Buffs rugby heads to Elite Eight

University of Colorado men’s Rugby Football Club team heads to the Elite Eight in California this weekend to face St. Mary’s College and vie for a spot in the Final Four rugby teams in the nation.

The men played Wisconsin last Saturday and won 54-24 to give them the final DIA playoff spot.

Senior back Brendan Cox said that they did well as a team against Wisconsin to give them a confident win.

(CU Independent Illustration/Josh Shettler)

“For the first time this year I think everything came together,” Cox said. “Our system and pattern of play was executed correctly and in doing so gave us great match-ups when attacking. Our forwards were running against backs and our backs running against forwards and our tackling was better this week than it has been all season, which was definitely a positive.”

The win was important for the Buffs after losing to Colorado State the previous weekend for the conference title. CU lost 23-20 to the in-state rival.

Junior back Zach Savage said that the Wisconsin win solidified their ability against a tough team.

“It means that our team is amongst the best in the nation, and that we are more than just a club at CU,” Savage said. “We are strong and growing team that competes at the highest level in the nation.”

St. Mary’s, another team they will face, is undefeated, with a record of 7-0. Cox said that with a team as competitive as St. Mary’s, the Buffs will have to make sure they do not make too many mistakes.

“St. Mary’s is a great team, top three in the nation, they will capitalize on mistakes we make,” Cox said. “When playing a team as solid as St. Mary’s there is no room for error, our scrums will need to be perfect this weekend. Our forwards will need to have a great performance this weekend in order to win.”

If the team beats St. Mary’s, they will play either Colorado State or Cal Poly in the Final Four. After the great performance in the Wisconsin game, Savage believes his team has what it takes to do. For motivation, he tells his team that, “While they’re not easily defeated, they’re far from invincible.”

The men will take on St. Mary’s at 1 p.m. Saturday in California.

Correction: This story originally listed St. Mary’s as a varsity team. They are also a club team.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jillian Arja at Jillian.Arja@colorado.edu.