By Christopher Boulay

CCSU Hooligans Rugby is ready to roll into the spring season on a high after their 3-3 finish in the fall, the squad’s best finish in years.

The Hooligans qualified for the New England Rugby Football Union Plate tournament, one of two postseason tournaments hosted by NERFU at the college level. Though they lost in the first round to Plymouth State, Chris Pritchard, Hooligans president, believes it is a step in the right direction.

“We used to be fourth in the nation in the mid-90s,” Pritchard said. “We try to encourage more camaraderie among the players. I think it helps recruit more kids. Last season we had 35 kids coming out regularly.”

The team consists of 15 positions, separated into two sections, the forwards, or “pack” and the backs. The team, if possible, will field both an A side, which will count in the standings, as well as the B-side, which will help players work their way up the depth chart and gain experience. Recently, the Hooligans have been able to field a B-side.

CCSU competes in NERFU’s Men’s College/Division III, as rugby in the United States is not an NCAA sport. All rugby is regulated by USA Rugby, which, more locally is regulated by regional unions, such as NERFU. Along with CCSU, schools like the University of Hartford, Trinity College, New Haven U-23s (Quinnpiac University) and Western Connecticut State University are all a part of their division, and are played against frequently. Every permanent member of the squad is a part of the USA Rugby Player’s Pool.

The team is coached by Eric Rentz, a former CCSU Rugby player, and current member of Hartford Wanderers R.F.C, the local rugby team in this part of Connecticut.

One aspect of rugby, that many people may be hesitant about playing, is the lack of padding and the risk of injury. Though rugby may look excessively dangerous, with the right training, it is actually a much safer sport than people are led to believe.

“If you go into [playing] not knowing what you are doing, then yeah, you are probably going to get hurt,” Pritchard said. “Now that we have a coach, he will teach you everything you need to know to not get hurt. Safety is a huge issue with NERFU and they stress it at all times.”

Many people may not know the rules of rugby union, the official name of the sport, but Rentz, Pritchard and the forward and defensive captains run new recruits through drills to learn each part of the game, to get them acclimated to the rules.

“It is a combination of soccer and rugby,” Pritchard said, when attempting to explain what the game is like to anyone who does not understand it.

Pritchard is a product of Cheshire High School’s rugby team, a school that has been very important to producing rugby talent for the school.

“Rugby in high school has really taken off,” Pritchard said. “At least seven or eight out of 15 from the A-side are from Cheshire. We are getting responses from kids at other high school teams, too.”

Other than Pritchard, some of the other members of the Hooligans will be key to the club’s successes both in the spring and when the actual season starts up in the fall semester. Pritchard plays flanker, and is joined with Jake Dilts, who is the forwards captain and the Hooligans’ Number Eight; Marcus Giansanti, the backs captain, and the team’s fly-half; Thiago Bitencourt, another member of the backs; as well as Brian Nugent, a member of the front row.

Practice for the season is underway, and a spring schedule has not been completely agreed upon at the time of print, but the team is constantly looking for new members to add, as the club is run on a pure voluntary basis. The fee to join the team is $30, mainly to cover the costs of shorts and socks. All the player has to bring is cleats and a mouthguard.

Pritchard hopes that also the introduction of Rugby Sevens, (a form of rugby played on a smaller scale) to the Olympics will have an impact for the Hooligans’ future.

“Once it gets on TV I think it is going to blow up even more,” he said. “People are actually going to realize that it is an awesome sport.”

The Hooligans took part in the New York Sevens tournament over winter break. They were scheduled to play UConn in February, but could not due to a frozen pitch. The full spring schedule will be made public shortly.