Match Report: Husky Rugby is Back!

UW Men’s Rugby battled Oregon on a wet, muddy day at Pat Ryan Field near SeaTac, a stark contrast to the fall quarter meeting where Oregon claimed a 59–5 win. This time, the Huskies delivered a composed and physical performance that showed clear growth as a squad.

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The first half was controlled almost entirely by UW. Oregon entered the Husky half only three times in the opening 40 minutes. The only points of the half came from a Sebastian Sosa penalty kick, giving UW a 3–0 lead at halftime.

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Scrumhalf Shun Nakatani was outstanding tactically, landing two excellent 50–22 box kicks that gave UW attacking lineouts deep near Oregon’s try line. UW created multiple scoring opportunities but couldn’t capitalize. One lineout maul appeared to be collapsed by Oregon but resulted in a penalty against UW, relieving pressure on Oregon. Another highly debated moment came with a UW knock-on call at the try line that denied a potential score.

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Halftime: UW 3 – Oregon 0

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‍The second half flipped momentum. UW struggled to exit its own half, and Oregon struck first with a try in the corner, unconverted. Oregon added a second similar edge try, also unconverted, keeping UW within reach.

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UW responded with a strong phase of possession and field position. After working down the field through multiple phases, center Vaea Tangitau finished the movement with a try. Sebastian Sosa converted to level the match at 10–10.

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Despite a resilient defensive effort, Oregon found space on the edge one final time for another unconverted try, sealing the win.

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While the result didn’t fall UW’s way, the improvement from the fall meeting deserves recognition. UW played composed rugby in difficult weather conditions, committing fewer knock-ons and turnovers than in previous matches. Oregon spent large portions of the match under pressure and in disorganized phases, while UW maintained structure and discipline. This is clearly a different UW team than the one Oregon faced earlier in the season and provides a promising outlook heading into this weekend’s social sevens tournament at UPS, and the following week’s home matchup against Oregon State.

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UW’s Second XV delivered an emphatic 36–0 win over Oregon, highlighting strong development among younger players and the growing depth of the program.

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‍Man of the Match: #9 Shun Nakatani

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‍Second XV Man of the Match: #9 Dylan Weber

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Both scrumhalves controlled tempo throughout the day, providing clean service from the rucks and making decisive tactical kicking decisions that consistently put their teams in strong field position.