Media Credit: Maureen Ferry

            The Bulls Rugby Club members suspected they might have a pretty easy game once their opponents finally showed up. That's exactly what they got.

            The Bulls completely dominated an overmatched and undermanned University of Kansas (Lawrence) team during their 63-0 victory Saturday.

            KU's squad didn't arrive for the game until about 10 minutes after the scheduled starting time. Only 12 KU players showed up, which is three players short of the minimum required to field a full squad. To play the match with both teams at full strength, the Bulls decided to send a few of their players to help their opponents.

            Once the game was underway, the Jayhawks proved to be no match for the Bulls. The Bulls, who played their entire A-side in the first half, had nine tries in the first two quarters and were able to convert on all nine to take a 56-0 lead into halftime.

            Inside center Luke Walczewski said everyone on the A-side played well, and the team showed improvement over the previous week's game, which the Bulls won 24-10 against Iowa State University (Ames).

            Sophomore right wing Chris Bell said he was impressed with the way the Bulls were able to move the ball.

            "We ran through our plays really well," Bell said. "It was very fluid."

            After thoroughly dominating the first half, the Bulls altered their lineup during the second half to allow some of the B-side players to see some action. Although the second-half lineup was not quite as proficient as the first-half group, the Bulls were still able to prevent the Jayhawks from getting on the scoreboard and also added another score to the final total.

            Fullback Justin Carley said the younger B-side players showed good progress during the game, and the experience they gained should help them continue to improve as the season goes on.

            Despite the huge margin of victory, the Bulls found asspects of their game they think they can improve. 

            Bell said that even though the team was mixing in several new players in the second half, they still could have played better.

            "We didn't look as organized in the third and fourth quarters," Bell said. "We were getting tired and we weren't helping each other out."

            Walczewski said mental errors in the second half held the team members back from finishing as well as they would have liked.

            "We need to work on keeping our focus and working on playing smart rugby," Walczewski said.

            Even though the team members would have liked to finish with a stronger second half, they were definitely pleased with the result and hope to have the same kind of success as the season continues. 

            The Bulls have a couple of weeks off before returning to action. Their next game is scheduled for Sept. 28 at home against the University of Missouri-Columbia.        

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