WORCESTER—In its first year of official varsity competition, the Worcester Wildcats unified rugby team has brought together a diverse group of student-athletes from various city high schools.
Players who square off as foes on different sides of the football gridiron in the fall now find themselves in a unique position as teammates on the rugby pitch.
The Wildcats participated as a club sport in 2022 and 2023 before gaining varsity status in MIAA Division 2 this year. In their first game as a varsity team in early April, they defeated Concord-Carlisle. Despite a roster of mostly inexperienced players from five different schools, head coach Bruce Mendelsohn has skillfully blended the right ingredients for a winning recipe.
“I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people,” said Mendelsohn after a recent practice at Burncoat High School. “I think we already have.”
While battle lines are often drawn in the sand with players at rival schools competing against each other during the inter-high football season, the rugby team has found a way to put those differences behind them, at least during the spring.
“I have said from the outset, put all that stuff aside,” said Mendelsohn. “When you get on the field, you’re 15 as one.”
Brothers Stephen and Fionn McDonald attend different schools during the day but rugby brings them together each afternoon. Stephen, a junior at Worcester Tech, is in his third season on the team. Throughout the last three years, he has been instrumental in recruiting players, including his younger brother Fionn, a freshman at South High Community School. Also a member of Tech’s wrestling team, Stephen enjoys seeking out football, wrestling and hockey players from across Worcester schools.
“It’s easier to build a team when we have all five high schools on board,” he said.
World Rugby, the international federation that governs the sport, defines solidarity as one of its five core values. “Rugby provides a unifying spirit that leads to life-long friendships, camaraderie, teamwork and loyalty that transcends cultural, geographic, political and religious differences,” reads the federation’s website.
This notion of solidarity, coupled with resiliency, have been driving forces for the Wildcats this season.
“There’s a bigger sense of community with contact sports,” added Stephen. “Rugby is like a modern gladiator match. I have a greater bond with my rugby friends.”
Mendelsohn describes Stephen as a “quiet” leader who is often the first one at practice and the last one to leave. While injured in March, Stephen spearheaded an independent project to refurbish a scrum machine donated to the team. When completed, the team can use the machine each day at practice.
“If I had 15 of him, I could have a really great team. He does the work that needs to get done,” said Mendelsohn.
Stephen maintains a 3.9 grade point average in the electrical program at Worcester Tech. He hopes to pursue a career in the commercial electric sector, possibly with a company such as National Grid.
Fionn, who began playing rugby with his older brother in the Worcester Youth Rugby summer “sevens” league, is interested in studying environmental science. He enjoys being on the team with Stephen, who serves as an older, wiser sounding board for both rugby and general life matters.
“It helps me to try to be better,” acknowledged Fionn. “I can even talk to him outside of rugby about other things.”
Mendelsohn has helped build an environment where experienced Wildcat players help out younger team members who may have no prior experience in the sport. It all connects to the concept of working together, regardless if it’s your brother or a student from a different school.
“In football you can have one superstar, but in rugby, you can have 15 guys who are decent and win every time,” said Mendelsohn. “It’s the ultimate teamwork sport.”
For Mendelsohn, as with the McDonald brothers, rugby has been a family affair. When he attended Vassar College in the 1980s, it was his older brother Martin, a senior member of the school’s rugby team, who ultimately convinced him to take up the sport. They got to play together for a season, and Mendelsohn has been hooked on rugby for more than 30 years.
With both McDonald brothers returning to the team with even more experience next season, the future looks bright for the Wildcats. The McDonald rugby tradition will likely continue even when Stephen moves on from the team at the end of next season. Their younger brother Eamon will be next in line to carry the ball forward.
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications, and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
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