DESPITE a mammoth effort from their forwards CSU didn’t get their New Holland Agriculture Cup season off to the start they wanted against the Blayney Rams on Saturday.
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The students took a narrow lead into the break at Blayney but couldn’t keep out the hosts in the second half, losing 36-25.
CSU coach Luke Kelly said the match was still packed with positives despite the scoreline not going his team’s way.
“It was an entertaining game and I think that’s a great sign for the new competition,” he said.
“It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. It was great to watch and a great standard of rugby.
“Unfortunately they jagged two intercept tries, one in the first half and one in the second half. Both them came when we were at their 22m.”
Kelly hasn’t been at the helm for the CSU squad for a long time but the opening round game showed the team has made progress in that time.
The mentor is feeling confident looking ahead to next weekend.
“We dominated the scrums and the lineouts. That’s a great thing to see from a CSU team. Blayney were a strong team though and they’re looking like a quality football side,” he said.
“I’m so proud of our forward pack and they’ve given me a great platform to work with.
“I’ve had the boys for only five training sessions so there’s a lot of good things to take away from this game.”
Earlier in the day the Rams made a winning start in their new competition with a 36-0 second grade win.
