The Texas A&M men’s rugby club will play at home for the first time this season under new head coach Luke Beauchamp on Oct. 14 against the University of Oklahoma.
Old Maroon side is 2-0 for 2023 and takes on OU at Penberthy Fields beginning at 2:30 p.m. The team won 55-14 against Air Force on Oct. 7 and 29-12 against The University of Colorado on Oct. 9. The team noted their use of “For Arizona and Airforce” motivated the Old Maroon side during the matches.
Junior Eric Hawkins said they were used to winning.
“[A] winning tradition, and we’ve always had the confidence,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins was named team captain alongside sophomore Alex Park, who was named vice-captain.
The men’s rugby club is one of the few club teams that offer scholarships, said Hawkins. He noted that last year the team had 35 members and this year they have added 25 new members for a total of 60 players this year.
A lot of this is thanks to their recruitment team, Hawkins said.
“We’ve got a lot of recruits with a lot of rugby experience, so that’s how we’re gonna find success this year,” Beauchamp said.
Other new aspects for the year include more refined coaching and team building practices, Beauchamp said.
The Aggies started the 2023-24 season ranked No. 17 in the Goff Report D1A National rankings.
“We constantly remind ourselves we’re together, and we’re a team and friends,” Park said.
Senior Abbas Bangash said teamwork is key.
“At the end of the day, it’s just us versus the opposition, so we just remind ourselves [to] stay calm and collected and we fight our battles together not against each other,” Bangash said.
Shalina Sabih is a journalism junior and contributed this piece from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.