Rugby team left 'swimming' after losing playoff game

Head coach Dave Sitton expressed he was seriously annoyed and aggravated with the way the USA Rugby Union handled the entire playoff format. UA was told it could host the regionals, but the union changed its mind and chose the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs instead.

When the Wildcats arrived in Colorado they were met with bad weather and several inches of snow. Unable to practice because of the conditions, the Wildcats waited for their opening game against BYU.

The Cougars were allowed in the tournament even though they told officials they would not play any games on Sunday. They came into the tournament knowing they were only going to play one game and then forfeit the rest.

Only one field was available for all of the participating teams, so by the time UA was scheduled to play, the field was in bad shape, to say the least, Sitton said.

"I wouldn't have had a tractor pull on that field," he said. "This game was more of a swimming match."

BYU played careless rugby, as nine players were disciplined and penalized during the game.

"They played with a complete lack of integrity," Sitton said. "I have absolutely nothing positive to say about the way that program handled itself this week."

Sitton went on to criticize the USA Rugby for the way it treated UA.

"USA Rugby showed total lack of intelligence," he said. "We have asked our organization to have an investigation, and there are enough people upset, including the other teams present at the playoffs, that something will be done next year to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Even while facing all of these odds, the Wildcats almost pulled out a victory against the Cougars. Sophomore fullback Ken Goto kicked two penalty goals and the Wildcats added a try to end regulation tied 11-11 with BYU. BYU won 16-11 in triple overtime on a botched inbounds play by Arizona when a Cougar player scooped up the ball and fell into the UA endzone for a try.

After the loss, Sitton said the team was lower than low.

"On a dry field, under normal conditions we would score 35 points on that team easily," he said.

But the team finished the season with the same hard-fighting style it played with all year. The Wildcats beat Wyoming 38-7 in the tournament consolation game. Junior lock-player Josh Alan scored two tries, while seniors Jon Shumway and Mike Fair ended their UA careers in fashion, each scoring a try of his own.

Sitton said this year's graduating seniors have laid a foundation that will carry the younger players on the team to a great deal of success. The class had an 18-3 conference record.

"These seniors have shown the younger guys the kind of work ethic it takes to be successful," Sitton said.

The Wildcats finished the year with an 11-3 record. They will likely finish ranked in the top 10.