Rugby ready for upcoming season

posted in: Fall, Sports | 0

Both the men’s and women’s rugby club teams are filled with new and eager players.

Returning players are hoping they will push the teams toward success in the upcoming season.

For the women’s team, returners are hopeful that the athletic ability of new players and the knowledge of the game from existing players will prepare them for a successful season.

“We have about 12 girls out, and most of them are new girls,” junior Kaitlin Dornan said. “They’re really good and athletic, especially for never playing rugby before. I’m super pumped for this season.”

The women’s team does not have a set schedule at the moment, but they are expected to play in a few upcoming tournaments, potentially against teams they faced last season.

“Once we figure out what weekends work for us, then we can talk to other rugby coaches,” Dornan said. “Last year we played Gonzaga University, Reed College and Willamette University.”

“We have a lot of inexperienced people but really good athletes that have played multiple other sports,” head men’s coach Herb Howell said. “Now we just have to teach them how to play.”

After the loss of a few crucial senior players last season, the team hopes to rebuild off of the foundation that they have developed.

“We’ve lost most of our backs from last year and fortunately, we have gotten a couple of people that are going to help us a lot,” Howell said. “We’ve got intelligent players and athletic people.”

The men’s team is looking forward to the next few months to help shape the atmosphere of the team, allowing returning players to improve their skills and take the opportunity for newcomers to learn the game before going into league season in early spring.

“The bulk of our players are football players at Pacific, so we have our league season in February, March and April. The fall season is more for teaching and fitness to help prepare,”  Howell said.

“We play a few tournaments and basically just try to teach the game and get people to understand it, so when we got into league season with the rest of our players, then things get real different,” Howell said.

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