Lake Travis Rugby is back in town, and they are as strong as ever!

The club has its first regulation match of the 2024 season on Friday, January 26th, against St. Pius X Rugby, and its first scrimmage was against the Austin Huns RFC on Friday, January 12. Although the game didn’t have an official scoreboard, the Cavaliers won with a massive shutout against the Austin club. Cav Nation’s next scrimmage will be Friday, January 19, against the Four Points Rugby Club, kicking off at 7:00pm at the Lake Travis High School Track Stadium.

Rugby is one of America’s fastest-growing sports, likely due to the similarity to American Football.  It is also one of the most popular sports globally, with the 2023 Rugby World Cup garnering nearly one billion viewers.  Like soccer, the championship is played every four years, with the next one taking place in Australia during the fall of 2027.

Founded in 2011, the Lake Travis Rugby was founded by a group of students and coached by two fathers.  In 2012, the club was incorporated into Rugby Texas, and the initial group recruited enough players to form a Varsity and JV squad.  According to the Lake Travis Rugby’s page, “at the beginning of the season, over half of the players didn’t know how to hold a rugby ball.”  However, they wrapped up their season with a second place win in the Texas Division II competition.

In 2013,  the Cavaliers not only went undefeated in the regular season, but also won the State Championship.  This incredible season left them ranked #1 in Texas and #18 in the nation.  Since then, the Cavs have played in four State Championships within five years, produced 30 high-performing player and five All-Americans.

Going into the 2024 seasons, both coaches and players have high expectations.

So, what is Rugby??

Rugby is similar to American football in a sense that you have an ovular ball which you throw to your teammates, while being chased and tackled by your opponents, but that’s pretty much were the relationship between the two sports ends.  In football, you have four 15-minute quarters, and every time a player gets tackled, the play stops.  In rugby, you have two 40-minute halves, and the play only stops with an infraction, penalty, the ball goes out of bounds, or someone scores a goal.  Of course, in the off-chance of a major injury, the play will stop.

Another remarkable difference between rugby and American football is the use of pads.  In rugby, there are none.  The only protective gear worn is a mouthguard and clothing.  Players are allowed to wear scrumcaps if they choose, but these offer little protection except for “cauliflower ears”, and typically only forwards wear them.  Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “How is rugby not a complete bloodbath?”  And, here’s one reason why:  the tackling technique is different from American football.  In rugby, tackles must hit below the shoulders, with most players aiming for the thigh/hip area.  In addition, the ball can only travel from player to player by being passed backwards or being kicked versus how the ball travels in American football.

In a game, players are divided into two groups:  forwards and backs.  There are eight forwards and seven backs on a starting roster, excluding substitutes.  The forwards are typically larger, heavier players and the backs are typically faster as they are meant for quick ball movements and serve as the primary scorers.

For (a lot) more information on the sport of Rugby and its rules and regulations, check out: Rugby Laws for Dummies, USA Rugby, and  Laws of the Game.

And don’t forget to come out and support the LTHS Cavaliers Rugby Team, starting January 19th!!!