On the heels of the inaugural Pac-10 rugby tournament, played in
front of a large crowd at the Intramural Field over the weekend,
the question remains why the program still stands as a club
sport.
Many schools in California have included rugby programs for
decades, but none of these programs enjoy fully recognized
status.
And nobody is more aware of the transparency of Pac-10 rugby
than the people involved in it.
“There is a lot of rugby played on the West Coast, but
people have never heard about it,” said coach Jonathan Grif
of Stanford, a school with a long rugby tradition.
Success has not really changed the obscurity of the game.
California boasts the most decorated rugby program in the nation.
It is a varsity sport, an accomplishment that few schools, UCLA
included, can claim. The Golden Bears have won 21 national titles
in only 26 years and are the two-time defending champs.
Berkeley rugby has flourished ““ to an extent.
“We got the name because rugby has been played at Berkeley
for about 100 years,” said California coach Jack Clark, who
has won 17 national titles as a player or coach. “We stand as
the grandfather figure on the list, but we do all the funding on
our own.”
For those who are still unsure, yes, rugby is that sport
resembling football, only there are no pads or helmets, no nuanced
schemes or coordinators ““ and the ball is a little
bigger.
But unless the idea is to get in an argument with rugby fans,
the comparison should end there.
It’s a game that has a pace and flow that resembles
soccer, but the players are quick to point out that there is
nothing soft about it.
“Rugby is the most physical sport I have ever
played,” said UCLA lock Joel Venegas, who is in his fourth
season on the club team.
The legends around the origins of rugby are numerous. The widely
accepted creation of rugby is a serendipitous tale. William Webb
Ellis, bored of a normal soccer game, picked up the ball in his
hands and ran to the other side of the field. Some believe it
started off in Roman times, while others believe that London saw
the birth of rugby at some point in the 17th century.
On the West Coast at least, rugby is still trying to outgrow its
image of chance beginnings. Players and coaches around the
conference are trying to attract fans with the sport’s
blue-collar environment.
“I think that what makes rugby a unique sport is the
multi-skills required and the high fitness level of the
players,” Clark said. “It is a very honest sport, all
players really have to be able to catch, pass, tackle and make
decisions.”
UCLA rugby
In Westwood, rugby was not always a club sport. In fact it was
once one of the flagship sports of the athletic department.
Former coach Dennis Storer is to UCLA rugby what John Wooden
represents for basketball. Among starting the rugby program off in
1936 and resurrecting it in 1966 leading the U.S. national team to
the Olympics, and bringing former Canadian player coach Scott
Stewart into the picture, Storer knows a fair share about Bruin
rugby.
“We used to tour around Canada, host international games
against teams from New Zealand and travel to Great Britain,”
Storer said.
UCLA alumnus and parent Wally Mc All remembers how 30 years ago
he used to watch Sydney University play on campus.
“There used to be a lot more people involved than
now,” Mc All said. “I am a football fan, but rugby is a
lot more fun and a much more fluid sport to follow.”
The West Coast has been a rugby region for a while, and it looks
as though things have been picking up in the recent years.
“The game is developing, and the American league is
putting a great amount of effort to help the sport,” Griffin
said.
Storer believes that to restore rugby to its former popularity
rank, certain things have to be done.
Firstly, he says that exposure on the college scene is close to
none, as the media only sporadically mentions the Bruins’
achievements, and the athletics department could be further
involved in the program.
“I hope this Pac-10 weekend will allow rugby to be more
visible to everybody on campus, as it certainly has reflected well
on club sports and the recreation activities all together,”
UCLA coach Scott Stewart.
But even more needs to be done.
When coach Storer was at the helm, he used to recruit among the
football players, who brought to the team physical strength and
competitive experience, both assets making a drastic difference on
the team.
In addition, he brought in international players, which gave the
native Californian players input that could not be rivaled.
“It is crucial to have players who have grown up with the
game and played their entire lives,” Storer said. “At
the moment, such players would have to be recruited from
overseas.”
Women’s rugby
Bearing all of the above in mind, it seems to those involved in
the game that if rugby becomes a varsity sport, it will not be done
for the men’s side.
“If ever achieved, varsity status will be reserved to
women’s rugby,” coach Clark said. “It will
balance Title IX and will probably be the path followed.”
Women’s rugby at UCLA has an interesting history as well.
Inspired by the men’s national title in 1975, the ladies
started their club and did well throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
When the team folded in 2004, current players such as Erin Murray
or Michelle Kwandham refused to believe that their rugby days at
UCLA were over and battled to build a collegiate side in 2005.
“It is thanks to very good players as well as highly
motivated beginners that this team is playing,” assistant
coach Lisa Rowe said.
The UCLA ladies side won the Division II tournament in its first
year of existence in 2005, which led to their current status in
Division I. The university provides for medical support at home
games and allows practice to take place on athletic fields, but the
rest is up to the team and its coaches.
“At the moment, these girls are working incredibly hard
purely for the love of the game,” Rowe said.
A successful endeavor
As for this first-ever Pac-10 tournament, none could say the
project was a failure. Beyond the quality of rugby played and Cal
confirming their status by claiming the title, the turnout was
large and the atmosphere full of spirit.
“I hope the Pac-10 will lead the way nationally, and I am
sure that every institution will love to host it in the
future,” Storer said.
Other players that participated in the tournament agreed.
“It is tiring, but incredibly worth it,” Stanford
center said. “The tournament format is fantastic.”
The Pac-10 tournament organization this weekend and the great
athletic facilities on site showed this campus had what it took to
bring UCLA back to its former rugby glory.
Until international teams can be invited back for exhibition
games, the Bruins will be playing on campus again on Feb. 10 when
they will challenge Brigham Young, while the women’s side
will take Arizona State to the field on Feb. 26.