An Interview with Cornell Men's Head Coach Ron Schassburger

Earlier this month, Tim Kelly, Cornell Faded Red’s Vice President of Men’s Club Affairs conducted an in-depth interview with Ron Schassburger, the new head coach of the CURFC. Ron’s rugby roots date back to 1960, and in this interview we learn of his tremendous love for the game, the pursuit of rugby perfection and the future trajectory of Cornell men’s rugby.

As you’ll see, we hold no punches and refrained from cutting anything out, so dig-in an enjoy. Thanks again to Tim and Ron for taking the time to share their thoughts on where we are today and where we can go tomorrow.

Cornell Faded Red’s VP of Men’s Club Affairs Profile: Tim Kelly »
Cornell Men's Head Coach Profile: Ron Schassburger »

TK: How did you first get interested in the game? What organizations have you played for throughout your career?

RS: I was a freshman playing football at UCLA in 1960 when my geography class instructor, a New Zealander, encouraged me to try rugby after the end of the football season. I gave it a try and immediately fell in love with the game. With the longer playing seasons on the West Coast, I had plenty of opportunities to learn the game—as well as switching from being a prop to playing fly half. As each season went by I loved the game more and more. From 1960 to 1968 I played as captain of the second sides at UCLA, Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon. From 1968 to 1978 (for all but two seasons, when I was studying overseas) I was the first side captain at Cornell University. It was here that I expanded my playing experience to include scrum half and full back. I received representative honors from 1975-1977 as both player and coach for the newly formed Upstate New York Rugby Union. I occasionally played with the Ithaca College team from 1978-1979, the Binghamton Barbarians from 1979 to 1982, and the Ithaca Gray Wolves from 1995 to 1998. Since then, I have limited my play to pickup games at the Can Am Tournament held each year in the Adirondacks, and the annual Faded Red Alumni vs. Cornell match.

TK: At what point did you decide coaching would be in your future?

RS: It was a gradual process, as I had originally wanted to coach football. That faded, however, as my love for rugby grew. Moreover, rugby was still very much an amateur sport; perhaps the last great sport to retain its amateur status as long as it did. While at UCLA I found my professional field in biology. Coaching rugby part time, purely for the love of the sport, was a great replacement for coaching football. Coaching the game became more important to me as the years went on—to the point where coaching and playing became paramount.

In those earlier days of the game’s growing popularity in the United States, coaches were few and far between. Where there was a coach it was the captain of the team who assisted with the coaching, or in those cases where there was no coach it was the captain who assumed all of those responsibilities. During my tenure at Cornell University, I became so devoted to coaching that it almost superseded my love of playing.

TK: Where have you coached?

RS: Fortunately, there were coaches at the schools where I first played, providing me with some great learning opportunities for both playing and coaching. When I began my playing career at UCLA I also assumed some coaching responsibilities with the second side. I did progressively more coaching with the second sides at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. Later, when I started playing for Cornell University, which had no coach, I took over those responsibilities entirely. I realized at that time that coaching was in my blood and something I wanted to do for as long as I could.

During and just after those Cornell years I founded and coached the rugby club at Ithaca High School in 1975, coached the first women’s team in Upstate New York at SUNY Cortland from 1975 to 1977, and later coached the Binghamton Grey Ladies Down from 1979 to 1980.

Turning back to men’s rugby, after leaving Cornell I co-founded and coached the Ithaca College team from 1978 to 1979, then coached the Binghamton Barbarians from 1979 to 1982, and concluded my formal coaching activities with the co-founding and coaching of the Ithaca Gray Wolves from 1995 to 1998.

As noted above, I began coaching at select side level with the formation of the Upstate New York Rugby Union while a player from 1975 to 1977, but continued solely as its coach from 1978 to 1980. When rugby was first introduced into the New York Empire State Games I became one of its first coaches, representing the Central Division, from 1981 to 1983.

TK: Considering all your experience as a player and coach, which parts of the game have changed the most?

RS: There have been both some significant law changes as well as a dramatic change in the style of play. First, let me deal with the law changes, all of which I find have been helpful to the game. The change in setting up the scrums with the referee calling out a cadence of activity, i.e., “crouch … touch … pause … engage”, has been in line with trying to make scrummaging much safer over the years. The lineout change allowing players in the lineout to support the jumper has increased the capability of the team throwing in the ball to garner clean possession, thereby increasing the flow of the game. And finally, the law change allowing a tackled player to place the ball has significantly increased the likelihood of the team in possession of the ball maintaining that possession, and again increasing the flow of the game (nevertheless, I witnessed a great deal of variation in how this law is applied, much to the discontent of the players, and that really needs to be sorted out with a more closely applied standard by the referees).

Second, let me deal with a change in the style of play that I believe has had a dramatic impact on the nature of the game—and in a very deleterious way. That is the decision of the defending players not to contest mauls, and especially rucks. Twice this past season I recall, following the initial setup of rucks, a total dispersion of the defending forwards across the field, leaving only the tackled player on the ground protecting the ball and two to four other forwards in protective positions on either side of and behind the tackled player. This has in effect brought the defending offside line up to the ball, and the defending forwards have closed off most of what used to be open space. Both of these ensuing deviations have given such advantage to the defense as to greatly diminish the time and space that backs used to have to create some of the more exciting moves that gave flair and panache to the game.

It now appears to be more of a slugfest across a narrow “no-man’s land”, with play-safe rugby, rather than total rugby (as advocated by the late, great rugby coach, Jim Greenwood, and meaning “well-judged risk-taking”) now dominating the game. Everything is directed close to the ruck or maul, and only rarely does the ball move down the backline, let alone with the opportunity to create some of the more elegant moves that one used to see in backlines years ago. There is good reason the Barbarians vs. All Blacks match of 1973 is to this day still regarded as the greatest match of all time. I strongly believe that there need to be some law changes that will open up the game once again (e.g., not allowing players to depart once in a ruck or maul until the ball is out, dictating a defensive offside line that is at least five meters back from the ball, etc.—it needs some discussion).

TK: With the growth of the game, including increased prime-time viewing of collegiate rugby and the inclusion of 7s rugby in the Olympics, how can USA Rugby continue to build national support and take advantage of this momentum?

RS: Now I am really going to sound like an old-timer who is relishing the “golden days of yesteryear”. Nevertheless, I hope my response here has some credibility for the future of the game. And it relates to my response to the previous question regarding the change that has occurred with the style of play. Frankly, if someone asked me today if I were interested in playing, let alone watching rugby, I would express only mild interest at best to the 15-man game. Sevens has grown both because it is far more appealing to the players and it is a much better spectators’ game. I believe that the only way USA Rugby can continue to build national support is to return, either by way of law changes around the ruck and maul, or by some creative countering of the play-safe, forward-dominated game, with an attacking strategy that opens up both time and space for adventurous back play to return to the game.

In fact, I tried something new with the Cornell team more than 30 years ago in just one or two games—a double backline attack. At the time we utilized the fullback and two wings as the second line, losing back players to the open space, as well as leaving open our blind side (interestingly enough, it caused some consternation among the defenders). Now that some of the attacking forwards are freed up with the non-contested rucks and mauls, we can utilize the backrow forwards as backs—with alternations between forward attacks around the rucks and mauls and moving the ball out to a double backline to buy both time and space—and to then have the opportunity for more creative backplay on the outside. As a significant side benefit it has the effect of reducing some of the expended energy, both running and in contact, by the forwards. We tried this approach in the second half of our season this last fall, and were pleased to discover that this strategy was very effective.

TK: Now let’s turn our conversation towards the Cornell Men’s Club. After your first year with the guys, what are some positives that you can think you can build on?

RS: While the team’s record this fall season was the same as a year ago in the Ivy League, i.e., 1-6, the play had improved enough to move us up one notch from 8th to 7th in the standings, via the number of points earned—by scoring more points overall and narrowing the gap in losses. From what I understand, the score deficits previous to this season were huge, and this season we lost several games by significantly fewer points, with one or two games being very close. So we are moving in the right direction. Based upon what my players are telling me, what is most significant has been the improved quality of play. I believe the greatest improvement has been in individual skills, followed by unit skills, followed by team play.

I believe the positives that we can build upon are first, the club did a great job of recruiting from within the University. I am told that a majority of the recruits were freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Most significant was the recruitment of a core group of freshmen of athletic talent, with a large number of them going on to the top 22 and even the starting 15 on our first side. Second, we are going to see the return of a large number of players who, due to injury, missed some, if not all of the Ivy League season. Third, although we accumulated the loss of a number of first team players to injuries it gave the less experienced players the opportunity to test their mettle against a more seasoned opposition. That experience of theirs on the first side is going to give us far more depth next season and beyond. And fourth, it is apparent to me that there is a great deal of enthusiasm among the players. They train hard, as they concentrate on building both their fitness levels and their skills, and they function as a “band of brothers.” Moreover, the more experienced players have helped, and will continue to help with the coaching of the newer players. We also have a newly elected executive committee with many members having vied for the available spots. They are eager to use their skills off the field to see the club grow to a position of prominence.

TK: What are the team’s plans for recruiting to make sure the club has a healthy number of athletes to work with and develop?

RS: For a start, the executive committee and other players are planning to extend their already successful recruitment process in the spring. Advertisements around campus, distribution of business cards, and one-on-one contacts will continue. Additionally, as we build success on the playing field, that will only enhance these recruiting efforts. One thing I would like to see the Executive Committee do this next spring is to encourage greater press coverage in the Cornell Sun, and perhaps even the local paper, i.e., the Ithaca Journal. And finally, one area where we are lacking in recruitment—and where I believe our Ivy League partners are perhaps way ahead of us—is outside the University. This is an issue that needs to be addressed with the Faded Red Alumni—perhaps how we advertise ourselves to schools with rugby programs that might send us prospective players; how we can work in conjunction with the Admissions Office of Cornell in attracting such prospects; etc.

TK: As we build our alumni organization and its resources, we hope to be able to assist the team fiscally on a larger scale. In order to compete in the top tier of the Ivy League, what are the immediate and longer-term needs of the team on which we should focus our fundraising efforts? Does the team itself have any future fundraising events planned?

RS: Of utmost priority is funding for travel. The Student Activities Council at Cornell provides us with some funding, which is the same as that of any other club on campus (including clubs which are not sports related and don’t travel). Disconcertedly, it is a diminishing pot of funds that is being split among more and more clubs requesting their share. This year all the clubs’ funds were slashed by approximately 50% and we received approximately $2,700. In addition to that our club dues are $125 per semester, so that is a variable resource depending upon our number of players. These funds are completely inadequate for our travel needs alone, i.e., gas and tolls, accommodations, and meals. It dictates our scheduling in the spring, and as a consequence, the team has bypassed both individual games and tournaments it should be playing. In the fall we are locked into a schedule dictated by the Ivy League, and so here we are locked into expenses that we can’t afford, which we get around by players chipping in for travel expenses, crowding 5-6 players in rooms meant for only double occupancy, and by scrimping on food. Clearly, from any perspective, our most immediate need for funds is to meet these necessary travel expenses.

Along this same line of thought, a longer-term need is money to be able to afford chartering a bus to transport our roughly 40+ players on our longer trips, which occur with regularity in the fall Ivy League season. Even though players chip in for gas and tolls, there is no compensation for the extensive mileage put on those cars that need to be used on a regular basis. Frequently, players in different cars need to leave at different times, resulting in late arrivals either at our motel accommodations (delaying team meetings and cutting into sleep) or at the games themselves (we nearly missed starting two first team players at our game with Penn this past fall for this reason). Clearly, for reasons of safety and liability, excessive financial burden on car owners, simple logistics, and even team dynamics, we need to have the financial capability to charter buses when needed.

A second top priority, which could be viewed either as a short-term or long-term need, is upgrading or maintaining our current rugby pitch. It is utilized both for practices and matches by three rugby teams at Cornell—undergraduate men, undergraduate women, and the Johnson Graduate School of Business men. It is bad enough that we often need to share the field to hold practices, but what is even worse is the condition of the field. With that much utilization and with even just a few days of rain much of the field becomes a barely negotiable mud hole. At the very least we need to put some drainage into the field and find some way of better maintaining its usability. In the longer term, particularly if we are talking about being competitive in the Ivy League, we need to build another pitch for the exclusive use of the men’s team. Two well-maintained fields would give us a much needed capability to conduct full team practices up and down the pitch, for instilling both a positional sense and decision-making in the course of the game.

Other ongoing priorities, which are relatively minor costs, are the usual ones. At the top of this list are practice jerseys, which we are currently lacking. We could always use additional practice and game balls, as well as tackle suits for some more aggressive practices. Beyond that we have game jerseys, which at some point will need replacing. At present shorts and socks for matches are currently paid for by players, at the cost of uniformity on the field.

Finally, while there have been some discussions on fundraising events to help meet our expenses, I don’t believe that the club has settled on any particular course of action. However, it will be an active topic of discussion once everyone gets back from the winter holiday break.

TK: What does the spring schedule look like?

RS: The spring schedule still looks like a work in progress, particularly with the new executive committee coming on just before the break. To date it looks as though we will be scheduling with some more local, though perhaps less competitive teams (in order to save on travel costs ourselves or to find teams with similar financial constraints on travel). We are also looking to fall into some tournaments, for greater playing experience, provided they are not cost-prohibitive. One such tournament is that at the University of Waterloo in Canada. It is an exclusive tournament, to which we were invited by their players, and with their offer of housing us. It should be highly competitive (Waterloo itself beat us soundly in our first match and is every bit as good as any Ivy League team, if not better). This is a tournament that we would very much like to attend, and will indeed require some fundraising to meet the associated expenses. Finally, we are looking to play Ithaca College again this spring. Cornell beat them soundly last year when they had a first class team in their division, and the boys are looking to repeat themselves. There has also been talk of making this an annual event with a trophy, much along the lines of football’s Cortaca Jug between Ithaca College and SUNY Cortland. Such a rivalry would create a great deal of school spirit and help both sides in their recruitment efforts

Meet the New Face of Cornell Men’s Rugby »
reprinted from the Cornell Rugby Alumni News Website