BY ALYSSA BOWIE

In print | Published October 30, 2008

As the fall sports season draws to a close and conference championships rapidly approach, club teams, such as men’s and women’s rugby, find themselves with just a few matches remaining. For the rugby players, participants in a sport noted for its rough play and heightened sense of community, the end of the season brings about a chance to play their last few games and look forward to the spring season.

For members of the men’s team, playing rugby on the club level is largely a new experience. First year students usually take up the sport with little to no prior experience, though many were formerly football or soccer players. Although such ability level coincides well with the relatively low commitment level required, it does not mean that the squad is not tested. The team travels within the area to face other squads such as Lehigh, The College of New Jersey, Haverford, and most recently, Lafayette.

The Lafayette game, according to Ken Flanagan ’12, was the perfect embodiment of the spirit of rugby, both in the environment in which it was played and the way in which it marked the team’s progression from the beginning of the season. “We played really well,” he noted, “the entire team did really well on the whole. It was super fun because it was pouring rain and muddy, but not too cold…and the [opposing] team was a very nice team, they didn’t play dirty.” “You can tell that we’re getting better,” added Julian Leland ’12, “and that everyone’s working more like a team now. At the very least we understand the mistakes that we’re making.” Although they fell to Lafayette 12-13, they were happy with the close score and were excited by specific individual plays that stood out, such as successful combinations of passes and runs coming out of the back. These beautiful passing progressions are what stand out most to team members when asked about the highlights of the season. Against Haverford, Leland noted, there was great unity between the middle backs and the quick wings, who were able to travel down the field in their V-formation towards the trizone, where points are scored. This is especially promising in light of this being a “growing year,” due to the loss, to graduation, of several speedy seniors. For the men, the hope is that this promise will carry through into the spring season, which begins in January.

Similarly, the women’s team has many reasons to be optimistic. Beginning the season with very low numbers, due to the loss of 10 graduating seniors and 10 juniors to study abroad, the team finished 1-2 in divisional play. The win, against Muhlenburg, was a result of the hard work put in by the team throughout the entire semester, including significant contributions by “a really dedicated and wonderful group of rookies who have worked tremendously hard at learning the game and improving their level of play,” according to captain Marina Isakowitz ’09.

Similar to the men, Isakowitz noted the unity she felt between members of the backline and the forwards, “which has helped raise the team’s understanding of the entirety of the game.” All of this makes the potential for more wins in the spring season even greater.

More importantly, however, for both teams, is the sense of community emphasized within the rugby culture. For the men, this means socials after Saturday games, an event that helps the team unwind after the rigor of that day’s match. Combining the inherent social nature of rugby with its presence as a club sport at Swarthmore makes for an atmosphere in which the players desire to do well for themselves and their teammates, but do so in a relatively low-pressure environment. “We just like to play together,” explained Flanagan. “It’s about unity.”

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