Author: Elena Fuell
With many returning players bringing experience to the field and an exuberant love of the game all around, Men’s Rugby is finishing up a knock-out season. The Oxy Blackshirts tackled the rugby teams of University of California at Irvine and University of Southern California in the Rugby League Championships playoffs this weekend, Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15. The Blackshirts were defeated by UCI but emerged victorious over USC in overtime. Overall, Oxy finished third in the Gold Division with three wins and two losses. Players cited UCI, as well as Loyola Marymount University, as two of their toughest opponents this year. “UC Irvine had a really good line-out. LMU was trained very well, and knew how to change the field around very effectively,” Jonathan Woodside (senior) said.
Their 20-25 win over the mighty University of Southern California Trojans in February and increased advertising for the games brought fans flocking to the field this season. “We’ve really been getting the message out and after our win against USC the fans have really started getting into the stands,” Rugby Football Club President Spencer Jemelka (senior) said. “Rugby as a sport speaks for itself, though. It’s entertaining and exciting. The students have been great and we love them all.” The team’s success this season is a result of both a large number of returning players and the hour-and-a-half they put in three times a week for practice. “Last year, we had a lot of new faces. For a lot of players it was their first year ever playing the sport. This year most everyone has at least a year of experience,” Ryan Serrano (sophomore) said. “Our forwards have improved a lot as well; they are able to push around almost every team we play.”
Rugby has also recruited several football players looking for a contact sport to play in the off-season, which has added to the strength and abilities of the team. “The valuable addition of football players over the past 2 years has given the team a marked athletic boost,” Jemelka said. “We also have some international players that have brought needed experience to the team.”
As this season wraps up, the team considers changes and improvements for next year. “We’ll work on becoming more synchronized as a team [. . .] learning about one another and fixing up some weak parts of our defense,” Alfred Mata (first-year) said. Players said they also hope to see more support from the administration, both structurally and financially, for Rugby and club sports in general. “As of right now the administrative support for club sports as a whole has been abysmal,” Jemelka said. “Club sports have no home on campus. We are not fully a part of Office of Student Life and we are shunned by Athletics. [. . . Also,] the school has no access fund for club sports and major investments on equipment. This needs to be rectified.”
Regardless of the challenges of playing a club sport, an avid love of the game is expressed by many players. “It’s just an amazing sport that challenges your physical and mental capabilities,” Serrano said. “I also love it because it’s non-stop running and hitting.” Enduring bruises, soreness and the occasional black eye, the team’s dedication to their sport is unquestionable. “Rugby is the greatest game on earth,” Jemelka said.
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