By Gavin Lindahl
Staff Writer
The women’s rugby team has been gearing up to play against Fredonia at home tomorrow. The ruggers look to bounce back from recent losses against Buffalo and Buffalo State.
Several of the club’s players sustained injuries in the team’s first game against Buffalo.
As a result of the mounting injuries, a majority of the players in last Saturday’s game against Buffalo State were still new to playing in regular-season games.
This isn’t all bad news for the club, according to captain Laura Clesse. The injuries have forced the club’s rookies to step up and fill in for their wounded teammates.
“Everyone on our team has played in at least one game,” said Clesse, a junior. “Experience is the best way to understand rugby.”
The club has been taking care to make special preparations for the tough game ahead by working on its new offense to contend with Fredonia’s speedy play.
“We are working on a forward’s offense,” Clesse said. “That way we can improve our positioning on the field, which allows for better phasing with both backs and forwards.”
As has been key to the team’s success in the past, defense has also been a large part of the team’s preparation for Fredonia.
“We’ve been working on getting that first tackle,” Clesse said. “Defense is always very important.”
The club has also been focused on its rucking – something that troubled the players against Buff State, according to Coach Tracy Schrems. Improved rucking will lead to better ball position, which is essential to the outcome of the game.
Not only has Schrems been working on the position of the ball, but she has also tweaked the position of her players.
“I’ve changed our line up a bit by moving Kayla Cronin to inside and Megan Kinney to fullback.” Schrems said. “I hope to see if we can capitalize on Kayla’s speed and Megan’s strength.”
The return of Amber Williams and Katherine Arredondo from injuries and the repositioning of Kayla Cronin and Megan Kinney are all steps in the right direction to bolster the team’s speed and strength in the scrums, Schrems said.
The reimagining of positioning and ball placement will better fit the team so they can play a more competitive game. These will be helpful to the team’s long-term success in their new, challenging division.
Although it’s been a slugfest so far for the ruggers, the club only has positive growth to look forward to. The young team is only getting more experienced each week, according to Schrems.
“Anytime you rebuild a team in this sport, you have to expect it to come with a lot of adversity,” Schrems said. “But we’re putting what we’ve learned in practice onto the field, and we’re steadily improving match by match.”
As has been the case, there will be no looking back for the ruggers tomorrow. They expect a tough, fast game as always – with no more injuries.
