Texas A&M Wins Inaugural Border Wars Tournament; beat SMU on Friday
Press Release
October 27, 2007
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Pictured: Forwards Captain Sam Rooke(left), Quins Coach Michael Englebrecht (center), Coach Johnny Smith (right)
The tournament kicked off at noon on Saturday with A&M vs. OSU in the first game. It was very hard fought game that A&M was able to hold onto in the end for a 27-21 win. " I think we got up by a couple of tries and then let our foot off the gas and you can't do that against quality opposition, as OSU proved. They owned the last 20 minutes and we were lucky to get the W." said head coach Craig Coates. In the 2nd match of the day, Texas Tech beat OU 43-28. Tech used their athleticism and speed to get past the Sooners. It was a very entertaining game of rugby that Tech controlled from the outset.
In the Sunday games, A&M played OU first up and came away with a 65-8 victory. OU were only able to travel with 19 players and the physical encounter with Tech the day before had taken it's toll ,while A&M had a fresh 15 bodies take the field Sunday morning. " It was a tough day for the Sooners and a big ask to back up after the game on Saturday. To their credit, they fought to the end and never stopped working. A&M stayed to the plan and came out with a lot of intensity." said forwards coach Johnny Smith. The 2nd game of the day featured OSU and Tech that would determine the champion of the Tournament. If OSU pulled out the victory A&M would be champions or if Tech was able to win by 48 points, they would claim the inaugural championship. Tech made their intentions clear from the get go as they jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. It was all one way traffic after that and Tech ran out 46 - 0 winners, just 2 points shy of the trophy. Tech definitely put A&M on notice that they intend to claim the TRU COllegiate title this year.
Regardless of the results, all 4 teams got great games and benefitted from the tournament being put on by the Dallas Harlequins. It was a great event that will become a regular fall fixture for the Super League club. Texas A&M Captain Steven Rios thought the Quins did an excellent job as well, "For the Harlequins to give this kind of support to Collegiate rugby shows a lot of commitment on their part. I thought the field, the games and the dinner on Saturday night were excellent." Tournament Director Duane Watts is looking forward to next year already. "We have identified some things we can do better and will be looking to expand the tournament next year. I was really impressed with the level of play and look forward to having the teams back next year."
In other news, the A&M White squad defeated SMU 26-15 on Friday evening in a hard fought game. It was a big improvement for the A&M side from the games played at the Fort Worth Tourney and also a step up for the SMU club, according to their Head Coach Tony Wagner. " These types of games will definitely help when we get into the league season." he stated. The teams look to make this an annual fixture in conjunction with the Border Wars tournament.