Brigham Young University Rugby Team
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The Brigham Young University Rugby team is part of the USA Rugby Union in the Mountain West Conference and competes on the collegiate level Mens Division I.
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[edit] History
The Brigham Young University Rugby Team was founded by John Seggar, a former Rugby player for New Zealand and the United Kingdom. After graduating from BYU, Seggar became Head Coach of the newly formed program.
In the 1980’s, new players David Smyth, Mark Ormsby, and Dean Ormsby built up the BYU Rugby Team to compete for national championship honors.
The National Collegiate Tournament changed the schedule of playing from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday. This change in schedule and the team's affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints kept them from competing for a national championship because they would not compete on Sundays.
After the change in the championship format, John Seggar retired as the Head Coach. Over the next few years, BYU Rugby continued on its own. After much struggling, David Smyth, Mark Ormsby, and Dean Ormsby rebuilt the team. They passed it on to Vernon Heperi who later became BYU’s head coach. After a temporary stay in the United Kingdom, Smyth returned to Utah in 1991 and continued his career as the BYU rugby Head Coach. Smyth coached several USA National Rugby Team Members, Collegiate All-Americans, and Pacific Coast All-Stars. Smyth later left in 2002, and Jared Akenhead, the assistant coach for Smyth, succeeded him as the new Head Coach. Under Akenhead’s instruction, the BYU Rugby team made it to the national collegiate playoffs. Several of his players received All-American awards and National Team selection honors.
PRESENT:
In 2005, Akenhead left the BYU Rugby program. Smyth took over as coach again with Kimball Kjar, Wayne Tarawhiti, Brian Westenskow, Justen Nadauld, and Jeff Hullinger as assistant coaches.
[edit] Brigham Young University 2007-2008 Roster
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Hometown | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson, Mark | Prop/Lock | 6’2’’ | 225 lbs | Royal City, WA | Senior |
| Barnes, Grant | Center/Wing | 6’ | 195 lbs | Sacramento, CA | Senior |
| Burton, Robert | Flanker | 5’11’’ | 185 lbs | Oakton, VA | Sophomore |
| Clark, Brett | Lock | 6’5’’ | 225 lbs | Noblesville, IN | Freshman |
| Davies, Shaun | Scrumhalf | 5’9’’ | 165 lbs | Durban, South Africa | Freshman |
| Fale, William | Prop/Flanker | 6’1’’ | 247 lbs | Orem, UT | Junior |
| Fishback, Bradford | Lock | 6’5’’ | 229 lbs | California | Junior |
| Goo, LeGrand | Wing | 5’9’’ | 189 lbs | Laie, HI | Senior |
| Hafoka, Moana | Wing | 5’10’’ | 210 lbs | Salt Lake City, UT | Sophomore |
| Harding, Harrison | Wing | 5’10’’ | 180 lbs | Saugus, CA | Junior |
| Harrison, Andrew | Fly-half | 5’10 | 178 lbs | Vienna, VA | Sophomore |
| Howard, Sean | Outside Center | 5’11’’ | 185 lbs | Sandy, UT | Freshman |
| Isaacson, Blake | Prop | 6’ | 212 lbs | Highlands Ranch, CO | Sophomore |
| Lawrence, Kai | Flanker | 5’11’’ | 215 lbs | St. George, UT | Senior |
| Lawrence, Ra | Flanker | 6’1’’ | 233 lbs | Auckland, New Zealand | Sophomore |
| Lontine, Jordan | Wing | 5’9’’ | 175 lbs | Denver, CO | Sophomore |
| Lubbe, Dylan | Fly-half/Center | 5’9’’ | 175 lbs | Durban, South Africa | Freshman |
| Malani, Apenisa | Outside Center | 5’10’’ | 202 lbs | Suva, Fiji | Sophomore |
| Maughan, Nate | Wing/Fullback | 5’1’’ | 179 lbs | Fairfax, VA | Junior |
| McClain, Tim | Flanker | 5’10’’ | 190 lbs | Altus, Oklahoma | Freshman |
| McKenzie, Ken | Scrumhalf/Center | 6’ | 200 lbs | Surrey, CAN | Freshman |
| Murri, Ryan | Prop | 6’1’’ | 210 lbs | Richland, WA | Sophomore |
| Nqakuru, Duran | Hooker | 6’ | 241 lbs | Kaikohe, New Zealand | Senior |
| Paul, Dan | Fly-Half/Center | 5’10’’ | 190 lbs | Doha, Quatar | Sophomore |
| Qaqa, Vito | Wing | 6’ | 182 lbs | Suva, Fiji | Senior |
| Ratelle, Mike | Lock | 6’6’’ | 270 lbs | Boise, ID | Junior |
| Rodermund, Travis | Wing | 6’2’’ | 200 lbs | Allen, TX | Senior |
| Smith, Derek | Prop | 5’11’’ | 260 lbs | Salt Lake City, UT | Senior |
| Smith, Michael | Scrum Half | 5’6’’ | 176 lbs | Salt Lake City, UT | Sophomore |
| Sohn, Jacob | Lock/Flanker | 6’1’’ | 208 lbs | Salem, OR | Senior |
| St. Pierre, Steve | Flanker | 6’1’’ | 202 lbs | Highlands Ranch, CO | Junior |
| Steflik, Tim | Scrum-Half/Wing | 5’9’’ | 170 lbs | Elko, NV | Junior |
| Su’a, Manti | Winger | 5’9’’ | 175 lbs | West Jordan, UT | Junior |
| Su’a, Mike | Prop | 5’10’’ | 268 lbs | West Jordan, UT | Freshman |
| Taylor, Ethan | Wing/Fullback | 5’11’ | 175 lbs | Provo, UT | Senior |
| Tengberg, Brett | Flanker | 6’1’’ | 205 lbs | Provo, UT | Junior |
| Thorley, Sam | Fullback | 6’2’’ | 190 lbs | Galveston, TX | Junior |
| Vela, Jake | Prop/Hooker | 5’11’ | 222 lbs | Sammamish, WA | Sophomore |
| Vernon, Parley | Hooker | 5’11’’ | 225 lbs | Alpine, UT | Sophomore |
| Vimahi, Viliami | No8 | 6’3’’ | 264 lbs | Ha’apai, Tonga | Sophomore |
| Wolthius, Sam | Wing | 6’1’’ | 175 lbs | Castle Rock, CO | Freshman |
| Yamamoto, Matthew | Fullback | 5’10’’ | 185 lbs | Manoa, HI | Senior |
[edit] Championships
[edit] USA Rugby Collegiate Championships
- 2007-USA Rugby Collegiate Championships Runners-Up
- 2006-USA Rugby Collegiate Championships Runners-Up
- 2005-USA Rugby Collegiate Championships Semi-Finalist-3rd/4th Place
- 2004-USA Rugby Collegiate Championships Quarter -Finalist
- 1999-USA Rugby Collegiate Championships Quarter -Finalist
[edit] Awards
[edit] Collegiate All-Americans
- David Smyth- AA Head Coach- 2006 -Pres.
- Steve St. Pierre- 2007
- Duran Ngakuru- 2007
- Morris Havea- 2007
- Craig Clark- 2006, 2007
- Taylor Kjar- 2006, 2007
- Derek Smith- 2006, 2007
- Ikani Taumoepeau- 2006
- Jeff Hullinger- 2006
- Alipate Tuilevuka- 2006
- Salesi Sika- 2003,2004, 2005, 2006
- Michael Poelman- 2005
- John Blaser- 2004
- Ned Stearns- 2002
- Kimball Kjar- 2001, 2002, 2003
- Taylor Nadauld- 2001
[edit] Pacific Coast All-Stars
- Michael Poelman- 2005
[edit] Wasatch Cup Champion
- Brigham Young University 2007, 2006, 2004
[edit] BYU Rugby Officials
David Smyth — Head Coach
Wayne Tarawhiti — Assistant Coach
Brian Westenskow — Assistant Coach
Kimball Kjar — Assistant Coach
Justen Nadauld — Assistant. Coach
Jeff Hullinger — Assistant Coach, video analysis
Gabriel Almeida — Team Manager
Paul Meyers — Academic Coordinator
Steve Tingey — Recruiting Coordinator
James Eager — Sports Medicine Trainer
[edit] See Also
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints Website
- USA Rugby Union Website
- Mountain West Conference Official Website
[edit] References
1. http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=BYURUGBY&t=c&s=htosports&p=coaches
2. http://newnewsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/67811
