ST. CHARLES, MO – The Principia Thunder Chickens rugby team kicked off their 2023 15s campaign on Saturday afternoon against local rugby powerhouse, Lindenwood University. The Lions hosted Principia on their turf rugby field in front of a big crowd of fans from both schools. The final score was 22-3 in favor of Lindenwood, but the match was a very tight contest with both teams matching up well.
For the first 30 minutes, neither team could break through to score a try as each side only converted a kick for a 3-3 tie. Principia thought they had scored a try on a
Ntando Sibanda run midway through the first half, but the referee ruled the ball had not touched the ground. The Lions scored the first try of the game with nine minutes to go in the half as Lindenwood went into halftime with an 8-3 lead.
After a try for the Lions early in the second half to extend the lead to 15-3, Principia came very close to scoring again as
Andy Naringo stretched for the goal line but the ball was knocked away by the Lions right before it crossed. Lindenwood added one final try with seven minutes remaining as they came away with a 22-3 victory. On top of the close calls at the goal line, Principia also missed a couple kicks that would have made things tighter on the scoreboard.
The Thunder Chickens' line out functioned well both on attack and defense with
Luigi Furlan making the calls and
Charles Luhanga throwing the ball in well. In the back,
Andy Naringo carried the ball very well in the center while his center partner,
Tobias Duque, was outstanding with his defensive work rate.
Lindenwood plays with USA Rugby instead of National Collegiate Rugby, so this was an exhibition in preparation for Principia's upcoming NCR matches in the Division I Big Rivers Conference. The last time these two teams faced off in the fall of 2021, Principia lost 77-7, so this weekend's match shows the strides that the Thunder Chickens have taken in the last two years.
"We are very pleased with defensive effort and physicality against a very strong opponent," said Coach Kellerman afterwards. "Our forwards matched up to the challenge, and that was the objective of the game. We will work to improve our ability to exit from our own half and to find more of our attacking rhythm."
Up Next: The Thunder Chickens will open conference play next Saturday, September 23rd, with their first NCR Division I match at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, IA at 1:00 pm CT.
Hear more comments from Coach Kellerman after the match:
