Montana rugby all-stars finish fourth at NW Challenge

by The Daily Inter Lake
| June 29, 2015 12:14 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Montana Youth Rugby Association All-Star high school boys team fell twice on Sunday to finish the Great Northwest Challenge in fourth place.

After finishing 1-2 in round robin pool play, Montana fell to Hawaii’s Kalihi Raiders 33-7 in the consolation final to finish in fourth.

The host Oregon Red Hawks beat the Washington Wolverines 21-3 in the championship to win the tournament.

Montana fell to Washington 29-5 earlier on Sunday and split its matches on Saturday, falling to Oregon in the opener 57-0 and beating Kalihi 21-19, rallying from a 19-5 deficit in the second half.

Coached by members of the Kalispell Black and Blue, the Montana team features players from Kalispell, Helena, Missoula, Bitterroot and Billings.

The Montana girls lost to Oregon 63-0, Hawaii 17-0 on Saturday, and to Washington 80-0 on Sunday. They were able to score two tries in the consolation final on Sunday, but fell to Hawaii 61-10. The girls team is made up of players from Billings, Frenchtown, Great Falls, Missoula and Bitterroot.