"I am drawn to the game mostly because it is one of the few games there are in which a player doesn't always have a set position and can run around, get to the ball and make a play, as many times as his endurance will let him," said Stasiak.
At Amherst, rugby is recognized as a club sport, but anyone who has been to a rugby game (especially against archrival Williams College) knows that the players, as well as the fans, take the game very seriously.
Amherst rugby is certainly best known on campus for its annual showdown against Williams when each team fights for the other's jersey. However, during the fall season Amherst actually competes in a Division I league, the only NESCAC school to do so. Representing such a small school, one of the smallest in Division I, puts added pressure on the team leaders, including Rakhlin and Stasiak, to perform at a high level and to keep their squad focused at all times. The Amherst Rugby Club must make do without the depth and funding available to their rugby rivals.
In May, both Stasiak and Rakhlin were invited to try out for the Northeast All Star Team in Troy, N.Y. Roughly 100 men, representing various colleges and universities throughout the Northeast, participated in the initial tryout, of which 40 players were selected to partake in a subsequent three-day training camp. Stasiak and Rakhlin were both able to earn their way not only on the 40-man training roster but also the final 22-man squad slated to compete in the Collegiate Interterritorial Tournament (ITT) in San Jose, Ca.
"Irv and Dave are the first players from Amherst to make [the Northeast All Star Team] in a while, so it shows the direction our program is going in," said Duncan White '03, president of the Rugby Club.
The ITT is an annual tournament featuring eight teams comprised of student-athletes from universities located in various geographic regions across the country. The Northeast squad opened the tournament against a team from Southern California. Although it won the match on the field, the Northeast team was later obliged to forfeit the match due to a paperwork error by one of their coaches. The disheartened team subsequently lost their consolation match to a team from the Mid-Atlantic, thus bringing the tournament to a close for the two Lord Jeffs.
Despite the disappointing result, the event was still an overwhelmingly positive experience for Rakhlin and Stasiak. "It was a great time," said Rakhlin. "There were a bunch of great guys, and Dave and I learned a lot about the game."
While the Northeast All Star Team was only initially formed to compete in San Jose, their coach decided to enter the group in the Saranac Lake Tournament in upstate New York. The Saranac Lake Tournament is held in August and is the largest rugby tournament in North America, with roughly 100 teams participating.
Since the Northeast All Star Team decided to enter the tournament fairly late in the summer, many members of the original team were unable to participate, opening the door for both Stasiak and Rakhlin to display their improved form. The Jeff duo rose to the challenge, helping to power their unit to four consecutive victories in the single elimination tournament, before falling in the championship round to a team that featured three players who had previously played for the United States National Team. Stasiak registered a try in four of the five games.
Rakhlin and Stasiak are hopeful that their tremendous summer experience will rub off on their teammates as they prepare for the upcoming fall campaign.
"What [Rakhlin and Stasiak] learned out in San Jose was both invaluable to themselves and the team," said Head Coach Tony Neverson.
Since rugby is not a varsity sport, the College does not actively seek out rugby players and it is incumbent on the team captains to find new players wherever they can.
Rakhlin himself joined the rugby team after leaving the football team during his freshman year. He stumbled upon a rugby practice while jogging around the athletic fields and joined the team immediately.
The Amherst Rugby Football Club will begin their season this Saturday at Dartmouth College.