Rugby makes name for itself

Thanks to the help of  the team’s head coach, assistant coaches and director of operations, the N.C. State men’s rugby team has yet to lose a home match this season.

State opened its season in Jan. with scrimmages against local clubs, but held its first official Atlantic Coast Rugby League match on Feb. 2 with a victory against visiting team, East Carolina. The Wolfpack followed that up on Feb. 9 with a tight 12-8 home win against Virginia in front of a small but vocal crowd. 

The team suffered its first loss of the season at the hands of nationally-ranked Navy by a score of 55-0 in Annapolis, Md. on Saturday.

Senior hooker Steven Bahner, who studies biological sciences, was able to find some positives in the loss.

“I enjoyed playing against Navy,” Bahner said. “It ended up being a really good experience for us.” 

Since rugby is not governed by the NCAA and is not a varsity sport, players are not subject to the same regulations as a varsity student-athlete. One major difference is players are eligible to play for five years, so in the event a player had to take an extra semester or year of courses, they could still play on the team.

Scoring is similar to football in that a team’s goal is to ground the ball between the goal line and the dead-ball line. This is worth five points, and a subsequent kick is worth two points if successful. A penalty kick through the uprights is worth three points.

Another feature of collegiate rugby is a relegation system similar to European soccer leagues. Teams can be shifted up or down from divisions based on seasonal performance.

“We finished sixth in my freshman year, when we were Division II.” Bahner said. “Now we’re part of Division I.”

While rugby is most popular in nations such as Britain, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, it is slowly growing in popularity in the United States. Many major universities have teams. Despite this, it is still seen as a niche sport throughout the country. 

Junior flanker Rob Jordan, studying business administration, acknowledges the relative obscurity rugby is met with in the States. 

“My family is from the United Kingdom, so I knew of rugby as a kid,” Jordan said. “But I didn’t actually start playing until I moved to the US. We had someone from Rugby U.S. come in and teach my gym class about the sport for a week.”

Bahner discovered rugby in high school and has played with a passion ever since.

“It gave me something to do when I wasn’t playing football,” Bahner said. “The team I played on was really good.”

In addition to playing intercollegiate matches, the team is also involved in the Raleigh community. On Feb. 2 prior to the match against East Carolina, the team hosted a clinic for local youth to teach them the finer points of the game. In attendance included Bethel High School, Southern Pines High School, the Raleigh Rattlesnakes and the Clayton Copperheads.

“The main goal was to teach young players a higher level of rugby,” Jordan said. “And they got the opportunity to meet college players.”

The team has five regular season matches remaining before possible postseason play. It will meet Maryland, another strong opponent, at home Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be held at Method Fields.

“That one might be our toughest game left on the schedule,” Jordan said.