The UNM men's rugby team used a young squad of mostly freshmen and sophomores to beat the El Paso Scorpions 40-12 Saturday at the Albuquerque Sports Stadium.
The Lobos had lost the teams' last two meetings but came together to beat the El Paso team of professional players, who each have anywhere from six to 12 years of rugby experience.
"I was really proud of the guys because I think it's the best we've played and it's a very good sign of things to come," head coach Shannon Robinson said. "It's really quite an accomplishment for our young players because there was a lot of hard hitting and it took a lot of courage to be on the field."
Robinson said he was particularly pleased with Mark West, who is the team's captain and was the player of the game Saturday, and a handful of others who stepped up on both sides of the ball.
"Mark was just a destroyer out there," Robinson said. "Then you had Justin Vance who had a really great game. He really opened up the field by running the ball for us. He's a very talented player. Casey Connell also had a great game. He was doing a great job of running the ball inside."
David Auge, who is president of the club team, said he was thrilled by Saturday's victory.
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"It's great to see the team really come together and have our hard work pay off," he said. "The Scorpions are a good team, so it was a really big win for us."
Auge said that the best part of the game is the contact, so he enjoys going up against professional teams.
"It's kind of a brotherhood and nothing is a better bonding experience than looking out for each other on the field," he said. "We really have to play as a team in order to be successful."
UNM consistently fields a strong rugby team nationally, but garners relatively little attention because it is a club sport. This year the Lobos are ranked No. 4 in the Western Region of USA Rugby.
While this year's team is young, it is brimming with talent.
"We have a lot of special guys on the team, including six high school All-Americans, which means they played for their country before," Robinson said. "What's also special about this team is that a lot of these guys are from New Mexico. The other exciting part is that this group is going to have so much time together. We think we'll really be able to put New Mexico on the map with this group."
UNM's rugby season runs from August through March and April when the teams compete in USA Rugby's equivalent of the NCAA Tournament. Last year the Lobos lost in the Sweet 16 to Air Force Academy.
Saturday's game was the team's first official game on the schedule, with a handful of other scrimmages and non-collegiate tournaments also under their belt.
The UNM women's rugby team had an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday before the men's game. Robinson said he recently organized the group, which grew out of the Atomic Sisters Rugby Team, a team includes non-collegiate athletes.
"The atomic sisters have take an interest in us because they know we can be a good feeder team for them," Robinson said. "We know a lot of women want to play this game and it's a great contact sport for them."
Both teams are still taking members. Joining the men's team is more competitive and its roster is nearly full, while the women's team is recruiting more players. Practices are Tuesday through Thursday at 4 p.m. on the south side of Johnson Field.
"Anyone can try out at the practices, and we welcome anyone who is interested to stop by," Robinson said. "It's a great sport and a lot of fun. The best part about it is that regardless of whether you're big or small, slow or fast, there's a position out there on the field for you."
by Iliana Lim¢n
Daily Lobo
