In the last few years, Malvern sports teams have been traveling all across the world, both inside the country and out.  Now, they will continue that trend with the Malvern Rugby team, who will travel overseas to Ireland next year.  

“For a few years now, we have been trying to set  up an international touring program,” said head coach Mr. Matt Boccuti.

“We started to work out that we will be able to go on an every other year basis.  Last year we went to Portugal and played in a youth tournament out there,” he continued.  “We played against a lot of other international teams.”

According to Boccuti, the trip will be huge for the team – both on the field and off.  “This trip is absolutely important for our players and our team.  A lot of the success we had last year, especially in the tournament during the end of the year, we definitely contribute to playing high level competition overseas,” he said.

Because they were able to play against such talent, they played in the National High School Rugby Championships, and placed second.

“After coming back from Portugal, our rate of play and skill level really elevated from seeing how other teams play,” said Boccuti.  “Rugby is a very international sport, and the best teams we can play are not in our country.  So if we want to start playing like the best, we have to see how they play.”

Based off this previous successful trip, players on the team are optimistic about the upcoming one.  Sophomore Sean Kelly commented, “This trip will bring the team together and take the team to the next level by experiencing tougher competition.”

Besides from having optimistic on-field success, this trip hopefully will allow the Rugby team to bond as a team.

“The international trips give us a chance to build the Rugby family.  We have a lot of close connections traveling,” said Boccuti.  “The trip is not just for our players.  Last year we took 21 players and 22 family members [to Portugal].  This becomes a very family oriented trip.”

Since they only play around four out of the seven days on the trip, the scheduling of the trip will allow the team and accompanying families to spend some time enjoying Ireland.

Currently, the Rugby team’s record this year is 0-5. “This is a rebuilding year for us,” said Boccuti. “We graduated about 20 seniors last year, and we are replacing them with a bunch of freshman and sophomores that are very promising.”

“The future looks very bright for the program,” said Boccuti.