JAMES REAGAN
The Temple News
On Mondays they run for an hour straight, taking only brief breaks for water. Every other weekday they practice fundamentals from their sport such as tackling and passing the ball. This has led them to a season where they are easily winning games and respected among the top teams in their conference.
This is not the men’s football team that I am talking about. No, I am talking about the women’s rugby team.
Led by third-year coach Owen Jones, the team has enjoyed enormous success over the past several years. Two years ago they reached the program’s third national championship game and finished as runner’s up.
This year Owens is confident that the team could go far in the MARFU (Mid Atlantic Football Rugby Union) playoffs and even make some noise in the national playoffs.
“Our team has greater depth than any other year,” Owens said. “We have lots of senior leadership from players that were with the team two years ago.”
Owens gives some credit to the team’s intense conditioning regiment. On Mondays they devote the entire practice to working on conditioning with the help of new conditioning coach Danielle Monica.
Some of the team’s best players include seniors Karina Sundar and Rachael Bandura. Both players are team captains and have grown from that championship loss while leading their team to victory.
Sundar is a senior chemistry major who plays the position of 8 man where she stays near the back of the scrum and provides extra weight at the push. Bandura is a senior tourism & hospitality major who is a fly-half. As a fly-half, Bandura plays a large role in passing and kicking the ball while also calling the team’s plays.
Since returning from winter vacation, the team has been performing at a very high level. They have won three matches during the month of March and recently won a critical MARFU match against William & Mary.
“It is exciting to see rookies and younger players step up to lead the team,” Bandura said.
The team has now clinched a spot in the MARFU playoffs and need to beat George Washington this coming Saturday to appear in the national playoffs. A win could also put them in a position where they could contend for the MARFU championship. A loss on Saturday would force them to have to win Sunday in order to secure MARFU’s no. 3 seed.
Because of their success, the rugby team has been receiving more awareness around campus. Owens is not surprised by this. “Rugby is growing around the country and is more high schools today.”
While Bandura and Sundar are two of the first team’s best players, there is also a secondary team. This team exists for developmental purposes and is a good place for players who are entirely new to the sport of rugby. Temple rugby accepts any players, however only the best get to play on the first team.
For anyone feeling like trying out for rugby, Sundar has words of encouragement.
“Definitely just give it a try, don’t be scared cause you don’t know about the sport,” she said.
James Reagan can be reached at james.reagan@temple.edu.
