Coming off its first win of the regular season in a victory against Arkansas, Texas A&M rugby’s Maroon side is set to face off against some familiar faces in the Old Maroon side on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The annual alumni match is a midseason break for the Maroon side, who is currently 1-2 in regular season play and ranked 68th, according to Rugbyhawk.com. Old Maroon works to strengthen rugby at A&M with financial and moral support. The exhibition has been played annually for over a decade. Last year, Maroon side came out on top in a close match.
The exhibition match is friendly but will be competitive, Maroon side captain and university studies senior Eric Hawkins said. The seniors on the team have played with many of the Old Maroon players in the last few years, Hawkins said.
“We won a close one last year,” Hawkins said. “I played with them for so long that it’s weird playing against them, but a lot of fun together and to have them come down for the weekend.”
Ultimately, both sides are playing for one thing, Hawkins said: bragging rights.
“They’re tough guys, so it’ll be a physical game,” Hawkins said. “Hopefully, they’re out of shape enough for us to put some points on them.”
Maroon side is fresh off a 56-5 over Arkansas on Sept. 27, after starting the season with losses against Sam Houston, 28-26, and at Tennessee, 46-17, on Sept. 24.
“The season is going well,” Hawkins said. “We had a couple disappointing losses early to some good teams, but it helped us grow a lot as a team, and now we’re much closer to the team we want us to be.”
Looking towards the rest of the season, Hawkins said he feels good about where the team stands with one goal on his mind.
“I expect us to win out the rest of the schedule, but most importantly, beat t.u. at Aveva later this fall,” Hawkins said.
Dropkick against Old Maroon is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Penberthy Rec Sports Complex.
Dylan McGinnis is a telecommunication media studies senior and contributed this story from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.
