A championship, nationally ranked multiple times and active for 20 years. All of these are achievements of Staples rugby. Despite their success, there’s a misconception among many students as to whether or not rugby is a varsity sport or a club team. So what makes rugby so different?
Staples rugby is considered an official varsity sport for both the boys’ and girls’ leagues, but rugby still operates as a club in many ways. One main reason is because they are not recognized by the FCIAC and CIAC.
“We don’t follow the FCIAC. There is no FCIAC in rugby,” head boys’ rugby coach Jack Corcoran said. “So we just contact people who are in Connecticut or New York or Massachusetts to make games.”
Athletic director VJ Sarullo emphasizes his fairness while allocating money toward different sports teams, including rugby. While popular programs may benefit more from booster clubs, the athletic department is committed to ensuring all 40 sports at Staples have the essential equipment to compete.
“We provide enough to provide the basics for every sport, but obviously parents and students and coaches always want a little more,” Sarullo said.
Both girls’ and boys’s rugby teams receive funding from Staples to pay for equipment like nets, flags, balls and cones. However, most of their funding for busing to games farther away, along with jerseys, come from their booster club which only started funding Staples rugby a couple years ago.
“[School funding] is a small fraction [of rugby funding],” girls’ head rugby coach Robin Meyers said. “It’s probably about 10% versus 90%, but that’s an estimate.”
Although rugby doesn’t have the same popularity as other sports at Staples, the interest in the sport in the U.S. has been rising. In 2024, youth and high school rugby passed 50,000 registrations across the country, according to US rugby. This could lead to more opportunities for rugby to become an FCIAC recognized sport in the future.
With the success of Staples’ rugby team, especially in recent years, its popularity at Staples has also started to grow. That growth and achievement wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for the Staples students who work to make rugby what is today.
“Those first 16 years were tough,” Corcoran said. “But the foundation wasn’t built. All those [students] built it up.”
