After nearly a three-month break in true 15's competition, men's rugby returned to the pitch with a 45-24 victory over Mount St. Mary's Saturday afternoon at Tennessee Rugby Park, a neutral site in Knoxville, Tennessee. In a back-and-forth battle that was tied midway through the second half, the Lions finally took control in the final 20-minutes with a flurry of scoring.
How it Happened:
Lindenwood put pressure on the Mount right from the start. With the wind at their backs, the Lions tested their opponent with a deep kick up field. MSMU tried to spread the ball wide, but a well-timed kick from the flyhalf went straight to
Brendan Mason. He expertly nudged the ball into touch and set up a pressure-packed lineout for Lindenwood just five-meters from the try line. The Lions formed a powerful maul and drove the ball over with
Mark Barbour finishing it for a 5-0 Lindenwood lead in the fifth minute.
Mount St. Mary's delivered an immediate response just four minutes later. The Mount launched a kick and followed it with extreme defensive pressure. Moments later, the Lions lost a ball deep in their end, giving the Mount the perfect chance to get back into the game. They fired through a few quick phases, swinging the ball from side to side, and earned themselves a penalty right in range for a free kick. It was successful, trimming the Lindenwood advantage to 5-3.
Both teams traded possessions after the ensuing kickoff. As MSMU tried to mount an attack, the Lions defense forced a bridged pass out to the wing. That's when
Jaryd de Jager and
David Cathcart pounced. A lucky bounce sent the ball straight to Cathcart's foot. He quickly kicked it over the try line and then dove on it to complete the score for a 10-3 Lindenwood lead after 13-minutes.
After the next kickoff, both teams once again traded possession first before the Mount charged back with several attacking phases, but Lindenwood repelled the push by winning a crucial penalty and sent the ball flying downfield. Moments later, Mount St. Mary's turned over possession again, won a penalty, and slotted the kick to make it 10-6 in the 19
th minute.
At the midway point of the first half, the Lions are driving again after the Mount concedes a crucial scrum. From the set-piece,
Declan Ries orchestrates a moment of magic by launching a perfectly placed kick over the defensive line. Mason times his run to perfection, collects the ball, and swiftly offloads to de Jager who storms over the line for a try.
Byron Forword nails the conversion stretching the Lindenwood lead to 17-6 in the 22
nd minute.
Mount St. Mary's attempted to answer, but a lineout went awry.
Mark Barbour snatched up the loose ball and quickly started a series of sharp phases that steadily wore down the defense. Demonstrating full flair and vision, Mason whipped an inside pass to captain
Duncan Krige who puts on a show by weaving through defenders and into the zone. Forword handles the conversion, and the Lions had built a 24-6 advantage in the 28
th minute.
It appeared that Lindenwood had a comfortable lead, but MSMU had other ideas. The Mount launched a booming kick deep into the Lions 22-meter zone and piled on pressure. A few relentless phases later, their efforts paid off with a penalty on Lindenwood and an easy three points. Mount St. Mary's continued the relentless pressure, and that persistence led to another penalty and another three points. With about five-minutes remaining in the half, the Lions lead had been cut to 24-12.
A yellow card left Lindenwood down a man and the Mount seized opportunity by exploiting the extra space. MSMU ultimately stormed over for a crucial try and conversion right before the break, leaving the Lions with just a 24-19 advantage.
With the outcome of the contest still in question, both teams fired on all cylinders in the second 40-minutes. There were several possessions both ways, but no points. About midway through the second half and after the Lindenwood yellow-carded player returned to the field, the Lions were driving, but Mount St. Mary's anticipated a wide attack and leaped for a perfectly timed intercept. Without breaking stride, MSMU sprinted untouched for a try. With just under 20-minutes remaining, it was tied 24-24.
The comeback effort by the Mount might have taken the wind out of their sails as the Lions scored 21 unanswered points from there. After a crucial scrum, Jack McAlister spotted space on the blindside. He put his head down and drove the ball within five meters. Two phases later,
Asher Webb bulldozed his way through for a converted try and a 31-24 lead in the 67
th minute.
A yellow card put Mount St. Mary's a man down and Lindenwood quickly took advantage. Even though the Lions were deep in their own half, space was available out wide. Sanele Martin Mdingi pulled the strings by drawing in defenders and then offloaded to Cathcart who put on the afterburners for a 45-meter run. Just as the cover defense closed in, he tossed the ball to McAlister for a well-worked team try. Forword remained flawless with the boot for a 38-24 score with 12 minutes remaining.
With seven fresh players subbed into the lineup, Lindenwood had new energy and looked for one final blow to clinch the match. A crucial lineout in the Mount have of the pitch set the stage for a masterful Lions play.
Riley Richardson-Mould took a hard, charging line into the defense, shrugged off the first tackle, then popped it to
Declan Ries who kept momentum going with some slick pinball passes. The ball finally landed in the safe hands of Scanlon who raced over the line. Forword executed one last conversion, and it was 45-24 in the 75
th minute. That sealed the victory for Lindenwood.
Coach Quote:
Head Coach
Josh Macy: "We are very thankful to Mount St. Mary's for a great game. The middle third got away from us but it was a great early season test for the guys. We'll look to tune up our discipline to be sure to learn from this moving forward."
Player Quote:
Sophomore
David Scanlon: "I felt like our physicality and skills were far better than Mounts, just lacked discipline and patience in key areas of the pitch that cost us."
Scoring Summary:
5' Lindenwood Try
Mark Barbour 5-0
8:40' Mount St Mary Penalty kick 5-3
13:20'Lindenwood try
David Cathcart 10-3
19' Mount St Mary Penalty Kick 10-6
21:40' Lindenwood try
Jaryd de Jager 15-6
22:30' Lindenwood conversion
Byron Forword17-6
27:20' Lindenwood try
Duncan Krige 22-6
28:15' Lindenwood conversion
Byron Forword 24-6
30:47 Mount St Mary Penalty Kick 24-9
35' Mount St Mary Penalty Kick 24-12
40' Mount St Mary Try 24-17
40' Mount St Mary Conversion 24-19
61' Mount St Mary Try 24-24
66' Lindenwood Try
Asher Webb 29-24
67' Lindenwood conversion
Byron Forword 31-24
68' Lindenwood Try Jack McCallister 36-24
68'Lindenwood Conversion
Byron Forword 38-24
74' Lindenwood Try
David Scanlon 43-24
75' Lindenwood Conversion
Byron Forword 45-24
