[Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to student volunteer Braxton Rivers as an intern. The headline also incorrectly stated that the season had been canceled. The team plans on competing up to regionals, but not nationals. Rivers is currently a student who will be leaving the program to pursue graduate school or possible internships. The headline was changed and additional context was added to the body of the story properly reflect the nature of Braxton Rivers’ position with the team and the timing of his departure. The Wayne Stater regrets the errors and would like formally apologize.] 

According to an internal message from coaching staff, as of last week, the Wayne State College men’s 7s rugby team learned they would no longer be able to compete at nationals this year. At the same time, volunteer Braxton Rivers announced he would be leaving the team.  

“I’m stepping away from the program as a whole and will not be part of it anymore,” Rivers wrote in an email regarding his work with the team. 

This was Rivers’ first year helming the men’s 7s team. The season was roughly a week old at the time of his decision.  

Upon learning that Rivers would no longer be coaching the team, many athletes questioned whether they would be able to have a 7s season at all. As the situation sits now, the men will not be playing this year past regionals.  

The players have said they do not generally blame Rivers for concluding his work at Wayne State College. Notably, there is a much stronger opposition to the recent coaching and administrative decisions made by men’s rugby head coach Bryn Chivers. 

Tshidiso Letsoalo, a current senior at WSC, expressed how he views Rivers’ contribution to the team, regardless of how short it was.  

“Braxton Rivers saved the men’s rugby program, and did everything Bryn should have been doing,” Letsoalo said.  

According to Letsoalo, this is a generally shared opinion among the team.  

“The head coach is very unapproachable, and does not care about the players’ opinions and concerns… so most players don’t really have a good relationship with him,” Letsoalo said. 

Chivers did not respond when called multiple times and asked to give a statement.

Due to the tense relationship between the players and Chivers, players have expressed that the overall morale for the team has struggled since this season-ending financial decision was made.  

Letsoalo said he is frustrated because, as a senior, this was supposed to be the last season for both him and many other men on the team.  

“The rugby team as a collective feel very unappreciated by the school and the head coach. We are not on scholarship, and we all sacrifice work and free time to play rugby,” Letsoalo said. 

Some players question the importance of the new equipment the funding for games is now going to support. Instead of expenses for competing at Nationals, the money has been designated for a scrum machine. The equipment is a weighted, padded training device that allows athletes to practice driving into the front line of the opposing team.  

Letsoalo expressed the feeling that the machine isn’t necessary for their practices moving forward. 

“The school is going to buy a ‘scrum machine,’ only for nobody to use it, because there will not be a men’s rugby team after this semester,” Letsoalo said.   

The WSC rugby 15s teams, both men’s and women’s, remain fully operational.