James Nedock/THE POST Jeff Branson makes a tackle at club rugby practice. Mike Kehoe follows closely behind as the men practice at the South Green Fields.

The men and women who play club rugby at Ohio all have one thing in common - they play out of sheer love for the game.

Matt Neely, a member of the men's team who is also the team's promotion director, said that many athletes play rugby at the collegiate level because it is physical and has continuous action.

"We are competitive people who like the contact, as well as the fitness aspect of the game," Neely said. "I think some of us are a bit crazy. We play with no pads but love the contact."

Basic rules of rugby

A rugby match consists of two 40-minute halves, with 15 players on each team attempting to score more points than its opponent.

Points can be scored in three ways: by grounding the ball in the opponents' end zone, which is called a "try" (worth five points); by place-kicking a goal after a try (worth two points); and by drop-kicking a goal during play (worth three points).

The ball may not be passed forward to a teammate, but it may be kicked forward. Only players with the ball may be tackled, and once they are, the ball must be placed on the ground.

Play is stopped after a score, a penalty, or when the ball goes out of bounds. If an infraction occurs, the ball is put into play in a "scrummage," and if the ball goes out-of-bounds, a lineout resumes play.

The men's fall-season recap

The men's club rugby team has competed in three matches this season, compiling a record of 1-2. The Bobcats dropped their first home match of the season to the Dayton Flyers Sept. 11. Ohio lost another home match, this time to Marshall, on Sept. 18.

The Bobcats got their first win of the season on Sept. 25 against Ohio Wesleyan, 43-5.

Neely said that the team's win against Ohio Wesleyan was a very positive sign.

"We came out to show that we could play hard and we definitely proved that against Ohio Wesleyan," he said. "It was our most brutal match."

Ohio fullback Brian Migoni led the Bobcats in their win with three tries. Right wing Cory Skidmore added two tries, and outside center Donnie Chalfont scored one try.

Neely said that the win will give the team momentum heading into this Saturday's match at West Virginia and the upcoming Ohio Rugby Playoffs, which will take place at Ohio State University on Oct. 9.

"(The win) gave us confidence, and we want to keep up our stature as one of the powerhouse teams in the Midwest," he said.

The women's fall-season recap

The women's club rugby team has won its only match of the season, defeating Dayton 28-7 on Sept. 11. Julie Stoll, who scored two tries in the match, said the win could be attributed to experience and teamwork.

"We have many returning players, and our experience was a great strength," Stoll said. "The team altogether had an outstanding performance."

The team will travel to Denison this Saturday and will also compete in the Ohio Rugby Playoffs on Oct. 9.