How on earth can a brand new rugby team find themselves ranked #1 nationally before ever playing a game?
At Walsh University, the makeup of their men’s rugby roster looks eerily similar to the national championship-winning program at the now-shuttered Notre Dame College .
In April, the majority of the men’s and women’s rugby teams at NDC agreed to transfer to Walsh University following their school’s closure, with 43 men players and 22 women making the move, along with several coaches.
On Friday, the men’s team debuted at Walsh University with a 62-10 win over Thomas More University.
How we got here
Believe it or not, Northeast Ohio is home to some of the best rugby players in the country, with alumni participating at the Olympics and the highest levels internationally.
At Notre Dame College, home to about 1,500 students, players recruited from all over the globe descended on South Euclid, Ohio, for a chance to compete at the highest level.