Men’s Rugby Showing Signs of Re-Birth

Plymouth, NH-The Plymouth State Men’s Rugby Club lost its first game of the season this Saturday 25 to Springfield College after their match with WPI got rained out the weekend before. Scoring for Plymouth was started off by a clever interception by Chris Cenet, snagging the ball from Springfield deep into their territory and driving the last few meters for the Try. Rob Howes, one of several U-19 Amoskeag R.F.C. player raked in two Try’s for the day, the first after a 40 meter run. Jesse Beaton and Dan Jones found each other and worked the defense for Plymouths last Try of the game. Kicking for the Norsemen were Howes and Beaton.The Norsemen are coming off a compelling spring ’04 season that didn’t produce many victories, but they remain focused on taking their level of play to another level. The match against Springfield gave the Norsemen what they were looking for; Confirmation. Confirmation that what they were doing as a club sport was not going to waste, that they were just as hard working and dedicated to what they believed in and would get the successes they desired on the field during game time. There was a time when the Plymouth Men’s team had six players showing up to practice and when there were enough numbers for a game, it would be lost in the first ten minutes as the Norsemen watched their opponents ruck and pass the ball into their try-zone. This season there are over thirty members to this Norsemen team and all are primed for a rugby season full of grit and victory.At the helm, previous captain Josh Lagerval has taken on coaching responsibilities letting seniors Chris Cenet, Ethan Swan, Tony Napoleone, Jesse Beaton, Ryan Schruender, Eric Wilson and captain Dan Jones set a standard for Plymouth’s up coming players. The Norsemen have also been blessed with a wealth of new talent and desire to play from several first year and experienced players that have joined the team over the years. Despite the outcome of Saturday’s game, the team remains optimistic on their fall season, keeping in mind that rugby also has a more intense spring season, both providing many opportunities to finally exercise all their assets. The Norsemen face Johnson State this weekend away, and are looking forward to a good game with a team they know will provide a similar style and attitude as Plymouth.