Western Washington University’s men’s rugby team is hosting a high school rugby camp, drawing in students from across the Pacific Northwest.
High school athletes will have the opportunity to hone their rugby skills by learning from the Western men’s rugby team on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Robert S. Harrington Field in Bellingham, Wash. Students of all skill levels are welcome. The camp is free of charge.
During the camp, students will learn about the latest rugby techniques, tactics and strategies in a competitive and positive learning environment. This is achieved by having the high school participants work directly with the college athletes.
Paul Horne, Western’s director of rugby, said most of the coaching at the camp is done by the players.
“They’re hands-on working with these young kids and making connections,” Horne said.
The students receive technical skills at the camp and learn the values associated with rugby, Junior Captain Harry Moore said.
“Rugby is about honor, honoring yourself and holding a higher standard,” Moore said. “That can translate to all aspects of life. It means getting all of your school assignments done [and] making it to early morning classes. That’s what builds better human beings.”
George Jelley, a first-year on the Western men’s rugby team, stressed the importance of community building.
“They get to see what a good culture of a team looks like. Some of these kids play on teams that don’t have the right culture built,” Jelley said. “Western develops good people first.”
Western’s rugby program has also drawn interest from out-of-state recruits, Horne said.
“Our team is like a family, so we have had a number of recruits come up and visit us from out of state,” Horne said. “They were very impressed with the whole rugby family and the culture that Western has.”
Moore described the rugby team as “a healthy and happy life in a band of guys you truly have love for.”
In addition to benefiting the high school and college rugby players, the camp also improves turnout for Western rugby.
Moore, who attended the camp as a high school athlete, credited it as a key factor in his decision to attend Western.
“We came, and the campus was beautiful. We saw Paul Horne. He convinced us to come join,” Moore said.
The camp also serves as a way to prepare students to join the team, Jelley said.
“They already know what we’re about and what we’re going to do,” Jelley said.
Horne attributed Western’s rugby success to the skill of the team.
“We win — last year we won the National 7’s Championship. We play in the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference. I think we won that seven out of the last eight years,” Horne said. “Winning is fun.”
The National 7’s Championship is hosted by the College Rugby Association of America. In 2024, it was a 10-person championship, bringing in schools from five different conferences. The Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference includes teams from Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
Tyler Noonan (he/him) is a senior at Western and a sports reporter for The Front. He is a marketing major and a public relations minor. Outside of school he enjoys fitness and working on creative projects. You can reach him at tylernoonan.thefront@gmail.com
