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| UCLA Bruins men's rugby | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Founded | 1934 | ||
| University | University of California, Los Angeles | ||
| Head coach | Harry Benett (2nd season) | ||
| Conference | Pac-12 D1-A Division | ||
| Location | Los Angeles, California | ||
| Stadium | Wallis Annenberg Stadium (Capacity: 2,145) | ||
| Nickname | Bruins | ||
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History
[edit]Since 1934, the UCLA Rugby Union Team has earned a reputation as a top level program in California, North America and around the world having successfully competed against the finest Universities, Clubs and International Teams in the rugby world.
James Schaeffer introduced the original team in 1934, which was eventually revived post-WWII through Norm Padgett and his tireless hustling and fraternity walks. In 1958, Padgett's former Captain, Ged Gardner, assumed the Coaching role from until 1965. Gardner built membership, interest and skill to which Coach Dennis Storer added his own unique style. Dennis Storer remained Head Coach from 1966 - 1982, when the program operated as a Varsity Sport, winning a national title in 1972 and then another in 1975.[1] Rugby was dropped as a varsity sport shortly after by the Athletics department. Storer subsequently resumed the role from 1987-89 after the program was downgraded to Club Status. During his tenure, Storer guided the program to 2 Monterey National Championship Titles, numerous Southern California Titles, 2 national championship titles, and produced 14 US Eagles with himself being named the first ever USA Eagles Coach. Future Bruin Coaches included Tommy Smith, Chip Howard, Wayne Young, Darren Maloney, Andrew Warne, Mike Basket and Jake Pike.
In the summer of 2003, a dedicated Alumni group headed by Coach Storer, launched an effort to return Bruin Rugby to its former prowess as the program had not reached the National Playoffs since the 1980's, was relegated to Club Status, and suffered from a lack of experienced and committed leadership. This initiative led to the hiring Head Coach Scott Stewart, a former Canadian International with 64 caps and 5 World Cup appearances. Since that time, the Bruins have progressed rapidly and have become a consistently top-ranked program in both XV's and 7's rugby and a regular contender to win a National Championship in both codes. The Bruins fell to rivals Cal in the 2016 final and Lindenwood in the 2018 final of the Collegiate Rugby Championship (7s). Scott Stewart was replaced in 2020 by Dave Clancy. Clancy coached around the world with professional teams such as Munster Rugby, international teams such as Samoa, Cayman Islands and US Representative teams along with domestic experience building a club program with the Chicago Lions. Due to certain circumstances and the struggles of the pandemic, Dave left the program in 2021.
After a rigorous seach for a new head coach, Harry Bennett was announced as the new head coach of UCLA Rugby in 2022. Combining an impressive playing career, familiarity with the Los Angeles rugby community, and a strong coaching pedigree, Coach Bennett quickly became the clear choice among the scores of excellent applicants for the head coach position. Coach Bennett hails from Scone, New South Wales, Australia. He has played flyhalf or fullback for teams across the rugby landscape both internationally and in the US. Harry Bennett began his professional career with Super Rugby team, the NSW Waratahs, out of High-School. Most recently he ended his playing career with the New York Ironworkers in the MLR.
In 2019 UCLA rugby player, Benjamin Broselle was called up to the USA Eagles 7s team to play in the HSBC USA 7s tournament.[2] In 2021, UCLA rugby produced another Eagle,Lucas Lacamp, who made his debut at the HSBC Dubai 7s while still a Junior at UCLA. Lacamp received honors as a Rudy Scholz Award Finalist[3] and is likely to be a part of the squad that travels to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Notable Alumni
[edit]List of UCLA Alumni who have a cap for the USA Eagles[4]
| Name | Capped |
|---|---|
| Denis Storer | 1976 (Coach) |
| Craig Sweeny | 1972 |
| Steve Gray | 1981 |
| Tommy Smith | 1981 |
| Dennis Murphy | 1971 |
| Ron Nisbet | 1971 |
| Stephen Auerbach | 1972 |
| David Stephenson | 1972 |
| Terry Scott | 1973 |
| Dave Briley | 1974 |
| Jaime Grant | 1975 |
| Skip Niebauer | 1976 |
| Dennis Jablonski | 1976 |
| Rob Duncanson | 1977 |
| Del Chipman | 1980 |
| John Fowler | 1983 |
| Chip Howard | 1980 |
| Russ Ortiz | 1988 |
| Benjamin Broselle | 2019 (7s) |
| Lucas Lacamp | 2021 (7s) |
In 2019 UCLA rugby player, Benjamin Broselle was called up to the USA Eagles 7s team to play in the HSBC USA 7s tournament.[5] In 2021, UCLA rugby produced another Eagle,Lucas Lacamp, who made his debut at the HSBC Dubai 7s while still a Junior at UCLA. Lacamp received honors as a Rudy Scholz Award Finalist[6] and is likely to be a part of the squad that travels to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Facilities
[edit]
The UCLA Rugby team trains on the Intramural North Athletic Field, Marshall Field in Drake Stadium, and play their D1A home games at the Wallis Annenberg Stadium. The UCLA men's rugby team unofficially utilizes the Acosta Athletics Complex (Varsity Sports Weight room) for weight training on a year-by-year basis.
Competition
[edit]Currently, the Bruins compete in all of the Major National Domestic competitions including the PAC Rugby Conference (XV's & 7's), CRAA D1A, USAR Collegiate National Championships, and the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championships (7's).
- ^ https://www.uclarugbyalumni.com/hall-of-fame
- ^ https://eagles.rugby/players/ben-broselle
- ^ https://www.goffrugbyreport.com/news/get-know-scholz-finalists-lucas-lacamp
- ^ https://www.uclarugbyalumni.com/hall-of-fame
- ^ https://eagles.rugby/players/ben-broselle
- ^ https://www.goffrugbyreport.com/news/get-know-scholz-finalists-lucas-lacamp