BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene Men's Rugby recorded another victory last Saturday after defeating Drury, 46-3.
SNU used the strength of its forwards to stifle Drury's attack and the quick hands of its backs to create offensive opportunities.
Although Drury's attack showed good effort, SNU applied pressure early and often shut down Drury's attack. The Panthers' Freshman Locke, Cameron Beavers, led the forwards in a forward-heavy attack style. Sophomore Drake Poth, a talented fly-half, was not able to put his backs to use due to the persistent pressure from SNU's defense. Both Cameron and Drake are both Rugby Oklahoma products from Broken Arrow and Bixby, respectively.
SNU started several of its younger players in the backline. Scrum-half Jacob Robertson, Fly-half Kyler Meinhardt, and Center Logan Landry got heir first nod in the first XV this season and proved to be up to the task. Veteran Center Dayton Bradford carried the load in the backline showing just how dynamic his attacking skills are, scoring twice and setting his teammates up for several other scoring opportunities.
SNU scored almost immediately after the first whistle. Drury responded with a strong effort, but SNU's stingy forward defense and quick ball movement through the backline proved too much for Drury over the course of 80 minutes.
SNU used several impact substitutions in the 2nd half to put the game away. SNU used an unusual bench-split of three forwards and five backs. The strategy proved to be the right one this week as the Crimson Storm were able to use fresh legs in the 2nd half to extend the lead and finish the match.
"I'm pleased with the boys' effort today", says head coach Aric Gilliland. "The forwards were strong and the backs were fast. We continue to improve and as a coach that's really all we can ask. We must continue on an upward trajectory. We will face several strong opponents in the back half of our season, and if we want to be victorious throughout, we will have to elevate our game. The boys know this and they are putting in the work. We will enjoy this one for the weekend. And, back to work Monday!"
SNU's victory was a team effort, but there were multiple key performances that contributed to the Storm's dominance over the Panthers. Tries were awarded to Dayton Bradford (2), Luis Camacho (2), Sam Mille, Martin Mdingi, and Austin Clemons.
Josh Robertson recorded three conversions as well as a penalty kick.
Up Next
With the win over Drury, SNU improves to 4-1 on the season. SNU will suit up again this Saturday, October 14th against Texas Christian University at noon.
