over the Albuquerque Rhinos. Tech claimed a 21-0 halftime lead on tries by Herrera, Kretz, and Tory Tadano, who added another in the second frame. The Rhinos’ two second-half scores came after the result was a foregone conclusion.

Tech’s hopes soared in the early moments of the final when Matt Nelson came up with a loose ball and raced to a 60-meter try. His conversion kick was good for a 7-0 lead. The two teams battled evenly until Santa Fe center Matt Odle broke through after five minutes and raced to pay dirt. His teammate Joe Lewis added another try just before halftime to put Santa Fe ahead 14-7.

Cory Micander opened the second half with a try for Santa Fe (SF 21, NMT 7) and Odle added his second two minutes later (SF 28, NMT 7) as the Pygmies began to show the fatigue of a long, undermanned day. Tech preserved their pride as the final whistle found them camped near the Santos’ goal line, fighting to put across one final score.

The New Mexico Tech Rugby Club ends the spring 2007 season with a combined fifteen- and seven-man record of eight wins and eight losses. Team training sessions for the fall 2007 season begin on August 21.

-NMT-