Men's rugby team makes the playoffs a team goal; team members optimistic

By Anthony Lanza
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Eric Corbett had first been introduced to the sport of rugby through friends in his hometown of Boca Raton, Fla. When he was younger, he watched rugby games and found himself getting interested in the sport. Once he was admitted to Norwich, he joined the rugby team, because it provided the players with a good team program.

Here at Norwich, Corbett is one of the team captains and plays as the team's inside center. This position consists of getting the ball out to the winger; centers try and get penetration on the other team.

"When I was younger, I played soccer for eleven years, I wrestled for a year, and swam for a year. I was a pretty decent athlete overall, because I played all different sports, which made me very physical when I was younger" said Corbett, 21, a senior civil engineering major.

This weekend, the Norwich Men's Rugby team will be going to Buffalo, N.Y., and competing against the University of Buffalo in the playoffs with a chance to advance and try for the championship. It will be a good game to watch, according to team fans.

"I feel that going to the playoffs is a very big step for the team, especially considering the shortcomings we had last year," said Benjamin Blanchard, 21, a full-back player, senior, double major in psychology and justice studies. "I think that the seniors are doing a lot better job at team building than they had done last year for the rugby team."

"I'm definitely excited that the rugby team is going to the playoffs," said Matt Ranani, 19, a sophomore, criminal justice major, from Mt. Kisco, NY"I have done something like this back in high school but nothing as big as going to the playoffs with a college level team."

Teamwork is what will get any team anywhere, whether it is sports or any other situation. "It's not a one man show, it's fifteen-man rugby, and we have so many people that are involved that if someone gets hurt, there is another person to stand up and take their place," Corbett said.

"We really want to win this game," Ranani said. "If we win this game and advance, then we will be looking at another shot at playing Army again, and this time beating them." Outside of losing, everyone wants to be a part of the winning team, and that plays a big role in the motivation as well, Ranani said.

The Norwich men's rugby team last had the opportunity to play in the playoffs three years ago, around the time when players like Eric Corbett and Benjamin Blanchard were freshmen. Now that the team is at this point in the season, all of the players are very excited about the upcoming games, according to team players.

"All of the players are very excited about going to the playoffs," Blanchard said. "The attitude that everyone has is that we all just can't wait until we play again." The anticipation for the upcoming game is very high among the team's players, because everyone wants to keep going and keep playing, Blanchard said.

"I'm very happy and excited that the Norwich men's rugby team is going to the playoffs," said Mike Letoile, 20, a sophomore, criminal justice major, from Lincoln, RI. "Some of my rook buddies are on the team and will be playing in the game, and I want them to do well, as well as the rest of the team. I really like watching the rugby team play, and I think they will do well in the upcoming game, from what I have already seen of the team in past games."

Even though the rugby team has proven its competency, there are still a few things that need work in order to better prepare the players.

"The team is at its prime, but the thing that worries me as a captain is the fact that we are becoming a little lax in the way we approach each game," Corbett said. "Last week, we went in thinking that the game against the University of Massachusetts was going to be easy. The score was 6-3, and we had almost lost."

"The caliber of rugby is just going to increase from this point on, because we had won our league," Corbett said. "Now we should be picking it up a little bit more and playing more serious than we have been. Overall, I think that we will win this game this weekend and be one step closer to the championship."

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