By Larry Mullenix
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The Arizona men's rugby team finished its season with a bitter loss to the Rio Grande All Stars.
The loss was made bitter by the fact that the Wildcats had a 13-10 halftime lead that faded away when UA scored only one second half try and lost 20-18 Saturday at Estevan Park.
Arizona's trys were tallied by Kendall Welsch, Jon Vingelli and Chris Everett.
UA coach Dave Sitton said the game was a learning experience for his team which hopes to build upon the final weeks of the year.
"There was a lack of effort by some of the guys on the field and as a coach that is dissatisfying to see," Sitton said. "Preparation is the most important thing in any sport and I don't think we had that Saturday. You can't be a passive participant in the game of rugby."
Sitton hoped to use a team that consisted mostly of underclassmen but was forced to use some seniors for personnel reasons.
The game also allowed the UA coaching staff to do some late season scouting and Sitton said he was pleased with the performances of Scott Freibaum, Arima Takeshi, and Brandon Christensen, who plan to return in the fall.
In the last four weeks, UA has beaten ASU and Kansas, and lost to Rio Grande and Washington.