Rugby has been a club sport at Saint Michael’s College since 1978, when the men’s team was established.  Over the years, the club has grown and developed.  The club currently competes in the Collegiate Division II of the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) our Local Area Union, one of the strongest unions in the US; a member of the Northeast Rugby Union (NRU).  There are 75 D2 Men’s and Women’s teams in the NRU, which is the only Territorial Union in the country with a full D3 and D4 division.  We are a member of the national governing body for rugby: USA Rugby.  Over the past 5 years, Northeast teams have won 2 men’s National Championships and 1 Women’s National Championship.  NERFU teams have a combined 22-11 record in National Championship play and have sent 12 teams to the semi-finals in just 14 total opportunities.

There are three conferences in Men’s Division II of NERFU, comprised of St. Michael’s College, Amherst College, Bates College, Bentley College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Colby College, Middlebury College, Providence College, United States Coast Guard Academy, University of Maine-Farmington, University of Maine-Orono, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of New Hampshire, University of Rhode Island, University of Vermont, and Williams College.

The Saint Michael’s men’s rugby team competes in the Central Conference of Division II.  In our regular season we play, Amherst College, Middlebury College, University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and Williams College.  The top eight teams from the Division compete in the playoffs at the end of the regular season in a bid to advance to the NRU playoffs and ultimately to the National Competitions.  Saint Michael’s College has advanced to the playoffs since 2003 and we won the Plate Competition (the playoff consolation bracket) in 2006 and 2008.

The women’s rugby team began in fall of 1992.  It quickly became popular, with over 40 players by the second year and all new players.  They were very dedicated and very determined, but they didn’t score a single point the first season.  However, didn’t give up and enjoyed learning the game and the camaraderie that came with belonging to the group.  They finally scored in the second fall.  In contrast, the past few years, the team has scored over 150 points each season while accumulating a record of 13-3.
In 2001, the program saw a change of coaches and a need for a rebuilding.  The fall of 2001 we saw almost 35 new players to the program.  Working with a limited veteran staff, it took several years before the program began to prosper.  In 2004, a commitment was made to compete at all levels of rugby.  New athletes were committed to teamwork and playing at the highest level.
Saint Michael’s women made their first playoff appearance in 1997.  They placed third in the NERFU Div 2 playoffs.  They lost to Wellesley in the first round, but beat Wesleyan in the consolation game to take 3rd place.  The trophy is on display in the lobby of the Athletic Center, along with a ball signed by members of the team that year.  The past few years the team has made the playoffs and will continue to do so in the upcoming years.

The Rugby Program at Saint Michael’s College is unique among many collegiate programs in the US.  While we maintain a club status, we are treated and managed as a varsity sport.  This means that we are administered internally by our own student rugby players.  The Men’s and the Women’s team nominate executive officers to manage their team.  We procure and operate our own budget, we manage our expenses, and make decisions about how to develop the program.  Because we are a club sport, there is no roster limit and we are not held to many of the NCAA restrictions on intercollegiate play.  On the other hand, we are treated as a varsity sport by the Administration.  We are expected to conform to the same standards of conduct and play as other varsity sports.  We also benefit from the same administrative support as other varsity sports.  We have our own game pitch, our own practice pitch, our own equipment room and our own athletic trainers and training times.  Most importantly, we are not a typical collegiate rugby program; our goal is to be great rugby players and to be the type of people capable of being great rugby players.  The program emphasizes integrity and self-respect through commitment, dedication, self-discipline and self-sacrifice for a higher goal.

Because Saint Michael’s College has only 1700 students, with a program of over 100 men and women rugby players, we maintain a high profile on campus.  Players are close knit on and off the pitch and we pride ourselves on upholding the best qualities of rugby: fierce competitors and fiercely loyal friends.