Topeka Rugby welcomed Tulsa and K-State Rugby to McDonald Field for two friendlies on Saturday afternoon.  It was a great afternoon for rugby and the crowd was a good size to see the men on the pitch.

Topeka kept it close with Tulsa for a good part of the first half but the game got away and the defense could not keep Tulsa out of the try zone.  Topeka had a few opportunities to score but could not find the finishing touches to put one in.  Topeka also welcomed back Cole Forsberg (no relation to the hockey great, Adam Forsberg), who play for Topeka for a few seasons.  Cole scored two tries on the Wizards and played a fine match.

 In the second friendly of the afternoon, Topeka put together a side mixed in with Tulsa and Salina ruggers against Kansas State.  Many of the TRFC players were tired from playing 80 against Tulsa but put up a tough fight but K-State moved the ball well and were not kept out of the try zone as they too won against the Wizards.

Topeka's next game will be on April, 20th against Bennedictine College, "The Black Monks" in another friendly.  Game time is to be determined.

Saturday TRFC was eager to get back on the pitch for their third game in eight days in a merit table match against a tough Springfield squad.  TRFC was eager to see how well they would play after an inspiring match against the British Military just a few days before.  Unfortunately, the Wizards just couldn't find their game.

The final score was 47-7 with Springfield coming out on top in a match that Topeka will try to get out of their system before they head back to the training pitch to get ready for their annual St. Patty's Day Tournament on March 16th. There was a lack of intensity at times, and confusion going into the rucks for many of the rookies is still a problem that needs to be fixed soon.  The back-line had trouble getting the ball in the sloppy conditions caused by the constant downpour of rain.  Also, failure to adjust to Springfield's out manning them in back-line play as well as not getting sucked into the ball on defense caused problems for the backs.

Eric Robberson scored the only try for Topeka on an intercepted pass midway through the first half.  Topeka will need to work on their offensive game-plan to try and solve their scoring woes.  With the upcoming tournament, this will give the Wizards plenty of opportunities to try different things to see what will work for them as the season continues.

Defensively, Topeka needs to do a better job of filling gaps and reading when overloads are starting to form.  Knowing not to contest lost rucks will help cut down on that as well.  Keeping up the intensity for 80 minutes is a problem for many rugby clubs.  TRFC has the habit of playing hard for a half but not a complete game.

It is still early in the spring for Topeka but the season progresses quickly and Topeka needs to work even harder during the week to start overcoming little problems that lead to big mistakes.  This is a club with a lot of heart, but no core identity, but there is the feeling that this is going to change soon.