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Each year, the BYU Rugby team faces the same scenario:  The team is perennially ranked at the top of the polls and is favored to win the national championship, but since certain tournament games are scheduled on Sundays, they don't go.  This year, however, the team made somewhat of a different move that will hopefully make a difference in the days the games are scheduled.

The Cougars decided to participate in the tournament, as long as their games were scheduled on days other than Sunday, and get as far as they could.  This they did, and in impressive fashion.  The team met the University of Arizona in the sweet 16 on Saturday, and won a hard-fought 16 - 11 victory in double overtime.  They were scheduled to meet Army the following day, but forfeited since it was Sunday.

Rugby in the United States is governed by the International Rugby Board, as opposed to the NCAA.  The Cougars carried a #2 ranking going into their matchup against the Cadets.  They ended their season with a 16-1 record, of which Irish head coach David Smyth said, "We shouldn't have lost the one, either."

People may wonder if the international presence at BYU contributes to the team's consistent success, but only four or five of the team members are from outside the States.  High school rugby is not uncommon in Utah and California, so many of the team members have had prior experience with the sport.  Highland High School in Salt Lake City has claimed the national high school championship for eight consecutive years.

Whether the scheduling of the tournament will be changed in the future to avoid Sundays is still a question that remains unanswered, but one thing is certain:  BYU will be one of two teams to finish the 1999 season with a tournament win.

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