On May 4, 2024, the Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels Rugby team, dubbed as a team fueled by “juice, joy, and accuracy;” launched onto the field in Houston to face off with the Naval Academy ‘Navy’, for the NCAA Division 1A Rugby National Championships.
The Athlete Assessments Team tuned into the exhilarating game from the other side of the world, with CEO, Liz Masen sharing, “While second-best to being there in person, it was exciting and heart-stopping to watch the game on TV. I’m sure they could almost hear our cheers from across the Pacific when they held the Navy out to the last siren to capture another National Championship.”
2024 saw the seventh appearance by the Gaels in the National Championship since 2013 under Head Coach Tim O’Brien, and is their fourth win claimed, following earlier success in 2014, 2015, and 2017. The team also won the Rugby 7’s national championship in 2016.
If you tuned into the national championship or any earlier matches, you are likely familiar with seeing a starting 15, and expecting a group of reserves on the bench ready to substitute in when called. However, the Gaels team spans far beyond that. Their squad includes 60 men, which form their A, B, and C Teams, who train together and create their warm-up tie dye shirts for every game day; a group who Founder of Athlete Assessments, Bo Hanson, has worked closely with during the 2023-24 season and over the last decade.
Bo shared, “The Saint Mary’s Rugby Program is unique in that the whole squad of 60 student-athletes are so connected to each other’s success. They train as an entire team of 60, support and challenge each other as an entire program. This creates a great pipeline of future talent as new players are inducted and learn about the Saint Mary’s culture from the senior athletes. It is just as important for the C Team to play well and win as it is for the A Team who just won the D1A National Championship. Those in the A Team will all tell you that they win because of the strength of the entire squad.”
Coach O’Brien initially engaged Athlete Assessments to work with the team in 2014, and since then Bo has been a consistent contributor to the development of the team’s winning culture alongside Coach O’Brien, Coach Mark Bass, and Coach Andrew Cook, the student-athlete leaders, and each member of the 60-man squad. But the resounding testament in every article, interview, or social post seen about the team, is Coach O’Brien’s ability to drive practice intensity and uphold standards, while simultaneously developing a culture that empowers the student-athletes to lead from within and be accountable for the impact and contribution they can have.
Bo echoed this sentiment,
“Tim O’Brien genuinely believes in creating a phenomenal and unique culture. He creates space for his players to lead, make decisions and have tangible involvement and ownership in what happens week to week within the team. The players, no matter what team they are playing on [A, B, or C], all have opportunity to make a positive impact on the program. It is a major reason why the alumni are so connected to the team and so many come back to help in any way possible.”
One alumnus closely involved with the program is former Captain, Kevin O’Connor, who played a pivotal role in leading the team during their 2017 National Championship season. In our recent webinar, Kevin shared insights into the leadership development opportunities under Coach O’Brien, “His biggest thing to me was to be the coach on the field and he gave us the leash to be able to make those types of decisions. Then after, if he felt like we were in a good position and he was confident in us, he gave us a little bit more. There was always a dialogue and I think that that helped with our trust in each other.”
Underpinning the Gaels’ culture in the 2023-24 Season, described as ‘what fuels them’, is their Winning Equation of Juice, Joy, and Accuracy.
- Juice is the amount of intensity and excitement that they play with—a defensive mindset.
- Joy is an offensive mindset where they have fun.
- And in everything they do, they want to tie it together with Accuracy.
The Gaels Rugby team are unique amongst their Conference peers, often described as being the underdog when compared to the likes of their previous season-ending rival UC Berkeley, who have a student population ten times the size of Saint Mary’s, and the resources to match it. Men’s Rugby at Saint Mary’s is classified as a club sport, so the team relies heavily on the support of their coaches and alumni, with all three coaches working full-time day jobs, on top of their time and energy invested in the team.
People like Kevin continue to play a supporting and advisory role to the Gael’s current leaders, building upon his own experience with the captains that came before him. He shared, “I had a great group of guys in our leadership council, and I relied heavily on the alumni that had graduated in years past and especially the old captain… tapping into his insights and being able to utilize his approach… It took a lot of guys behind the scenes and to help lift the program to what it is now.”
The Gaels team is comprised of student-athletes with all levels of experience, from those who have been playing Rugby their entire life to some who are playing the game for the first time when they join as Freshmen. The Gaels’ only rule is that if you want to be a part of the team, you have to be willing to put the work in and uphold the philosophy of leaving the program better than you found it.
Liz emphasized,
“What truly inspires me is Coach O’Brien and the team’s ability to play their style of rugby, winning how they always wanted to win. Their team connection and commitment are truly impressive, and something that has been deliberately and consistently built over the years.”
The Saint Mary’s team truly went from strength to strength during the 2023-24 season, defeating UC Berkeley in the regular season and again in the quarter finals with a groundbreaking score of 34-16, before coming up against BYU (Brigham Young University) in the semi-finals, beating them 48-31 (You can recap their entire season here). But the team continued to amplify their training intensity and focus on what they could continue to do better after each game. If you talk to any of the players, they will likely tell you that the practices are harder than the games. Consequently, the Gaels are well-equipped to perform under high-pressure situations, when it matters most on game day.
But the 2024 National Championship game against the Navy, was no easy feat, despite all the preparation and practice intensity, the Gaels were met by a strong opposing side, and the score came down to the wire. In the final minutes, it looked as though Navy would charge to victory; heavy on the attack and heading towards the try line. Ultimately, it was the Gaels who reigned successful, holding them off with stellar defense and a crucial interception, which saw them regain possession in the final seconds to hold their lead and defeat Navy 26–22.
Liz reflected,
“This is why we love sport and the opportunity we have to do what we do, and work with exceptional teams. We truly invest in each step they take and yet most often cheer from afar. They do all of the hard work and it is rewarding to see them achieve what they set out to do. Winning a National Championship is incredibly hard, and multiple within less than a decade is even harder.”
Where to from here?
Just like Liz and Bo alluded to, Athlete Assessments is proud to work with many exceptional teams and coaches through our Elite Team Program, supporting them in developing self-awareness in their coaches and athletes, to better understand each other and create alignment on team goals and culture. If you would like to discuss how we can support your team in getting the best out of your people to drive your winning culture, contact us to learn more.
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