Rugby history continues at Norwich University

By Timothy Page on April 8, 2025

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By Peter Fernandez

Winston Churchill, the eloquent and esoteric orator who, as Prime Minister, led Great Britain to victory over the Axis powers in WWII, was, in his youth, a passionate polo player and fencer. He was also an admirer of a peculiar English-born sport. “Rugby,” he remarked, “is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.”

In 1823, 49 years before Churchill’s birth, this ripping game was randomly forged at Rugby School in Warwick, England. Legend has it that one William Webb Ellis, a teen pupil, picked up the football (soccer ball) during a match and sprinted for the goal line.

This seemingly spontaneous sport might appear as “organized chaos” to the unacquainted spectator, but when familiar with its rugged rules, ballistic patterns emerge on the “pitch”, (the proper British vernacular for “playing field.” However, it wasn’t until 1871 that the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded in England, and the first international rugby match between Scotland and England was held. It occurred on March 27, 1871, at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. In the historic encounter, Scotland emerged victorious by scoring two tries and a goal to England’s single try.

Rugby finally crossed the “wine-dark sea” three years later for a May 14th match between Harvard and McGill University. Harvard won 3-0. This was the first recorded rugby match played in the New World.

Today, over 900 American colleges and universities offer men’s and women’s rugby programs, but little D-3-sized Norwich University’s success in this peculiar game is extraordinary. Men’s rugby was established here as a club sport in 1970. Then, in 1984, women’s rugby arrived. The men compete in D2, while the elite women’s squad will play its final season in D3 this spring before advancing to D1 in the autumn. Still, it’s common for the women to compete successfully against larger schools.

One of the prodigious certitudes behind the triumphant Norwich rugby programs is that they routinely compete against much larger universities and colleges. Last season, the Cadet men defeated UVM 41-38. Norwich has an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students, whereas UVM’s student population is 14,320. According to UNIVSTATs, Boston University currently has a student population of 36,624. This outmatched D1 opponent faltered to the Norwich men 78-5 last fall. Dartmouth, with 6,746 pupils, fell victim to the Norwich men 12-7.

Last autumn, the Lilliputian Northfield giant killers throttled DI Villanova 43-0 before facing the defending D II Champions, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, in the national semifinals in Houston, Texas. In double overtime, IUP finally prevailed in a defensive brawl, 20-15. IUP has over 9,000 full-time students. In the consolation game for third place, Norwich broke loose for a 72-17 purging of Maryland’s Towson University, yet another D1 school with over 19,000 students. The Cadets finished the season at 16-3.

Since Bob Weggler became the Norwich Rugby coach in 2001, the cadets have earned seven straight USA Rugby DII National Tournament entries. Norwich went on a program-record 21-game conference winning streak from 2016 to 2019 and was 41-8 over the four seasons in 15s matches.

Last season, the Norwich Women’s D3 rugby team, ranked seventh in the nation, finished with four wins, two losses, and one tie. This distinguished athletic program has been one of the nation’s most successful collegiate rugby teams for decades. When Baylee Annis performed for Norwich from 2011-14, the women went 100-9, including a 40-0 season in 2013-14. Annis was a six-time National Champion and a Div.I.USA Rugby All-American in 2012-13. Fortunately for Norwich, she started coaching the Norwich women last fall, leading them to a 4-2-1 record.

It wasn’t until 1972 that women’s rugby arrived in the States when the University of Colorado, the University of Illinois and the Colorado State University Hookers established teams, a defining watershed moment for gender equality regarding a rowdy “hooligans’ game” that could also be played by gentle ladies.

The Chicago Women’s Rugby Club hosted the first Women’s National Championship in 1978.

The Portland, Maine Women’s Rugby Club won the initial Women’s National Rugby Classic by shutting out their opponents in all four matches.

Rugby scoring involves the “try,” which is worth 5 points. It is similar to a touchdown but different. The Penalty Kick is worth 3 points, as is the Drop Goal, a kick in open play where the ball is dropped and kicked as it rebounds off the pitch.

A proper rugby match requires 15 ruggers per side, except in 7s with seven players. 15’s rugby matches are 80 minutes (two 40-minute halves). 7’s tournaments run 14 minutes with two 7-minute halves. Both formats utilize the exact field dimensions, but the increased space in 7s leads to a faster-paced game. A ruby pitch (field) is 100 meters, goal line to goal line, plus 22 meters for each goal area, totaling 144 meters. The first known sevens tournament was held in Scotland on April 28, 1883.

After a successful trip to Ireland in early March, the NU men were kept busy competing in the Bermuda International 7s Tournament. They reached the finals but lost to the host Bermuda U23s 19-5. The women ruggers also honed their skills in Ireland against the Irish Defence Forces squad before dominating the Providence College 7s Tournament for the championship upon returning to the States.