Ruggers rough it

The women's rugby team suffered a disappointing loss on Saturday as they squared off against Kenyon College's squad.

In front of a few fans and in the midst of a cold rain the team played a hard game but was unable to capitalize on any of their strengths to score. After 90 minutes of play the final score was 25-0, Kenyon.

The Rhino Ruggers were beaten in the rucks and mauls. Rucks and mauls are spontaneous scrum-like engagements when the two teams vie for the ball.

A ruck is when the ball is on the ground while the teams try to step over it. A maul is when the ball is being held by someone involved in the play. The teams then try to rip the ball from the mess of people and pass it out to their backline players.

Although the Ruggers were good at rucking, the Kenyon team threw Oberlin off with their superior mauling technique. Since the Ruggers rarely won the mauls, they didn't have possession of the ball for most of the game.

The Kenyon team also used more sophisticated weak-side plays, making defense more difficult.

Another weakness was the Oberlin backline's inexperience. Many rookie players, in their second-ever rugby game, were still unsure of what to do when they got the ball. The cold weather made it hard to hold onto the ball, and there was a lot of messy ball-handling on the field.

Despite these problems the team played a spirited game. While the Kenyon team had substitutes for each of the three periods, Oberlin, depleted by injuries, had just a handful of new faces in the second and third periods.

Two players of note were the duo "Versatile Vanya and Vic," junior Vanya Hollis and sophomore Victoria Albina. The two jumped into new positions in the middle of the game after various injuries that took other players off the field. And junior Jen Kew showed her typical aggression with some very - well - aggressive tackles.

The team is being thrown into the big leagues this weekend when they go to the Ohio women's rugby playoffs in Dayton. The weekend will include games against Miami University and Ohio University.

-Susanna Henighan is a member of the rugby team

Rucking: Junior Vanya Hollis rucks over a Kenyon player and competes for the ball in Saturday's women's rugby game. Despite a hardy performance in miserable weather the team suffered a disappointing loss. They have a chance to redeem themselves this weekend at a tournament in Dayton. (photo by Leslie Torre)