Florida’s new U23 men’s league is underway, as the FRU tries to push a way for college-aged players to get some rugby in even if their colleges aren’t allowing on-campus play.

So far the system is working. Clubs in college towns are creating mixture rosters of college players along with younger club players with Naples and Palm Beach both starting well.

Palm Beach beat Gainesville 55-14 on Saturday to go 3-0 in the league, having beaten Okapi Wanderers twice. They also Okapi’s D3 men’s team 30-29.

Naples, meanwhile, is 2-0 after beating Tallahassee 26-21 and Gainesville 62-14.

The interesting thing about the league is that the winning teams aren’t necessarily those that draw players from well-known college teams. Certainly Palm Beach is in a nice position with Florida Atlantic, as well as the University of Miami, nearby. Okapi is also near those teams and also Florida International. But Naples is drawing players from Florida Gulf Coast, which finished 0-6 in last year’s Florida D1AA league. 

Yes FGCU has struggled,” said Naples club officer Bryan Vince. “But they have 12 or 13 players who are pretty dedicated and they came with our U23 group. The thing is also that we have a pretty strong club with 25 to 35 men, and that helps for trainings and supporting the new team.”

The Naples men’s team just enjoyed a solid showing at the Ft. Lauderdale Ruggerfest, beating, among others, Life. Clubs in towns with strong rugby programs but that aren’t strong clubs have not started well.

“We played touch in the fall following protocols that fit with what the county wanted us to do,” said Vince. “Then when a season looked likely we switched, after Thanksgiving, to preparing for 15s. The U23s have gone well and the Head Coach Ian Adendorff is working hard with the Naples teams and building something.

And he’s got some good players on the U23s, including AJ Abreau, who is the FGCU club president, versatile back Christian Mbaeri, Tyler Pigot, flyhalf Steven Gibb, and fullback Tory Williamson.