GLENDALE, Colo. (10/28/10) - For the student athletes of the University of Colorado’s men’s rugby team, the timing leading up to the biggest game of the fall season couldn’t be better. The Buffs are coming off a bye week and are riding a four game winning streak into their final game of the fall at Infinity Park against their biggest rival, the Colorado State Rams.
CU assistant coach Jim Snyder said the buildup is just what the team needs.
“The buildup has been good,” Snyder said. “It’s been a relaxed and enjoyable week of practice but we’ve gotten a lot accomplished.”
The two teams are very familiar with each other and each other’s style of play. Snyder said he knows where his team’s strengths are and what they’ll have to do to topple the Rams.
“We know they are really athletic, and we have to be ready to counter their athleticism with our own style of play,” Snyder said. “It’s going to be one heck of a ball game.”
The match is the marquee event for both schools as they prepare to join the newly formed USA Rugby College Premiere League.
“Holding this event at Infinity Park in Glendale, which is the only rugby specific municipal stadium in the country, is a way of raising the profile of rugby in the area to make the CPL something special,” said CU assistant coach Eric Taber. “All 31 teams around the country are holding similar events to really turn a lot of heads toward our great sport.”
Even though Homecoming was last weekend on the University of Colorado campus, Taber said this match will serve as a homecoming of sorts for the Colorado rugby community.
“Holding the game in the Denver metro area at such a great stadium is an easy and fun way for alumni from both schools to reconnect and share old memories,” Taber said. “It’s the fraternal aspect of the game that makes it so special.”
The match kicks off at 4 p.m. on Saturday October 30. Tickets are only $6, and can be purchased at www.curugby.com.
Directions to Infinity Park in Glendale can be found at: http://www.glendalerugby.com/tickets-and-travel/map-and-directions
