Men's Rugby

URI Men's Rugby 2013

The University of Rhode Island Men’s Rugby Club competes in the New England Collegiate Rugby Conference (Division 2, USA Rugby), finishing a somewhat disappointing 4^th in the conference for the Fall 2012 season. After playing in the conference championship game last fall, hopes were high for another championship season, and the season began well with victories over Tufts, last year’s conference champions Boston University and Mass Maritime Academy. a mid-season loss to conference rival Norwich University did little to dampen spirits, but injuries severely depleted the stock of experienced players – by season’s end, more than 20 players were unavailable due to injury, almost half of them first team players – and the lack of experience eventually took its toll, with the club losing its final 3 games, 2 of them to conference champion U.S. Coast Guard Academy including a first round playoff loss. Our second side, the JRams, continued to uphold hopes for the future, however, compiling a 5-1 record, with the only loss coming at Coast Guard.

The spring season holds a great deal in store for the graduating seniors, as URI will be competing in three different tournaments in March and April, including the 4 Leafs Tournament in New York City, the Rhody Cup tournament (hosted by URI) and the Beast of the East Tournament, the largest college rugby tournament in the East. And the JRams will be almost as busy, competing in the Hoder Cup championship (for RI clubs' 2nd sides) in April and competing closely with 1^st teams of Division 2 clubs in the Beast of the East.

With many new players joining the club and a roster of more than 50 players, playing selections are based solely on work ethic and performance. Thanks to an outstanding group of coaches, we have established of culture of hard work and recognition of effort and talent, and the results have been extremely gratifying. 27 different players saw game time with the first team during the fall season. No one owns a position on the club; playing time is earned through diligence at practice and performance on the field and the competitive atmosphere brings out the best of all the players, top to bottom.

The club generally plays games on Saturdays from Sept. to early November in the fall and mid-March through April in the Spring. Practices are held on the club’s dedicated field 3 times/week during the seasons, and preseason practices 2-3 times per week in Mackel Field House or gymnasium from late January to March. We have players from every type of athletic backgrounds – football, hockey, track, wrestling, for example – and welcome more. If you are interested in more information about URI rugby, please contact one of the club officers or coaches (see Recruiting or Coaches pages).