About Penn Rugby

“Such is the devotion to English rugby football on the part of University of Pennsylvania's students from New Zealand, Australia, and England that they meet on Franklin Field at 7 o'clock every morning and practice the game. The varsity track and football squads monopolize the field to such an extent that the early hours of the morning are the only ones during which the rugby enthusiasts can play. Any time except Friday, Saturday and Sunday, a squad of 25 men may be seen running through the hardest kind of practice after which they may divide into two teams and play a hard game. Once a week, captain CC Walton, ('11), dental, who hails from New Zealand, gives the enthusiastic players a blackboard talk in which he explains the intricacies of the game in detail…”

— Daily Pennsylvanian Article, 10/22/1910

"Penn Rugby has existed since the late nineteenth century. It existed on and off during the World Wars, with the current club having its roots in the 1960s. It boasts John Heisman and Alan Chester Valentine (an Olympian gold-medalist) among its alumni. While the current Penn Rugby team no longer has to wake up in the wee hours of the morning for practices, the tradition of hard work and enthusiasm developed by CC Walton lives on." (courtesy of the Ivy Rugby Website)

Today, Penn Rugby is a dynamic group of 30+ undergraduates who come out three afternoons a week and once a weekend to play rugby. We are primarily comprised of Penn undergraduates with varying rugby experience, including top-talent from prestigious high school rugby programs across the world, as well as players who are handling a rugby ball for the first time. We strive as a club to offer a program that is inclusive of all levels of experience, with our top players aiming to compete in the Ivy League and for our newer players to grow through our program. Most importantly, we want the club to be a community where Penn undergraduates can find a college experience that promotes personal growth and a sense of family through the game of rugby. 

We currently compete within the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference, with a 30+ player Fall XVs program and a smaller Spring 7’s program, which includes the Ivy League  7's Tournament. In the last three years we have become more competitive in our league, with a goal this fall of finishing in the top 3 of the Ivy League fall XV season. 

Along with Penn Women's Rugby and the MBA club, Wharton Wharthogs, we  are part of the wider thriving rugby community on Penn's campus.