The Wisconsin Girls Rugby (WGR) championship 15s season has returned, having missed fall 2020 due to Covid-19. Regular-season play restarted with reigning titleholder Divine Savior Holy Angels (DSHA) and Brookfield Bruisers Thursday night, and the Dashers prevailed 27-5.
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“It’s nice to be back and playing in a state competition again,” DSHA head coach John Klein said. “The players were just excited to get back on the field and happy to get a victory underneath their belts, but I also think they recognize that they have much work to do and accepted the challenge that they need to step up in regard to meeting the standard that DSHA Rugby’s alumni have set for them.”
After Covid-19 halted rugby in spring 2020, DSHA was able to start practicing again in fall 2020. There were no games, however, until spring 2021, when the Dashers played two 15s games at the Midwest High School 15s Tournament. Wisconsin held a state 7s competition in the spring, which Hamilton (DI) and Madtown Furies (DII) won, but DSHA did not participate.
Photo: Derek Alexander
But DSHA’s numbers are still robust, and the 55-player roster is able to field A and B teams that compete separately in the league.
“Obviously, we were hurt from a game experience standpoint,” Klein reflected on the past two years. “Nothing replaces playing games. We can practice against each other and scrimmage against each other as much as we want, but in the end you have to get that experience of dealing with the mentality it takes in games. There’s always some nerves, some questioning of self, and it is part of the process of development in playing games.”
There are 7-8 seniors this year, and a trio of captains are leading the way: backs-oriented Maura Walsh, forwards-oriented Beth Susek, and Carly Nigro, who is currently injured but bringing great spirit from the sidelines.
“We graduated 11 last year so we’re more of a younger team. We’re quite talented just a little off the mark right now,” Klein said. “But we’re looking forward to the work to get there. It’s a new challenge, and you’ve got to love that.
“There is never a shift in goals,” the coach added. “It’s always to be the best possible team we can be, and the standards have to be set very, very high for that to happen. If you don’t set high expectations, then you can’t meet high expectations, and these were set by the teams that came before us. In my eyes, we are no different from a goal-setting standpoint.”
On the shores of Lake Michigan, DSHA and the Bruisers opened up the 15s season against each other. The Dashers prevailed, but the Bruisers put in a solid performance in the hard-fought 27-5 decision.
“The Bruisers looked very good. It’s the best performance from a Brookfield team that I’ve seen in a long while,” Klein said. “They were very impressive and it would have been a tough match for anybody because they were very physical. Physicality is something that is always a challenge for any team to take on, so they definitely did not take a step back in that category. I think their future is bright if they can stay the course and grow from yesterday’s performance.”
Klein indicated that while the team was happy with the win, they did hope for a better outing. It’s just a starting point though, and the coach is confident in his players’ desire to work.
“Maura Walsh is just an outstanding leader of people and she is at the heart of a lot of what we do,” Klein said of Thursday standouts. “She played 7 for us as a sophomore when won the state championship back in 2019, and now she’s our 9. She’s just absolutely doing a great job at scrumhalf and we’re looking forward to following her leadership going forward.”
The B side had its game canceled this weekend, but both sides will be active next Saturday.
The WGR will name a 15s champion in late October, and then the spring brings options for 7s, 15s and tournaments. DSHA builds toward the mid-May U.S. Girls High School National Tournament, going through the Midwest regional championship along the way.
“Part of what makes us great is having that experience at nationals,” Klein lamented the pandemic-canceled tournament the previous two years. “All you can do is control what you can control, and that has been a great learning experience for the girls from the standpoint that you have to understand that mantra going forward in your life. Take a positive outlook in everything you have and control what you can control. The girls have been amazing – recruiting, keeping the team together, setting expectations high – and much credit goes to the seniors who keep leading us on.”
Klein did clarify that DSHA’s goal is not titles and championships, and that mindset is especially important as teams re-emerge from Covid dormancy.
“The end-goal at DSHA has always been development and to grow the game – not winning – and I think that’s why we’ve had continued success,” Klein said. “I hope everybody understands that this is a restart and that we can take advantage of that and appreciate the opportunities that we now have.
“Let’s maximize our experiences going forward, and we can make this better for everyone if the rugby community can unite,” the coach closed. “It will take a lot of calm heads coming together and being on the same page, but we need it. We struggle with competition with lacrosse and other mainstream sports, and I’m up for anybody just creating something where we are all united in this opportunity to restart and get everyone moving in an incredible, positive direction.”