photo by Gracey Evans
The Point Park Rugby Club shows off their new uniforms together after a meeting. The team’s spring season began Saturday against the South Pittsburgh Hooligans.

Prior to his freshman year, Kyle Waldron knew very little about rugby – the sport he’s since grown to love. 

Daymon Long joined the Point Park rugby club simply looking to get in shape after recovering from a broken wrist, and now, he’s sold on it. 

 “I literally knew nothing about rugby before I joined,” Long said during an interview Friday at Point State Park. “I knew that it was a popular sport in Europe, and I knew they threw the ball backwards and kicked the ball forward.”

They are among 22 players on Point Park’s club rugby team that is not only building on its best fall season ever, but growing along with the fast-rising sport across America. 

“Rugby is the fastest growing sport in America,” team captain Jakob Como said Friday at Point State Park. “I think there’s 30,000-40,000 college rugby players in the country. I think people are interested in rugby because of the team aspect and the physicality part of it.”

According to a study done by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, there has been a 13.3 percent increase in rugby participants over the past five years, which makes rugby the fastest growing sport in America.

Many of the players in the club have had no prior experience playing rugby before they attended Point Park.

“This is one of the first years that everyone we brought over from the freshman class stayed over,” Como said. “Most of the time we have a 30-40 percent retention rate, and this year, we had one person out of the six or seven freshmen drop.”

Even though the club may face a disadvantage with smaller numbers and less experience than other schools, it was able to compete with some elite competition during the fall. 

“The fall season was our best season so far,” Como said. “We were 3-4 prior to entering conference play, where we played teams like Robert Morris and Franciscan University, who are in the top 15 in the National Small College Rugby Organization.” 

The club’s set schedule season is in the fall, where players compete in the Three Rivers Rugby Conference and then a tournament season during the spring.

Point Park’s first scheduled match for the spring was March 20, where players took on the South Pittsburgh Hooligans. 

Since joining the rugby club, Waldron has noticed that rugby is a sport that’s played by humble individuals.

 “It’s a hooligan’s game played by gentleman,” Waldron said Friday at Point State Park. “You won’t see touchdown dances; you won’t see any of that. It’s a very humble sport.”

Waldron grew up playing football and basketball, and says that a lot of the skills he learned from playing those sports have transferred over to rugby. 

“The same kind of ball movement that’s in basketball is in rugby, and the physical aspect of football has helped,” Waldron said. “My basketball side has helped with running around the field and knowing where my teammate is before he’s even there. The anticipation part of basketball and football really helps when it comes to rugby.”

Waldron said that compared to football, there are a lot more rules and restrictions when it comes to playing rugby.

“I can still remember in high school when I was a right guard, and I would pull on a counter play and smash someone the hardest that I could, but in rugby, you can’t do that,” Waldron said. “There are a lot more rules, and if you tackle someone incorrectly, you’ll get a red card and miss the next game.” 

Long played soccer and basketball and ran track in high school, and agrees with Waldron’s statement that Rugby is a very modest game. 

“It’s a very aggressive sport, but there’s also a very humble attitude when it comes to rugby players,” Long said. “Football players and soccer players will throw a fit when a flag is called, but rugby players have the utmost respect among the teams and the referees, which I think is really interesting.”

After a year on the rugby team, Long has developed a real appreciation for the game.

“I love this sport now. I love the guys,” Long said. “There’s a real awesome brotherhood. Some of my best friends are on this team.”