The sun began to peek out of the clouds as the president and captain of the Trinity Rugby Club, Dayton Ames, set up the field in preparation for an entire day worth of games.
“I was very anxious for the whole event,” said Ames, a junior at Trinity. “I was excited for the opportunity to represent Trinity University, but we have never played in a tournament with stakes so high before.”
This was Saturday, April 28, when Trinity University Rugby hosted the Lone Star Conference 7’s tournament. Ten collegiate rugby teams from round Texas competed at the Wheatley Sports Complex on the east side of San Antonio for the conference champion through a round robin tournament. San Antonio Rugby Club sponsored the event.
Being able to host a tournament like this spoke volumes of how far Trinity Rugby Club has come, being established just less than 15 months ago.
“It all started when Simba and I were in high school in Kenya,” said Calvin Usiri, co-founder of the club, referring to another co-founder, Simba Machingaidze. “Rugby was basically a religion for us. We played it all of the time and had a great program there. We wanted a program like that here." So he and Machingaidze setup a workshop to teach other people how to play rugby.
The club was small at the beginning, “with a couple of guys throwing around the rugby ball,” said Machingaidze. They decided to reach out to San Antonio Rugby Club, who sent Timanu Tahu, an Australian International Team veteran with more than 20 years of experience, to coach the team. “Everything turned around once we received sponsorship from the San Antonio Rugby Club,” said Usiri, a senior.
Trinity Rugby entered the Loan Star Conference under probationary status in October 2017. Having already completed a season of 15’s rugby (with 15 players each team), Trinity University Rugby accepted the bid challenge to host the 2018 Loan Star Conference 7’s Tournament and eventually won the bid.
On April 28, teams from schools like St. Edwards University, University of North Texas, Sam Houston State University, Texas State University , University of Texas at Dallas, and University of Texas at San Antonio gathered at the Wheatley Sports Complex for the chance to be named Conference Champions and to qualify for nationals in Glendale, Colorado late this month.
Trinity University Rugby team, dressed in their new maroon jerseys, began their tournament run by playing Texas State University at 11:15 a.m. The game was much closer than the score indicated, but Trinity lost 33-12 in their tournament opener.
Wyatt Stevenson, a junior at Trinity and first year on the team, was a little upset after the loss. “I was initially a little discouraged with the loss to Texas State University, but after debriefing the game with the coaches and the team, it was very clear that we beat ourselves. We made rash decisions with the ball and did not execute what we practiced.” After acknowledging these mistakes, the team tried to improve in the following games.
Game 2 began at 12:15 p.m. Trinity fought hard against Sam Houston State University’s Rugby Club, but came up short in the end, losing 22-0.
With virtually no break in between, Trinity University Rugby started Game 3 against University of Texas at Dallas. The intensity of the game rose with every second that passed, but Trinity fell short again, losing 19-7.
Darryl Ooi, a first year at Trinity and on the team, said “it was disappointing to have lost to these teams after knowing that we are as good as, if not better than, both of those schools.”
With an 0-3 record, Trinity Rugby entered into Game 4 against Abilene Christian University with a different mentality than any of the previous games. “Before Game 4, we had a meeting as a team and determined that it really matters that we finish this tournament with pride. Since it was our last game, we did exactly that,” said Ooi.
“I was overwhelmed with emotions entering the final game,” said co-founder Usiri, who is graduating from Trinity. “My time with the team that I had the opportunity of starting, my baby, was about to come to an end. I had built such a strong bond with my team that it was difficult for me to accept that I would not be able to play alongside them again.”
Trinity University began Game 4 with the determination not to be defeated. They fought vigorously for their only win of the tournament and final game of the season. Game 4 concluded with Trinity University prevailing over Abilene Christian University 22-17.
“At the end of the game I was overcome with sadness because this was my last performance but overjoyed at the sight of a winning Tigers team,” said Usiri. “There is no better feeling in the world than leaving a legacy.”
Cortland Cowart, a junior at Trinity who came to cheer on Trinity Rugby, said he was “glad to see the Trinity University Rugby Club growing the way it has been,” adding he is “excited to see what is in store for Trinity Rugby as they continue to grow over the years.”
So is Ames, captain of the Trinity Rugby Club. “I think as a team, we learned a lot from the tournament and it will only help us improve,” he said. “I feel like we have really raised the perception of Trinity Rugby as a whole within our conference.”
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