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Students and Alumni
Connect Through
Rugby Tradition
By Kevin Hoover
A FRIGID WIND SWEEPS across Manila
Community Park, aligned with the shadows of
a winter afternoon. The HSU Men’s Rugby team
is about to take the field against Humboldt Old
Growth, which is made up of players from
years past. In common parlance, it’s schoolboys
vs. old men.
As harsh as the weather is, players are
minimally clad, some in skin-tight shorts and
looking vaguely British in their striped jerseys.
Team members are taping each other up, doing
warm-ups and running through plays. The ball,
oblong but fatter than a football, sits ready for
action. At the center of the field, the referee levels
his gaze at the twitching combatants. “I expect
clean play,” he says. “If you cheat, I’ll know.”
Colin Bourgeois, a third-year student at HSU, reaches
for the ball during “lineout,” restarting play after the
ball was out of bounds.
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