The rugby team is fairly new, it debuted in 1998, but rugby — a physically demanding team game that originated in England — has become one of the sports at which Furman consistently excels. Furman’s club team competes in Division II of Rugby USA and is nearing the end of a winning season in which the team went 3-1 and had the opportunity to compete in the playoffs.
Will Merline, a third year player who plays the scrum-half position, recently spoke with The Paladin about his perspective on the how the season sent.
The Paladin: What was the highlight of the year?
Will Merline: The highlight of the season was definitely beating Appalachian State at home a few weekends ago on Oct. 26. App State always has a good rugby team, and we have a bit of a rivalry with them. They are big and very physical. They beat us badly on their field last year so it was great to beat them handily on our home pitch this year.
The Paladin: Beating those pesky Mountaineers is always a big win in my book. Next, how would you rate the team’s performance this year?
WM: Our performance has been overall solid this year. Despite a few big wins early on, our performance was a little slow at the beginning of the season, but we have done an excellent job improving each game.
The Paladin: What are some areas that the team can improve on?
WM: We are not as big as most of the teams we play so we have to win matches by being more skilled and disciplined. Our main areas to improve on would be to cut down on penalties and to maintain proper tackling and passing form late in the game when we are getting tired.
The Paladin: Last question, Will. What are the expectations for the rest of the season?
WM: Well, we lost a tough game to UNC Wilmington last Saturday in the first round of the playoffs so unfortunately our formal season is over. We have a “7s tournament” this Saturday [Nov. 16] on our home pitch that we have a good shot at winning. Beyond that, we will continue to improve in the spring and plan to make a deeper playoff run next fall with the ultimate goal being a championship.
In the Sevens tournament this past weekend, the rugby team finished fourth overall. While not what they were expecting, the team gave a good performance and left it all out on the field.