Liza Kaufman, Contributing Photographer

This past Saturday, men’s rugby’s first and second teams began their pre-seasons with crushing victories over UConn (29–5) and Columbia (7–5), respectively.

The first team, the Bulldogs, boasts more experienced rugby players and their games are counted in the team’s overall record. The second team, the Bluedogs, composed of newer rugby players, lets athletes get playing time on the field in a competitive environment; they play other schools’ second teams.

The women’s rugby pre-season scrimmage against Vassar (10–34) introduced newcomers to the sport as the team prepares for its first season game later this month.

The Yale men’s rugby program, founded in 1875, and women’s rugby, founded in 1978, are two of America’s oldest collegiate rugby clubs. Coming off of last season having won the coveted Koranda and Cormack Cups against Princeton and Harvard, the men’s team seeks to continue this streak, keeping the cups in New Haven for another year.

According to president and fullback Aidan Stretch ’25, the team seeks to win its conference, Liberty D1AA. Stretch writes that he is “most looking forward to attempting to beat Harvard for the third straight year.”

The women’s team, having just won the national championship in the spring season, is excited to get back out on the pitch. 

“I am looking forward to growing our team, strengthening our bonds, and winning some games!” women’s captain Willow Manes ’25 wrote to the News. “We are coming off an exciting spring season where we won the national championship in our division, so I hope that during the fall season we will continue to build on that success.”

With these lofty goals in mind, both teams are welcoming newcomers, like Andrew Boanoh ’27. 

Reflecting on his first game with the men’s team, Boanoh wrote to the News that the energy “was up all game,” despite the rain starting around halftime. Around 20 new players played rugby as part of the Yale team for the first time.  

“I was incredibly pleased to grab my first ever try, which was a feeling unlike any other,” Boanoh wrote.

This sentiment of the welcoming nature of the rugby program is echoed by Manes. She told the News the team “makes it a point to have rugby for all.”

Both men’s and women’s rugby are club sports, supported by Yale Rugby Alumni. 

“We practice like a varsity team, play like a varsity team, and have that bond that varsity teams have,” Boanoh wrote to the News. 

The men’s team will return to the pitch for their first regular season game this Saturday versus Boston College at 1:00pm. The women’s team will begin their regular season on Friday, Sept. 20, versus Smith College.