The Memphis Tigers fell to the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs last Saturday. The bulldogs came to Memphis short and were bolstered by several of the Memphis Kings.
Post match analysis shows the loss was associated with several factors:
- The Tigers fresh off of their trip to the SIRC 7s tournament clearly were off their 15s game. Most of the Bulldogs points
were scored in the first half before the coaches could make critical defensive adjustments.
- Thankfully, we have some very good new players. Unfortunately, they have not had
time to learn our offensive and defensive strategies, leaving missed opportunities and gaps in our defense.
- We are still in search of a kicker. As Swat has said, if you can kick, you get to start,
even if you have never seen a rugby game before. We are that desperate.
This was a very frustrating loss for the Tigers and the lads were clearly disappointed. What made the loss more disappointing is that most of the players played their hearts out. The Tigers to a man were aggressive to the very end. Powerful running plays moved the ball nicely into position only to become stopped by a knock or fumble after the tackle.
We will get to work as soon as the weather lets up. We have a lot of season to play and we will get better with each match. The lads are gelling as a team and they have lots of heart. I am confident we will sort these issues out.
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