In May, three Connecticut rugby teams will compete against the best teams in the country with a determined focus of bringing home a national title. The highly competitive level of rugby that is happening across the State of Connecticut makes our small state nestled in New England a focus for college recruiting. The 3 teams traveling to the Boys High School National Championship at Moose Rugby Grounds in Elkhart, Indiana on May 19-21 include: Staples High School; Westport; Aspetuck Valley Rugby Club; and Greenwich High School, Greenwich.
The Boys High School National Championship includes 24 of the best teams across the entire country and are broken up into three different brackets: (1) top 8 High School teams; (2) top 8 Club teams; and (3) Tier II – which remains a highly-competitive tournament. Each team will play one 60-minute game per day, which makes injuries and depth of bench an important element for success. Staples and Greenwich will both compete in the top 8 high schools and Aspetuck will compete in the top 8 clubs.
These young men have dedicated themselves to the game and have put in the time necessary to achieve greatness. The drive shown by these players can be used as the blueprint to teach important life skills and transform these young adults into men.
The nationally ranked teams listed above and all of the other great rugby teams throughout the State of Connecticut receive players from various youth programs. These “feeder” youth programs are designed to teach fundamentals of the game, assure player safety and instill the spirit of the game in children throughout the state. The longstanding history of success on the rugby pitch in the State of Connecticut has rested upon the tireless work, sweat and cooperation of the coaches, dedicated volunteers, and parents.
The Board of Directors for Connecticut Rugby, Joe Kelly, Matt Giuliano, Tim Knox and Mark Schnitzler, hereby officially thank all of the coaches, volunteers, parents and referees for sharing their valuable time and rugby knowledge. Those tireless hours of largely unnoticed work serve as the foundation of which the sport of rugby in the State of Connecticut is thriving and 3 teams have an opportunity to return with the title of “the best in the country.” The President of Connecticut Rugby, Joe Kelly, comments “We are proud of CT rugby. We have strong programs with great coaches and tremendous community support. Our players honor the traditions of the sport and value the lessons this game teaches. To have 3 out of 24 teams at the national championship from our little state is a huge accomplishment.”
For more information, visit http://www.ctrugby.org
