Men’s rugby names team captains
The St. Joe’s men’s rugby team named junior scrumhalf Noah Niumataiwalu and senior lock George Harris as captains for the upcoming year.
Both Harris and Niumataiwalu come into their leadership positions with a plethora of rugby experience. Harris began his career with Fairfield Rugby Club and won the Connecticut State Championship with his high school team. Other than lock, Harris plays loose forward in 15’s and prop in 7’s.
Niumataiwalu got his start at Archmere Academy where he won multiple State Championships. He also won two HS 7’s Rugby Championships at Talen Energy Stadium.
Throughout his time on the St. Joe’s rugby squad, Harris has noticed improvement in the team’s overall depth. He said that he’s impressed with their growth, especially from the younger guys.
“From last year and even further back to my freshman year, the level of play and competition in the younger group has improved,” Harris said. “During my freshman year, we were lucky enough to have a decent class. Since then, the younger kids have only gotten better.”
Harris said he can help make sure this team has a repeat of their success from last season. His leadership will be a key factor in the upcoming season, something that will give the team both inspiration and continued growth for the future after Harris graduates.
Niumataiwalu brings more than just his own talents to St. Joe’s. He also brings a pair of valuable rugby assets with him, his Dad and brother both played at a high level and have since started coaching at Hawk practices.
“My brother captained Penn State rugby so he’s helping out with our offense,” Niumataiwalu said. “My Dad also brings a lot of experience because he played professionally in Australia. It’s a family thing. Rugby is in our blood.”
Niumataiwalu also noted the amount of recruits who have come in after the recent string of success.
“Seeing those younger groups come in and really make an impact even on the first day, that was good to see,” Niumataiwalu said.
Head Coach Dan Yarusso said he’s very impressed with Niamataiwalu’s and Harris’s leadership qualities.
“In prior years you could see their leadership skills, so I was confident in their ability to motivate on and off the field,” Yarusso said.
Yarusso also pointed out that they shared the same leadership style.
“Both of them lead similarly in that they play at a high level and lead by example,” Yarusso said. “Both are always willing to help and put the team first. They differ positionally as Noah will lead and inspire the backs and George will do the same for the forwards.”
As the season approaches, the Hawks still have some areas that they need to improve. According to Harris, one of those areas revolves around taking every game seriously and not playing down to any opponent.
“We need to play every game as if it’s a big game,” Harris said. “Last year we would get complacent. Pushing ourselves is probably the number one thing to improve.”
Niumataiwalu mentioned that last season’s adversity has brought players together as a team. He said they’ll be able to fight through anything.
“After last season’s adversity, there’s not much we can’t handle,” Niumataiwalu said. “We’ll be able to get through the hard times. I don’t think I’ll ever count this team out no matter who we’re playing.”
In order to find repeat success, Niumataiwalu said he needs to embrace his role as a leader.
“The best thing I can do is try and set an example every day at practice,” Niumataiwalu said. “Most guys are new but some guys have experience. We all start at different levels. I think it’s important that we do the easy things well every day.”
Harris and Niumataiwalu will help showcase what they’ve been working on against the University of Delaware at home on Sept 8.
Drew Rhoades ’20 contributed to this article.
