Arkansas State University rugby has unveiled a tough schedule for 2022 under new Head Coach Jake Mizell.

The Red Wolves will be opening up their season this weekend against the Dallas Rugby Club, and  after that will move on into conference play with Life University (twice) and Lindenwood on the schedule in February. ASU will also face off with Queens University Charlotte in Nashville, Tenn. February 12.

In March, it will be more Mid-South conference games with Danveport (twice) and Lindenwood, plus a clash with West Point, which has added some difficult games in their warmup to the DIA playoffs.

“I’m honestly very excited for this upcoming semester,” said Mizell. “Last year I was thrown in the deep end without a lifesaver. I started midseason and had no room to prepare or build. It was the toughest challenge I’ve ever faced as a coach.”

Also, the COVID pandemic put a serious damper on the schedule, with A-State being unable to play in most of the matches. But things are looking up for 2022.

“We’ve got a really tough schedule this year. First of all, we play in the toughest D1A rugby conference (the Mid-South) in the country," said Mizell. "Every single program has won a national championship at some point in their past. We’re pretty much a part of rugby’s equivalent to the Southeastern Conference. Everyone in the conference is usually ranked in the top ten in the country and someone will be playing for a national championship. Also, everyone else in the conference is a part of their athletic department while Arkansas State remains an elevated club sport.”

Returners to the team include Craig Snyder, Evan Roode, T.J. van Rensburg, and Aiden Ridgway. Snyder joined the team last spring but didn’t get a chance to play due to injuries. This year he has really solidified his place in the lineup with his lineout skills and attacking ability. 

Van Rensburg has transitioned from his old position of scrumhalf, where he made the short list for top players in the country, to flyhalf. He has made that transition smoothly.

Ridgway is an electric attacker and very, very hard to stop when he gets into space. Roode has taken on the captain's mantle and Mizell said Roode has grown in this role and will look to lead the team from the front with his hard carries and big hits—this especially when the team's offensive approach centers in using big bodies on the edges where they can do the most damage. .

“If we are going to be successful this year, this group of players are going to have to produce,” said Mizell.

Several newcomers will contribute early including Lane Pruisner, Frank Bartorelli, Alonzo Williams and Tim Glatthaar. Pruisner is a transfer from Iowa Center Community College where he made the USA U20 team as a prop. Mizell said he has done an excellent job stabilizing the scrum and can carry the ball well also. Bartorelli has simply outworked the entire competition. The former Uruguay U20 is a monster on defense and has a excellent engine.

Mizell added, “Williams, another transfer from Iowa Central CC, is another that has just made too much of an impact to ignore. He makes bone-crushing hits and has added an expansiveness to his attack that really makes him stand out at this level. And, Glatthaar came from Pretoria Boys High has instantly put his mark on the backline. He is a stout defender that isn’t afraid to take on the biggest of players while also having a blue-collar work ethic to his attack. Look for these four players to not only make an impact this year but for many to come.”

Arkansas State will play expansive rugby, said Mizell. “We like to spin the ball wide to lots of different players and put the defense on heels by always attacking the open space with our ball skills or aerial attack. On defense, when we’re at our best we play in your face and with lots of speed. This allows the pressure to be put on the attack rather than us as a defense.”

As Mizell said, the Mid-South is a tough conference with Lindenwood being arguably the best team in the nation last year, Life having hade seven straight D1A finals from 2013-2019 (there wasn't a final in 2020), and Davenport much improved this season. The players will have to front up on game day.

“Rugby is a players game, coaches are there in more of a support role rather than a chess player using pawns," said the coach. "This fall semester has really given me a good chance to get to know all of the returners and instill what we are trying to do moving forward as a program. We started everything from the ground up, and I really believe that we have a firm foundation that can be built upon for decades to come. In rugby you really only get to work as a coach Sunday through Friday. Between film review and practice planning, I really only get to facilitate what happens in the game beforehand. When the whistle blows on Saturday my job is done. It’s up to the players to execute everything from calling their own plays to making adjustments on the fly." 

(Re-worked from Arkansas State University release with added content)