TIAR: You guys picked up big wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho but then suffered a set back against Central Washington. What do you think went well in the first two matches and what do you have to do to compete with the likes of CWU?
Ryan Mende: Against EWU and UofI we were able to control possession of the ball and dictate the flow of the match. Central Washington is obviously a Top 10 program in the nation and has been for some time now. Although we feel that we've closed the gap a bit, we are going to need to increase recruiting efforts, bring in experienced players to raise our Rugby IQ. This past season we saw an increase in the commitment level of our players, for our success to continue that commitment has to become part of what it means to play rugby at Boise State University.
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We also had a great year for recruiting, for example 4 of our starting 8 pack players were playing their first year of Rugby, what needs to come next is that we need to retain these talented players. We don’t look at the Central Washington loss as a set back; rather a measuring stick to where we want to be as a program, competing competitively with them.
TIAR: You have put up a lot of points this season and have several players in the NCRC scoring top ten. Do you think you are going to surprise a lot of teams on offense?
RM: We are looking to improve in every aspect of the game and I'm guessing that our two wins coupled with the highest number of points scored against CWU give teams a pretty good idea of what we're capable of. With that said, I think the cats out of the bag and believe that teams will come prepared to play BSU.
TIAR: You won the shield at the NCRC 7s. How does your team approach 7s? Did you think your season was a success?
RM: Our 7s season was definitely a success! Our shield wins came on the first victories we've had on the 7s pitch so we are very proud of the progress we've made! With our club getting re-established in 2006 we've had a lot of building to do, at this point we have approached 7's as a way to get games in and have some fun. Although that will continue, on the horizon we see taking a more competitive approach. We have used Mike Saunders, former Eagles 7s player & coach as a resource and we hope to get him more involved with our 7s development. We'd like to attend more tournaments and hopefully host one in Boise!!
TIAR: What kind of facilities does Boise State have?
RM: Our facilities are second to none! For starters our practice facility is a state of the art indoor facility (the same one used by the Boise State Football team). This allows us to have practice through December before the winter break and throughout the spring with no concern for the weather or sunlight available.
We have two rugby pitch's. Our main pitch is a grass field located in the heart of campus, with full length and width it is an ideal pitch that also comes with a electric scoreboard. For days when the main pitch is too wet, we also have a turf field on campus. These two fields (located 1/4 mile apart) would be the ideal setting to host a 7ss tournament in Boise!!!
TIAR: How have you reached out on campus to recruit players or let people know about the team in general?
RM: The players take a lot of ownership in trying to promote the sport and recruit players on campus. This fall we hosted a fundraising event to collect canned goods for a local food bank. The University was proud of our efforts and gave us some great press for the community service and the game (vs. UofI). We were able to generate quite a bit of buzz around campus with our success this fall and would like to capitalize on that. In an effort to gain players based off the interest we've built, we are planning on holding a Rugby Try Out to get interested players in the mix prior to leaving for the winter break.
We have booths set up at Freshman initiation that is required for all incoming Freshman, periodically have booths set up around campus, hang fliers, etc.. Besides the Freshman initiation, our biggest success has been “Rugby Try-outs”. We run a mock combine that we put current and new players through.
TIAR: You've streamed matches online in the past. Are you planning on continuing that?
RM: We are continuing to work with film students at the school and hope to stream as many as possible. I know that our players have really enjoyed this feature so their friends and family can watch them.
TIAR: Have you noticed that as more high school programs develop in Idaho that you are seeing a benefit?
RM: We are definitely seeing the benefits of the growth in rugby in our area and know that impact will continue to increase as rugby gains popularity in our state. Two of our coaches are also founding members of Rugby Idaho and continually reach out to local players to offer athletes the opportunity to continue their rugby journey at Boise State University.