A former Britton resident will be playing on a national stage this weekend.
Kyle Hoisington, a 2010 Britton-Hecla graduate and the son of Tony and Shelley Hoisington of Britton, is a member of the Red River Ruffians based out of Fargo, ND. The Ruffians are a Division 3 amateur rugby team and have earned a spot in the Final Four to be played in Austin, TX, Saturday and Sunday.
“This is my ninth year playing rugby and my first trip to a national tournament,” said Hoisington. “We are all really excited.”
Games will be streamed on the rugby network. There is a free login but you must create an account to access the games (https://www.therugbynetwork.
com/. The Ruffians are 12-0 heading into the win-or-gohome scenario in Austin. They will take on the hometown Austin Blacks, the defending Division 3 champion, at 10 a.m. Saturday with the winner advancing to the title game on Sunday at 10 a.m. Charles River of Boston, MA, and Colusa County of Sacramento, CA, will play in the other semifinal. Red River advanced to the title affair by winning the super regional in Chicago 10 days ago by scores of 52-7 and 3727.
Hoisington, who wrestled for Britton-Hecla and four years at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, first began playing rugby as a way to still do something in a competitive arena. “I had been wrestling since I was in kindergarten, so after college I needed something to do to continue to be competitive,” stated Hoisington. “I found a rugby group at Bemidji State when I was in grad school and I enjoyed the camaraderie of the sport and how it was serious but not serious at the same time. The players were there to have fun, and that hooked me. Even when I was in Vermillion I drove an hour to play in Sioux Falls.”
The camaraderie not only develops between teammates but with foes as well.
“If you put a big hit on somebody you just tell them that you owe them a beer afterwards,” noted Hoisington. “Host teams usually provide food after games and we hang out together. There’s such a huge social aspect to it.”
This is Hoisington’s third year with the Ruffians, and the squad has seen plenty of success, going unbeaten a year ago as a Division 4 team, claiming the Midwest championship, and continuing that dominance at the Division 3 level this season.
Rugby is kind of a combination of football and soccer. Like football, players carry the ball and run and tackle, but the ball must always be passed backward. Also, the players wear just shorts and a jersey, along with a scrum cap to give a little padding for the head and a mouth guard.
Like soccer, play never stops and there are two 40minute halves. Fifteen players are on the field at a time for each club with eight subs on the 23-man roster. If you leave the field you are not able to return.
Hoisington, at 5-11, 240, plays a prop position, which means he does much of the heavy lifting in the front line. To be successful, a prop must be extremely strong in the neck, shoulders, upper body and legs, and they should relish head-to-head competition. Props also help to secure the ball when a player has been tackled, so it helps if they can combine their power with a degree of mobility. You’ll also often see them used as battering rams in attack, receiving short passes and hitting the opposition defense at pace in an attempt to occupy the defenders and make space for the more athletic players.
At age 32, Hoisington admits that the prop position is wearing on his body, and he said this will be his final season as a regular player and he will move to a more administrative slot and play on an asneeded basis. So he hopes to go out with a bang at the national tournament.
“We’re playing the defending champs in their back yard, but the key to us winning is to stay true to ourselves and how we play. We play a pretty bruising game with a lot of big, heavy runners, and when we do get it out to our smaller guys they are fast and quick and have sure hands. We don’t overcomplicate things. People know what we’re going to do and we are still able to do it, and we’re very good at wearing out the other team and pouring it on in the second half.”
That mental toughness is something that Hoisington developed over his wrestling career.
“My wrestling experience has been a huge help. It’s all about pushing through. It’s also important to practice good nutrition and do cold treatments and use Epsom salts after games. You’re sore the next day but you know that the other guys are, too. It’s all about that mental mind game and knowing we’re tougher than them.”
Hoisington is confident that his team’s toughness and work ethic will serve them well on the national stage.
“We’ve been putting in extra time this spring and practicing three nights a week since the beginning of April,” concluded Hoisington. “We really want to win it all this year, and I think we’ve put together a special team.”
Kyle Hoisington, a 2010 Britton-Hecla graduate now of Fargo, ND, is a member of the Red River Ruffians and will be playing in the Division 3 rugby Final Four this weekend in Austin, TX.
