Pepperdine Men’s Rugby Team poses for their 2022-23 season photo at the Alumni Fields at Pepperdine University. The rugby team competes in a NCAA Division III team, according to Gold Coast Conference Intercollegiate Rugby. Photo courtesy of Ryan Bough
While Pepperdine students may be familiar with the University’s athletic teams that compete in the West Coast Conference, one team that might fly under the radar is the Men’s Rugby Team.
Also known as The Pepperdine Rugby Football Club, the team is the longest-standing club team at Pepperdine and was established in 1955, said Julian Baker, coordinator of Recreational Sports at Pepperdine.
The rugby team also competes in the Gold Coast Conference Intercollegiate Rugby, a Division III league, where they are able to travel and compete with other schools within the league.
Pepperdine offers different types of campus recreation and intramural sports that students have the opportunity to be a part of. Sports recreation at Pepperdine is two-fold, Baker said.
First, there are the intramural sports, which are student recreation leagues. These teams are more casual and give Pepperdine students and faculty the opportunity to compete with each other strictly and only for the Pepperdine community.
The second branch of campus sports are the competitive club teams. At Pepperdine, these teams include sports such as rugby and surfing. In contrast to the student rec leagues that are limited to Pepperdine-affiliated individuals only, these club teams travel and compete against other universities.
Sports have a unique way of bringing people together, and Baker said the rugby team at Pepperdine does just that.
“The seniors on the team who have been with the program for a handful of years have done a great job of keeping that [brotherhood] culture alive with rugby at Pepperdine,” Baker said.
For high school athletes who do not want to compete at the Division I level that Pepperdine offers but still love sports and the team culture that playing sports provides, club sports could be the perfect option, Baker said.
Baker said all club sports promote the idea of balance between all areas of life.
“You’re not a Division I soccer player, but you’re a club player, and you can have other passions with jobs and other interests,” Baker said. “We also know academics are very important to students, so we understand that and make sure our athletes know that we have that understanding and give them the opportunity to excel in all areas, never sacrificing one over the other.”
Aaron Barnhouse, Pepperdine alumnus (’22) and coach of the rugby team, was part of the rugby team throughout his four years at Pepperdine.
Barnhouse said joining the rugby team his first year helped him find his footing as a new student on campus.
“You form some really close bonds, especially since you are putting your body on the line for the guys next to you without hesitation,” Barnhouse said.
Not only do the friendships exist between the men on the team, but they also extend beyond graduation, Barnhouse said.
“There is a very big connection group with rugby, especially with Pepperdine alumni,” Barnhouse said. “I am in contact with guys who played X, XV years ago, and I know people who got jobs because they played rugby at Pepperdine and made those lasting connections.”
Gideon Lee, captain and president of the rugby team also joined the rugby team in 2019, during his first year at Pepperdine.
Although he had never played the sport in his life, Lee said he was encouraged by a friend to attend a rugby practice.
After the first day, he said he was hooked.
“I just kept going back, partially because once I learned how to play the sport, it ended up being the most fun sport I have ever played,” Lee said. “But, what made me really want to keep coming back was just the guys — it really is just a great group of people.”
Lee said due to the pandemic and loss of time on campus, the rugby team was half the size it needed to be and has been in a rebuilding period for the past few years.
“We have our first game this Saturday, and after a year of rebuilding, we finally have enough people to play, which is very exciting,” Lee said.
Pepperdine Rugby kicks off their first game of the season with a home opener against University of Las Vegas on Feb. 4, at 1 p.m., on Alumni Field.
___________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic
Contact Shelby Little via email: shelby.little@pepperdine.edu
