This past weekend, the Wolfpack traveled to Atlanta, GA to play at a neutral site for their South quarterfinals playoff game. The Wolfpack was the home team, but due to South regulations, since Ole Miss would have to travel more than 400 miles to reach Raleigh, the neutral site had to be selected. Atlanta Old White men’s club graciously hosted both teams, set up the field and provided a social afterwards. Both teams had the previous week off for spring break, meaning no practice for a week. A sloppy match was to be expected, and that is what ensued.

Unfortunately due to the timing of the match, both teams had trouble with getting their usual personnel to Atlanta. Ole Miss said they had a few players with connecting flights that were delayed, not allowing them to participate in the match, thus, they could only field 14 for the match. The Wolfpack were also missing some starters, although they still only had 15 men at the field.

The game started at 3pm, with the warmest weather the Wolfpack had to play in yet this season. The match also started 15 on 14, although this changed shortly. Since the Rebels could not field a full side at the start, they did not have any subs, and at one point in the first half the game was 15 on 12. Will Teague started the Wolfpacks scoring with a penalty kick from the 22. The first try for the Wolfpack was put up by a player who stepped up due to missing personnel, Brett Simpson from the wing. The Wolfpack ended up piling on trys, Although the Rebels never quit. The Rebels actually scored a try in the last minute of the game, showing their drive until the end, although they were unlucky with their personnel and injuries. The Wolfpack also received two injuries, and by the end of the game it was 12 on 12 rugby. The Rebels had very physical forwards play, which kept them in the game for the duration, although the Wolfpack still prevailed for a 41-22 victory.

Following the match, Atlanta Old White hosted a social for both teams. At the social, we followed in Ole Miss’s after-match tradition of having each team select the man of the match from the other team. Ole Miss selected Bryan Maxwell from the Wolfpack, who played fullback for the day. The Wolfpack had a slew of notable players who stepped up to the circumstances well. Major recognition should be given to Brett Simpson, who in his first a side start, and still in his first year, scored two trys from the wing. David McCallister, also a freshman and new to rugby, got his first a side start and scored a try himself. Jon Rogers, who has usually played prop for the Wolfpack, with the self proclaimed nickname “prop-magic”, stepped in at second row and played a great game. Greg Hesler filled the shoes at scrum half, with an exceptional command of the field. The usual players, the guys that show up every week, also played well.

With the win, the Wolfpack will travel to Murfreesboro, TN for the South Final Four tournament this coming weekend. NC State will take on GA Tech for their game on Saturday, March 27. With a win on Saturday, NC State will have clinched a spot in the South Division 2 Sweet Sixteen tournament in Sanford, FL, since the south gets two spots. The game on Sunday will determine the seeding for the sweet sixteen tournament, and the South Collegiate Division 2 Champ. Elsewhere, App State took on Vanderbilt and won, 22-3. The Wolfpack expects to face them if they win on Saturday. The Wolfpack are currently 6-0-1 on the season, without a loss, making this one of the best seasons for NC State rugby in a while. The Wolfpack are well on down the road to arriving at their pre-season goal of making the National Sweet Sixteen, which seems more attainable than it ever has. Please cheer on the Wolfpack as they travel to Murfreesboro, TN for the South Final Four!

Starting A side
1 Mark Addison
2 Matt Pace
3 Abe Harman
4 Eddie Youngs
5 Jon Rogers
6 David Hunt
7 Phillip Burcal (Captain)
8 Andrew Birch
9 Greg Hesler
10 Robby Dow
11 David McCallister
12 Will Teague
13 Brandon Mosiman
14 Brett Simpson
15 Bryan Maxwell

Match summary by: Phillip Burcal