Blacksburg Rugby

If revenge is a dish best served cold, Old Gaelic of Pennsylvania served up a feast for Blacksburg by sending the defending Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union (MARFU) Senior Men's Division III champs packing with a playoff road loss. Just a day short of one year after Blacksburg bested the Pennsylvania club in the 2009 MARFU semifinals, Old Gaelic ended the visiting Blacksburg side's hopes of a repeat MARFU title by pinning a 26-13 scoreline on the incumbent champions in a tense 2010 MARFU quarterfinal match.

Blacksburg opened the scoring early through a try to midfielder Mark Seiss, and the enusuing conversion by halfback Kurt Goddard brought the score to 7-0. Old Gaelic found a rhythm shortly thereafter, though, and amassed a 14-7 lead by halftime. Blacksburg whittled the deficit to 14-13 through two Goddard penalty goals, but an unconverted Old Gaelic try gave the hosts some breathing room at 19-13 midway through the second half. After about 75 minutes of play without more than a converted try separating the sides, the wheels came off for Blacksburg as an Old Gaelic loose forward took an errant kick half the length of the park to put the match out of reach at 26-13. Although both sides showed flair and fortitude through the match, Old Gaelic's scoring power and staunch defense will be valuable tools in the remaining playoff rounds.

Blacksburg thanks all of its players, supporters, and sponsors for an excellent season and wishes Old Gaelic well in the upcoming MARFU finals weekend. Thanks are also owed to the referee who traveled to Old Gaelic's home ground to manage the match.

Although the competitive schedule for Blacksburg's 2009-2010 season is complete, a series of casual matches, touch rugby sessions, and seven-a-side tournaments are being planned. Keep an eye on Blacksburgrugby.com for more information.