UGA Rugby has officially kicked off our Fall 15s season, starting with our traditional preseason camp this past weekend. The boys arrived Friday night, did some team bonding and got to know some of the new players. Saturday was a full day, involving setting expectations for the season, testing, shaking off the rust from the summer, and preparing the boys to execute on Coach Jesse’s strategy. Afterwards, the boys got to cut loose and have fun over a BBQ dinner.
Some key highlights from the weekend:
- Camp attendance was VERY strong – in fact, the highest it’s EVER been, at a 50% increase from last year! Given that a portion of the team couldn’t make it (due to the timing of UGA’s dormitory move-in), this was a FANTASTIC turnout.
- Participation by our full coaching staff, plus a handful of alumni guest coaches
- For the first time ever, we captured DATA on various strength and fitness tests.
The first training was also very encouraging – the numbers and energy were phenomenal. We’d like to welcome and call out some key additions to the team this year!
- Rafael Saitowitz: freshman loose forward from Atlanta, who played with AYR for 3 years and served as a captain
- Casey LeBlanc: transfer from Miami, where he captained the team at 9
- Anthony Hennigan: freshman center from Brooklyn, NY, who played 4 years at Xavier High School (ranked #5 in the nation this past Spring). Anthony had previously planned to go to South Carolina, but very smartly changed his mind once UGA took him off the waitlist!
- Dutch Murzin: freshman flanker from Dallas, TX, who comes to UGA with 4 years of high school rugby experience
We’re off to a strong start and are extremely excited for what this season will bring. Thank you again for your support, and we hope to see you at an upcoming event.
Don’t forget, our alumni match is this weekend – details HERE. As the boys say – LET’S ROCK! 🪨
ps. please continue to visit this website for updates throughout the season, and if you’re a social media user, don’t forget to follow the club on Instagram!