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The boys’ rugby team secured their first-ever victory against a Division I team on April 5, with a score of 38-36 against Lincoln Sudbury, marking a historic moment following their trip to Spain.
The team traveled to Spain for a week over February break to compete against top talent and to bond as a team. Head coach Dominic McNeil believes that the trip was a great experience for the team.
“It’s a great opportunity for these guys to play with players who have been playing since a young age who have very advanced skill sets,” McNeil said.
Senior captain Nick Southey felt the trip was an important refresher before his senior season.
We only really have one goal and that is to win the state championship.
— Senior captain Liam Cunniffe
“It allows me to come back ready for the season both physically and with a fresh perspective on some aspects of rugby,” Southey said.
Southey received high praise from McNeil about his leadership.
“Nick really is another coach on the field because he’s been playing since he was a kid,” McNeil said. “His family has a rugby background from South Africa and is very passionate about rugby. It’s always gutting to lose seniors, especially guys who know what they’re doing and have all the experience, but Nick especially having played for four years [and having been a] two year captain. I really want this to be a massively successful season for him.”
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McNeil instills many aspects of the game in his players by watching film every day before practice, ranging from the highest levels of rugby in the pros to the team they are about to play. However, McNeil believes the most important film the team can watch is their own. The team hired senior Taegan McDonald to film all of the team’s games. McDonald has close ties to the team as her older brother was on the latest state championship team in 2021.
“Being able to guarantee that we are capturing good quality footage is going to help us immensely going forward,” Southey said.
Senior captain Liam Cunniffe reflected on the start of his final year playing high school rugby.
“I feel a lot stronger and more in tune to the game; everything comes to me a lot clearer,” Cunniffe said. “This is definitely the peak that I have been at in my rugby high school career.”
Junior Logan Mutch from Westborough appreciates the opportunity of being able to play at Algonquin.
“It’s a great aspect that we get to come over for rugby and get to learn a game most kids haven’t played before their freshman year of high school,” Mutch said.
The team has one big goal for this season: to win the state championship. They have been extremely close the last two seasons since their last state championship win. The team feels like they have the chemistry and determination to make it all the way this year.
“We only really have one goal and that is to win the state championship,” Cunniffe said.
