Saturday afternoons at many universities are characterized by tailgates and football games, but SLU is not traditionally one of them. However, there is one relatively obscure sport that has the potential to fill this void. SLU has a highly successful rugby program that played games weekly on Saturdays this past fall as part of USA Rugby’s Division II Gateway Conference.
One of the hidden gems of SLU club sports, the rugby team went undefeated in their conference, and finished the season ranked 11th in the nation. They were ranked as high as eighth previously in the season. Another accomplishment for the team this season was hosting the Sweet Sixteen round of the USA Rugby National Tournament for the second straight year; it was their third year qualifying.
The rugby team consists of about 35 players with a variety of experience levels; some players join the team with years of high school experience, while others bring limited experience or have never even played before.
Rugby is played with 15 players on the field at a time. There are two types of positions in rugby: forwards and backs. Forwards are usually bigger and stronger, comparable to linemen or running backs. Backs, on the other hand, are faster and more agile.
As an English sport, rugby is popular worldwide but relatively obscure in America. It can be confusing for fans unfamiliar with the sport. It is often described as a cross between football and soccer. Players may kick the ball forward, but passes must be thrown backwards. The objective is to touch the ball to the turf in the try zone, similar to a touchdown in football, for five points. Teams then kick the ball through the uprights for an additional two points. Players are tackled like in football, but don’t wear helmets or pads.
Play is re-started through line-outs, where the ball is thrown in from the sideline and a player from each team is lifted into the air to compete for it. Scrums, which resemble face-offs in hockey, follow penalties. Games consist of two 40-minute halves. SLU plays all of their home contests at Forest Park.
The SLU “ruggers” travel to face many of their opponents, and have gone as far as Colorado Springs, Colo., in the fall to play Colorado College. The team has also traveled to Chicago to see the USA Eagles play, and has played games in Nashville, Tenn., Kansas City, Mo., and Key West, Fla.
The team receives support from the community, specifically from the St. Louis Old Boys, which are alumni of the SLU Rugby team, and the St. Louis Rambler Rugby Club, which is the St. Louis men’s rugby team.
Though their conference season is during the fall, the team will be playing exhibition games and tournaments all spring. The team will kick off the second semester with its annual trip to New Orleans to play LSU. Also coming up is a spring tour and trip to Cancun, Mexico.
“Our goal for the spring is to be the first team in SLU rugby history to make it to Nationals in both 15s and 7s in the same year,” SLU Rugby President Joe Mazur said.
Rugby 7s is a variation of the sport where seven players take the field at a time and play 14- minute games. The 7s National Championship Tournament will also be held in the spring.
