O'Hara selected for national rugby team

By Tom Schreier

Despite a rocky first season at the DI level, the Broncos will still be receiving national recognition: by sending a player to the national rugby team.

Freshman Tim O'Hara, a San Jose native, flourished with the Santa Clara University Touring Side (SCUTS) rugby squad in his first year with the team.

"I feel honored to have been selected for the (national) team," wrote O'Hara via e-mail. "I am excited for the great opportunities that I have been given."

It was a rebuilding year for the SCUTS. Last year the team finished as the No. 2 Pacific Coast seed and earned a trip to the DII Sweet 16.

Chris Kron, the Director of Rugby at Santa Clara, wrote on the team web site that the team had set a collective goal to reemerge as a prominent force in Division I rugby.

This year they took their first steps in a new direction.

"It was definitely a rebuilding year after losing so many previous starters to graduation," said O'Hara, whose team got off to a difficult start without key pieces from the previous season.

"I feel like we really came together as a team toward the season and played at a high level."

O'Hara chose Santa Clara because of "the great balance of school, sports and fun." His sister Bridget is currently a junior DI volleyball player at Santa Clara and both parents are alums. His father played both football and rugby for the Broncos.

"Although I was initially leaning toward playing football in college," says O'Hara, "I could not be happier about my decision to choose SCU."

Two impact players from this season, seniors Michael Dessel and Tony Driver, will leave the team due to graduation. Dessel, who served as team captain last season, believes the team will be in good hands with O'Hara and the returning starters.

"O'Hara has a passion for the sport of rugby matched by few," wrote Dessel in praise of his teammate. "He made an immediate impact on our team, becoming a strong leader in our forward pack as a freshman."

O'Hara shares the optimism with his former captain.

"Although we are losing some great players and team leaders," echoes O'Hara. "I am very excited for next year and confident that we will compete for first place in our league."

His confidence is rooted in Head Coach Gabe Calebotta. As a senior at UC Santa Barbara, Calebotta served as team captain and player-coach and was selected for the Southern California Collegiate All-Conference Team, while also participating in the National Collegiate All-Star Tournament.

"[Calebotta] does a great job explaining the techniques of the game and provides helpful little hints that make a big difference," says O'Hara of his coach. "He used to play the same positions as I do, so he knows where I should be and what I should be doing on the field."

The learning curve was difficult for O'Hara.

He first picked up rugby two years ago after playing football his entire life. As a football star at Bellarmine Prep, he reached the California Division I State Championship in 2009.

"All of the rules seem so strange at first and are counter-intuitive to anyone accustomed to playing typical sports like football or basketball," said O'Hara, who was originally persuaded to play rugby by friends on the team.

"It took about a year of playing for me to have any idea what is going on during a game and I'm constantly learning new strategies and tricks about the game."

The athleticism and camaraderie that O'Hara developed as a standout high school football player have become his greatest assets on the rugby field.

"Not only is Tim a very talented athlete, but he is also a great friend," says Dessel. "He is very down to earth and loves to a have a good time with his buddies."

O'Hara expects the level of competition to "increase significantly" on the national stage, but should be conditioned for the next level. Last summer he was invited to play for the U.S. High School All-Americans in a match against a Canadian regional All-Star Team.

"It was awesome to play for the high school national team, especially because it was the day after the fourth of July," said O'Hara.

"We won the game and it was a great experience to meet new people and play with such skilled teammates."

O'Hara and his compatriots will compete internationally for the Junior World Ruby Trophy in Tbilisi, Georgia in Europe.

He will be traveling with the team to London for a week of practice and warm-up against an Irish club team before traveling to Tbilisi. His team will be pitted against a pool that consists of Samoa, Russia and Uruguay.

"These teams are known for their size and physicality," says O'Hara. "[They] should be tough matches."

Contact Tom Schreier at tschreier@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.