Bennie and Johnnie rugby teams finish spring seasons

The St. Ben’s and St. John’s Rugby teams both have had successful seasons under the new Director of Rugby, Nate Augspurger. Augspurger has brought a vast array of experience in the sport to each team as the head coach of the St. John’s team and the assistant coach of the St. Benedict’s team. 

Augspurger talked about the approach he tried to bring to the teams in his first season at the helm.

“Most people are still learning the game of rugby, so my big coaching philosophy is to motivate by growth and motivate by fulfillment. I don’t get too focused on whether we’re winning or losing,” Augspurger said. “I’m not focused on what kind of mistakes were being made; in fact, I encourage guys to make mistakes during training so we can learn on the field. I was focused on the growth of my players, and they’ve improved immensely as this season has progressed.”

Junior Timothy Flynn spoke to the impact Augspurger has already had on the program. 

“He has brought everyone to the same level. Before, you had guys who had played for a while that were a lot better than the new guys who would join the team. This year, he taught everyone the same game, and it’s now an even playing field,” Flynn said.

Sophomore Jayden Forniel also felt the commitment from his new head coach, stating that he has “definitely made a positive impact on the guys’ work ethic. Our overall chemistry has improved a lot. He’s provided a new perspective on the game that we haven’t seen before.”

In the final weeks of their competitive spring seasons, the CSB team took third place at a 7’s tournament hosted by Carleton. Augspurger is proud of the dedication the CSB team has had this season.

“It’s very fun to see a young girls’ team grow and become more physical on the field, grasping the speed of the game and knowing where they need to be on the field in order to play good rugby,” Augspurger said.

The SJU rugby team has also found success this spring season, with two first place tournament finishes in the month of April. 

 “We took a couple of losses at first; in the spring we struggled, but then we built some resilience and embraced the adversity. We came with a good attitude and we performed,” Forniel said.

Augspurger has only been with the programs for a short time, being named the Director of Rugby for the two schools in December. He says that he has already seen the growth in both team season and cannot wait for next season. With recruits coming to both teams, he believes that they will be back and better than before. 

“I am really excited about the influence of the people coming to join the team next year. I’m also excited for our players to be seen in their rugby gear and watching students come and support us at our games,” Augspurger said.

Nearing the end of their spring season, the team is looking for to next year and incorporating the incoming talent that they have recruited to the team.

“I think we’ll have a deep playoff run. Nate’s recruited six guys who are committed to the team. Already knowing that I’m going into next year with a good new class of people that’s committed to the team, it makes me excited,” Flynn said. 

Forniel said that he is excited for what the team will look like next year and is preparing to step into a leadership role for the incoming players.

 “I’m looking forward to welcoming the new recruits that we got. It’ll be a fun experience playing with them and sharing the field with guys that have more experience with rugby,” Forniel said.

The Bennies and Johnnies ended their seasons at 9-9-1 and 16-4 respectively. This weekend, both teams will finish the season with games against CSB and SJU rugby alumni.