Southeastern rugby seized a resounding 52-22 victory over Tulane on Oct. 12, marking the team’s second consecutive win since falling to LSU. Their dominant performance solidified SLU’s position as a contender in the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference (SCRC).

The Green and Gold also defeated Louisiana Tech 83-3 on the road on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Ben Dufour opened the scoring with a powerful try, capitalizing on a strong push from the forwards during a set piece. Michael Kennedy and Caleb Voltz carried the momentum forward, each of whom scored from drop kicks – a tactical move where the player drops the ball and kicks it downfield to create pressure on the opposing defense – highlighting the Lions’ offensive creativity. 

Head Coach Mark Dixon praised the execution of this move.

“It’s part of our offensive structure. The one that Caleb scored on was fantastic. It was beautiful,” Dixon said.

Lee Ballantine added to the score with an electrifying run; then, Kennedy found the try line again, cementing Southeastern’s massive lead. 

Kennedy credited his squad’s tenacity for his score.

“Rugby’s all about opportunity and my teammates, they make good line breaks. They take the ball hard and fast, and I’m allowed to play off of that. They draw in people, so when I get the ball, it allows me to get a good one-on-one and shoot the gap to finish the try. It’s more about my teammates,” Kennedy said.

After scoring a try himself, Felix Hamilton-Marino emerged with a conversion attempt block. 

“There’s a gap in the rule where there doesn’t have to be forward movement to start your run up, and if he takes a step back and gets on his tiptoes, you can start your run. I decided to run, dive, and stick my arms out. We have a lot of bad blood with Tulane, so we wanted to come out the gates hitting and scoring,” Hamilton-Marino said.

Voltz capped off the match with his second try, sealing the 52-22 triumph for the Lions.

Dixon expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, noting significant improvement in their execution.  

“We did exactly what the plan was. We were much better at our offensive and defensive structures. We had a great couple of weeks of practice putting that together,” Dixon said.

With this victory, Southeastern improves to 3-1 in the SCRC. Fans are encouraged to support the Lions as they aim for a deep run this season.