Jack Brooks and Tosh Bridges
On March 31, girls and boys rugby traveled to Rome, Florence, and Venice to compete against Europe’s finest teams. According to sophomore Zachary Sniderman, 25 boys and 13 girls attended. Both teams played a total of three games, one in each city.
According to Sniderman, roughly half the boys team attended. The boys finished with a 1-2 record, defeating Avezzano Rugby, 15-7, in Rome but losing against the other two teams.
“Team Florentia in Florence and Team Valsugana in Venice were extremely skilled, but our boys put out a great effort despite these odds,” Sniderman said. “Florentia and Valsugana had more experience as a team and we were simply outmatched, but we still fought our hardest.”
According to senior prop Owen Razon, the foreign teams were much more disciplined, skilled, and rarely committed penalties.
“American teams are more physically imposing, but they lacked experience,” Razon said. “The problem was that we made significantly more errors, which led us to a losing record.”
Italy wasn’t only an amazing country historically, but the other rugby players were courteous and welcoming, even with the obvious language barrier, according to Sniderman. The most memorable part of the trip was being able to compete in such a beautiful new landscape, according to Sniderman.
“The quality of the turf, the clubhouses, and the fields themselves were refreshing and definitely heightened the experience while playing,” Sniderman said. “The trip was particularly special for the 15 seniors who were on their final Costa Rugby tour. As a sophomore, I am hoping to have the opportunity to tour and play internationally again in the future.”
According to Sniderman, one of the most defining aspects of rugby is the sense of international brotherhood and sisterhood. According to Coach Duke Dulgarian, rugby is a tough physical sport, but the two opposing teams met at the end of each game to eat together on the trip, making memories that would last a lifetime.
“After each game, the home team invited us for a meal, we exchanged gifts, and did a surprisingly great job of understanding each other,” Sniderman said. “We traveled across the world and found instant friendships solely through our shared passion for this amazing sport, creating memories we will cherish for life.”
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