Ranani helps rugby team go to playoffs at season's end

By Anthony Lanza
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Mathew Ranani, 19, has been playing rugby for six years and started when he was a freshman in high school. He did not like lacrosse, but he felt that he should play a sport, so he picked rugby because of a recommendation from his coach. At Norwich Ranani is one of many sophomores who contributed to the rugby team's success this season. One of the positions Ranani played was hooker; this position consisted of getting the ball to Norwich players during the scrum.

The men's Norwich rugby team had closed out the 2002 season by going to the playoffs.

The sophomore players had played a big part in getting the team as far as it did during the season, according to team members.

"Now that the season is over, I feel I gave as best I could out on the field," said Dan Dougherty, 19, a history and political science major from Watertown, N.Y.

"I got hurt a couple times on the field and played through it. I never gave up and tried to do my best for the rugby team every time we played another team," Dougherty said.

"I think what helped to bring the team together was the fact that all of us on the rugby team [hung] out together off the field," said Ranani, a criminal justice major from Mt. Kisco, N.Y. "I think that because all the players had gotten to know each other personally and had become comfortable with each other, we all were able to bring that to the field and work as one."

"I think that the rugby team did very well this season when compared to last year's season," said Ricardo Merced, 19, an English major from Fort Drum, N.Y. "The team was 1 and 4 last year, and now we made it to the final four."

"I think that a big part to the team's success was the fact that the team had talented captains who held the team together," said Merced. "We have improved a lot due to the leadership the team followed."

"It's up to the coach to whether any changes are made to the rugby team for next year due to this past season, " Ranani said "However, the rugby team will be losing the playing experience of the graduating seniors."

Next year there might be some spot changes, Dougherty said.

"There will be people trying out new positions, but overall I don't think the rugby team will go through too much change for next season," Dougherty explained.

"I think that if everyone didn't have the level of determination to win, the rugby team would not have had such a successful season," Merced said. "There were a lot of times where it was team effort of wanting to do good, and that is what helped us to make it to the playoffs."

Motivation is the key to getting winning results in a competition environment, regardless of the sport.

"The coach would give the rugby team inspirational speeches, which helped to pump up the players and get them ready for the game," Dougherty said. "If you didn't want to play, the captains didn't want you on the field. Only the people that wanted to really win were put onto the field to play."

"I feel that the rugby team will have the same success next year as it did this past season." Ranani said "The team is moving up to the white league, and that's where teams like West Point and Harvard compete.

"Army is a team that Norwich really doesn't like, so we are always looking for a chance to beat them," Ranani said.

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