Norsemen Rugby Club Makes Presence Felt in Philly

Philadelphia, Penn.-On Saturday (4/14), the Norsemen Football Rugby Club of Plymouth State University finished runner up in the Philadelphia Collegiate Cup Tournament, winning three of four matches.

            "We all ran with support; I couldn't believe how well we can together as a team," said senior captain Ryan Cross (Barre, VT.). For PSU's Rugby Club, the victory was owed to determination to succeed. The Norsemen's dominant performance in the scrums propelled them into victory in three consecutive matches. Sophomore Rugby Hooker Steve Maffee (Nashua, N.H.) was able to hook nearly every ball that came his way. Everyone on the team had a role to play. The Norsemen were able to compete as a unit, which helped out when key players were out of the game.  "A lot of people who didn't start, when given the chance to play, were just as successful as the person that they took over for," said Cross. Some notable players who made a splash when they received their chance to compete were sophomore R.J. Duckless (Hooksett, N.H.) and classmate David Robinson (Mass.) who filled in, at times, for captains Cross and senior Dan Turcotte (Nashua, N.H.). The Norsemen defeated Grove City (of Western PA) twice. PSU was able to render Grove City scoreless in both outings, defeating them 8-0, and then again 12-0, in their first and third matches of the afternoon. In between Grove, the rugby team snatched a 38-12 victory over the University of Delaware's division 3 squad.

            Despite excellent performances by the entire Rugby Club, including an impressive outing from senior fullback Joe Irvine (Bridgewater, Mass.), the Norsemen dropped their final match to York College out of Pennsylvania, 28-3.  The Norsemen were the first opponents in the Open Division of the tournament to strike against the York College Spartans. York outscored their opponents 120-3 within their tournament dominance. For the Norsemen Rugby Club, it was just another successful venture, where improvement was evident. The club was self-coached, by the two captains, along with the veteran members of the crew. "I really don't wish that anything went differently; we played well as a team and I couldn't be more proud," said Cross. With some important roles for the club graduating and moving on to bigger things, the Norsemen Football Rugby Club of Plymouth State will be looking towards their younger players to continue their hard work and winning ways. "This success means a lot; it gave a lot of hope to returning players that they can be just as successful next year," Cross said. The Norsemen Rugby team will probably continue to do what they do best: compete without needed recognition, in tournaments that people (on campus) rarely hear about, continually giving Plymouth State University a respected name.