Men’s rugby out of playoffs

On Oct. 30, West Chester men’s rugby lost a hard-fought game against University of Pennsylvania, 11-8. The game came down to the last play when there was a questionable call on whether Penn player Paul McDonald was out of bounds while running to score a try. The field on South Matlack Street was very muddy, adding an extra element to the game. Rams fans truly made their presence known throughout the whole game. Fans had also gotten into the spirit of Halloween with Fred Flintstone and even a shower curtain in attendance. It was hard to hear line out calls over the roar and excitement of the fans. This was the last home game for the Rams this fall.The first half was dominated by West Chester wheeling Penn’s scrums; however, Penn came out with the lead with two penalty kicks to West Chester’s one. Once again in the second half West Chester was the first to score a try, later to be matched with a try for Penn in the last minute of play. The line outs throughout the game were evenly matched. The Rams had made one penalty kick in the first half and scored a try in the second. Saturday’s game was an Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union semifinal playoff game to secure a spot to MARFU (Mid Atlantic Rugby Football Union), in the spring. Penn has now secured a spot, while West Chester has given up their spot by losing Saturday to Kutztown in Bethlehem, PA.