When Anthony Pugliese walked into a Monday morning class last year, his professor thought he had gotten into a fight that weekend. His face was filled with bruises and cuts, not from a fight, but from that Saturday’s rugby match.

Pugliese, a sophomore on the Syracuse club rugby team, wakes up each morning after games with bumps, bruises and cuts. Yet he remains unconcerned about his safety, because he earned playing time as a freshman and cracked the top 15 line-ups this fall. Over the last two years, only four sophomores have broken into the starting lineup.

For the past two seasons, SU has finished first or second in the Empire Conference. This season, the team will compete in an Expanded Liberty Conference, the largest Division 1-A conference on the East Coast. The Liberty conference consists of three divisions, each with six teams. Much of the Orange’s success can be credited to the team’s depth, especially that provided by Pugliese, who was unanimous MVP in a match this month.

“He had three tries and it was the best I’ve ever seen him play,” teammate Matt Magargee said. “Pugs participates fully at every practice as opposed to other upperclassman.”

Pugliese grew up in Staten Island and was exposed to rugby early. He attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, a top-ranked rugby school in the country where he served as captain of the team. Now, he’s a leader for Syracuse.

“Though he is an underclassman,” Magargee said, “he is viewed as one of the leaders of the team.”

Pugliese works out three times a week. He ensures his workouts come earlier in the week so he feels no soreness during games, often played on Saturday. When lifting, he aims to hit six-to-eight reps on bench and squat. In the fall, the rugby team practices every day of the week and plays games on Saturdays. In the winter, SU trains “sporadically” to stay fit.

In the spring, Syracuse plays seven-on-seven, rather than the standard 15-on-15. The Orange practices around three to four times per week with five-game tournaments on Saturdays. Pugliese has attended nearly every team meeting and practice.

“He is never slacking off,” junior teammate John Lombardi said, “always doing what is needed and giving it his all.”

Last year at Pittsburgh, Pugliese tried to score as snow covered the field. The conditions lead to the opposing team to drop the ball, he said. Pugliese took advantage by picking up the ball and finding the try zone in the snow-covered field.

“I picked (the ball) up and just took off,” Pugliese said. “Then all of a sudden, I heard my teammates scream, ‘Put the ball down,’ which is how you score in rugby, and I just dropped to the floor to put it down.”

Pugliese’s experience in high school provided him an upper edge to earn playing time early at Syracuse. He understands structure and strategies of the game, Syracuse head coach Robert Wilson said, positioning him to contribute in a heightened role this fall as just a sophomore.

Published on October 2, 2017 at 10:06 pm

Contact Anthony: amkhelil@syr.edu