Photo courtesy Generals Eastside Rugby Club
While Rugby Oregon is fielding a new, modified girls’ high school league this year, one thing has remained the same: The Grant Generals vs. Beaverton Lady Barbarians match-up is a classic. The two met on Saturday, and Grant rallied from a first-half deficit to win 45-22. The duo feature in a competition that has re-merged its single-school and club divisions during the regular season, and a parallel 10s division has been created for programs that couldn’t commit to 15s earlier in the year.
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Grant graduated some size and experience from its 2016 championship squad, but having advance knowledge of the team’s strengths and weaknesses allowed coach Eric Zimmerman to customize a game plan early in the year. For example, the smaller, fitter team has focused on decision-making around the ruck, and opportunities to set and spread the defense hold more weight than counter-rucking. Tackling has also been a big focus, and Zimmerman uses the handful of big players he has as tackling dummies during practice.
“In the beginning of the year, I told them: Small teams win all of the time; you just have to do what you do really well,” Zimmerman said. “You can’t lose a tackle … but you can also pop to your feet and go before anyone else does.”
Beaverton is size and power, and the Lady Barbarians were able to draw Grant into contact during the first half.
“They’re a really big team and it would take a couple of us to bring someone down. We’re so used to being in that position that we automatically start rucking,” Zimmerman said. “That draws everything together. Beaverton did a good job of staying spread and they have a couple of wings who are just unbelievably fast.”
On offense, Grant favors the offload game, looking for the pop off of the ground, and has shown good continuity in that regard. But when there was slow support to the tackle, Beaverton was able to take advantage, and that curbed some of Grant’s possession in the first half.
In the second half, the team did a better job in and around the ruck and secured more time with ball in hand. Flyhalf Rachelle Beaudoin did a good job of inspiring the attack, and nearly finished off her up-and-under in the try zone. Twins Tiana and Tiara A’au continue to set the tone for the team, even with Tiana moving from the backline to loosehead – a necessity against larger packs. The Central Washington commit (along with sister Tiara) gets out of the set piece and around the field so quickly that Zimmerman said it was like having four loose forwards on the pitch.
The coach was also very proud of the smaller players who answered that physical call. He pointed to flankers Alex Tees and Zora Enders, who are slight but scrappy and like to hit, and sophomore fullback Mishya Mitchell.
“She’s such a gamer,” Zimmerman thought on the six tries she saved. “The Beaverton wings have size and speed. The pack is huge and crashes well. My little fullback, she’s been working on those open-field tackles, angles and chasing down, and she’s taken all of those lessons to heart.”
Zimmerman is already envisioning Mitchell in the front row next year after Kolby Cantue, a very good hooker, graduates.
Being a young team, the 45-22 win against Beaverton goes a long way in terms of confidence, which is at the heart of Grant’s motto this year. There is still one league game against Canby this weekend, but the Generals have already earned a berth to the club championship. Grant will play the winner of Beaverton vs. North Clackamas. Grant hopes to play Washington leader Kent during the team’s bye week.
The single-school bracket can hold a proper final four, and features top teams like Linn Benton and Valley Panthers – both of which Grant was happy to play this year during league. Playoffs begin May 13, and the single-school and club finals occur May 20.