Purple Haze Ruggers trounce Covenant

Sewanee men play rugby

Photo by Robert Beeland

By Robert Beeland

Staff Writer

On September 12, Sewanee’s own Purple Haze Rugby Club defeated Covenant’s ham-handed

squad by a margin so large that the score actually wasn’t kept past halftime. At that point, Sewanee’s

finest had amassed a 54-0 lead. The team, led by Captain Andrew Pfaff (C ’16), showed considerable skill

in tossing the egg as they bounced back from a lost against a fearsome Western Kentucky University

team the Saturday prior. Last Saturday’s match, however, ended far differently. Having rucked their way

to an insurmountable first-half score, the Purple Haze, in a tremendous act of generosity, even lent

several players to the struggling Covenant squad. Hunter Cotsoradis (C ’18), who graciously donned a

Covenant uniform towards the end of the match, scored the floundering team’s only try.

The estimated final score of the match was 82- 5, in favor of our beloved ruggers. The Hendrix

song-namesake crew made chucking the melon look easy. Sideline reporter Robert Beeland (C ’18)

captured the action of the match with both photos and interviews. “There’s nothin’ better than ruckin’

around with your boys on a Saturday afternoon. The ruckin’, the scrummin’, the melon chuckin’, it’s all

just pure ecstasy,” exclaimed William Pearson (C ’16) as he delicately sipped a sudsy sport-drink of the

barley variety on the sidelines. “Get out of here, Beeland,” Morgan Bernard (C ’16) offered playfully with

a chortle. Bernard— known for his jokes— rucked masterfully, tossing the egg with delicacy, precision,

and gusto.

Ultimately, the Purple Haze ended the game having dominated possession, only allowing

Covenant the ball after a score of their own. The Haze may have been purple, yet nothing was more

apparent than the pulverization of Covenant’s lowly rugby squad—seemingly better fit for a match of

croquet than one involving so many scrums.