Our Rugby Boys
They’re lively, energetic, good-looking, and… sturdy?
Rugby, a sport of grit, guts, and glorious bruises, first came to life in England in1823. A student named William Webb Ellis decided that kicking a ball wasn’t thrilling enough, so he picked it up and decided to run with it. You might be thinking about American football, but no! That is how rugby came to be. It took a boy who refused to follow the rules to birth an entire sport.
The rules? Simple enough to understand but nearly impossible to survive:
Two teams, one oval ball, and one mission: get the ball across the goal line without being flattened. Players can only pass backward but they can kick forward. These rules make the game all about strategy and strength.
Fast-forward two centuries and that rebellious spirit is alive and well at Vanier College. The men’s rugby team roar onto the field with equal parts chaos, comradery, and charm. The Cheetahs are a pack of unstoppable energy, comedians, and brothers-in-arms in equal parts. Ask what they love most about the game, and you’ll get a mix of brute honesty and unapologetic mayhem:
“What I love about being a forward? I get to hit people and ram through them.” — Gregory
“Going through [an opponent] is awesome. You put him on the floor, he’s like ‘Ahhh!’ — and you just ran through him. It’s awesome.” — Theo
But for every brutal tackle, there’s a soft side, the kind of loyalty you only find in a true team:
Tommy says it best: “It’s really like a true brotherhood that we have going. You’re fighting for yourself, but also for the guy next to you.”
“Probably my favorite aspect is the bonds we create throughout the team and the progress we see from our first practice to the last.” — Justin, vice-captain
“It’s exhilarating. When we play good and our heads are in the game, it’s beautiful.”
—Jason Trias, Captain.
For some, not all motivation comes from muscle. For some, it’s faith: “I’m a Christian, I’m devout. I give my worries to God. I give my worries to God. Obviously, Christ says, come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Others find their strength in humor. When asked what being a Cheetah means,
Gregory didn’t hesitate:
“A Cheetah means we are family, we run, we are fast, we eat beef!”
And when asked which song best represents the team , the answers were as colorful as the bruises they collect:
Gregory and Theo: “TNT” by AC/DC.
Ruben: “Firework” by Katy Perry.
Tommy: “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey.”
The Vanier Rugby Cheetahs may not always win every game, but as the season went on, they won something better — growth, grit, and respect.
As Spiro put it: “It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be an improvement.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve achieved — progress, pride, and a whole lot of personality
