Beast of the East

Men's rugby team in action

by Sean Carroll
edited by Kevin Flanders

The men’s rugby team will play in the biggest rugby tournament on the east coast this April, The Beast of the East.

The Beast of the East will be held on April 17 and 18 in Portsmouth, RI. This will only be the second time the team has participated in the tournament since they lost in the semifinals to Bryant in 2008.

“We are very excited to be participating in the Beast of the East Tournament this year,” said Junior Joe Landini.

The tournament is split into two separate brackets for the men, Division I, and Division II. Each team that enters the tournament is guaranteed at least two matches, and matches are divided into two 25 minute halves with a five minute break in between halves.

 The tournament usually charges a costly entry fee to each participating team, and since rugby is a club sport, team members must find a way to generate funds.

“The school does not help us out money wise at all, but we have a lot of dedicated guys who want this team to succeed on and off the field,” added Landini.

Although tournament officials have not posted the entry fee yet, the team is wasting no time in raising the money for this event.

“We recently held an auction in which people could put money down on a select number of our players, and whoever bid the most money for each individual they got the player for a day to do their chores or cook dinner,” said Landini. “I myself raised the most with a bid of $62.”

With a core group of returnees the focus of the team is now getting their young players ready for the rough tournament.

“The biggest challenge as a team will be getting the new guys used to the game, and having them ready to step in for the upcoming fall season,” Landini said.

The team has no matches scheduled before the tournament, and must rely on playing tough against each other in practice.

“The team’s success will be dependent on their commitment. Hopefully they make the most of our practice time, and if that’s the case, they have the opportunity to do very well at the tournament,” said first year Head Coach Corey Lawson.

With the tournament still months away the team has started to get back into shape with once a week practices every Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Bubble.

“This time of the spring season is crucial for players to try to get into the best possible shape they can before we get into the season,” said Junior Jared Gardiner.

For more information on the Beast of the East rugby tournament log onto www.beastoftheeast.net. For more information on joining the men’s or women’s rugby teams contact Corey Lawson via e-mail.