Since 2011 the Sonoma State Rugby Club has given male students the option to play a sport that promotes the highest levels of community and teamwork. On top of that, since there hasn’t been a football team representing the school since 1996, it’s perfect for those who love running and tackling. Rugby is most popular in places like Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa, but has been gradually growing in the United States through the success of leagues like Major League Rugby (MLR), which since its inception in 2018 has seen its number of teams grow from seven to 13.

Rugby can be best described as a combination of football, soccer, and team handball. The tackling element is the most relatable part to football, but the scoring in rugby is similar as well.  Instead of being called a touchdown, it’s a try, and instead of being worth six points, it’s worth five. However both are followed by kicks, in football worth one additional point, and in Rugby worth two. They also both have the option for a three point kick, in football known as a field goal, and in rugby as a free kick. The term “free kick” probably rings a bell for soccer fans, which is another sport rugby is similar to. The two sports are played on the same size field, each is free-flowing, forcing players to play both offense and defense, but also requiring creativity from players to create offense. Finally, rugby has similarities to team handball as well. Primarily being that they are played by passing the ball between teammates using hands, but also in that there are different versions of each one. Team handball can be played in an 11 on 11 or seven on seven style, while rugby is played in either a 15 on 15 or seven on seven format.

The student run club here on campus plays 15 on 15, in the Fall, and seven on seven,  in the Spring. The Seawolves are a part of the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO), which features teams from all over the country, but SSU’s league consists of teams like: Cal Maritime Academy, CSU Monterey Bay, Cal Poly Humboldt, University of Pacific and Santa Rosa Junior College. 

This year’s 15s season got under way on Saturday, October 8 with the Seawolves picking up a 46-20 victory against Monterey Bay. The thing that stands out about this year’s team is “balance,” according to senior John Gblah. “A lot of the returners we have are really good,” continued Gblah “and our new guys who haven’t played before are doing a really good job of picking it up and listening to us.”

This ties into one of the most unique aspects of rugby. The sport’s growing popularity means the player pool isn’t as deep as other sports, and because of the skills it borrows from other popular sports, it can be picked up relatively quickly. Therefore those who haven’t played before shouldn’t shy away from giving the sport a try. This was something that was emphasized by Senior Devon McGee who said of new players “we started the same way they did. We took that first step to learn a new sport and had those same fears about maybe getting hurt, or did I do this right or that right, but that’s the beauty of life pretty much, being able to start new things and having fun  and make new memories.”

The Seawolves next game will be on Friday, October 21, at Cal Maritime. This will be followed by a few more games before playoffs begin in Utah in November. In January the club will begin preparing for their 7s season in the Spring.