Lower’s Boyle and Hagan Try for National Rugby Team

If you see Mike Badger around town these days you’ll probably see a big smile on his face. The Jersey Cape Storm coach has two athletes competing for spots on national teams and both are first year rugby competitors.
“We have two Jersey Cape Storm Rugby players who have put themselves on the national team radar after their performances at an all-star tournament attended by national team selectors three weeks ago,” said Badger.
Lower Cape May Regional High School graduate Kyle Boyle was named to the Under-19 All Tournament Team following the 2010 USA Rugby Challenge Cup at Pittsburgh’s Founders Field, while LCMR sophomore Evan Hagan turned heads with an impressive try in the under-17 final.
Boyle played inside center for the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union (EPRU) All-Stars and was one of only nine All-Tournament selections and the only player from the EPRU U-19 squad selected.
EPRU All-Star Coordinator Dan Currie told Badger that Boyle’s recognition in Pittsburgh should increase the 19-year-old’s chances of being invited to try out for the High School All-American team.
“This was just another milestone in a remarkable season for Kyle,” said Badger, a Lower Cape May teacher. “This was only his first season of rugby and he earned the starting fullback spot for Cape Storm.”
Boyle, a former Caper wrestling and football standout, led his club to the EPRU quarterfinals. He finished the season as the club’s second leading scorer, earned the Outstanding Back award and was voted Most Valued Teammate by his squad.
Following the 2010 season, Storm players Boyle, Hagan and Jon DeHainaut were invited to try out for the EPRU all-star team based on recommendations from coaches around the league. Boyle earned the starting inside center spot for the U-19 squad while the physically imposing Hagan, also a rookie rugby man, won a position as a prop for the U-17s.
DeHainaut was selected as a back for the U-19 team but did not participate.
Currie told Badger that the versatile Boyle impressed the coaches with “his excellent hands and solid defensive play” and while he wasn’t their choice for fullback, he turned out to be an excellent center.
“Currie told me Kyle could play anywhere on the pitch,” said Badger. “He might have a future as a flanker, but I look at him as a center.”
Hagan was initially noticed by the all-star coaches for his size, strength and surprising agility. While lack of stamina kept Hagan from playing many full matches for the all-stars, Currie told Badger that Lower Cape May’s largest football lineman had a sizeable impact when it counted.
The EPRU U-17s went undefeated at the tournament and beat defending champion NY Metropolitan Rugby Union for the championship a match. Hagan scored a try on a crash ball given from a penalty.
“Currie told me Evan played real well,” said Badger. “Against the bigger NY Met team he managed to take a lot of the steam out of their rucking.”
Hagan and Boyle are expected to find out very soon if they will be invited to the six-day Under-20 All-American identification camp at Central Washington University.
That camp takes place at the end of July with a second event during Christmas break to help evaluators narrow the field and select the final 40 to 50 athletes nationwide to represent the USA National Team on a summer 2011 international tour.
“I’ve been a coach for about eight years and these two guys are the first to truly take the initiative to pursue their talents further,” said Badger. “They went to the tryouts and trained and saw it through. Now they’re reaping the well-deserved rewards.”
Reach Rossi at joerossi61@comcast.net