After successful recruiting tactics at move-in day and a change of Head Coach, the rugby spirit is back and in full effect at Central Oregon Community College for the 24’-25’ rugby season. This is the first season under new head coach Max Bennett.
The rugby team, which struggled in recent years with recruitment and student interest, saw a resurgence in popularity at the start of this school year.
“This year, it’s the polar opposite,” said Bennett, “We have about 60 guys interested, although some face class conflicts, it’s almost unheard of to see this many players at a college rugby practice.”
Bennett attributes part of the change to improved recruiting efforts, particularly during move-in day, COCC rugby team members helped new students move their fridges and advertised joining the sport. “Hunter Nash, one of our players, moved 40 fridges up and down stairs that day,” said Bennett.
The team embraced COCC rugby’s historic spirit. Head coach Bennett encouraged students to try one practice without pressure to commit.
“You don’t have to be athletic or have experience, just come out once and see what you think,” he said.
Rugby teammates practicing tackle drills during practice. (Nessie Knight)Any COCC and USO Cascades student enrolled in one COCC credit is allowed to be on the team regardless of gender, athleticism and experience with rugby. The team practices Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m. on the COCC track.
Hunter Nash, first year business major at COCC, has played rugby for over 14 years for various clubs and local teams. Nash said this year’s COCC rugby team is special, not only for its growing numbers but for the strong bonds between players.
“Our rafting trip on the Big Eddy…11 of us went and I felt the bond of the team grow,” said Nash, “For a successful rugby team it’s more about team chemistry than just playing well. With good team chemistry, everything else just falls into place.”
Nash said that rugby isnt a sport where you go into a match hating your opponent, mentioning that after every match, both teams come together and share a meal.
Nash first learned about the team in spring of 2023, when walking through Mamza gym he spotted the rugby team’s trophy display case. Later Nash reached out to the previous head coach and joined the team.
Nash said when he first started recruiting, there were only three people dedicated to the team. Nash spent move-in day at COCC hualing fridges and recruiting players.
“We recruited like 26 players…we have had good turnouts in our games, we were very successful in securing a team this season,” said Nash.
One of the fridges that Nash moved was that of Dashel Ferguson, a first year aviation student at COCC. Ferguson signed up for the team on move-in day, going to the first team practice that took place later that night. Ferguson mentioned joining the team allowed him to connect to a new community on campus.
“I’ve made a lot of friendships…no matter where I go in life, I always find a group of people that want to do the same thing as me and want to spend time and hang out,” said Ferguson.
Another player recruited during move-in day, Cody Stubbs, a first year Business student at COCC. Stubb’s father had previously played and encouraged Stubbs to play. Stubbs went to the first team practice that night and has been hooked since.
“I think rugby is a very gentleman sport…a lot of other sports, you kind of chirp with the other guys and dislike them while you’re playing, but here you hang out with them afterwards, so you make an effort more to be nice to them out on the field too,” said Stubbs.
Stubbs said he’s looking forward to seeing his teammates grow and become better people on and off the field.
“Having another thing to do that keeps me in shape and keeps me learning and meeting new people, as well as something good to do on the weekend, not just partying and wasting my time,” said Stubbs.
Bennett’s tenure as head coach also holds a personal connection—his uncle, Woody Bennett, founded the COCC rugby program in 2012, and Max Bennett played on the inaugural team. Coach Bennett sees his role as continuing a family legacy, “This program is important to me; it’s in my blood…I want to maintain and continue his legacy.”
For Max Tague, a second year student studying for a kinesiology at COCC, joining the team led him to find new ways to stay in shape while having fun and learning more about the sport.
“I’m a deeply competitive person already, but it’s a good, beautiful channel for it, I’ve been playing rugby for maybe a month now and I am totally falling in love with the game, it’s something that I see myself doing for the rest of my life,” said Tague.
“There is a really cool sense of camaraderie and place in the world that comes with being on a sports team,” said Tague
The Bobcats are currently 2-0, with 3 games remaining. For the rest of the season, Bennett expects the team will continue to improve. The team having fun and community remains intact are his primary goals, envisioning COCC’s rugby team returning to its historic championship past.
