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It is the start of a new season at Pat Vincent Memorial Field for the Saint Mary’s Men’s Rugby program. No fans, no officials, not even practice jerseys for the early stages of practice. The time of year when the players wear plain white T-shirts with their names handwritten in permanent marker. The shirts are a sign of a fresh start and a new season, but the same culture. This same culture helped pave the way for last year’s championship team that fought until the final whistle made it official: the Gaels had defeated Navy and were national champions.

The Gaels are looking to repeat as national champions after winning their fifth title in program history last spring. The fact is, Saint Mary’s comes into every season with an end goal of winning the national championship. Talk with the three captains of the team, and you’ll hear them singing the same tune: “National Championship. It is the number one goal in everybody’s mind,” says Mario Storti ’25, the senior captain. Graduate student and fellow captain Cathal Coakley ’24, MA ’25 puts it so: “Our overarching goal as a program is to win another national championship. We realize that this is not an easy thing to do, but after last year we all want to have that feeling again.”

"National Championship. It is the number one goal in everybody’s mind."

—Captain Mario Stori ’25

 

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The feeling many Gaels experienced with winning the title was surreal; more than a few players earned their first championship ring on their way out of the program. This includes the six players who were drafted into the Major League Rugby this past summer—players who now need to be replaced. That is one of a few challenges the Gaels face on their attempt at repeating a championship. 

The program has brought in a number of new faces, both transfer students and freshmen, who are looking to make an impact on the field—but also off the field. “I am excited to see how the team gels together,” says Storti. 

Teams on the other side are not going to slow down—and they are going to be giving Saint Mary’s their best shot whenever possible. This introduces the other big challenge that Saint Mary’s is prepared to face. It has been one of coach Tim O’Brien’s points of emphasis to his group through the first phase of the season. “The big message to the team has been that we now have a pretty big target on our back and we are going to have to work harder than ever to achieve our goal,” says Coakley. Every team wants to give the reigning champs the best look they can, especially those teams also competing for the hardware at the end of the year. 

"The big message to the team has been that we now have a pretty big target on our back and we are going to have to work harder than ever to achieve our goal."

—Captain Cathal Coakley ’24, MA ’25

Schools such as BYU (February 15) and Central Washington (March 23) take trips to Saint Mary’s Stadium, hoping to send a message. The Gaels hit the road for big matchups later in the season against UCLA (March 8) and Cal (March 22). The season does not only take place in the spring, however—and the players know this. Not only have they endured the grueling days of early fall practice, when the Lamorinda area sweltered under a heat wave keeping temps in the high 90s during September, but they also have plenty of matches to play—starting on November 2, facing action against San Jose State and San Diego State.

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It is a marathon of a season that will eventually stretch deep into spring. If the Gaels have it their way, they will be playing into the month of May once again. At the end of the day, it is all about winning that championship game, the ultimate goal for this team. “Getting to the top of that mountain is a challenging thing to do, but we are up for that challenge,” Coakley says.

"Getting to the top of that mountain is a challenging thing to do, but we are up for that challenge."

—Captain Cathal Coakley ’24, MA ’25

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