There is going to be a major college rugby game this weekend.

That in and of itself is news, but the matchup is newsworthy for other reasons.

This is a conference game, the first one in almost 11 months. The teams involved, Lindenwood and Arkansas State, were ranked in the Top Ten of the D1A rankings (and also in GRR’s own ranking, which contributes to D1A’s Top 20). 

Coming into the game, Arkansas State is still in coaching limbo. With previous Head Coach Blake White having moved to Memphis and having stepped down, ASU is yet to announce a permanent replacement, and will be leaning on Matt Huckaby. A former All American at ASU, Huckaby ran the rugby program before taking a position in the ASU administration. He will be patrolling the sidelines for the Red Wolves, but the search is on for a new Head Coach—a search that was delayed because of COVID.

Still, despite Huckaby’s attentions, the transition, along with working through training in the pandemic times, hasn’t been easy on the ASU team. Huckaby credits Dale Hartmann and George Sharpe for their leadership on the squad.

“I can’t say enough about what they’ve done not only on the field but in terms of the other organization work you have to do,” Huckaby said. “They have kept the standards high and kept the culture strong and I really give them a ton of credit.” 

This remains something of a question-mark season for the Red Wolves, and while the players have indeed risen to the challenge, they will be playing their first rugby game in 335 days and they will be playing one of the best teams in the nation.

Coming into Jonesboro will be Lindenwood, a team that has been staring intently at the list of D1A finalists over the years and figuring out how to get there.

The Lions have been working in a control environment for some months now and return plenty of experienced players, notably captain and lock forward MJ Spangenberg, senior scrumhalf Richard Felton, and fullback Connor Burns. The three provide a nice mix of power up front, playmaking in the middle, and unpredictability and breakaway pace in the back. (Also notable on the bench for this weekend will be flyhalf/fullback Coleson Warner, probably the best player at Lindenwood-Belleville who transferred after L-B ended all undergrad studies las May.) 

“We are about as fit as we’d normally be this time of year but a little undercooked in the contact area,” warned Lindenwood Head. Macy and his staff limited reps in terms of contact, easing into it, but, he added, “[we] had a big physical training yesterday. It definitely got the guys excited for the real thing.”

Expect both teams to have a relatively straightforward game plan. It is still very early, and it’s likely both teams will stick to an approach that puts their players in a position to succeed.

But the big thing is this is a conference game, and a game to be played at all.

“Things are falling into place for this weekend,” said Macy. “I almost can’t believe it. If we just put one foot in front of the other it seems like we’ll end up at a rugby match.”