Preview by Michael Griffin for Goff Rugby Report. 

Fairfield University

Nickname: Red Ruggers

Head Coach: Marc Downes

2015 Conference Rank: #8

The fall of 2015 was a bit of a grace period for the Fairfield U rugby program. Being one of two teams that made the jump from DII to DIAA (the other was New England College) we have to give Fairfield a little bit of slack as they adjusted to the higher level. After a 1-7 season in 2015, the Red Ruggers now know what to expect from this grueling conference. The only win this season came against a struggling Albany unit. 

That being said Head Coach Marc Downes has done a solid job in motivating his players to get better each match and keep looking towards the future of the program. One player that will have an instrumental impact on the Red Rugger’s future is junior Captain Hunter Boesch. Though Boesch plays 15s quite well, he excels at 7s rugby. Boesch travels around the country participating in various elite 7s tournaments. There's some concern that his playing with Mystic Rugby and other teams will prevent him from playing for Fairfield, but nothing has been confirmed. Boesch’s presence or absence will be a key factor in Fairfield’s success this fall. 

As it stands, 2016 looks slightly more promising for the men in red, but it will be hard for them to finish outside the bottom three of the conference. Still, don’t sleep on Fairfield. This team is just a couple of years removed from dominating in DII. Once they make the complete transition to the ECRC they could be a contender.