Men field a young team

The Norwich men's rugby team started its preseason at home on Aug. 27, with its annual maroon and gold game.

"The Maroon and Gold Scrimmage was a lot of fun and competitive," said Adam Medeiros, a 22-year-old senior majoring in athletic training from Fair Haven, R.I. "It was shot and controlled as well, more of just to see how we were as a team."

The maroon and gold is a game between the players to "evaluate the team's strengths and weaknesses on the offense and defense," according to Medeiros.

 "The maroon and gold game was a great way to shake off the rust," said Head Coach Robert Weggler. "Also it was an opportunity for me to evaluate the incoming freshmen and newcomers as well to see how my returners improved."

According to Coach Weggler, the team lacked in the fundamental part of the game and being disciplined, but he admired the aggression and leadership of the upperclassmen.

 "It was our first game, so I expected some missed assignments and lack of fundamentals," said Coach Weggler. "But I know we will improve as the season progresses."

According to the Norwich athletics website, the rugby team has 15 freshmen who have never played rugby, 11 juniors and eight seniors. Some of the juniors are new to the game as well.

 "We have a lot of freshmen this year, but they bring much intensity and athleticism," said Chad Thorton, a 21-year-old junior from Proctor, Vt., majoring in criminal justice. This is Thorton's first year playing rugby.

 "We may be young, but we are a hungry team that works hard in practice every day," said Jaimes Plamondon, a 22-year-old senior from Biddeford, Maine, majoring in criminal justice. "We bring the intensity every day and are very competitive; we are definitely going after it this year."

Practices are very intense and long, according to co-captain Plamonodon.

"Practices are fun but hard at the same time," said Michael Brooks, a 21-year-old senior from North Reading, Mass., majoring in construction engineering management. "The underclassmen definitely push the upperclassmen and vice versa."

The Cadets won their first game against Brown University, 20-5.

 "That was a big win for us especially it being out first game," said Thorton. "We came together as a team and were able to perform to our abilities even though we could have done a lot better."

According to Coach Weggler, the team lacked in "tackling and turning the ball over, but positively, we were consistent in the second half and our defense stepped up a lot along with our offense."

 "Every game is a challenge and we have to work hard in every aspect of our game play," said Brooks. "It's all about team work and having the will to beat our opponent."

During Parents Weekend, the team took a heavy loss against Boston University, losing 22-17.

 "That was tough loss for us, but we will definitely come back the following game harder than ever," said Brooks.

The team's next game is home against Holy Cross on Oct. 1.

"Hard work pays off," said Plamondon. "We will bring the intensity and competitiveness that we know we have. It's all on playing as a team and a unit."