The two-day rugby tournament at the seventh-annual Scrum by the Sea on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 was no place for the faint of heart. The Triton women’s rugby team dominated the competition at Warren Field, beating UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State and UC Berkeley, four highly rated teams, by large margins. The Tritons then went on to defeat rival Chico State in the event that showcased last year’s best two teams on the West Coast.
On Nov. 13, the women rucked hard against nationally ranked UC Davis, achieving a smooth 49-0 victory. The second team they trampled (literally), attaining a 38-0 score, was UC Santa Cruz. San Jose State, perhaps a bit intimidated, forfeited in the preliminary rounds.
In the semifinals match on Nov. 14, the Tritons beat UC Berkeley, 27-0. Even Chico State, a long-time adversary that edged out the Tritons last year at Nationals, couldn’t resist UCSD’s onslaught and lost, 25-5. This is the fourth-consecutive year that the Division I team has won the event.
The women were thrilled after beating Chico State, using skillful manipulation to attain their tries and kicks.
“We came out hard and stepped up to show California where we stand,” senior outside center Jessica Venturi said. “The forwards played awesome. And our rookies definitely inspired us this morning.”
Senior Jenny Triplett, playing as hooker and flanker for the team, attributed the strong performance to teamwork.
“We played together all weekend and we’re a lot more confident out there — we know how to read each other and pull together. We know our game,” she said.
This strong sense of unity comes from the team’s experience together — 12 of the 35 women are seniors.
Regarding their impressive game against their state rivals, Triplett added, “Beating this team meant a lot to us, especially after losing to them in March.”
Scorers included Venturi, Triplett, junior inside center Morea Blue and senior outside center Tiki Hays.
“I’m not going to say it doesn’t hurt, but it’s fun — it’s so much fun,” Hays said.
This is the last game of the quarter for the lady ruckers, but they’ll be ready to rock again on Jan. 22, when they will play Clairemont College at UCSD.
