Men’s Rugby Builds Upon Flawless Starting Record

24

Author: Sant Kumar

Men’s rugby is looking to their toughness and experience to help them go undefeated in league play this season. With a blend of veterans and new additions, the team has gotten off to a flawless season start, winning their first three games.

The team’s improved chemistry and increased commitment is one reasons for this season’s strong start.

“Players on this year’s team are more focused on team attitude. A lot of players are seniors and juniors so they’ve developed chemistry. The freshmen and sophomores are really good fits,” Jonathan Ni (senior) said.

A new coach has also energized the team with his new perspective. “We all liked our previous coach, but our new coach is a breath of fresh air,” Ni said.

Along with a new coach, a new strategy has been adopted by the team. After a few of the more experienced players graduated, the men’s rugby team is relying on physical endurance and improved skills to compensate for their smaller size.

“In previous years, the team strategy was surrounded on bigger, stronger guys. Now that those guys graduated, we’re more on our backs. We’re smaller, but on the field our strategy is more focused,” Ni said.

The team has concentrated more on the technical aspects of rugby this year. According to Matthew Nixon (junior), the team’s focus this year is on technique.

The players are focusing on footwork, placement and working together on the field. They want to be the smartest team at each match.

Though rugby may result in more injuries than other sports, the players are not deterred from playing. In fact, they thrive on the intensity of the sport.

“You don’t really think about injuries when you’re playing. If you play smart you won’t get injured,” Nixon said.

Ni agreed. “Injury can happen in any sport. We love the physical contact. Rugby is a huge stress reliever. You just go out there and focus on the game, and at the end of it, you’re completely spent,” Ni said.

He added that the intensity of rugby allows the players to forget about their lives off the field.

Mitchell Grummon (senior) believes that the physical intensity of rugby and the possibility of getting injured on any given play makes it more fun and forces the players to practice harder.

“It adds an edge to the game. You have to be extremely focused if you’re going to go out there and play. You have to prepare fully and train harder,” he said.

Not only does the rugby team hope to accomplish an undefeated season and perform well in playoffs, but they also want to make sure every one of the players improves each week. With the fluctuating amount of players on the roster each season, improvement and integration into the team are crucial. Each player is dedicated to learning from their coaches and peers while working to progress during each practice.

“We want to win all our games. But we also want everyone to get better, so that they’re better than they were at the beginning of the season. Even guys who are not playing we want … to get better in practice because they are the future of Oxy rugby,” Nixon said.

Grummon echoed this sentiment. “If we get better each week we’re succeeding,” he said.

The rugby team plays next on Saturday, Feb. 25.

This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.

Loading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here