Men's Rugby: Ruggers look to build on spring success in 2009

Rugby may not be an officially sanctioned varsity program at Princeton, but don’t try telling that to the 35 members of the men’s squad. Coming off a successful spring campaign, the Tigers are looking to keep up their momentum this fall.

In the coming weeks, look for the Tigers to create scoring chances by getting the ball out wide to the dangerous runners in their back line, like senior inside center Matt Wong. Sophomore Pete Davison, who earned an invitation to the national collegiate select side sevens camp this summer, is expected to fill in at fly-half for last year’s captain and leading try scorer Benton Erwin ’09.

Replacing Erwin as captain is junior lock Zak Deschaine, who said he is optimistic about the team’s chances this weekend. “We’ve had a solid two weeks of practice,” he said. “I have no doubt that we will rise to the occasion and take it to Yale and Harvard.”

On the coaching staff, Rich Lopacki, in his 10th year as head coach, and Shane Flynn, in his sixth year as assistant coach, are joined by graduate student Nick Bouskill, who played on the “B-side” for the last two years.

The game on Saturday is a rematch of the consolation game from last year’s Ivy League tournament. After losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Dartmouth — which was ranked fifth nationally at the time — Princeton cruised to a 32-14 victory over Yale to take third place at the tournament. Harvard finished second, so both of this weekend’s matches might have serious playoff implications this year.

In that tournament, sophomore Ben Tsui, who is usually the smallest man on the pitch, was named to the All-Ivy second team for a performance that demonstrated his lightning quick moves and ability to withstand big hits. Junior Zac Flowerman and Deschaine were also given honorable mention All-Ivy honors.

Lopacki, who spent the summer coaching some of the best college players in the country for the Pacific Coast Grizzlies, is confident that his players have the potential to continue their dominance against Yale.

“Rugby is a simple game, but we need mentally and physically hard men who have the attitude that winning is everything,” Lopacki said. “If we come out on Saturday with every player on our team prepared to put his body on the line, then I have absolutely no doubt we will beat Yale.”

This fall marks the first time that all eight Ivy teams will participate in an official league, with a full regular-season schedule that includes one match against each team, as well as a four-team playoff. The top two playoff finishers advance to the Northeast Regionals, where they will compete for a spot in the 16-team Division I national championship bracket.

The team expects bigger crowds for its games against rivals like Harvard and Yale than they are used to getting when they play against former Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union rivals like Millersville and Westchester.

“The Ivy League gives Princeton Rugby a huge opportunity to gain support from both the administration and the University community,” Pena said. “It’s very exciting to be playing against our Ivy League rivals.”

Princeton plays Yale at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Harvard at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be played at the West Windsor Fields.