USI Rugby

Saturdays are for rugby — today we celebrate our award winners from this season. 🏉🏆

Most Improved
Always smiling, always dependable. JJ turned that positive energy into solid play and became a reliable outside defender.
Jarrod “JJ” Sander

Back of the Year
Calm under pressure, always in the right spot, and a true team player when it mattered most.
Talon Counts

Forward of the Year
A big job in a fast game — and he excelled everywhere. Strong on both sides of the ball with massive improvement all around.
Ben Edwards

Best Defender
Proof you don’t have to be loud to be deadly. Apologetic, relentless, and absolutely crushing in defense.
Isaac Lorey

Best Attacker
When you need a line break, this is your guy. Big meters, big tries, constant threat.
Jacob Yorgason

Most Valuable Player
Complete player. Relentless on defense, electric on offense, and always showing up when it counts.
Gunner Kirsch

The boys had an absolute blast at .burger.bar this past weekend 🍔🍻 Huge thanks to the BRU team for hosting our banquet for the second year in a row—always a top‑tier spot! We’ll be sharing all award winners and future execs in a later post, but for now here are a few featured highlights:
Slide 3: Current and future club presidents 🤝
Slide 4: Two long‑haired legends showing off an award certificate 💇‍♂️🏆
Slide 5: Two graduating seniors who will be sorely missed on the pitch ❤️More to come—stay tuned!

We came. We saw. We conquered.

3–0 sweep. Tournament champs. Season wrapped. ✅
The boys went to work at Moosemen’s 7s and brought it home—gritty, hard‑fought rugby from start to finish. Couldn’t ask for a better way to cap off the season.

Man of the Match goes to Ben Edwards—pure dawg mentality, all gas, owned the pitch all day long. 💪🐺

Saturday mornings = rugby mornings. 😤
The boys are on the way to Moosemen’s 7s, ready to send it one last time this season. Wish us luck! 🏉

What a fantastic day for rugby with our friends from Boyce College 🏉
Huge thanks to everyone who came out to support us, and to every player who left it all on the pitch.
The USI Men earned the overall W after three hard‑fought matches against the Bulldogs. Before we get to the scores, a massive shout‑out to our scrum‑half Gunner Kirsch, who was named Man of the Match for the second week in a row!
Match Results:
• Game 1: USI 20 – 14 Bulldogs
• Game 2: USI 14 – 5 Bulldogs
• Game 3: Bulldogs 12 – 5 USI
Proud of the effort, the grit, and the rugby on display. On to the next one! 💪🔥

Late-night update for everyone excited about tomorrow!
We’ve got a surprise addition to the schedule— will be joining us!
That brings us to 5 total matches:
• 🏉 3 games between USI and Boyce
• 🏉 2 games featuring the Pirates vs a combined USI/Boyce side
One more night of rest and then we’re back home for some beautiful rugby. See you tomorrow!

🚨 Big News! 🚨
The USI Men’s RFC is hosting their one and only home match this season!
📅 Saturday, April 4th
⏰ Kickoff: 11:00 AM sharp
🏉 USI Men’s RFC vs. Boyce College Bulldogs RFC
Come out and watch us take on our friends and rivals, the Boyce College Bulldogs!
✅ All are welcome—bring friends and family!
📍 Need directions to the field? DM us and we’ve got you covered.

Caves and Ditches tested us, and the boys answered.
A 4–1 record earned us 3rd place overall after a weekend of hard-nosed rugby.
Man of the Match honors go to Gunner Kirsch for relentless defense and smart, composed play on attack.

Almost Saturday‼️
The boys are gearing up for Caves & Ditches tomorrow at SIU 🏉
Time to put in the work.

Season opener ✅
Eight players. Endless heart.
While the wins didn’t come, the boys fought hard and learned a lot. Can’t wait to see what this squad does when the full roster is back 🔥🏉