Of all the sports extant — those we know well as well as those more exotic (like, say, collegiate Quidditch) — one I’ve never quite gotten is Rugby.
(Except, of course, those boffo bashes back in the day, hosted by the Louisville Rugby Club. At one Derby Eve celebration, there were so many revelers at the cottage off River Road, the porch collapsed. Fortunately it was a short one, nobody was hurt, and we bonged our way til the break of day, sidestepping the wreckage when necessary.)
The sport itself? Well, too much, I dunno, uh, what they call male bonding, you know, groups of guys interlocked with the pile moving a yard or two this way, then a yard or three in another direction, and the ball somewhere underneath. Then someone reaches underneath the guys’ butts to grab the pigskin, like gathering an egg or something, then tossing it to a teammate off to the side out of the fray, who then takes off like he’s stolen a candy bar from Quick Stop.
But, I couldn’t help but think scrum, during what was my favorite play of yesterday’s 20-10 slog over listless Wake Forest.
Up by 7 with six and a half minutes to play, the Cards had just avoided another punt return blunder eerily like that which occurred in Charlottesville. Return guys James Quick and Eli Rogers collided when both went to field the punt. But, U of L held on.
First and 10 at the Demon Deacons 39. Another U of L tally necessary to seal the deal. The day’s rushing star Brandon Radcliff smashed into the middle of the line, where he was soon surrounded by a swarm of WF defenders. Who were then surrounded by a swarm of Cardinals.
Of the 22 participants on the field, 2/3s at least were in the scrum, which, like some overfed centipede, trundled toward the visitors goal line. For a 15 yard gain.
The crowd was energized. The Cardinals got close enough for a 34 yard John Wallace FG to seal the deal. Continue reading Louisville Card File: Wake Forest