The University of Memphis men’s rugby team returned home this week after going undefeated in the Battleship Rugby Invitational Tournament in Mobile, Alabama.
The Tigers received the Battleship Bell trophy after winning four straight games against other men’s rugby teams from the Southeast. Team captain Musa Banat said this win will put the team on the map following the tournament victory.
“The only direction right now is up,” Banat said. “We are going to build on this momentum. The team’s performance showed everyone, including Dr. (M. David) Rudd, that all the support that has been given to us is not going to waste.”
Banat said this tournament win would set the tone for the program, which will be more anticipated as they prepare to enter a conference for the next season. Banat also said this could help retain members as well as belief in the program.
The Battleship Rugby Invitational Tournament has been considered one of the South’s premier rugby tournaments. At the tournament, teams from across the country meet at USS Battleship Alabama Memorial Park to play for a chance to establish recognition for their program. The U of M rugby team won the tournament for the first time in the school’s history.
“It was kind of unbelievable at first,” Banat said. “It was an awe moment after the amount of work we put in. We crossed the bridge into the ‘promised land’ we were trying to get to.”
The Tigers defeated the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns 29-5 in their opening match. The Tigers then expected to play the Florida State Seminoles. However, the team did not show, which resulted in FSU’s forfeit. This gave the Tigers a 2-0 record at the weekend tournament. Following the forfeit, the Tigers played the Ragin’ Cajuns for a second time. The Tigers found victory again after they defeated ULL 27-14 and earned a 3-0 record.
The Tigers played the championship match of the tournament Sunday against the Battleship Rugby home team for the Battleship Bell trophy. The Battleship rugby team is local to the Mobile area and has proven themselves to be a dominant team. At the end, the Tigers finished the game at the top of their division with a 17-7 win over Battleship, winning the championship.
“This was a notable achievement for us,” Banat said. “The Tiger rugby program is going to excel after this. This will put the expectations of our next season even higher.”
A total of eight players scored for the Tigers during the tournament. One of the most noticeable performances was from freshman fly-half and kicker Grant Caldwell. Caldwell was awarded the college men’s division MVP award after his flexible use on the field helped him score 32 points in three matches. Caldwell said his main goal was to lead his team to victory, not to win an award or title.
“I was just staying focused on my job,” Caldwell said. “Keeping my team in check and making sure we all did our job was something I made my responsibility.”
Caldwell said he was excited for the team’s future following the team’s success in Mobile.
“I am pretty proud of winning not just the MVP award but the whole tournament,” Caldwell said. “We have a lot to look forward to now that we have made this kind of accomplishment. This team is becoming a powerful threat to those who doubt us.”
The Tiger rugby team will play their final game of the fall semester against the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga at 3 p.m. Nov. 17 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The University of Memphis’ rugby team poses after winning the Battleship Rugby Invitational Tournament. The team went undefeated, winning four straight games throughout the tournament.
