Men's Rugby tackles Keene in playoffs

The wail of bagpipes is an unfamiliar sound at college athletic events, but somehow the Tufts Men's Rugby Football Club has made the instrument seem like a perfectly normal part of their pre-home game ritual.

Their energy visibly growing, the rugby team broke into a warm-up run along the end line as junior Jay Sherman sounded the last resonating bagpipe notes Saturday. Grunts and shouts became the new soundtrack to the afternoon's playoff match between Tufts and visitor Keene State, which the Jumbos went on to win 24-15.

Before the game opened, Tufts formed a tight cluster at midfield. The squad jumped and ran in place, a light blue mass of electricity and testosterone.

According to junior captain Todd Ryan, he and senior Aubrey Duffy are usually at the center of the huddle.

"We look to motivate the team to get aggressive," Ryan said. "If you make a really hard first impression on the opposition, it can set the tone for the rest of the game."

Outside the huddle, Ryan's role as a team leader was apparent throughout Saturday's match.

"Todd's position, scrum half, is as close as rugby comes to having a quarterback," coach Bob Winchester explained. "He's always following the ball around and he's responsible for deciding where it goes next. He directs traffic."

When Keene won scrums Saturday, Ryan's was usually the first body to fly around the pack and pounce on whichever red jersey had possession-despite the fact that almost every opponent was taller than his 5'7".

Overall, Keene outsized the Jumbos physically, but the home team dominated play. Midway through the second period, Duffy, a fly half, gave Tufts' most impressive performance of the day.

After gaining possession, Duffy extended his stride and pulled away from a mob left scrambling for the ball. He sprinted 40 meters before three Keene players closed in from the wings. Choosing to avoid a one-on-three confrontation, Duffy kicked a grubber-a bouncing, driving ball-ahead of himself. The play turned into a foot race, which Duffy won. He regained possession and landed in the try zone, to give Tufts a 21-5 lead.

"The play was both very athletic and very sophisticated," Winchester said. He also called the grub kick, "one of the great things in Aubrey's repertoire."

According to Ryan, Duffy's spectacular performance was nothing unexpected.

"That's what Aubrey does," Ryan said. "He finds tiny spaces in the defense and runs right through them. He opens up the game for us."

Towards the end of the game, several Keene players seemed frustrated by their impending season-ending loss, and rough play increased. Ryan was one player who visibly and vocally worked to diffuse tensions, and his team clearly responded.

"Todd's the general on the field," Winchester said. "He keeps his head."

Ryan noted that the whole team has drastically improved this season.

"We've increased our ability to work as a unit instead of relying on individualistic plays," he said.

Tufts' cohesion on the field extends far beyond the turf. According to junior hooker Jordan Edwards, the team is "tight," and typically spends Thursday and Saturday nights bonding.

Two weekends ago, rugby players hosted-and enthusiastically participated in-a Jello wrestling party off-campus.

"Part of playing rugby is having a couple screws loose," Edwards said. "Under no circumstances are we 'normal.' It's always something else."

While the bagpipes may have surprised some first-time rugby spectators and certainly a few nearby Medford residents, by Edwards' description, they aren't anything too extraordinary by men's rugby standards.

Chalk the bagpipes up to just another idiosyncrasy of a most unorthodox-yet undeniably successful-Tufts athletic team.