PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

As of last spring, the USD men’s club rugby team holds four national championship titles and they’re hungry for more. In the Spring semester of 2024, the team had a dominating victory against Iowa State, winning their second consecutive 15’s National Championship in Houston, Texas. 

In their first season together during the 2021-2022 school year, the team achieved the program’s biggest upset by defeating Long Beach State 31-19, which was the first time this had been accomplished in over a decade. They continued their success by going undefeated in conference play, which secured them a spot in Atlanta’s Collegiate 7’s National Championship Tournament. 

As underdogs, USD rugby  faced teams such as  Iowa State, Harvard and Nebraska. Over the three-day tournament, they earned a place in  the finals against Harvard. The game received a lot of   attention  and  was broadcasted nationally on NBC.

The team was victorious, beating Harvard 26-14, earning the club’s first-ever National Championship and the first National Championship  for any team sport in USD history. In the spring of 2024, the team was able to do it again, defeating Iowa State 38-7 to protect their title and become repeat national champions. 

The club has also continued growth initiatives to keep improving, such as partnering with the San Diego Legion, San Diego’s Major League Rugby team.  The rugby team’s coaching staff  includes  star  Legion  players Marcel Brache and Oliver Kane. 

The Toreros  have also expanded their recruiting. They now have  over 30 applicants a year from all over the world applying to USD with the intention of playing rugby. 

“Watching the growth of this club has been amazing,” Michael Lewis, current club president and USD senior, said. “To show up on day one of my freshman year with 16 players that barely knew how to pass a ball, and now going into my last year having over 60 that can contribute for us in any given game, it is a growth that has been exponential and very special.”

Lewis also commented on what it would mean to be able to make it to nationals and win one more time during his senior year.

“It would mean everything to me to be able to play on the national level one more time, especially if we were able to be repeat champs three times in a row,” Lewis said. “It would mean so much to me and just to the program since it’s so new and has come so far in such a short time.” 

Lewis also discussed playing rugby post-grad. 

“I have been playing since I was five years old and so it may be time for me to hang up the boots, but I hope to make everything of this last season with my team,” Lewis said.

The club’s growth has been evident, not only on the field but also off of it. Assistant Director of Rugby Scott Thomas and several key alumni established a mentorship program connecting over 40 years of USD rugby alumni with current players, ensuring their continued success even after their playing days at the University of San Diego.

This mentorship program has been a key initiative that will propel team members’ professional careers after their days at Alcala Park.  

Heading into the 2021-2022 season, USD rugby hired Charlie Purdon as their head coach. Purdon is a South Africa native with high-level playing and coaching experience and, most importantly, an extreme passion for the sport. Purdon discussed the effort the team has put into growing and finding success. 

“We prioritized acting right, driving positive behaviors, habits, body language and connections,” Purdon explained. “We told stories, ran hills, drove on crumbs, won races and never forgot the  importance of enjoying the game. Through all of the hard work, relentless effort, major discipline and genuinely  caring for one another, the USD men’s rugby club is having some serious fun.” 

The growth of men’s club rugby has also inspired the creation of a women’s rugby team on campus. The team was formed in 2022 and since then the USD women’s rugby club has quickly gained traction thanks to the efforts of dedicated student leaders who collaborated with Campus Recreation. These students played a crucial role in sparking interest among their peers, ultimately leading to the club’s formal establishment in 2023. The club has grown significantly, now including over 20 female student-athletes who are committed to building a strong and competitive program.

To support the club’s rapid growth, two experienced coaches joined the staff, bringing valuable expertise and guidance to the team. The club competes at the Division II level and fields both 15s and 7s squads. Collaboration with the men’s rugby team has helped foster a sense of  teamwork among the players while also raising the profile of women’s rugby on campus.

Both teams have shown great improvement over the past years and will continue to train in the upcoming fall 2024 season.

While women’s rugby does not have any games on the fall schedule, the men’s team already had their first scrimmage  versus USC Rugby  at home this past weekend on Sept. 21. Five new players made their debut for the Toreros while playing against USC. The team used the scrimmage to prepare for the upcoming tournaments.

USD mens’s rugby has their next tournament on Oct. 12 at the West Coast 7’s tournament where they will be competing against the Claremont Colleges. The following week   club rugby has their  Alumni  Game at  Manchester field  on Oct. 19.  Not long after the Alumni Game, men’s  rugby will   compete in the West Coast 7’s at Chula Vista Oct. 26-27.

USD club rugby competing against USC on Sept. 21, 2024. Photo courtesy of Samuel Puentes