Photo: Tulane WRFC Instagram
Saturday’s DII Spring College Championship title marked Tulane’s second in three years – the same amount of time that the Louisiana team has been operational after a decade-long hiatus. And while the squad that won the 2016 trophy and finished runner-up in 2017 included several of the same faces, the 2018 title was a whole different experience.
Related: Read more Tulane articles • Spring College Playoff Brackets • Support TRB: Donate Today!
“All those girls in that time were brand new to the sport, freshmen and sophomores,” Tulane coach Jessica Mallindine said of the 2016 team. “So while the rugby was really good and led to that championship win two years ago, there wasn’t much tactical field vision. [The rugby] was more structured, more regimented … and [players were] less able to make on-field decisions or evaluate when things were working or not.”
In other words, Tulane had the athletes and also the time to develop rugby players.
“Two years later with essentially the same team, barring a few amazing additions to the squad, you have a team that has been here three times and is very tactically driven,” the coach added. “Yes, we work on skills, but it’s vision – what do you see, where are the opportunities, how do you take advantage of mismatches? Their field recognition and awareness, they’re at the point now developmentally where they can make those sometimes instantaneous decisions and utilize their opportunities.”
The Tulane squad also has heartache in its coffer of experiences. In 2017, the team lost the title to Kennesaw State in the final moments, and those athletes focused their intent on returning to the 2018 spring title match.
“We know we can do this. We just need to buckle down and work hard to get to that point,” Mallindine recited the mantra. “We spent an inordinate amount of time traveling to far-off places and playing teams we would never beat, but it helped us recognize faults in our own style of play. From there we really tried to incorporate more tools in our toolbox.”
Tulane was particularly excited for this third trip because it was the first time that all players were playing in their regular positions. In previous trips, players like Maddie Brenner and Alexandra Clarke relocated to the backs to fill injury vacancies, but they were able to make their impact in the forwards as intended.
In Friday’s semifinal against West Coast champion Fresno State, the Bulldogs raced out to a 12-0 lead that was aided by many Tulane penalties and a yellow card.
“If there was one thing I could figure out how to fix … the first 15-20 minutes of Tulane Rugby is always off. It never looks right,” Mallindine seemed to rub her temples. “This is my fifth year of coaching and there was maybe only one match where they came out and were on fire as soon as they were on the field. They need 15 minutes to settle down and get the nerves out, then they find their rhythm, find their groove. They just need to hit a few people and remind their bodies that they know what they’re doing. Then the machine starts to work and it looks good. It drives me crazy, though.”
Tulane turned it around for a 38-17 win and berth to the spring final, but that opening quarter against Fresno State drew out focal points for the championship against Claremont. The team analyzed their penalties and discussed fixes, addressed more disciplined support to better secure possession on the ground, as well as resetting quickly on defense to maintain pressure. The team also reinforced its back line defense by adjusting strongside flanker Lily Wissinger’s assignment.
But again, it was the opponent, Claremont, that set the tone early, scoring two converted tries for a 14-0 lead.
“The first 20 minutes we were failing miserably in doing what we wanted to do,” Mallindine said of bringing day one lessons forward. “We weren’t organized the way we wanted to be, support wasn’t close enough to be effective, and there was a lot of turnover ball because of it.”
But after approximately 25 minutes, the Green Wave started its comeback.
“They’re a tenacious group. If anything, it really motivates them to get it together,” Mallindine said of chasing the lead. “They need an element of feeling like they’re behind or an underdog to rally.”
No. 8 Maddie Brenner scored two tries, and a Rohen Turner conversion saw Tulane trail Claremont 14-12 into the break. The halftime talk centered around aggression, and how the Foxes were winning that battle, and that needed to change. It did, and players like Brenner and Clarke set the example for winning the point of contact.
“The seniors knew that this was their last run, and they intended to leave everything they had to give on the field,” Mallindine said. “But Clarke and Brenner in particular had a really high work rate, especially for as hot as it was.”
Claremont gutted it out but the day went to Tulane in the 38-14 win and title.
“It’s the most cohesive group I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with,” the coach reflected on the season and team. “Because they’ve been playing together, they really understand one another on and off the field … and everyone caters to each other’s strengths. They’ve worked really hard to bring something new to the table, when it would have been easy to be complacent. It’s a testament to their relentless attitude and striving for excellence in all aspects of their lives.”
Tulane #2018SpringPlayoffs