When high school football and soccer players graduate and know they won’t be playing at the college level, there can be a hole in their life that needs to be filled. The men’s rugby team at Iowa State can be just the thing to fill that void.

“We have a lot of former football and soccer players on the team,” said team captain Curtis Schaefer, senior in global resources and management. “We’re very competitive. We’re just a bunch of guys who want to stay active.”

The rugby team is technically a club team, but make no mistake, when the players hit the field, they’re playing to win.

“There are divisions — D3 to D1,” said club president Ben Roby, a senior in finance. “We get placed based on how we did the previous year, and this year we’re D1.”

The team plays in the Midwest Rugby Union, which is part of USA Rugby, which is a national rugby association for college rugby teams.

Iowa State competes against teams like Wisconsin, Northern Iowa and Michigan during the fall. All of the teams compete for a chance to get into the league tournament at the end of the season. If teams win their league playoffs, they advance to the national tournament, which is held in the spring.

While there is no NCAA rugby division, each of the Big 12 schools have rugby teams, and there is also a Big 12 tournament that his held.

“The Big 12 tournament doesn’t have anything to do with our Midwest league,” Roby said. “It’s just another tournament we can compete in. And sometimes teams don’t always get to go because of funding.”

The team didn’t advance after the fall season, so while the national tournament is being held, they will be competing in several tournaments throughout the spring to groom new players and prepare for next fall.

“We have a tournament at Wayne State on Saturday,” Schaefer said. “There will be 72 teams combined in the girls’ and guys’ divisions.”

With spring weather just now returning, the team is just getting to start practicing outdoors, which will be key for the new players.

“About half to three-quarters of our team has game experience,” said coach Malcolm Robertson. “But the rest are new players, so this spring is about getting them playing time and getting them adjusted.”

Robertson sees an outstanding foundation for years to come with the team. He said he sees a lot of potential with the group, and the next year or so should be very good for the rugby team.

To be successful in college rugby, Robertson believes experience and team continuity are far more important that just having the biggest and fastest players. But that’s not to say if you aren’t experienced you shouldn’t join the team.

“It’s definitely not always about size,” Robertson said. “We aren’t always looking for big guys or even guys who have played a long time. I actually kind of like having guys who’ve never really played because I can teach them to play the way I want them to.”

Roby, Schaefer and Robertson all agreed that agility and endurance is the catalyst for success in rugby.

Teams play 80-minute games with two 40-minute halves. There aren’t many breaks, and only seven substitutions are allowed during the game.

“Any more, every position on the field has to be agile and in great shape,” Robertson said. “At least half the players will play the entire 80 minutes.”

Both Roby and Schaefer acknowledge that Robertson knows exactly what he’s talking about.

After all, the coach has been playing rugby since he was ten years-old in his native Zimbabwe. He even played with a member of the South African national rugby team featured in the film “Invictus” when he was in high school.

Robertson also said he’s never wanted to coach anywhere but Iowa State.

“I’ve had offers to coach other places, but I wouldn’t leave here,” Robertson said. “These kids are very motivated. The passion and heart I see from year to year is amazing.”

The team doesn’t really need extra incentives to stay motivated, but if there could be one, it might be the tournament they will host during Veisha, the weekend of April 17 and 18.

“A lot of guys really look forward to the Veisha tournament,” Schaefer said. “There are even [alumni] who come back to compete against us for that tournament.”

Robertson agreed, and said that would be the perfect time to see the rugby team in action.

“If you don’t know much about it, that tournament is perfect to come see what it’s about,” Robertson said. “With everything going on, that’s a great weekend to check things out.”

If interested, the guys also were adamant that anyone should look into it regardless of experience. The club charges a $100 dues per semester for returning players, and $60 for new members, and interested students may contact Roby at [email protected] for information.