For some, it is hard to turn in the football equipment after that final high school game, and since there is no football team at UCSD, there is only one solution: Ditch the protective gear and play rugby.
The UCSD men’s rugby team has been converting football players to rugby since the team was founded in 1966.
“The sport is just about to break through. I never even watch football anymore because it is all about rugby,” junior team captain Chris Sanderson said.
Sanderson was recruited out of high school to play collegiate football as a cornerback, but chose to attend UCSD instead for academic reasons.
Rugby is not much different than football, except for the fact from players do not wear protective pads.
“I played football all through high school, but when I went to a rugby practice, some guy told me he lost a piece of his ear while playing Stanford last year,” freshman Mark Dimapawi said, before deciding not to play. “That is when I decided I would draw the line at football.”
In the United States, where football is so popular, it is difficult for rugby to expand.
A sport that began at a small, private boys school in Britain, rugby is now one of the most watched and played sport in most of Europe. The game started out as a sport for the upper class in Britain in the 1700s and is now played by people all over the world. The rules and style of play have not changed much since the game was invented. In contrast, football has recently added instant replay, and new equipment is always being developed to shield players from contact.
Many people consider rugby not just a sport, but a religion. They find it fascinating that a player will absorb a tackle from all 15 opposing players. A highlight reel in football usually consists of just two tacklers on a player who is protected by layers of padding. Basic shorts and a jersey seem sufficient for rugby players to survive their “rebel sport.”
The spread of rugby’s popularity is already hitting UCSD. The team has 30 new players on its 46-man roster.
“Most of them have never even seen a rugby ball,” Sanderson said.
A third of the starting 15 in a victory over USC on Oct. 31 were rookies. Although the rookies are succeeding on the field, they are still working with raw talent and learning the game.
The new players will have plenty of time to develop their skills when the team scrimmages Loyola Marymount at home on Nov. 20 and visits Claremont on Dec. 4. The season will begin in mid-January when the Tritons will take on UC Santa Barbara at home.
“It is a long season, and I am sure everything will come together as long as we continue to work hard,” Sanderson said.
Men’s rugby has continued to grow since its establishment at UCSD. The team is working on building an alumni base for support and played an alumni game on Nov. 6.
“So many great athletes come to UCSD because they choose academics over sports,” Sanderson said. “The team gives them a chance to get back into athletics, and they just get completely hooked.”
As football continues to change its rules, the only change in rugby’s future appears to be its impact on the United States and colleges like UCSD. Students are invited to watch or participate during practices on Monday nights at Muir Field from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
