Rugby royalty: back to back national champions
USD Rugby wins championship for the second year in a row
Sasha Bukhtiyarova / Assistant Sports Editor / The USD Vista
After a dreary, rain-filled weekend in Maryland, complete with game cancellations and rescheduling, USD Men’s Rugby pulled out a first-place win at the Collegiate 7s National Rugby Championship.
The team is no stranger to national championships, winning first place last year as well in USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Championship. Devin Hoovel, who plays fullback and scrum-half alongside being the team’s financial manager, elaborated on how it felt entering this year’s tournament following their previous win.
“Last year was definitely a little bit different… We really had no idea how we were going to do, who we were playing, where we fit into the mix of the competition,” Hoovel said. “And then we just played really well… And won, and that was awesome… So this year, it was pretty much we’re winning it or bust, that was our one goal.”
Seeded third in the tournament, the team played against big names such as Clemson University, Boston College and University of North Carolina in the Division I bracket.
Scott Thomas, the Assistant Director of Academic Services and Assistant Coach for the team, explained how momentous it was to come out on top against these teams.
“We’re playing against these much bigger schools and programs that have been around for longer than we have and likely have more established avenues of income, of funds and scholarships and donations and everything like that,” Thomas said. “And here we are, scratching it out and, and coming out on top in terms of crucial plays.”
Coming out on top is an understatement. The team entered the finals game with three shutouts and a record of 96-5, beating Maryland, Boston, Bowling Green and North Carolina on Friday and Saturday. Their final game was on Sunday against Clemson University, who was seeded first in the tournament.
The game started with Paul Habeeb winning the initial kickoff, giving USD possession of the ball so Hoovel could score within the first 30 seconds of the match. Two minutes later, the Toreros scored again; this time it was senior Michael Ramos who battled his way over the goal line. Clemson got its first try in the 12th minute of the game, bringing the score to 10-7. In the final minute of the game, Michael Ramos — coming off of a yellow card from the first half — got a major breakaway and passed the ball to Nathan Leff, who solidified USD’s victory. The final score was 15-7, making the Toreros national champions once again.
Ramos, who plays number eight, was chosen by the team as MVP of the tournament.
“It seemed like we were the most hungry team there,” Ramos said. “While some [teams] might have been more skilled than us, it’s because of that hunger, that pure desire to win, that’s what pushed us over the top.”
A graduating senior, Ramos has been on the rugby team all four years and has seen the program grow into its status as national champions.
“It feels like a family,” he said. “And that’s changed since my first year here to now. My first year here it kind of just felt like a club… But over the years, we’ve really changed the culture… Outside of playing and practicing and all that, we’re like a family now.”
Thomas, who has been working with the rugby program since 2013, also recognized the closeness of the team.
“I can tell they’re going to be friends for life, and they’re going to always remember this experience,” he said. “I’m hoping they’ll be each other’s groomsmen at their weddings one day… This group is a special group, and I see that happening too.”
Fresh off the heels of their National 7s Championship, the team headed to Boulder, Colorado, to play in the American College Rugby Division I-AA National 15s Championship against Iowa State.
“I’m really confident going into this weekend,” Ramos stated before the match. “So far we’ve had an undefeated season. With the training that we do, how hard we train, how well we train on top of [watching] film and taking care of ourselves, I think this would be the most prepared we’ve been going into a game… I feel really good about it.”
The team’s training and teamwork proved successful this past Saturday, when USD rugby beat Iowa State 41-19, solidifying the team’s undefeated season and securing them their second national championship in the span of a week. USD now holds the national title for 7-player and 15-player collegiate rugby in the United States.
For senior Ramos, this is a bittersweet ending to his college career. “It was such a long season, we worked super hard,” he said. “And to finish our year like this as two time national champions this year was incredible… This is the best thing you can win as a player, winning the whole thing and having a perfect season.”
Although this season is coming to an end, USD’s rugby team is only beginning to make their name in the national collegiate rugby realm. Since the rugby team is under campus recreation as a club sport, this offers a unique opportunity to play at all levels.
“We don’t make any cuts,” Thomas explained. “It’s an open sport. If you want to come out and play, you can come out and do it. You don’t need any sports experience, necessarily… You certainly don’t need any rugby experience. We’re not going to cut you, we’re not going to turn you away.”
Thomas continued with an adage that head coach, Charlie Purdon, often uses: “Skills are built, not born.”
For those not interested in playing the sport, coming out and watching the games is always something anyone looking to support the team can do. It’s not often you get to watch your small, private school in San Diego beat big names across the country.