Men’s rugby scrums to match their 1-2 record

November is quickly approaching and the Saint Anselm Men's Rugby season is well underway. With a current record of 1-2, the Hawks are hungry for a win against their next opponent, Providence College. The team plays in a brand new conference, known as the Rugby Northeast Conference. Saint Anselm participates in division 2. As a whole, the club program has been around for thirty-seven years. Opponents include Bentley, Stonehill, Providence and arch rival Umass- Lowell.

The team is led by talented senior captains Dan Breen and Matt Shanahan as well as junior captain Sean O'Halloran. Along with Shanahan, Breen and O'Halloran is Sophomore Fly-Half Aaron Smith, who is at the forefront of the team's success. Smith brings with him a plethora of knowledge about the sport as well as an impressive resume. Smith is currently an alternate for the collegiate USA All American team and has taken part in the sevens men's national championship tournament, in which his team placed seventh out of sixteen contenders.

Rugby is played both in the fall and spring. When asked about the major differences between the two seasons, Smith explained, "the spring is more of a learning period for the newer athletes. Typically the graduating seniors will not play in any of the games, and we don't compete against any one in our conference." Smith stressed how the spring allows the rookies to experience games in a less competitive environment to get them prepped for the fall season. As a club sport, many of the athletes have a wide range of experience with this sport.

"Most of our athletes did not play rugby in high school, however many of them played other sports," said Smith. He added, "we recruit by word of mouth, but everyone who shows up is committed from the start and ready to win."

Smith also added that even though rugby is a club sport, they still practice five days a week just like any other varsity sport to keep a competitive edge.

"Early on in the season we focus a lot on conditioning, ball handling and a good mix of basic techniques plus tackling," says Smith, "we split into teams during practice to demonstrate game type scenarios."

The team always looks to create plays to keep their opponents questioning their next move. "We do a play called D.S.P, (Dummy Switch Pop) it's a dummy switch with a pop pass" said Smith. Smith said plays such as this allow for greater freedom on the field for the players, everyone is a decision maker. Success in number one during the fall, and they are always eager for their next challenge anticipating what their opponents have in store. "We occasionally will go to watch the other teams play, if not we will watch films on YouTube to get a sense of their style of play" said Smith. Camaraderie is also extremely important. "We will all get together the night before the game, hang out, watch a movie, it helps to keep us all on the same page as a team." Smith along with his fellow athletes will look to dominate the Rugby Northeast conference as the season continues. With solid work ethic and strong camaraderie, success will right around the corner.