Pay for play

By Jack Ferdon

If only the women's rugby team was friendly with Russell Crowe.

The Aussie actor and rugby fan was recently accused of using his influence to lure players from rival teams to his beloved, but cash-strapped, South Sydney side.

Until last weekend, Santa Clara's women's rugby team found themselves in need of similar support.

After ripping through its regular season competition, the team had climbed to No. 2 in the rankings of teams on the West Coast, which is traditionally the toughest region for women's rugby in the nation. This meant they had a very good shot of getting an invitation to play in the national quarterfinals � the Elite Eight of women's rugby � to be held in Iowa later this month.

That's where the trouble started. Airfare and lodging in Iowa for the 28-member team would cost over $10,000, according to Gianni Mancuso, a starter for the team and its president.

While one of the soccer or basketball teams could count on the school's Athletic Department to foot the bill, women's rugby had no such assurance. As a club team, it receives just enough money from the athletic department to cover the costs of fields and referees. Any extra expenditures � including post-season tournaments � have to be funded by the team members themselves.

So Mancuso and her teammates set out into the turgid campus bureaucracy in search of anyone willing to front the money needed to continue their season.

First, they tried to hit up the Athletic Department, which stuck to its policy on club teams and refused the team any more money.

"Each club sport has a budget," Associate Athletic Director Richard Kilwien said. "If they go above their budget, it is incumbent upon them to come up with the money through other means, like fundraising. For the department, it's tough to come up with the money to cover unbudgeted spending."

Next, the team approached the development office and was similarly turned down. They thought they'd have more luck at the alumni office, which has framed photos of old Bronco rugby players on the wall. But the results were the same.

"I even asked the English Department to help us out, which shows how ridiculous it got," Mancuso said.

Efforts to find a corporate sponsor for the team have also been unsuccessful.

"We've gotten zero support from the school," sophomore team member Andrea Craig said. "The only support we've gotten has been from parents and family members."

Indeed, the plan as late as last Friday was to put the entire Iowa trip on a team member's credit card and deal with paying her back afterwards.

The experience of the women's rugby team raises questions about the plight of Santa Clara's club teams. Should the school do more to help the teams in their fundraising? And should any of the club sports be promoted to the varsity level and receive full funding, like soccer and basketball?

Unfortunately, these issues became moot on Saturday when the rugby team was shocked in the regional playoffs to San Jose State, a team they trounced 36-8 during the regular season.

"We dominated the whole match, but they had a few breakthroughs and a couple of tries that were lucky," Mancuso said.

Now the Spartans might go to Iowa while Santa Clara stays home. To add insult to injury, the SJSU captain called Mancuso to ask about travel arrangements. But she won't hold a grudge.

"I'm going to call her back and find out where they came up the money," Mancuso said.