The Dream Team- Rowan Rugby

Rowan Rugby has been on an impressive winning streak starting out the season 3-0 with the wins coming from a 91-0 win against TCNJ, a 68-0 win against Lehigh, and a 24-0 win against IUP.

They are really doing big things this season they are dominating and the games aren’t even close. In three games they haven’t even allowed the team to score a point yet.

They think this is a collective effort and the team seems to be a cohesive unit headed into the stretch of the season.

“I can’t single out an individual player,” said Coach Kurt Gruber when asked who has been his best player so far in the season. “The forwards and the backs have both played well and have both put out a great effort week in and week out.”

The team plays like a team is supposed to play and that is together. But what do you tell a team that blows out a team 91-0? How do you stay composed during times like this when everything seems to be going your way?

The team is very confident.

“I don’t think we can lose,” said Rowan Rugby player J.C. Carr. “I think we’re a very good team this year. We’re executing the game plan that the coach has for us and if we keep playing and practicing the way we are then we will be alright.”

The coach has an answer for what to tell a dominating team.

“We have to work on our fitness and our fundementals,” said Coach Gruber. “I think that because we have a lot of senior leadership our fitness is our strong suit and we have to keep working to develop that.”

Fundementals will come with practice and repetitions. The team really goes at it when they practice. They run a bunch of different drills that gets the team ready for when they have to face a tough opponent like IUP who they beat 24-0.

“We got a whole new playing style,” said Rowan Rugby player Dan Portillo-Moro.  One of our coaches, Coach Scott, decided to revamp everything where we have completely new plays , new field positions and everything and that honestly is one of the reasons why we’re doing so well.”

That could help. Changing the plays could really build a fresh new outlook to the team and once the players by in, which it looks like they definitely have, good things like a 91-0 blow-out could happen.

Rowan Rugby is a division II team but this week they are taking their talents to division I University of Delaware where they will face off against a tough opponent to see where they really match up to the best.

“Every week is a good opportunity to see where we match up to the best. Rowan has a very good program and everybody knows it’s going to be the toughest game on their schedule so they all want to knock us off,” said Coach Gruber.

-Albert Dadson