SPORTS – These guys are good. Despite a difficult loss in the state championship match this past weekend to the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, the FAU rugby team still had a successful season. In the fall they posted a record of four wins against two losses and the team’s championship lost didn’t hinder the team’s spirit.
A team that has achieved so much success over the past three years does not have a single scholarship athlete. In fact, the NCAA does not even recognize rugby as a sport. The rugby team is made up of students with an interest in the game and volunteer coaches. There is no requirement for someone to be on the team – which is actually considered a club – except that they are in good standing with the university.
A new comer to the rugby team this semester, Jason Weinstein, who the rest of the team refers to as Hobbit, said that he was attracted to the sport because he could put on a pair of shoes and pick up a ball and go play.
“You take all of the thinking of it, just allowing for free play,” said Weinstein.
Rugby has its roots in soccer but it looks more like football. It is a mixture of running, kicking and tackling. It is a contact sport and not a collision sport. Although the players do not wear pads they reported no major injuries this season.
There are 48 members of the team with students welcomed to come to any practice. There are only 15 players allowed on the field at one time, they play both offense and defense. There is an A-team and a B-team. All the players on the team are given a chance to play and contribute in every match. In last weekend’s state championship match, six first year players played alongside veterans.
Being part of FAU rugby is more than just a sport. For some, rugby is an integral part of the college experience.
“He who sheds his blood with me shall be my brother,” said Team captain Brian Trew. “Everyone is brothers out here.”
In addition to the training that the team does two nights a week on campus, they are friends off the “pitch.” The team has a big brother program in which some of the more senior players take younger players under there wings. This unification helps the new additions make lasting friendships while at FAU.
Playing rugby for FAU is not only for men: the women have a team too. This past season the ladies team shared players with the University of Miami. Next year they would like to field their own 15-player team.
Being part of the FAU rugby team may not come with the same glamour as being part of the football team, but it does comes with a winning tradition.
When team president Alex Cook was asked if being part of rugby got him any more attention on campus he said, students “usually don’t know what it is. They pretty much forget about it and have no idea what is going on.”
Cook believes that if people just came out to the matches they would learn to appreciate the game.
Even with what Cook called, “a disappointment,” against USF, FAU rugby will not rest. Rugby is one of the few teams on campus that compete year-round. Practices will continue on Henderson Fields on the east side of the Boca campus every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. The team will prepare for the spring season that will hopefully see them returning to the USA Rugby South Championships as they did in 2007.
If you go out to Henderson Fields you will see them there, practicing the game and loudly singing their songs and yelling their cheers. They are proud to be FAU rugby. One loss did not kill their spirit.
For further information on the rugby team check out the team’s official Web site.
