It's a wrap: Gamecocks go 2-3 at nationals

The South Carolina men’s rugby club completed the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championship with a respectable 2-3 record, outscoring our five opponents 73-55.

But it could have been much better. The Gamecocks dropped two pivotal Friday games by very close margins.

Here is a quick rundown of the games.

Dartmouth 19, USC 19

The Gamecocks came out of the gate strong and led at halftime. But serval missed tackles and two forward passes were our undoing in the second half as Dartmouth rallied for the early-morning win.

Southern Nazarene 5, USC 27

The South Carolina offense hummed, and the defense was stout. The boys led throughout and returned to style.

Clemson 19 USC 12

Our games against the Tigers are always close. USC led early but were undone by penalties. The boys had a chance at the end, but knocked on a kick-off, and the Tigers took home a emotional victory on the big stage.

Rio Grande 12 USC 0

Nothing redeeming about this. After the loss to Clemson, the boys were flat and uninspiring in their first game Saturday. With several key players missing due to injuries, the defense was adequate, but the team failed to muster any offense.

Fordham 0 USC 22

The boys rallied the troops for the last round up. Energy from the sideline was electric. We emptied our bench and fresh legs helped us roll past Fordham. Senior Jack van Vliet played fantastically in his final run out for the Gamecocks.

Fraser Hart led the Gamecocks in scoring with three trys. Captain Dan Golden and Peter Blackburn, both of whom sat out Saturday's games, scored two trys as did Pat Emch.

“Not a bad weekend. We proved that we belong in the Premiere division,” said Head Coach John Roberts. “Our losses to Dartmouth and Clemson were bitter pills to swallow as they could have gone our way. The final game was inspiring, and we left that game with a smile. We are immensely grateful for the support of our alumni and parents who attended the CRC weekend We had a large group supporting us.”

South Carolina closes the Spring season with a 19-9 record that includes a tournament championship in Tuscaloosa and a third consecutive SCRC championship.