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March 21, 2024

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BG rugby club to play on national TV in early June

Although it is often obscured by the varsity sports programs, the BG rugby club has nonetheless managed to carve out a memorable list of achievements during its 41 years of existence.

Born of humble beginnings, the club is now a Midwestern powerhouse, having achieved its lofty status through countless hours of hard work by an ever-growing list of players and coaches.

This June, the BG rugby tradition will be displayed on national television when the Falcons compete in the inaugural USA Sevens Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational.

The tournament will be held the weekend of June 4-6 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus.

NBC will have live national coverage on Saturday and Sunday June 5 and 6, from 4-6 p.m.

It will be the first time college rugby is broadcast on network TV.

Although BG has competed a number of times for the national championship over the years, several members of the team consider this tournament to be the crown jewel of their accomplishments.

“As big as Nationals are, this [the tournament] is definitely bigger because it’s a validation of the effort that over 1,200 players have put in to take the program where it is now,” said coach Tony Mazzarella.

“This is certainly the biggest thing we have done since I have been here,” said senior wing Rocco Mauer. “For our program to get national TV exposure will just be an incredible experience. I can’t wait to get down there and take the field.”

The tournament will feature 16 teams from across the country and will be conducted in a round-robin format.

Interestingly, the Falcons were not included in the original field.

According to Mazzarella, NBC decided to select schools with the biggest possible names, regardless of how competent their rugby teams were.

While the bigger names may have caused some initial viewer interest, Mazzarella added the tournament would have been bogged down by mediocre play.

After hearing some concerns over their selection process, NBC decided to amend the field, and the Falcons were among the teams selected for consideration.

From there, Mazzarella passionately set about making the case for BG.

With the help of the admissions department, he put together a compelling set of statistics revealing a large BG rugby alumni base in the Columbus area.

Those numbers, coupled with the long winning tradition, were enough to convince the decision-makers. On April 6 the formal announcement was made: The Falcons were in.

“It was a very gratifying feeling,” said club director Roger Mazzarella, Tony’s father. “Tony did a heck of a job running around and putting the application together. His energy is a big reason why this happened.”

But Tony admits he could not have done it without some help.

“I never would’ve been able to do it without all of the people in the Admissions and Athletic Departments,” Tony Mazzarella said. “They supplied all of the information I could ever want, and were extremely cooperative along the way.”

Rugby sevens (a style of play which will debut in the 2016 Olympics) differs markedly from the traditional 15-man format.

The field dimensions are the same, but there are only seven players on each side. Halves are only seven minutes long instead of the normal 40.

Overall, sevens places much more emphasis on speed and athleticism, which often leads to an exciting, fast-paced match.

This style of play should suit the Falcons very well, as they have a stable of speedy, experienced backs to choose from.

“I have been playing sevens during the summer for the past 6 years, so I am very comfortable with it,” said senior captain Nick Viviani. “Its quick, wide-open tempo really suits my playing style.”

For both Viviani and fellow senior Mauer, the tournament carries a deeper personal significance, as they will be hoping to catch the eyes of coaches for the USA National Team who will be in attendance.

“Nick and I will both be playing on a pro team in Chicago this summer,” Mauer said. “We both hope to try and win a spot on the Olympic team in a couple of years. It would be very nice to put up a good performance on this stage in front of the coaches.”

If all goes well in Columbus and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, college rugby could well be on its way toward establishing more of a foothold in America.

For the Falcons to be part of that first step is quite a privilege.

“Hopefully this tournament will go a long way towards putting college rugby on the map as an organized sport here in America,” Mauer said. “I hope more people will come to understand why it is such a cherished sport around the world.”

“I don’t think anyone from the original team could’ve possibly fathomed how far this program would come,” Roger Mazzarella said. “This is a great opportunity for Tony and his players to show what they can do against some of the best teams in the country on a national stage. I’m very proud to play the role of beaming father.”

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