CALEDONIA, Mich. - The men's rugby team played against Arkansas State University for their seventh match of the 15's season on November 12th. The final score against the Red Wolves was 17-7 resulting in Davenport staying undefeated at 7-0. The Panthers hadn't won against Arkansas State in six years. The pitch was overcast for the second weekend in a row, but this weekend the wind wasn't as intense, allowing for more normalcy during the match.

The match started off with Davenport being in favor with their ability to maintain possession and use the ball wisely. All of the forwards were strong as soon as they stepped on the field, dominating in lineouts and scrums throughout the entire match. Defensively they were able to come up aggressively and gain meters during the Red Wolves ball time. This allowed them to get closer to their own try line, then gain possession and score. These traits displayed in the first half led to two tries against ASU leaving the score 14-0 at halftime. 

The second half of the game was 40 minutes of pure skill and endurance from both teams. In rugby, kicks cause a 50/50 ball, whereas if you maintain the ball and use it, it typically takes less risk. This was no match for Davenport, and actually became a strength. With their stellar opportunities, and speedy backline, they were able to pressure quickly and maintain possession from their own kicks from Mathew De Villiers or Sean Nolan. With eight minutes remaining, Mathew secured a penalty kick making the score 17-0. A multitude of ASU tries were held up, resulting in them losing their efforts and staying without points on the board. The Red Wolves were able to make a pretty decent break with three minutes left to spare, but Christiaan Van der Westhuizen was able to not only catch up to the runner, but make a tackle only four meters from the try line. The last few seconds of the match resulted in Arkansas State's first try of the match, running the clock to the very end, and resulting in the final score of 17-7.

The win against Arkansas State University leaves Davenport undefeated thus far in regular season play. The true test for Davenport will be their last conference game against Lindenwood University on Saturday, Nov. 19 at home. Lindenwood also has been undefeated during their regular season leaving them 9-0. The game will begin at 1 PM at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.

Scoring Breakdown for Davenport v. Arkansas State University
Mathew De Villiers - 1 try 2 conversions and 1 penalty kick (12 points)
Joshua Peacock - 1 try (5 points)


Story by: Taylor Badal