Western Michigan club president and mechanical engineering student Joey Backe tells us why his Broncos are in the DIAA fall final.

They’ve Been Getting Closer

“We’ve been knocking on the door,” said Backe. “My freshman year, a couple of years ago, we made it to nationals. We got beat pretty bad by Kentucky in the first round. Last year we made it to the semis; lost by one try to St. Joe’s, a very good program. And then in sevens, we made it to the national championship [game], only to lose to Lindenwood-Belleville. So we’ve been knocking on the door. It’s time to kick it down.”

Watch The Entire Interview With Joey Backe Here>>

Togetherness

“This group is very close. We hang out off the field all the time. When we’re not at practice we’re seeing who wants to get a lift in, who wants to get a run in together.

“I knew a lot of these guys in high school. I played against a lot of them. So we’ve been close for a long time.’

Superb Coaching

Mark Allen is a highly-respected dentist and a very smart coach.

“He’s done everything for this team. All our coaches have. Our backs coach, Semisi; he let me live with him all summer, got me my first internship. We’re their second family.”

A True Club Team

No scholarship, not an elevated club. Their coach isn’t paid. This is a true club team that plays good rugby because they love it. It also helps, said Backe, that most of them have played rugby in high school. Backe played at Neuqua and the players have played for strong programs throughout Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana.

To Beat Iowa Central

“I think our defense has to be clean—no penalties because they have a kicker who can kick from anywhere on the field.

“They have a really good back three, so we have to try to stop their counter-attack.

“I think we have the forwards, we can get the short yardage on anybody; we can always move the ball. Our backs are quick in space … as long as we stick to our game plan … I think we’ll have a pretty good game.”