FSU Hosts Successful Weekend of Rugby

On the first day of the Division 1 Matrix Primer Event in Tallahassee, Florida, Mother Nature was the real winner. At 1:00pm on Saturday, both fields were declared unplayable due to persistent rains. Three of the four scheduled games were played while the match between the University of Tennessee and University of Georgia's B sides had been moved to Sunday's slate.

In the first match of the day, FSU's Emerging XV took the field against a big, experienced UF "B" squad. The inexperienced and, at times, nervous 'Noles succumbed to the Gators by a final score of 32-5. The Seminoles lone score came from scrum half Thomas Brady whose energetic effort was a bright spot on an otherwise tough day.

Next, the FSU First XV played to a 10-10 tie with UGA "A", a repeat of the tie up in Athens back in October. Dylan Hamilton scored all 10 points (try, convert, penalty) for the 'Noles who gave up a late penalty to the Bulldogs enabling them to pull even. A wet ball and a litany of other errors were the 'Noles undoing despite enjoying a decided territorial advantage throughout.

The final match of the morning saw #19 UT face off against #24 UF. The Gators came out quickly, using a well-drilled, hungry pack and effective kicking to jump out to a 15-0 lead. The Vols were clearly working out the rust and a late score wasn't enough in a game that ended up being an 18-5 final score. The game was called with five minutes remaining in the 2nd half due to rapidly deteriorating and increasingly unsafe field conditions.

The second day of the Division 1 Matrix Primer event in Tallahassee saw improved weather but ongoing problems with field conditions. Three of Sunday's scheduled matches were cancelled outright due to soft field conditions, including two reserve-grade matches between FSU/UGA and UT/UF. FSU's scheduled Developmental XV match versus Niceville RFC also had to be called off.  UT and UGA's reserve grade players did get an extended run to start the day, while UF and UGA squeezed in a shortened A side session just before the facility was shut down completely for the day at 4pm.

The featured event of the day was a near full length match between FSU's First First XV and the #19 University of Tennessee. The 'Noles came out fast, looking to rebound after a disappointing effort versus UGA on Saturday morning. After weathering an extended period of early pressure from UT, the 'Noles were able to cross over for the game's opening try. Senior winger Chris Gonzales worked his way down the wing before off-loading at just the right moment to fly half Dylan Hamilton who turned a superb support line of running into five points. Hamilton also kicked a drop-goal and a penalty accounting for all of FSU's points for a second straight day. The Volunteers came on strong late in the game, scoring two try’s in the final five minutes to win 12-11, denying the 'Noles of what would have been a memorable upset of a nationally ranked opponent in their semester since moving up to Division 1.

The 'Noles won't have much time to lick their wounds, as they next travel to Gainesville on Friday to face arch-rival #24 University of Florida in a series of three evening matches. Friday marks an important day for the development of the collegiate game in Florida as FSU and UF will field three full teams against one another - the first time two Florida-based colleges have had the roster depth to do so, in recent memory. Two reserve grade matches are set-to kick off at 5:00pm and 6:30pm with the full Division 1 FRU Matrix match getting underway at 8pm.