Every time he dons his burnt-orange jersey, 21-year-old history senior Jack Butler faces a new challenge - overcoming the next hurdle. A native of Chantilly, Va., Butler has been playing rugby for almost seven years now.
"I've played rugby in school for three years and have been part of the UT rugby squad since my freshman year," said Butler, the captain of the 1st XV squad of the UT Men's Rugby Club. "I discovered this sport in high school [since] one of my teachers was a coach, and he introduced me to it back then."
In rugby, there are seven backs and eight forwards on each side. Unlike football, there are no stoppages for downs, and the ball is supposed to be passed backwards in order to move forward. It requires a lot of physical strength and coordination among teammates. Despite being a rough sport that involves running across 100 meters of an often-muddied pitch, rugby generates a sense of brotherhood among those who play it.
"It's a great team sport, and there is a lot of camaraderie among players and opposition," Butler said. "It's nice. It's a fun game."
The UT Men's Rugby Club is a member of the Texas Rugby Alliance's Men's Collegiate Division I. The club currently has 42 players on its roster that are split into the 1st and the 2nd XV. Both squads play with their opposite numbers from rival universities on the same day. The club even has a graduate men's team.
The excitement of coming out every week and going through the drills brings out the best in these players. They practice almost every week and compete in tournaments outside of their division as well.
"I think there's just so many different aspects of the game - I mean, both on and off the field - that motivate us," Butler said. "The brotherhood off the field and the intense physicality and action on the field make it very exciting to play."
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