Club rugby started their official league season with another win under their belt, ending their match against Georgia Tech 42-24 on Sept. 20.
The match was tough and consisted of a few mistakes from the forwards, but rugby moved forward in their season with a 3-0 winning streak.
Rugby at the collegiate level has grown over the last decade. Although not a largely popular sport in the states, more colleges have begun offering rugby at the club level.
“In South Africa, everyone’s been playing rugby,” Hloma Hlabangana said. “But here, we have so much chemistry already, which feels like we have been playing for 15 years. Everyone is wanting to learn and is open to understanding the game more than just wanting to play.”
UNA rugby is one of the unique clubs on campus that consists of many international students. The team has players from the Bahamas, South Korea and South Africa. These players are used to the high level of commitment rugby demands coming from these other countries.
“I have enjoyed my time here,” sophomore Mo Molibeli said. “But, towards rugby, it was a bit of a culture shock, especially the level of rugby that we have been experiencing here.”
These players have had to adapt to a more Americanized version of rugby, all whilst adjusting to new people. This adversity has created a strong brotherhood among the team.
“At the universities, it’s way more brotherhood,” Bahamian Micah Bullard said. “[In Bahamas,] we do not play Rugby in our school system. [At UNA,] I feel like we have been playing for years with one another. We have good chemistry.”
Club rugby also commented on the influence UNA has provided to make the club possible.
“I feel like UNA has had a big influence, not only because they start to recruit well,” Molibeli said. “[but because of UNA’s great recruitment, we have been able to build our team to where we are today.] You had 2-3 players go to the all-stars last year which brings a lot of attraction to the team, because people ask themselves, ‘Where are these kids from?’”
