This past Friday, men's rugby roared into Provo, Utah, and defeated the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars by the score of 48-21. BYU brought their trademark physicality and fast-paced running rugby, while the Lions countered with sharp tactical play, combining dynamic running rugby with pinpoint kicking. The Cougars fought hard until the final whistle, but Lindenwood's well-rounded attack and relentless defensive effort sealed an emphatic 48-21 victory.
How it Happened:
Both teams wasted no time setting the tone, launching into some thrilling running rugby—spreading the ball wide and testing the edges. Brigham Young came out quick, but rush after rush, the Lions absorbed the attacks. After a costly Cougar mistake, Sanele Mdingi sent a perfectly placed kick deep toward David Cathcart who turned on the jets. Racing past defenders, Cathcart delivered a delicate touch to nudge the ball over the line before diving on it for the opening try. Declan Ries stepped up and slotted the conversion, putting the Lions ahead 7-0.
The Lions wasted no time after the restart. Moving through the phases with precision, Declan Ries delivered a crisp early pass to Cathcart, who stepped past the defender and surged all the way to the BYU 22-meter line. The attack kept rolling, and after a few more slick phases, the ball found its way to Karsten Rice on the opposite wing. Rice then offloaded to Brendan Mason who powered through two defenders and down in the corner for another try. The Lions now found themselves up 12 on the Cougars.
The Lions collected yet another restart and went to work, stringing together crisp phases in their own half. Eventually finding themselves 20 meters from the try line thanks to Cathcart, the Lions earned a scrum and scored as Sanele Martin picked up his first try as a Lion. Mason stepped up for the conversion and nailed it, stretching the Lions' lead to 19-0.
BYU refused to back down, showing patience and physicality as they stood tall against a full-throttle Lions attack. A loose ball hit the ground and Brigham Young recovered it, charged downfield, and found themselves just five meters from the Lions' try line. With relentless pick-and-go phases, the Cougars muscled their way over the line for their first try. The successful conversion brought them right back into the fight, closing the gap to 19-7.
The Lions still had the momentum and pieced together wave after wave of attacking pressure. Lindenwood looked poised to score again, but Brigham Young held firm with some gutsy defense. A spilled ball landed in the hands of the BYU winger, who turned on the burners and sprinted 40 meters to score a stunning counterattack try. The kicker slotted the conversion, and just like that, the Cougars closed the gap to 19-14 as the halftime whistle blew.
A perfectly weighted restart kick set the tone for the second half, and in a fierce aerial battle, Cathcart came down with the ball and charged deep into BYU territory. Lions' Byron Forword masterfully orchestrated the attack, and guided Lindenwood toward the try line. Then, a slick wide play stretched the Cougar defense across the field, opening just enough space for Jeremy Zwick to fire a flat pass to Eduan van Heerden, who spotted a gap and dives over for the try. Mason nailed the conversion to push the lead to 26-14.
With momentum on their side, Chad Tinney got the ball after a line break and began tearing through the Cougar defense. Spreading the ball wide, the Lions surged forward before being halted five meters from the BYU try line. Tinney then delivered a slick pass to Van Heerden, who found space and dove over for a try. Brendan Mason remained flawless with the boot, slotting the extra 2 points to push the lead to 33-14.
A brief lapse in concentration from the Lions gave BYU an opening for which they wasted no time capitalizing. A sudden breakthrough by Brigham Young led to the Cougars busting through the gap and diving over for a try. The conversion was good, and the Lindenwood lead was cut to 36-21.
Unshaken by the BYU score, the Lions took a deep breath and reset. Fresh legs came on as Brendan Mason, whose boot has been on fire all game, stepped up for the restart. Mason launched a perfectly weighted kick, hanging just long enough to land right in Kobe Millar's hands for his first touch of the game. Then, in a one-on-one showdown, Millar pulled out a cheeky goose step that left his marker in the dust and he dove over for an electrifying solo try. The Lions extend their lead to 41-21.
The Lions kept the momentum and confidence rolling, capitalizing on a fatigued Brigham Young defense as they fired the ball left to right with precision and flair. Then, a powerful carry by Ivan Ingram in the middle of the field created the perfect chance for Van Heerden to spot space around the ruck. With lightning speed, he scooped up the ball and sprinted 30 meters to complete his hat-trick, sealing the deal with a final, thunderous blow to BYU. The Lions sealed the game with a dominant 48-21 victory.
Coach Quote:
Men's Rugby Assistant Coach: "Being on the road is never easy, these boys have found a way to always show up when we play on the road. We had a plan going into the game and the boys executed the plan well. We have worked hard to create depth in our squad and this weekend showed us that we are a well-rounded team with lots of hunger and willingness to do more and more."
Player Quote:
Graduate Student Chad Tinney: "This game really highlighted our depth and utility that we have coming off the bench. As a 23 I felt like we had great synergy and we're really starting to find our identity as a team. With a bit more precision with some of our decisions making, I believe we can be very dangerous.
From a scrumming point of view, we felt dominant, making calls and executing our game plan. It influences the game."
What's Next:
After picking up three more wins over the weekend, men's rugby now boasts a five-game win streak and 32-3-1 on the season. The Lions return to Hunter Stadium to face Midwest Rugby Conference rival, McKendree University. Game time against the Bearcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. from St. Charles, Missouri.
Scoring Summary: 
5' Lindenwood try David Cathcart 0-5
6' Lindenwood conversion Declan Ries 0-7
8' Lindenwood try Brendan Mason 0-12
12' Lindenwood try Sanele Mdingi 0-17
13' Lindenwood conversion Brendan Mason 0-19
24' BYU try 5-19
25' BYU conversion 7-19
30' BYU try 12-19
31' BYU conversion 14-19
44' Lindenwood try Eduan van Heerden 14-24
54' Lindenwood conversion Brendan Mason 14-26
48' Lindenwood Eduan van Heerden 14-31
49' Lindenwood conversion Brendan Mason 14-33
54' Lindenwood Penalty kick Brendan Mason 14-36
69' BYU try 19-36
71' BYU conversion 21-36
72' Lindenwood try Kobe Millar 21-41
74' Lindenwood try Eduan van Heerden 21-46
75' Lindenwood conversion Brendan Mason 21-48
Roster
1 Chad Tinney
2 Mark Barbour
3 Connor Devos
4 Neil Milczarek
5 David Scanlon
6 Riley Richarson-mould
7 Duncan Krige
8 Eduan Van Heerden
9 Jeremy Zwick
10 Byron Forword
11 David Cathcart
12 Declan Ries
13 Sanele Mdingi
14 Karsten Rice
15 Brendan Mason
16 Ivan Ingram (64')
17 Asher Webb (48')
18 Johannes Greyling (52')
19 Harry Regan (68')
20 Zack McCartney (20')
21 Kobe Millar (68')
22 Jack McAllister (48')
23 Jaryd de Jager (15')
