USU hosts Brigham Young in men’s rugby

Shereen Saurey

The Utah State University men’s rugby team will take on Brigham Young University Saturday for the Aggies’ first home game of the season.

Flanker Mark Brooks said this game will be the Aggies’ most challenging. Unlike USU’s team, the Cougars’ is a school-sponsored sport.

“A lot of these guys are playing rugby on scholarship,” Brooks said. “It makes a big difference when you play a team with a lot of money in its program.”

The Aggies have only managed to defeat BYU once. They did, however, have a winning season last year, posting a 5-3 record. The team has a mix of both young and veteran players. The team will depend on team leaders, such as Brooks and Chris Price, as well as its younger team base to defeat the Cougars. Brooks commented that the Aggies have an advantage in that all team members have similar skills and abilities.

“Our goal is to go out and have a good time,” Brooks said.

The game begins at 1 p.m. at the HPER Fields.