Rugby Club Draws Few Spectators

Noah Shelton Sports Reporter Rugby Club Draws Few Spectators Rugby is known as a physically challenging sport that is played worldwide. At South, many students participate in this tough sport each spring. Although rugby is not an MIAA sanctioned high school sport, the co­ed teams, which play separate games, one for girls and one for boys, still travel from school to school to play their weekly games. Unlike most of the official sports teams at South, the rugby team draws smaller crowds, if at all, to the games.

“It's not as popular as most varsity sports. Also, we don't play at South so it's hard for some kids to attend,” junior Tiffany Balram said.

In football, the fans are known as the twelfth­man because they are as important as every player on the field. Rugby does not draw many student fans to games, but the players on the sideline cheer on their teammates. “We support each other. The girls cheer on the guys, and the guys cheer on the girls. We support and motivate each other, running along the sidelines, screaming chants, yelling each others names during plays just to push us those few extra yards,” Balram said.

The rugby club at South may not attract many student fans, but it attracts students who are looking to play a different sport. The type of students that are ready for the physically endearing sport with the violence and aggressiveness it takes to play. “It’s actually got the popularity it deserves. I’d say a lot of people would probably prefer it over football,” Conor Boyce, a junior who has been playing rugby since he was eight, said.

South’s rugby team also has a tough environment. Junior Miles Welbourn stated “Nah, rugby kids go totally fucking HAM. One guy threw up and was back on in 5. Like boundless adrenaline”. This drive can only be found in a handful of sports.

Many students are also drawn to join the rugby team because of its more relaxed feel.

“Rugby’s a club. Rugby practices are a little more fun. They’re more social, I guess, and less competitive,” junior Alec Sugrue said. Welbourn added to that “It's a club so it's less regulated, but people try to come whenever possible because it's something people go to because they love it”.

Freshman Alex Grandi said that having the rugby games at South would make it easier for students to go and cheer on their peers. “It would be much more convenient for me, and it would be great for the school to experience a sport like rugby,” he said. Creating a way for the rugby games to be played at South would benefit everyone. The rugby team now would have plenty more supporters, and the South students could now see what the sport is all about.