The University of Rhode Island club men’s rugby team competed in its biggest challenge of the season this weekend, the Beast of the East Tournament.
This is the biggest collegiate rugby tournament in New England, with 80 teams competing in total. The team had a 4-3 record this season heading into the Beast of the East.
The team’s second win of the season came in convincing fashion against Northeastern University. The Rams dominated their competition in a 22-7 victory on March 2. Second-year captain Joe Church scored two tries in this match as he prepared for the Beast of the East Tournament.
Thanks to this victory and their performance throughout the year, the team entered the Beast of the East Tournament with confidence, according to Church.
“We had a really strong fall season; we got a lot of new players,” Church said. “We went 4-3 and could have won another game but came up a little short, but coming into the spring, we had a really fired-up mindset.”
Despite the high stakes of the tournament, second-year forward Chris Scott said the preparation didn’t look any different for the Rams.
“We’ve just done regular practice, nothing new,” Scott said. “Just making sure we’re ironing out all the details.”
The Rams dominated in their first match of the Beast of the East Tournament, defeating the University of New Hampshire 29-0.
The past two seasons, the Rams were considered a favorite in this tournament, but now, they have fallen out of that favorite category and were seeking to win as an underdog. Church spoke about the extra motivation that this gave the team.
“I think we’re supremely prepared,” Church said. “Everybody [was] focused, and you can feel there’s a little tension, but it’s a good tension, and it makes us rise to a new level.”
The Rams had to face off against Boston College in their second pool game, where they fell short to the Eagles 34-0.
The Rams went on to play Boston College’s B-team in the playoff round, where they were defeated by the Eagles 43-0. This wasn’t the end for the Rams, however, as they were able to compete in the third-place match against UNH again. They dropped a low-scoring battle 7-0 to the Wildcats, finishing fourth in the men’s competitive 15s competition.
Moving forward, Scott spoke on the team’s goals for the remainder of the season.
“After [the tournament], [we want to] just recover [from] injuries, and just get ready for next year, the mini-camp that might happen and the new kids we are trying to recruit,” Scott said.
Although the Rams didn’t come out as Beast of the East champions, they still have their alumni game to look forward to at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
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