By Kristin Canning

If you’ve been confused by the sight of “Wartburg Rugby” shirts on campus, you’re not alone.

“Most people don’t know the club exists,” said Jacob Ahles ’14, who founded the Wartburg Rugby Football Club a year ago and serves as its president.

“Currently, we have between 10 and 15 players, a vice president, a treasurer, and a secretary/parliamentarian. Our faculty adviser is Dr. Neil Martinsen-Burrell.”

Ahles recruited most of the players.

“Whether we were at the gym or hanging out after class, I would just talk to different people about the whole idea and how rugby would greatly benefit them,” he said, adding that, “A couple of people have come on their own, which is always a pleasant surprise.”

The WRFC has done fundraising with the new Panda Express in Cedar Falls and is selling shirts. In the spring, the team will host some events to raise money for jerseys.

For those considering joining, Ahles said, “There’s no need to fear anything, least of all pain. I guarantee it will be the best time of your life.”

During its spring season, the WRFC is a “club sport” and can play any teams that want to set up matches.

“This spring I intend on hosting Luther here in Waverly,” Ahles said.

The WRFC also will participate in the later spring All-Iowa Tournament and Ahles hopes to compete in another tourney in Iowa or Minnesota.  

Next fall, the club will participate in regional league play against other DIII colleges around the Midwest. The matches are not considered NCAA competition, but they are officiated by licensed USA Rugby and Iowa Rugby referees and players must be registered with USA Rugby to compete.

“Iowa actually has a huge rugby base ranging from high school to men’s clubs,” Ahles said. “The most prominent, though, is UNI, which has a Division I team with a very successful history. Our clubs frequently practice together. We have a little pocket of very good rugby right here in Iowa.”

The WRFC first practiced in The W Fieldhouse at night, but with winter and spring sports now using the facility, rugby players have moved to Walston-Hoover Stadium. When the snow melts, the team will practice on a rugby pitch owned by the Bremer County Bucks men’s rugby club, considered one of the best teams in Iowa and the Midwest.

“I have no doubt that because of UNI and the Bremer County Bucks, Wartburg will soon boast one of the best rugby clubs in the state.”

Ahles said rugby is only as intense as you make it and noted that WRFC plays “a very laid-back game.”

“Anybody should join, regardless of athletic ability,” he said.

Rugby is also easy to learn.

“I was named to the Iowa select-side team, a hand-picked team of the best players in Iowa, after playing rugby for only about two months,” Ahles said. “Not knowing anything about the sport should not hold anyone back from joining the club.”

Ahles said a good rugby player should be a well-rounded athlete in good shape.

“In rugby, the lines drawn between positions become more like ‘guidelines’. Every position shares responsibility with every other player on the field,” he said.

“The matches and tournaments are very memorable. The idea that people love most about this sport is the culture and community behind it,” Ahles said. “Behind every rugby team across the world is a tightly knit community. You don’t even have to play the sport to love it as much, or even more than, the players. The ‘rugby culture’ has a spot for everybody—players and fans alike.”