By Coach Phil Beck
The Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) Lions hosted their inaugural 7s tournament that they hope to be an annual affair. A host of excellent sides descended on Hammond, Louisiana to test their abilities. Memphis, with 32 on the roster took two sides to the competition. The depth of our program is impressive.
Memphis started the day against The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (ULL). The Tigers got off to a slow start with a half time the score of 12-5 Tigers. The second half the Tigers finally caught their stride and finished the game 33-10.
Our 2nd game pitted Memphis A vs Memphis B. Our Killer B side kept the A’s in check limiting the half time to a 12-7 score. However, with a few personnel changes and a tactical adjustment, we finished at 40-7. We are very proud of our program and the significant progress both A and B players have made.
Now in the winners bracket, we faced the hosts, SLU. As expected, it was a very hard game and Tigers first try eventually occurred 3 min into the game. Nick scoring under the posts and Conor chipped in, taking us to half time at 7-0. The 2nd half saw Tully power over for our 2nd try and Conor converted, bringing the final score to 14-5.
The final we faced Louisiana State University (LSU) a D1 side. Tigers has set their game plan, stuck to it and from the moment the whistle went, never looked back. The Tigers played their best Rugby on the weekend… preventing LSU from get in the game. Half time the Tigers were flying at 40-0. The Tigers kept the pedal down through the 2nd half, racking up points to finish the match with 10 tries and 9 conversions and landing us a 68-0 victory.
Coaches were very pleased with the performance of the team. Standing out were Matt Ravi as Man of the Tournament. In the finals match, Connor was steady at the foot with nine conversions. Sehrab scored three tries with Harry and Nick scoring two each.
Also… difficult to put into words, but through the tourney Memphis were light hearted and singing songs. We had a bit of a chant when we would score. In the final on the opposite side of the field the hosts started chanting our song, which was fantastic, as they were enjoying how we played and showed us complete support
Look at the pics below with the opposition. We play hard and tough, but respectful… and we gain the respect and admiration of those with which we compete. We are solid in competition, but making friends along the way. We are proud of the way our players exemplify the true spirit of Rugby. Play hard, win respect and make friends. Well done lads!
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