Stanford takes win against Santa Clara

Blanche Du Sault ’15 and Jemima Oso ’16 execute an exemplary double tackle that drives Santa Clara behind the gainline.

The Santa Clara game allowed for many more players to gain game time experience. The game was a definite challenge at first as Santa Clara fought for a narrow lead at halftime by 15 points to Stanford’s 12. But the Cardinal picked up with quick clear outs, pace onto the ball, and great support lines and offloads that led to five tries in the second half. The game ended with a 37-22 win for Stanford.

Crawford captain, Stehpanie Navarrro ’15, brought significant leadership to the forward pack throughout phase play. Her hard offensive lines repeatedly drove back Santa Clara’s defense.

“Last year I walked into a sport that I knew nothing about and that was completely out of my element. I learned a lot, not only about the game itself, but also about how to work as a team and how to accomplish common goals through teamwork. Whether clearing out rucks or keeping our team’s spirits high and redirecting our focus throughout the game, so much of my experience last year as a rookie has been vitally important to helping me as a player and a leader on the field this year.
“During the Santa Clara game our team showed some great improvement, and the trend of upward growth continued throughout the 80 minutes. Our defensive launch was looking great throughout the game, but there is definitely still room for improvement in our contact skills, tracking the offense and completing tackles. In addition, we had some great offensive moments, with players running hard lines onto the ball and with good support; yet, we can definitely look to work on our skills taking the ball into contact with a low body height and the ball securely tucked.” – Navarro
Rookie flanker, Lai Turn ’15, had an outstanding performances breaking through Santa Clara’s defense in multiple runs and completing those breaks with successful offloads that led to tries for the Cardinal.

“Being a rookie, I was a little more nervous than usual not having some of our more experienced players playing with us in the Santa Clara game. It was definitely more fun though because I was seeing light bulbs click in a lot of rookies’ heads during the game, including my own! (Hehe) I think our speed helped us win the game. I don’t think they expected us to be that fast. It wasn’t as nerve wracking as the cal game because it wasn’t a conference game, and it gave us the chance to get more experience playing and handling the ball.” – Turn
Coming up, Stanford has a big rugby weekend next starting Saturday, February 16, as it faces Oregon State for the next conference game and Oregon the following day.

Sara Maurer ’16 breaks through Santa Clara’s defense on a run that scores Stanford’s final try of the game.