The men’s rugby team defeated University of Maine-Orono (UMO) on their home field, with a final score of 42-15. This represents a major turnaround for the Polar Bears, who lost a match decisively last spring when Bowdoin played many inexperienced first years
“There are a lot of hold-overs [from last year],” said Head Coach Rick Scala of the No. 10 Polar Bears. “They’re a formidable team.”
He also noted UMO’s reputation as a physical team.
“They’re the most physically dominating [team] in the state—by a lot,” he said.
The Polar Bears also faced heavy wind during the game, something which can be particularly problematic for rugby matches as it interferes with kicking. According to Scala, however, it was not a huge factor on Saturday.
“Both teams handled the wind fairly well,” he said. “It didn’t favor either team.”
In one particular play, outside center Connor Quinn ’15 distracted UMO’s team, allowing the Polar Bears to pull to one side and open up a spot for Quinn. He carried the ball closer to the try zone, passing it to Charlie Allen ’14, who sped in for a successful try.
Quinn chalked up Bowdoin’s dominant overall performance to better tactics on the field than in previous games.
“A lot of guys came in and worked on stuff over the summer,” said Quinn. “We were able to work well together as a team.”
Quinn also said that the team’s new emphasis on tackling was effective against UMO.
“That was our problem last spring,” he said. “We weren’t making tackles so [UMO] was breaking through and just running all over us. We had great tackles from the forwards [this year]. …That’s huge.”
During the game, the Polar Bear’s teamwork contributed largely to the victory. In awarding the Man of the Match, Scala said that he “could make a case for everyone.” Accordingly, he ended up giving the awards to the forwards and the backs as a whole, an unusual decision that reflected the contributions of the entire team.
The team seemed ready to bounce back after a frustrating last season last, when it was forced to forfeit two games after a hazing incident, including one that was scheduled against UMO. Tomorrow, the team will play at home against Colby, another top-ranked club.
“Colby, in the last 10 years, has been very strong,” said Scala.
Going forward, the men hope to find themselves in the New England playoffs, which annually involves nearly a hundred teams. They promise to remain strong for the next few years. Currently, the starting team is evenly divided: five seniors, five juniors, and five sophomores. This trend is set to continue, according to Quinn.
“We have a good nucleus,” he said. “The sophomore class is very good, and we actually have a good freshman class. They’re obviously learning the sport for the first time, but I think after a season of figuring it out they’ll be great.”