The University of Memphis rugby club has begun seeking solutions to the significant problems that could bring an end to their program.
The lack of a conference membership, proper funding and number of players have all prevented them from gaining a foothold as a proper team.
“I want people to respect us,” assistant coach Ramón Cantú said. “I want people to look at our team and think that we belong at a Division I school, and we represent the University of Memphis just as much as any other sport, club or team here.”
The Southern Independent Rugby Conference disbanded the U of M team because they did not have enough members to stay in the conference. Despite this, members of the club have found fellowship among their teammates.
“There’s a great deal of camaraderie,” Cantú said. “Rugby is such a team sport that I believe there’s more of a bonding experience in this sport than others.”
The U of M Rugby Club is the only collegiate rugby club or team in Shelby County and West Tennessee, but the club has attracted a low number of recruits.
“The best two things that this team could do is be able to both maintain a big conference name and double the amount of people we have,” Musa Banat, a third-year veteran of the team, said. “There is a lot of rugby talent in Memphis, and if we could keep that talent from leaving Shelby County, we would have a dominating team. Instead of 25 to 30 men on a team, we could have 60 to 80 men, which would allow them to compete harder for positions.”
Banat said his main goal for the team’s future is to enter a conference to make the team official and to attain school funding. Those two things could be the determining factor if the team is granted varsity status at the U of M.
Turk Wigley, an 18-year-old fullback on the team, said if had he not been visited by recruiters from the U of M for rugby, he would not have gone to college.
“The time and money I’ve spent with the rugby team has given me a great group of friends to be with, and it is also good way to play at a higher level,” Wigley said. “It’s really just a fun experience to go out and play a new game that you’ve never heard of and find a new group of friends. If this team struggles to find its footing staying in a conference, then how could we stay competitive?”
The U of M rugby club had little choice but to schedule only non-conference games with teams that had available time or a bye week. Without a proper source of funding or backing from a distinguished conference, the U of M rugby club faces problems that could take years to resolve.
“I’ve thought about what it might take to become an official sport, and it’s definitely going to take people coming out to our games, us starting to win more games and progressing better as a team,” Wigley said.
The U of M rugby club scheduled an appointment with U of M president M. David Rudd on Oct. 1 to discuss becoming an official sport at the U of M, according to Banat. The team also wants to discuss any possible ways the university could help the program grow.
U of M rugby club players practice their scrum with a practice dummy. Members of the club said low recruitment and funding and a lack of conference membership are keeping them from becoming an official U of M sports team.
