The Visor

Spring sports fans: Give rubgy a chance

April 22, 2010

Joe Easton

I admit, before about a month ago I had never been to a rugby game. All I knew was that rugby is kind of like football, at least from the physical contact perspective, but without pads and with extra kicking plays. I had heard rumors that several Hoban students were on some type of underground team affiliated with Copley High, but little did I know until I attended one of their pre-season scrimmages that the team was real.

I found a few elements odd about the team. First, the team is technically the Copley Rugby Football Club, and I know that they are legitimate because their Facebook group has well over 100 members.
However, I wasn’t cheering for strangers from Copley. No less than ten seniors from Hoban are on the team, from well known golfer Chris Brady to well known skull-basher Jacob Bisconti.

Fueled by the scrimmage that I saw, I went to see them play against Revere last weekend. Again, I was reminded of a football game, maybe due to Ben Coudriet’s flashy moves or Norm Jesser’s brute strength. I couldn’t believe that this Copley team, which is only in its fourth year as a program, didn’t miss a beat from their scrimmages and rolled over Revere badly. I don’t even have to fully understand the game of rugby to know that this team is good, really good.

For a team still in its infancy, rugby veterans like Coudriet, Bisconti, Brian Gibbons, Nick Burke, Vinny Peterson and Guiseppe Frisone have done excellent as leaders to the walk-ons.

I firmly advise anyone interested in seeing a display of athletic talent, as well as Hoban students thrashing kids from other area high schools, to see a game either at the team’s home field at the Akron Rugby Club field in Copley or at a current plan in the works for the first-ever Copley Rugby Club match on Hoban’s own field possibly this coming spring.

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