Every team has a way of showing its appreciation to the one player who performs outstanding after each game, including the ISU men’s rugby club.

After Saturday’s 29-10 win over Marquette, an old yellow jersey once worn by former team president Jim McBreen was handed out as a “player of the match” trophy to Liam Wotherspoon, graduate student undeclared.

“The jersey is from a successful rugby team that played with a lot of heart two or three years ago,” said Jon Crosbie, the team’s coach and a Daily columnist.

“It’s given to the player who went all [out] that week. Liam really stepped up when we needed him; he really played as hard as he could.”

The way the team played this week, Wotherspoon said, the jersey could have gone to anyone on the team, because Iowa State kept Marquette from any big plays the whole game.

“We didn’t allow them to play well,” Wotherspoon said.

“Our forwards dominated their forwards. We kept the pressure and didn’t allow them to do much.”

Crosbie, senior in pre-medicine, said that the backline also played exceptionally well. The team was hitting harder and playing with a lot more fire than in a 70-3 loss to Iowa.

“Marquette came to play today,” Crosbie said.

“They played with a lot of skill, but our team just played hard rugby. We played hard at every position.”

Crosbie said that it was a marked improvement from last week, but that there is still a long way to go.

“We had an excellent week of practice, which was very encouraging, and we played with a lot of intensity,” Crosbie said. “We also had a lot of lost balls; that needs to get under control.”

Wotherspoon said that with a little more work, the team can achieve its goal of making the playoffs.

“We just need to tighten up the defense and support play,” Wotherspoon said. “We need to keep the attitude that we had this week and work harder at training and brushing up the skills that we’ve been improving on.”

The team was able to step up this week even without the club’s president and vice president, both of whom were once again not playing.

Vice president Adam Anderson, senior in agricultural studies, said that the injury that he sustained to his knee at practice before the Iowa game is healing slowly.

“I tore my MCL, and I am scheduled to see a surgeon on Tuesday to determine whether or not I will need surgery,” Anderson said.

“There is a slight chance I’ll be back for the playoffs, but more than likely I am out for the fall season.”

The play of Wotherspoon — as well as Mike Hoffenberg, junior in exercise and sport science, who stepped up as forward, and Schalk Van Der Merwe, senior in mechanical engineering — was instrumental in picking up the leadership roles of the team.

“Hoffenberg is important for getting the team excited and ready to play, and we are glad that Schalk came back out for the team this year,” Crosbie said.

“He brings a lot of experience being from Zimbabwe.”