University of Virginia Library

Plan Trip To British Isles

Ruggers Seek Eastern Title

Ruggers Fight For Possession Of Ball

Last season the Ruggers fielded
one of the finest college sides in the
cast and ran up one of the finest
records. The only important loss
was to Old Blue in the finals of the
Commonwealth Cup here last May.
By virtue of that victory, the New
Yorkers laid claim to Eastern
supremacy among all classes of
clubs. Through the season,
however, the Virginians defeated
every collegiate team of note on the
Eastern seaboard.

To go along with the unique
technical aspects of the game, the
Ruggers have borrowed from the
English a unique attitude towards
the sport that makes Rugby such a
joy for players and spectators alike.
The training table is usually
groaning with the weight of several
kegs of beer which are also the
halftime energy booster. And win
or lose, the party after the game
turns into a well-oiled songfest,
with both sides singing chorus
after chorus of traditional Rugby
ballads, most of which are unfit for
printing in a college newspaper.

The Rugby club maintains no
forma ties with the University
Athletic Department. They have no
coaches and no mandatory practice
schedule. Those that are not tied
down by commitments practice
and coach each other in the spring
and fall behind Memorial Gym
(Nameless Field). Rugby's status
also permits it to open its doors to
any member of the University
community. The spectrum of
players ranges from first-year men
through Law and Med students, up
to a member of the English
department who is at least as old as
the Pepsi generation.

The game that these men play is
the father of American football and
a descendant of English football, or
soccer. In practice it combines
certain aspects of both, plus a touch
of several other sports, including
basketball. The object of the game
is to advance the ball, which
resembles a bloated football, into
the opposition's end zone. Such an accomplishment is called a try, and
is worth three points. Scoring a try
enables a team to attempt a
conversion, worth two points. A
field goal, which is worth three
points, must be drop-kicked from
the flow of action.

This coming spring the Rugby
club hopes to send its A and B
teams on an extended tour of
England, Scotland and Wales,
playing the amateur circuit of clubs
along the way. The length in time
of the tour will depend upon the
amount of funds available. Back on
the home front, the club will travel
as far as Philadelphia this fall in its
bid to regain the number one rating
Because the club is composed of
three teams, most anyone who
practices will get a chance to play.
New blood is needed, literally and
figuratively.

No one the CD contacted was
certain when Rugby practice would
begin, but the most common
answer was "whenever club
president Terry Daniels gets the
balls", which would probably be
around the third week of
September.