Both men’s and women’s rugby clubs of Western Oregon University have qualified for the Rugby 7s Collegiate National Championships which take place this week in Maryland.
This is the first time both teams qualified in the same year and the first time Western’s women’s team has made it to the national championships.
OPB’s Paul Marshall spoke with WOU’s women’s Head Coach Nicole Smith and men’s Head Coach Ben Barlow about the season and the tournament.
Western Oregon University women's and men's rugby teams celebrating after qualifying for nationals.
Courtesy of Western Oregon University
This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Paul Marshall: Has it set in that you’ll be heading to nationals? When did you find out that you made it?
Nicole Smith: Not really, honestly. I know that we’re going, but I think until I start packing and do all of the last minute details and head to the airport, I think that’s when it’s gonna actually set in. We found out the day that we won the Fool’s Gold Rugby 7′s Tournament that Boise (State) hosted on April 6.
Ben Barlow: We’ve been lucky over the last couple years to get opportunities to travel like this. In my experience, it never really hits me at least until I walk on the field out there and actually get to start our warm-ups. Once you step on that field, kickoff happens and you have that first tackle all of a sudden it hits you and it’s game time.
Marshall: What has been the most challenging part about the season?
Barlow: Resiliency is a huge part of what I talked to the guys about and it’s been a long season. A lot of tournaments. It’s a very physical game. Building that ability to keep playing and the mental aspect behind it. Playing with injuries and trying to make sure that we stay healthy and the guys are at 100% — especially in the tournaments that matter — has been a really big challenge for us.
We lost a couple of key players last year going into this year. So adjusting and understanding our roles on the field has been a big part of it. I go back to that idea of resiliency and developing the ability to play through. It’s a really huge part of our success, but also a big challenge for us.
Smith: One of the biggest challenges for us has been numbers. Our women’s club has struggled since COVID to get back to where they were as far as team numbers go.
I’ve got 11 people on the roster, which is fantastic. It’s a club sport, so attendance isn’t mandatory. We prioritize academics. Being able to have that full team out there at practice has been a challenge. We spend a lot of time asking questions and as a first-year player-coach, I have to find those answers.
The most recent challenge is injuries. One of our starters got injured at the Boise State tournament. Another player got a concussion at one of our friendly tournaments. The challenges are definitely there. We’ve got the resilience to push through and to rely on one another and build on that.
Marshall: On the women’s side — this is your first time making it to Rugby 7′s Collegiate Rugby Championship. How do you prepare for this first-time experience?
Smith: A lot of it is mental. We make sure that mentally we’re all on the same page and that the want and drive is there. We spend a lot of time talking each other up, building each other up, making sure that we’re still riding that high from winning the Fool’s Gold tournament, It’s a lot of mental encouragement. In terms of practice, we’re pushing harder than we pushed all season. Making sure that everybody gives 110% when they’re out there during practice and keeping focus.
Marshall: Do you both feel more pressure representing an Oregon school and from the small college division?
Smith: I feel like there is a lot of pressure for the women’s club. We established our club in 2004. This is the first time that our 7s women’s club has gone to a qualifier tournament, much less going to nationals. It’s monumental for the club and there’s a lot of pressure on it. The men’s team 15′s and 7′s has had a lot of success, and the women’s team has kind of fallen in the shadow but not in a negative way.
The goal for myself, since I started playing last year and took over coaching this year, has been to get the women’s club on the men’s level. Our women’s club has gotten a lot of attention in the last couple of weeks and it’s put a pep in their step. It makes them want to do more to run harder, hit harder, That pressure is definitely there.
Barlow: I believe that there is a lot of pressure because of it, but I also believe that that pressure is an honor. Having those opportunities and having the chance to travel and play at that level. We are both extremely lucky to have that ability and I’m really excited for it.
Marshall: What’s the vibe on campus been like? What’s the feeling on the campus?
Smith: We got a video for one of our players, Jada Miller. Her students that she works with on campus made a huge good luck card and put candy and signed their names and everything. It’s really awesome to see that kind of support coming from the campus community.
Barlow: Since qualifying, you can walk down and see more and more people show up wearing WOU rugby gear or WOU rugby T-shirts. That’s always fun to see that support.
At the time when we had first, both qualified, Western was the only school across all levels to have both the men’s and women’s teams qualified for the tournament at that time. Since then another school also has two programs in the tournament but it’s still amazing.
Marshall: What do you love most about this sport?
Smith: The camaraderie above all. You work so hard to get these basics and fundamentals down. You go out there and just lay it all on the line. You put your heart into it. You get hit hard and then you hit hard. It’s a tough sport. It takes a lot out of you both physically, mentally, emotionally. But as soon as the game is over, you get to hang out with the people that you’ve just been going to battle with, and you get to share stories and congratulate one another, and it’s that camaraderie.
That’s the backbone of the sport, and I think that’s also what makes it stand out from other sports. Typically when the game is over, the teams go their separate ways and that’s it. Rugby allows you to build a community outside of the pitch. That’s one of the most beautiful things about it. You can come from any walk of life. It’s a sport that welcomes any and everyone that wants to play, and its amazing.
Barlow: The community aspect is what immediately drew me to the game. In my experience with American sports, you have the same aspect: I’m gonna go out on the field and go out on the court. I’m going to try to kill the other team. Play hard, go home and go your separate ways. The very first time I ever played rugby was in high school. You do the exact same thing, but then immediately after the home team hosted a social for the opponent where we had a barbecue, cookout drinks, all that kind of stuff. You actually get to sit down and get to know who you had spent the last hour and a half playing against.
That is something to me that I haven’t found in other sports That community building and that culture of respect for inclusion is easily what drew me to the sport.