The ASRU scrum gets set to engage the Australian Universities during their match at Bruce Stadium in Canberra.

Ravaged by illness, the ASRU Warriors fell victim to a rampant Australian Universities XV at Bruce Stadium in Canberra in the annual battle for the Weary Dunlop Trophy.

More than half of the Warriors had been or were still suffering from a virus contracted during their training camp at RMC Duntroon in the week before their defeat.

The match, played on July 3 as the precursor to the ACT Brumbies v British and Irish Lions clash, was a tale of two halves.

The final score of 72-10 in favour of the students belied the fact that the Warriors had more than challenged their more fancied opponents in the first half.

Indeed, the Warriors had been first to trouble the scorers when pressure from the forward pack forced Universities into conceding a penalty after five minutes play.

Warriors' inside-centre LCpl Paul Yates (6 RAR) calmly kicked the three points from 30m out.

Neither side was able to assert dominance in the first half as the play swung up and down the field.

The Warriors were able to win several phases and quickly move the ball across the backline - but for a desperate tackle, winger Lt Trevor Hogan (School of Infantry, Singleton) would have scored after being put into space and charging 50m down the flank.

Universities' first try came through their big outside centre Jon O'Connor who proved to a handful for the Warriors' mid-field all night, especially late in the game when he took advantage of the rapidly tiring defence.

When a Universities' backline move was penalised for obstructing the defence, the Warriors were able to break down their left-hand flank and then quickly move the ball wide for flanker CAPT Peter Conroy (1 RTB, Kapooka) to crash over for the Warriors' only try (converted by LCPL Yates).

At the change-over, the score was 10-17 in favour of the students, thanks to a controversial try.

Universities won a line-out 5m from the Warriors' tryline and then drove a rolling maul over the line at which point the Warriors believed they had held the ball carrier up.

But in the second half, the effects of the virus which had resulted in the Warriors cancelling its warm-up game against an ACT Rugby Union President's XV several days before the match, took hold.

With energy levels sapped by the tight first half, the Warriors were unable to contain the students who then scored a procession of tries which blew out the score.

After the game, Warriors coach LCDR Mike Hogan praised his team for the effort they had made.

"It was a tough day at the office - we held out for as long as we could," LCDR Hogan said.

"They're a good bunch of guys - the first half means they can hold their heads up high."

The defeat concludes the ASRU season for 2001.

By David Sibley