La Salle-Peru High School to explore adding rugby club

After fielding interest from students, the La Salle-Peru High School Board will continue to research the possibility of creating a rugby club on campus.

Program Committee Board Member Rose Marie Lynch made the announcement during Wednesday’s meeting.

“We heard about a request the school has received to establish a rugby program,” Lynch said. “While rugby is not an IHSA sanctioned sport, L-P could offer a club. At this point we would like to continue pursuing and researching the idea.”

Questions, such as where the team would play and could this take any interest in other sports, are still being considered by members of the programs committee.

The board plans to continue to gauge interest of students as 22 players are required to form a complete team.

Lynch also added that all of the games would take place on Saturdays and the sport would take place in the spring sports season.

Superintendent Steven Wrobleski added that he and athletic director Dan Le will be reaching out to other administrators at area high schools to share details and determine their levels of interest.

“This is an outgrowth of the local rugby club, the Illinois Valley Coal Miners, who have had a lot of success in the last couple of years,” Wrobleski said. “Those kids that were on the initial team are now freshmen here at L-P.”

More information is to come later on this possibility as the school board has begun the initial groundwork to bring rugby to La Salle-Peru High School.