Since 1989, the New Paltz Rugby Club has been getting low and hitting hard. Two seasons ago, the team did not win a single match. This year they are running for second in their division.
With 23 players on the team and 13 of those being new members, many had not even played rugby prior to joining the team. Coach Thierry Duclay equates their success to this very fact. “Even though most of them never played rugby before joining, their thirst to learn the game, the fun they have while learning and playing, is another key component to why we are now in the final of our division,” said Duclay.
“We’re becoming the team we’ve been working so hard to become,” said third-year Adolescent Education major Celina Nehme, one of the team captains and Eboard president. “We all learn together and from each other which definitely makes us closer as a team. While there are captains and coaches on the team, a lot of our learning comes from watching and listening to each other.”
The club kicked off their season on Sept. 22, playing two games of sevens against Drew University. They won 15-10 the first game and tied in the second 15-15.
On Sept. 29 they hosted the US Merchant Marines Academy (USMMA). That same morning, USMMA notified the team that they were only bringing four players – which wasn’t quite enough to play a real game. Instead of letting their game day go to waste, New Paltz played a scrimmage with those four USMMA players mixed in. New Paltz won by forfeit, bringing their season record to 2-0, but the team had yet to play a fifteens game.
On Oct. 5, they played their first fifteens game against Siena College. New Paltz took a loss at 55-5. Coach Duclay still praised their play, sharing in the Rugby newsletter that the previous year, they had played on the same field against the same team and lost 98-0.
They played their final match of the regular season against Molloy University, who were second seed in the division. New Paltz lost 58-17, which placed them in the third seed of their division. This placement was what brought them into the playoffs on Oct. 27.
When playoff day came, New Paltz brought their A-game, winning the match 40-38. “It was the most intense game we’ve played and the highest achieved score since I started coaching them three seasons ago! The players were committing to every attack opportunity, and defending solidly,” said Duclay. “I have never felt that proud of the team like I felt at that semifinal game.”
On Nov. 3, the team traveled back to Albany to play Siena in the Tri-State Conference Division III final. While New Paltz took the loss for this last playoff match, the attention should be on their growth as a team this season.
“Our team hasn’t only grown in size this semester, but we’ve also grown in team spirit,” said Nehme. “There’s been a great positive energy this season and there’s a real eagerness to win.”