On Saturday, April 16th the men’s 7s rugby team qualified for nationals. This team of twenty rugby players total has been practicing three to four times a week since January to prepare themselves for the upcoming season.
The spring season is much different than the normal fall season for the men’s rugby team. In the fall, the games are played with 15 aside and each game has two 40 minutes halves.
In the spring, however, the men play what is called “sevens.” This style of rugby is played with only seven players aside and each half is only seven minutes long. Spring is also played tournament style meaning there are multiple games in one day. Seven’s style is much faster and quicker than a regular rugby game and those who play have to be very in shape and have to have a lot of stamina.
The men’s rugby team trained long and hard with their coach Annemarie Ferral to make their dreams of going to nationals come true. The men were back at Ithaca College one week before everyone else returned from winter break in order to start practicing as soon as possible.
On Saturday, April 16 the men had many games. The day was long for them, but in the end worth it for the team that had been working since January.
Keon Broadnax, a sophomore on the team, said he was very proud of the win that he and his team secured on April 16th, which allowed them to go to nationals in June.
“It was a whole team effort, that last game. We were all tied up in the last game and we had to lean on each other to secure the win,” said Broadnax.
The game was not an easy one for the men’s team. In the last two minutes of the game, a try by Peter Vaziri was able to tie the two teams up. After that, Devin Nunez scored bringing the team ahead and Vaziri punched in another try, securing the win.
The final try of the game was scored by Plattsburg, but it wasn’t enough to defeat IC. The final whistle blew and the Ithaca College men’s team walked away with a 36-27 win.
“It was an all day event, so the feeling at the end was a mix. It was relief, it was excitement and it was joy. It was amazement, it was not believing that we had actually just done it, but it was great to know we had done it with everyone who had stuck in there since January,” said Broadnax.
Although rugby, in general, is a sport that requires very skilled teamwork, Broadnax did say a few key players stood out in the last game.
“I can say Trevor stood out. He pulled a good defensive effort. ‘Sharky’ as well played a good game. But like I said it was an all-around team effort,” said Broadnax.
The national’s tournament for the men’s team will be held on June 4 and 5 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
