Hammers Rugby (hammersrugby.com) High School Boys team played a doubleheader earlier this month at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
In their first match, the Hammers put together an impressive all-around performance against Dakota Ridge. The forwards produced a steady stream of quick ball, and the backs created frequent line breaks. Scores came at regular intervals for the Hammers, who ended with a 57-0 win.
The second match against a well-drilled Summit County team proved a different proposition. Slick handling by the Summit backline, finding runners taking passes at pace, led to 3 early tries for them. The Hammers showed resilience to bounce back, scoring two tries of their own, while controlling play for long stretches of the second half. But a late, length of the field, breakaway try for Summit sealed a 12-29 loss for the Hammers.
The Hammers face Summit again this weekend (4/9), with the other opponents North High School from Denver in another round-robin format of fixtures. The games will be played at Preston Middle School in Fort Collins, with the Hammers’ first game scheduled for a 12 pm kick-off. Hammers High School Girls’ side will scrimmage at 10 am.
Hammers Rugby has players from Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, and the surrounding areas. The boys and girls teams are always looking for new players – no previous rugby experience is necessary. The Boys High School Team practices on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 pm on the field behind McGraw Elementary on Hinsdale Drive in Fort Collins.