Men’s rugby club works on new game plan

The men’s rugby club practice started with intensive fitness drills at 10 p.m. the Thursday before spring break at the Mellencamp Center.\nThe team, under the new leadership of first-year head coach Tom Phillips, is trying to implement a new style of play in order to beat rival Notre Dame March 22. Players did sprints, push-ups and sit-ups before practicing their various techniques. \n“I brought a different style of play to the team,” Phillips said about his first season at IU. “I brought a lot of discipline to the team. The most important thing to the game is fitness.”\nPhiilips’s methods have already brought success. Last fall, the team made it to the eighth round of a tournament before losing to Ohio State. The team began its spring campaign with two wins.\n“As a team, we play with a lot of pace,” said IU graduate student and team member Duick Young. “We are focusing on an expansive game. We look at the part of the field we are on and how to work with that area. It is more patterned play.”\nBecause IU has no varsity rugby team, the club team is as intense as a normal varsity team would be, Young said.\n“It’s very demanding, but it’s all about the work you put into it,” said junior Owen Dickey, the club’s president. “There are guys who love to play the game. If you have that attitude, you will get a lot out of it. It is just like another class in school. You will make time for it if it’s important to you.”\nThe 38-man team practices Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The club encourages new players because it is a newly popularized sport, Phillips said. \n“A lot of people start playing in college,” Phillips said. “Most of the guys start in high school but we can teach anyone the basics of the game. If they liked sports in high school, they will like rugby.”\nRugby incorporates elements of many other sports. If a person has played football or soccer in the past, they might enjoy rugby, the players said. Although rugby is a team sport, the individual is important. The coach does not call time-outs, and play stops only on account of injury or if the ball goes out of bounds. Because of this, rugby requires a lot of concentration.\n“It’s more you get to decide what you’re doing on the field,” said junior and team captain David Weitz. “You get to decide what you do with the game. You go out and do what you will.”\nThe current team is very young, with many freshmen and sophomore players. Phillips said they are also always looking to add to the team, so if anyone is interested they should come out to a practice.\n“It’s a good way to let off steam,” Young said. “It’s also all about the friendships. It’s a good way to make friends and meet new people. It can be war on the pitch but after the match you go and socialize with the other team.”