WESTWOOD, CA - The UCLA Bruins Men's Rugby Team scored a well fought victory last weekend against the University of Arizona in a tight 18–12 match. As the last home game of the regular season, it was a finale for all of our Bruin seniors in front of the UCLA home faithful. I Took the time to sit down with Bruin seniors Seb Sharpe and Zach Bonte to discuss their experience as Bruin ruggers, the challenges to come in the remainder of the season, and how the team is preparing for the big tests ahead.
 
RONAN: Hey, thanks for talking with me today. Before we start, tell me about yourselves a bit. Where are you from and how did you get into rugby in the first place?
ZACH: Hey Ronan, thanks for having me. I am from Orange County, CA so not too far from campus. I actually got into rugby in 8th grade. My parents own a wellness center in Costa Mesa and one of their patients, who ended up being one of my first coaches, asked if I wanted to play.  I was in a rush at the time so I told him yes to be polite and continued on with he day not really thinking about it.  A few months later I saw him again and he reminded me "Rugby season starts next week, you told me you're coming out, so I will see you at training Tuesday right?" I thought that he had forgot but my parents encouraged me to go out and said that I told him I would and to live up to my word.  So I went out to training and absolutely loved it.
SEB: Hi Ronan. My family and I are from a town just south of London, England. The rugby development structure is well set up in England, so I was brought up playing rugby from the age of 8 in school and have not looked back since
 
RONAN: Seeing that it is your senior season, what expectations do you have for the squad now and ideally how do you want to end your senior season?
ZACH: Its crazy that the ride is almost over.  In the beginning of the season a few of the senior guys and I came up with a few goals we wanted to accomplish in our last year. We wanted to win PAC 7s which we came 2nd in, We wanted to win Varsity Cup, and Win CRCs. My vision for how I want to go out as a UCLA Bruin is preparing for the Cup final match in our locker room of the College Rugby Championship 7's in Philadelphia, blasting the luscious tunes of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" or Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten", the boys and I screaming at the top of our lungs without a care in the world and then going out and beating our biggest rival on the biggest stage. It would summarize my experience with UCLA as a club. We are goofy, crazy, and fun but when it comes down to it we will fight to the last second (and have a great time doing it).
SEB: This season my expectation is for us to have a successful set of away fixtures in 15's, Games that will most likely prove vital to our success going into the playoffs. Beyond 15's, though, I want us to win the Collegiate Rugby Championship 7's. I'd rather know whether ending to my collegiate rugby career then to see the CRC trophy in the hands of UCLA.
 
RONAN: Looking back on four years of playing Bruins Rugby, can you tell me what stands out as the best or brightest moment? Is there one individual moment that has defined your college rugby career or are there a few moments that stand out?
ZACH: Its been an unbelievable 4 years.  Ive made some of my best friends on this team and this team has really helped me grow as a person.  This team as taught me about adversity, success, friendship and everything in between.  Theres really not just one thing that defines my UCLA rugby career but rather the culmination of all four years and all they guys that have met that really summarizes my experience as a UCLA rugger.  Something that really characterized my experience as a Bruin was the senior guys when I was a freshman really promoted the friendship of the players of the club and it is something that really made my college experience so great. So it was something that I wanted to replicate for the younger guys so they could have the same experience as I did!
SEB: The brightest moment of my UCLA Rugby career has to be the entire Collegiate Rugby Championship tournament of 2013. It was a new tournament for all of us and we did better than we, or anyone else, thought. My time in Philadelphia was overall a very fun experience. One of the best individual moments came from that tournament when we ended up beating Dartmouth in with a drop kick conversion in overtime. It was a great and unbelievable moment that I will look back on fondly.
 
RONAN: Moving onto the season at hand, how do you think the team has performed through the season's PAC Championship? What does the team need to improve on in order to make a successful run to the playoffs and beyond?
ZACH:  So far we've done really well. As always there are things we can improve on but we have definitely come together more as a team since the beginning of the season.  This definitely showed in the Arizona game. We experienced some major adversity but we stuck in it together and ground it out for the teammates beside us. Moving forward, I think that we need to believe we can compete with anyone. We have one of the most talented and gifted teams I've ever been on and we just need to believe in ourselves that we can compete. The rest should take care of itself.
SEB: So far the season in the PAC championship has been successful but we definitely have some areas from improvement. We all aim to go undefeated and continue our streak to win the PAC.
 
RONAN: This weekend you and the boys travel to Northern California to take on Cal and a win could pave the road for UCLA's first PAC Championship trophy in several years. How do the Bruins shape up against the Golden Bears and what does the team need to do successfully to remain undefeated.
ZACH:  Cal is a great team, their consistency to be one of the best is second to none.  Its a privilege to be able to play them year after year and it is a game that I look forward to every season.  There is just something about playing the best that gets to you as a competitor.  I believe that we definitely can compete at that level.  Our team has the necessary attributes to give the Golden Bears a run for their money.  It will be an exciting game, and I am definitely looking forward to it.
SEB: The Bears are and always have been a good team. In order to beat them we know that individually and as a team we have to play our best rugby. Fortunately for us, we usually perform well against Cal and I am resultantly excited for the weekend. Minimizing simple mistakes and basic errors will be key for us on Saturday.
 
RONAN: Lastly on a more sentimental note, what advice would you give new players coming into the squad on the importance of Bruin Rugby?
ZACH:  Playing for this club is the best decision that I have made at UCLA.  We know how to work hard but we also know how to have a great time. I am thankful to the team and coaching staff for my 4 years here and I truly feel blessed to be a part of this team.
SEB: Bruin Rugby is an experience that I will hold very close for the rest of my life. My advice would be to enjoy every moment of all 4 (or 5) years on and off the pitch.
 
RONAN: Thanks very much and best of luck!
ZACH: No problem, thanks very much...and Go Bruins!
SEB: Thanks very much.