Injuries, Low Turnout Leads to Difficult Road for Men's Rugby
HANNAH CHARRY
Issue date: 10/24/06 Section: Sports
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The Men's Rugby team suffered poor luck of the draw this season, ending with a 0-5 record.
An unusually high rate of injury and unusually low turnout combined with membership in a very powerful division were a few of the factors that led to the disappointing campaign this fall.
"We had four [or] five concussions this year, which is really rare," said junior Phil Almquist. "There were also a few long term injuries that sidelined veteran players. All of the new kids saw the random, unusually high number [of injuries] and quit. The combination of low turnout and loss of seniors to graduation was rough."
Last spring, the men had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory. They finished 8-1, with the sole loss coming against Providence during the Beast of the East Championship. The Bantams began their season against a very good Providence team and played possibly their best game of the year, but the overwhelming numbers advantage that Providence possessed was too much for Trinity to overcome and the game turned out to be a lopsided victory for Providence.
Their closest game was against Bryant College on Sept. 30. The game was a defensive contest throughout the majority of the game, but in the end, Trinity was unable to put enough points on the board and lost 9-3.
In a bit of controversy during the game, it appeared as if the Bantams had scored a try (rugby's version of a touchdown), which in turn would have won the game for the Bantams, but a Bryant player's hand was underneath the ball in the try zone, thus disallowing the score.
The majority of the Bantams' games this season were played against powerhouse northeastern schools. The discrepancy between school size and team strength between Trinity and their opponents led to unfavorable match-ups for the Bantams all season.
Among the Bantams' opponents this season were the University of Rhode Island -- a school that plays Division I for tournaments -- and the Coast Guard Academy -- who went to Stanford, Calif. last semester and won the Division II championships. A reorganizing of divisions may occur in the near future, which would bump the men into a lower division. This would lead to more reasonable competition for the Bantams.
The team is continually looking to recruit new members, and many new recruits have no prior experience with the sport.
"We're always ready to welcome new rookies," said Almquist. "I hope that the freak injuries won't stop them from trying the sport. Rugby is always fun and we manage to have a good time as a team."
Editor's note: Both Trinity's Men's and Women's Rugby regular seasons ended this past weekend, but the Women's team was able to advance to the NEFRU Championship this Saturday, which will be played at home against Bentley College. The time is still to be determined.
An unusually high rate of injury and unusually low turnout combined with membership in a very powerful division were a few of the factors that led to the disappointing campaign this fall.
"We had four [or] five concussions this year, which is really rare," said junior Phil Almquist. "There were also a few long term injuries that sidelined veteran players. All of the new kids saw the random, unusually high number [of injuries] and quit. The combination of low turnout and loss of seniors to graduation was rough."
Last spring, the men had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory. They finished 8-1, with the sole loss coming against Providence during the Beast of the East Championship. The Bantams began their season against a very good Providence team and played possibly their best game of the year, but the overwhelming numbers advantage that Providence possessed was too much for Trinity to overcome and the game turned out to be a lopsided victory for Providence.
Their closest game was against Bryant College on Sept. 30. The game was a defensive contest throughout the majority of the game, but in the end, Trinity was unable to put enough points on the board and lost 9-3.
In a bit of controversy during the game, it appeared as if the Bantams had scored a try (rugby's version of a touchdown), which in turn would have won the game for the Bantams, but a Bryant player's hand was underneath the ball in the try zone, thus disallowing the score.
The majority of the Bantams' games this season were played against powerhouse northeastern schools. The discrepancy between school size and team strength between Trinity and their opponents led to unfavorable match-ups for the Bantams all season.
Among the Bantams' opponents this season were the University of Rhode Island -- a school that plays Division I for tournaments -- and the Coast Guard Academy -- who went to Stanford, Calif. last semester and won the Division II championships. A reorganizing of divisions may occur in the near future, which would bump the men into a lower division. This would lead to more reasonable competition for the Bantams.
The team is continually looking to recruit new members, and many new recruits have no prior experience with the sport.
"We're always ready to welcome new rookies," said Almquist. "I hope that the freak injuries won't stop them from trying the sport. Rugby is always fun and we manage to have a good time as a team."
Editor's note: Both Trinity's Men's and Women's Rugby regular seasons ended this past weekend, but the Women's team was able to advance to the NEFRU Championship this Saturday, which will be played at home against Bentley College. The time is still to be determined.
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