By Marina Hare,
Mosaic Staff Writer-
Salve Regina University’s Men’s Rugby Team won their first home game back from Nationals on September 22, at Fort Adams State Park.
The boys competed against Massachusetts Maritime Academy and won the match 29-10. The sun was shining and the sidelines were filled with roughly 75 roaring fans.
Senior Glen Miles (’13), the team’s scrum half, “quarterback”, assisted in the game’s top play. The opening try, “touchdown”, involved Miles breaking out from the scrum, sprinting 50 meters out, and passing the ball to Kyle Russell (’15) for the score.
Starting expectations were high for the team as it was the first home match after the team gloriously won gold at this year’s Division III National Championship. The team’s wing, Alfred Knapp (’13) said, “once the game started, all nerves were gone and we all got the job done”.
The men’s rugby team lost 13-15 starting players last year, but according to Miles, success will depend on this primarily “young team that is eager to learn”, and he also added that “it feels awesome to be back on the practice pitch behind O’Hare, working hard”.
Salve scored 3 times before the opposition had a chance. Knapp says, “We were confident from the first whistle to the last”.
The university’s rugby team is not considered a sport, but rather a club on campus. The main difference between the two is that the university funds sports and the team must be held accountable for a certain set of rules. According to Miles and Knapp, being just a club motivates the team more, because they must work harder to receive their benefits.
The National conference was held in Glendale, Colorado this past April. The victory game was broadcasted in several homes and pubs around Newport. To get to the conference again this year, Miles says that the new starting freshmen must quickly mature and learn the game, as it is many of their first years playing the sport.
According to Knapp, to prepare for the rest of the season and in hope of making it to the nationals the team has “increased [their] practice days, [they] have started team training on 1st Beach in the sand, and [they] are practicing with Newport Men’s Club once a week to make [themselves] better.
Fans can continue following the team for future games and support them for more hopeful wins.
