After ending the spring 2006 campaign on a positive note, ISU men’s rugby club coach Malcolm Robertson is optimistic and confident about the future of the club heading into the fall season.

The club finished the spring season as the runner-up to Big 12 champion Oklahoma and also took second place in the Collegiate Cup, a trophy Iowa State hoisted in 2005. Iowa State also placed third at the All-Iowa Tournament, in which they competed against the top 10 teams in the state.

Iowa State opened the fall season on Sept. 9, losing to Northern Iowa, 16-7.

Despite the loss, Robertson said he sees major advancements in his players and believes that the future of the men’s rugby club is about to hit full stride.

“We’re getting stronger and our skills are developing nicely,” he said. “This is the best level I have seen a team at this point in the season. The guys are more mature, focused and committed, and they all bring a great attitude to the field.”

Robertson, a native of Zimbabwe, has spent 16 years of his life around rugby, including the past year and a half coaching in Ames.

He has created two main focuses for his tenure with the ISU rugby club: seasonal and long-term.

While he is currently concentrating on leading Iowa State to the playoffs this fall, the biggest goal for Robertson is to create a solid foundation for rugby at Iowa State. He said during the past year the club has garnered a good reputation with referees, and has made a good name for itself.

The team has lost seven players from last year, but members still expect to enjoy much success this fall.

“Every semester the team has consistently improved under Malcolm,” said senior and team captain Ian Sandager. “We lost some key players last year who had great leadership, knowledge of the game and skill, but I feel confident that we are fielding an even stronger team this semester.”

The beginning of fall practice saw a surge of popularity in the team. Sandager said the team has about 40 members this year, which is the biggest turnout it has ever seen.

Because of a late cancellation of its Sept. 2 home game against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the club has only one home match scheduled this fall, an Oct. 7 game against Nebraska.

Robertson said this is partially because of financial constraints. Since most of its small budget goes toward travel costs, the club cannot afford to buy enough practice equipment.

“We have to do some one-on-one tackling drills in practice without proper equipment, and to lose someone to injury in practice is just a nightmare,” said Robertson, who added that the club is currently looking for any alumni or business that would be willing to sponsor the team.

Instead of taking time off during the summer, three ISU players traveled elsewhere to sharpen their skills. Juniors Pat Girskis and Shane Vogt spent their summer months in Aspen, Colo. playing with the Gentlemen of Aspen, one of the top first-division men’s teams in the country.

Another ISU rugger, sophomore John Clarke, played “down under” during the summer for the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Although Ames may not be seen as a hotbed of rugby talent, players such as Girskis, Vogt and Clarke are starting to put ISU rugby on the map.

“We have made great advances on discipline and team unity, and it has grown tremendously in this group of guys – hopefully we will see that pay off this season,” Robertson said.