Men’s rugby club works on (and off) the field to make it to nationals

In all the excitement surrounding NCAA-sanctioned athletics, collegiate club sports are sometimes left on the back burner — often rendered afterthoughts amidst the fandom and media frenzy that accompanies official university sports. While the distinction is crucial for understanding different scales of competition, nowhere is the designation of club more misleading than with MSU men’s rugby.

“Call it a club all you want. We are running a collegiate sport team,” said Joe Williams, MSU men’s rugby club head coach. According to Williams, the men’s rugby club is distinct from many club sports because the NCAA doesn’t offer collegiate men’s rugby. Unlike other club sports — such as soccer, where higher level competition exists beyond the club league on a national scale — club rugby is the highest level of collegiate competition. Williams said the term club is deceiving because people often think of clubs as less competitive than teams.

According to MSU men’s rugby club President Dominic Weber, the team competes through National Collegiate Rugby (NCR), one of the governing bodies that oversees collegiate rugby in the U.S. The NCR pre-season ranking placed the Bobcats in the top four in Division II rugby for the fall of 2024.

Weber said that the team’s central focus this season is to live up to this ranking and make it to NCR Division II nationals. “I think this season, we're really trying to get our name out there nationally and show that we can be a nationally competitive club in Division II,” he said.

Given their status as a club sport at MSU — and the lack of substantial University funding that comes as a consequence of this designation, as well as the caliber of their competition — accomplishing this goal will require determination on and off the field, Williams said.

This is especially true once the team hits the playoff season. The regular season typically costs around $40,000, according to Williams. This is mostly covered by player dues and personal fundraising goals — donations from friends and family — as well as an allocation from MSU of around $4,500. However, once playoffs begin — with this year’s regionals in November taking place in St. Louis, Missouri — the team resorts to additional fundraising, according to Williams.

“Us as coaches have full-time jobs. The players are all in school, and then all of a sudden we have to figure out how to get 28 people to St. Louis in two weeks and get all the money raised, and practice and work our jobs and go to school. It's not like football or volleyball or any of those things. Everything is on our own,” Williams said.

Moreover, according to Williams, many of their top competitors exist as official athletic programs at their respective universities, meaning competing players are on scholarship and most of their team’s expenses are paid for.

To cover these additional expenses, the MSU men’s rugby club raises money through alternative means. These include setting up GoFundMe pages, receiving local donations and obtaining sponsorships, Weber said.

In addition, the MSU men’s rugby club engages in community outreach, including work alongside Cancer Support Community Montana, and volunteering for adaptive recreation with Eagle Mount, among other things, Williams said.

As this season progresses and the club aims for nationals, Weber said he hopes his team will spread awareness and love for the sport. “That's one of our main missions as a club, and it's in our constitution, is to grow the sport of rugby,” he said.

According to Weber, anyone interested in joining should attend a team practice. The schedule can be found on the club's Instagram page, @montanastaterugby.