The Crawford XV took on the Santa Clara Broncos this Saturday under ideal rugby weather with slight rainfall. The game proved an excellent learning experience for all of the players on the field and a great first game for many of the rookies. The broncos got in two tries early in the game and the Crawford team wound up on its heels for the majority of the first half. Crawford struggled to support the ball carrier with depth and gain sufficient forward momentum; however, this proved a great learning experience to put our defensive line into action.

In the second half, Stanford picked up the intensity and things began to click on both defense and offense. Communication increased and the team gained needed momentum. We were able to get several breaks off our attacking scrums and got the ball going forward, playing the vast majority of the half inside Santa Clara’s 22. Unfortunately, once near the try line, the team became static and flat, crowding around the ball. This made it difficult to produce quality try scoring opportunities. The final score was 17-0, Santa Clara.