Norwich University’s men’s rugby team has been off to a competitive start, according to the team’s coach.
“We’re continually working on developing our game,” said men’s rugby coach Bob Weggler.
Weggler says that the team’s strength is that the players work well as a team. He says that they have good play between the forwards and the backs.
The team started the season with a scrimmage in Lennoxville, Quebec, against Bishop University on Sept. 4. Although the Cadets lost the match 27-3, sophomore Chris Hein converted a penalty kick at the end of the game to prevent the shut out.
“It’s a long, rigorous season,” said Hein, 19, a criminal justice major from Baltimore, Md. He said the hardest part about it is staying healthy.
On Sept. 15, the team played its second match at home against Brown, a non-league match to celebrate the 40th anniversary of men’s rugby at Norwich.
The match began with Hein scoring the first try, followed by junior captain Aaron Botenhagen scoring the second try, both in the first half. Sophomore Matthew Maloney scored the first try of the second half.
But the Cadets weren’t able to hold the shut out and Brown was able to score a try and converted the kick to end the game.
The final score was 15-7 and the Cadets came out on top. Many alumni were in the stands, celebrating the anniversary.
” We got to get them the win,” said Botenhagen, 27, an architecture major from Big Bear Lake, Calif.
Hein said the game had high intensity. “I feel we play at a little bit of a different level when they are here.”
Throughout the weekend, other events were held to celebrate and welcome the alumni. There was a cookout Friday night, the game on Saturday afternoon and a banquet following the game that evening.
“I think that it’s a great milestone for the school,” Weggler said.
Not only did the alumni get to see the current team play, but it was also an opportunity for them to renew old friendships, according to Anthony Mariano, Norwich University athletic director.
“The thing that I will remember most about it is the camaraderie between the rugby players,” Mariano said. “It wasn’t just those who played together, it was the camaraderie amongst everybody in that room that participated in rugby at Norwich. You would’ve thought they were all one team.”
Joey Mac Dizon, 23, a senior history major from Belleville, N.J., and one of the team captains, said that talking to the alumni was just like talking to current players. “They were telling great stories about being on the rugby pitch. They basically have the same things that we share.”
The next match the team played on Sept. 18 was rough for the team. It was away at Middlebury College, the number three seeded team in the conference. NU fell short to the Panthers, 53-7. Weggler said that he feels this game was the team’s greatest competition.
“Even though we did lose, we look past the score because the team just looked awesome,” Mac Dizon said.
“I feel like our team is a very aggressive team,” Mac Dizon said. He said that he feels like the team has good continuity and can transition well from play to play.
Mac Dizon said that he feels the team has a lot of responsibility, both on and off the pitch. “It’s the player’s responsibility to put something forth for the team,” he said. “I’m just glad to be captain of a close-knit group of guys.”
The next game at St. Michael’s the following weekend was uplifting for the team. Scoring in the first half were Mac Dizon, sophomore Josh Nowak and senior Jason Heiser. Sophomore James Plamondon and Botenhagen both had converted tries in the first half.
In the second half, sophomores Richard Ahearn and Stefan Wourinen had converted tries before St. Michael’s finally got its three points on the scoreboard with a penalty kick. Junior Michael Brooks had the last points of the match, finalizing the score 55-3.
“We have a great backline this year,” Hein said. “We played together all last year and it’s the same kids that came back.”
On Oct. 3, the Cadets were back at home against University of Rhode Island. The first half of the match ended in a 5-5 tie.
Norwich started the half strong by scoring 10 points, but URI was able to come back with 10 of its own. Hein broke the tie in the last minute of the match with the game-winning penalty kick.
Hein, along with Weggler and Botenhagen, said the kick was his favorite moment this season so far.
After winning the Oct. 16 match against Bentley University, Norwich has a 5-1 record overall and 4-1 in its conference.
Many of the players agree that the game to be sure to see is the last game of the season, against the Coast Guard, on Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. Norwich will be hosting the game.
There has been a lot of support for this game, according to Botenhagen. “It’s going to be a big game.”
“Hard rugby is the only way to play Norwich rugby,” Hein said. “That’s what our coach tells us before every game.”