By Hannah Davidson

Over the past two years, both interest and enrollment in rugby has increased nationwide, according to University of Maryland rugby coaches. 

At this university, the club rugby team has seen a large amount of growth within the past two years. This university offers both men’s and women’s teams.

More than anything else, rugby players at the university believe the main reason for the increased interest is the disproving of stereotypes. 

Tim Ponento, a sophomore economics major, believes one reason is the increased research on the severity of injuries associated with football. Ponento began playing rugby on a club team during his sophomore year of high school. He took a break after suffering from a knee injury during a football game in his senior year of high school, before rejoining the game this fall. 

Unlike football, rugby players do not wear pads, creating the assumption that it is more dangerous than football, Ponento explained. Ponento, who played football for over six years, believes that despite the lack of pads, rugby is the safer sport. 

“In football you have on all these pads, so when you go to make a hit you feel invincible,” Ponento said. He added that an opposing player in rugby is not going to hit you as hard as they can, simply because it will hurt them too. 

Lauren Winter, assistant coach of the university’s women’s rugby team, agrees with Ponento. 

“Football is the one sport that requires pads even though there’s no dangerous outside element like a hockey puck or lacrosse stick,” Winter said. 

Katie Manganelli, a sophomore journalism major, joined the club rugby team in the spring of her freshman year. She explained that rugby also has less contact than football because in rugby, players cannot be tackled unless they are holding the ball, while in football, team members can be tackled in almost every position.

Both Ponento and Manganelli said they have never seen anyone get carted off the field due to an injury in rugby, explaining that while there are injuries, most people are able to walk off the field on their own. 

Ponento also believes one of the largest stereotypes involving rugby is that all the players are perceived as hostile. 

“I think people think we’re all mean, but that’s not true,” Manganelli said. “Rugby players are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

Manganelli explained that after games, teams will bring each other pizza — or beer, in the adult world —  and the teams will hang out and exhibit good sportsmanship. 

Similar to Ponento, Manganelli believes the rise of interest in rugby is due to the “high energy” of the game.

“It’s football but without all the breaks,” Manganelli said. 

In addition, Manganelli explained that one of the most unique aspects of the game is that it is the same for men and women. Their rules, field length and time differences are the same.

Manganelli believes that the increased enrollment rates are also in part due to the increased coverage of the sport.

In 2018, Washington, D.C. made its first professional men’s rugby team, the Old Glory D.C. Men’s and women’s rugby were reinstated as an Olympic sport in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after a nearly 92-year break, according to the Olympic Studies Centre. 

Winter said that rugby is now being streamed on NBCSN on Saturdays, which she believes is also a reason for the increased interest.