By
Jeff Lund
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Rugby coach points to injuries as key factor in back-to-back losses
The UA rugby team's trip to California was no vacation.
A bruised Wildcat team dropped games to both Cal Poly San Louis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara.
"The injuries were just too much for us to handle," head coach Dave Sitton said.
UA could not find the offense in either game to pull out a victory.
"The injuries definitely played a roll in the losses," senior Tyson Swetnam said. "The team's morale is down, but we have to just suck it up and play harder."
The weekend started with a game against the Mustangs, where the Wildcats struggled to score. Arizona managed just one tri by Pat Marek in the 24-5 loss.
"Friday was the biggest loss in years," Sitton said
The depleted ruggers then took on UC Santa Barbara, where offensive inconsistency once again plagued the team.
UA found itself with poor field position most of the game, and inconsistent kicking buried any chance of a victory.
On the other side, UCSB's strong kicking game took UA out of the game. UCSB flyback Kyle Cridge hit four penalty kicks, but hurt UA even more with his punts, en route to a 27-17 victory over UA.
"Punting for field position is extremely important," Sitton said. "We were just repeatedly pinned down by their kicks."
Sitton said that both teams would normally be beaten by Arizona, but UA's injuries matched with the execution by the opposing teams did the Wildcats in.
"With the injuries, we exposed ourselves," Sitton said. "Opponents exposed those weaknesses and took advantage of them. We don't have a single player that is kicking well right now."
The UA rugby team started the season as the favored team to win their conference.
With Josh Allen (knee), Wailele Sallas (ankle), Jonathan Gray (hamstring) and Gray's replacement, Josh Eggman (ankle), all out with injuries and members of the team still battling the flu and similar sicknesses, the UA rugby team can not afford to lose another setback.
"The whole league is in chaos," Sitton said after losing both games. "We were supposed to be the leader. If we beat undefeated San Diego State, the league will be even more chaotic."
The Wildcats take on the Aztecs March 2 at Estevan Park.
