Rugby

Catholic Memorial Rugby won the NERFU—New England Rugby Football Union Division II—championship in 2008 for the first time.

For CM head coach Mike Tubridy, a former Boston Rugby Club player, the tournament win was a capstone to a five-year journey of establishing rugby at CM as a viable and attractive alternative to other spring sports.

Many CM football players started playing rugby in 2003 when Tubridy came to CM.  CM’s athletic director, Alex Campea, recognized that CM’s Catholic Conference rivals, St. John’s Prep and BC High, had also developed competitive rugby programs in recent years.

Tubridy, who formerly coached JV football at CM, convinced many of his football players to join the team and give rugby a chance.  In 2008, Catholic Memorial came into its own, outscoring its opponents, 260-90. Senior captains Mike Buttimer and Bob Flaherty, along with seniors Mike Kinsella and Graham Walsh, juniors Andrew DiBartolo Kurtis Buczynski, Jimmy Coleman and James Myers all contributed to the cause.  

Bringing the spoils back to CM after besting Kearsarge, Cambridge and Brookline in the May 2008 tournament was a proud rugby squad.