Harkening back to tradition

Rugby begins season with three wins, looks to solidify position on campus

First published in The Bachelor, September 23, 2022.

BENJAMIN BULLOCK ’23 | SPORTS EDITOR • Rugby football has had something of a resurgence in the United States over recent years. Here at Wabash College in particular, the rugby football club has enjoyed a period of immense support with excellent results to back it up. But this latest iteration of the team, by bringing such a fast-paced, physical game to the attention of contemporary Little Giants fans, is carrying on a sporting tradition that is almost as old as Wabash athletics itself.

The Wabash College rugby team traveled to Tiffin University on September 17 for their first tournament of the year.

The rugby team traveled to Tiffin University on Saturday, September 17 to compete in their first tournament of the year. The Little Giants won all three of their games, beating out Tiffin, Bowling Green State University and a joint team fielded by Ohio Wesleyan University/Ohio Northern University.

“I am really happy with how our guys performed this past weekend,” said Head Rugby Coach Nolan Fischer ’24. “We had a lot of new guys rotate in and start for us, which really helped get them the experience they need. It feels like we barely skipped a beat. For having only three hour and a half practices every week, our gameplay drastically outpaced that of our opponents.”

According to a 1911 article in The Bachelor, the history of rugby at Wabash dates back to the early 1880s. In fact, in 1886, the College’s varsity football team played under rugby rules, picking up victories over Franklin College and Hanover College. It was not until the late 1880s that the gridiron game came into prominence. Since then, rugby has sadly enjoyed only sporadic support among Wabash students.

“Our main goal is to grow the game and to get people more familiar with it,” said Rugby Club President Brayden Goodnight ’23. “The more people that we get to join, the more we spread the game and the more that we can raise the level. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen the club get a lot more respect. We’re just hoping that continues.”

Before the pandemic, the rugby team won consecutive Great Lakes Conference championships and in 2018 finished runners-up in the Oak Leaf Cup. But this year, the team has its eyes set firmly on a run in the national championships.

“Our expectation, not just for this semester but for the whole year, is to win the conference and then go to nationals,” said Fischer. “We got really close last year – our single loss was in the semi-finals of our conference championship, and if we would have won that we could have gone all the way.”

As a student-led organization, the rugby team is unique among Wabash sports. With no full-time head coach, the members are themselves responsible for training, tournament organization and day-to-day running of the club. But for these men, organizing themselves is all part of the rugby brotherhood.

“The bond we have – it was a very natural thing,” said Club Treasurer Matthew Brooks ’24. “When you’re on the field, you need to have so much faith to be able to trust the guys to your left and to your right. You learn their strengths and weaknesses in different ways. But outside of practice, too, that’s where you make your connections.”

Like last year, Wabash fans will have to wait until spring for a home competition. The rugby team hits the road again on Saturday, October 1 for the second tournament of their fall