The Florida State University Men’s Rugby Club will play against Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, on Friday, Aug. 23, in the club’s first European match in its 52-year history.
Twenty-three players and two coaches will travel to Ireland to partake in this significant milestone, which comes a day before the FSU Seminoles football team plays in the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. This is only the second time the Rugby Club has traveled abroad since a match in the Bahamas in the 80s.
Trinity, a sister institution to colleges at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, is one of the most prominent clubs in Europe. Rugby has been on its campus since 1854, making it the oldest continuous rugby club in the world.
“This is a historical opportunity and will prove to be an unforgettable experience for those involved,” said Head Coach Michael Gomez. “I would like to extend my sincerest thank you to the parents, alumni and supporters who have made this possible, and to Liam Horne and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (OVPSA) for all of their efforts in organizing this trip.”
Horne, now the engagement coordinator for OVSPA, played on the team for three years, serving as vice president of the club in his senior year. He connected with the Irish delegation and former Mayor of Dublin when they came to FSU last year. Horne reached out to Trinity’s rugby coach and once the teams came to an agreement on the match, he worked with FSU Rugby Club alumni to begin fundraising.
“This match gave an opportunity for the team to further reconnect with the generations of FSU rugby players that have come before it,” Horne said. “We have received donations from the first rugby alumni class to the most recent 2024 class.”
FSU alumni and fans helped raise more than $56,000 to send students to Ireland for the match against Trinity. For many of the players, this will be their first time abroad.
“This is an exciting opportunity to showcase the incredible talent of one of our club sports teams on a global stage,” said Amy Hecht, vice president for Student Affairs. “These teams are some of the hardest working groups on campus, putting an incredible amount of effort into their training while attending class, fundraising for the club’s travel and expense, and taking on leadership roles.”
The FSU Rugby Club has won the Florida Collegiate Conference two of the past three years and placed second in the College Rugby Association of America in 2023.
“Traveling to Dublin to face Trinity College is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Dillon Brewer, FSU senior and rugby player. “We cannot thank our alumni and supporters enough for their help in putting this trip together. I know I can speak for our entire squad when I say that we cannot wait to represent Florida State and uphold the Garnet and Gold! I am confident that this experience will be monumental to the continued growth of not only our program, but rugby in the state of Florida. Go Noles!”
The match is at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 23, at Trinity’s College Park field. Admission is five euros at the gate (livestreaming at 1 p.m. ET). The event will also be live streamed on the BF Sports Analysis YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/live/3Nc-hBZTIjM.
Rugby Fast Facts
Rugby is a highly physical, competitive team sport where players can carry, pass or kick the ball to the opponents’ goal line to score. The team scoring the most points in the given time of play wins the match.
Originating in England, legend has it that rugby was formed in 1823 when William Webb Ellis used his hands to pick up a ball in a soccer match and ran with it to the goal. usa.rugby/rugby101
There are two primary forms of rugby union: rugby fifteens and rugby sevens.
The main objective of the game is to touch the ball down in the opponent’s in-goal area (like a touchdown) for a score worth five points. Unlike American football, the ball must be touched to the ground for the points to be awarded.
