The defending National Champion BYU rugby team is set to play host to the Central Washington University Wildcats in the Varsity Cup National Collegiate Championship semifinals this Saturday, April 27th at 1pm MT on South Field.
The Cougars and Wildcats are familiar foes with a recent meeting in 2012 where BYU prevailed 76-7. But BYU head coach David Smyth knows this week’s match-up will be a dramatically different affair with CWU.
“CWU is a top-flight team,” Smyth said, “They have some very exciting playmakers and are very hard to defend in the open field. And after seeing some of their film from this year its clear that they’re not the same team from last year.”
CWU advanced to this weekend’s semifinal after beating a strong Air Force Academy team last week at the Varsity Cup Western Super-Regional by the score of 81-28.
And with a 10-1 record on the 2013 season the Wildcats are setting to do something that hasn’t been in Provo by a collegiate team since 2006 and that’s beat the BYU Cougars.
“We have a big challenge ahead on Saturday,” said CWU head coach Tony Pacheco,”The Cougars have an impressive combination of size and speed. We have had a great week of training and are excited for the semi final. South Field is one of the great venues for rugby in America with one of the best home crowds.”
BYU earned the right to host this weekend’s semifinal after beating UCLA at the Varsity Cup Western Super-Regional 69-8 last Saturday.
The Cougars sit at 10-2 on the 2013 season with a 10-0 record against collegiate competition.
Despite being the #1 overall seed in the Varsity Cup National Championship and being the defending National Collegiate Champions, BYU captain Ryan Roundy knows that the Cougars will have to be on their best if they hope to keep South Field’s collegiate unbeaten streak alive.
“This is a big game no doubt about it,” Roundy said, “We always expect to play well at home in front of our fans. And we’ll have to really be on top of all the little things if we want to make sure we do that and advance to the championship.”
Saturday’s semifinal post-season match-up is the Cougars’ 9th straight semifinal appearance. Despite the near decade of post-season performance Saturday’s semifinal will be the first semifinal hosted on South Field.
“We’re very excited about Saturday,” said BYU assistant coach Wayne Tarawhiti, “It doesn’t happen very often that you get to host a semifinal like this, but potentially play in the first ever National Championship game hosted on South Field.”
A win on Saturday would put the Cougars playing in the Varsity Cup National Collegiate Rugby Championship which is set for May 4th at 1pm MT on BYU’s South Field. As Tarawhiti notes the Varsity Cup National Championship game will also be the first such game slated for the Cougars’ home field.
A possible BYU win will see them face the winner of the other Varsity Cup semifinal, which sees perennial national champion California hosting Navy in Berkeley, CA April 27th at 2pm PT.
The BYU vs. CWU semifinal match will be broadcast on the Varsity Cup’s YouTube Channel and through Deseret Media’s KSL.com and DesNews.com streaming platforms giving local, but also national and international fans the chance to see the Cougars and Wildcats’ Varsity Cup clash.
Tickets for Saturday’s match can be bought at the gate for $10 for general admission and $5 for students and youth 18 and under.
For more information on the Cougars as they prepare for the CWU Wildcats follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
Source : http://www.rugbyrugby.com/news/by_country/u_s/7010571/byu_hosts_varsity_cup_semifinal