As the San Francisco State University Gators Rugby Club begins prepping for a new season, two coaches bring a fresh well of knowledge to the team that players haven’t experienced before. 

Nemia Qoro is the recently appointed head coach and Duncan Small is the new assistant coach of the SFSU rugby club. In their first year leading the team, they both aim to implement a culture of tenacity and defensive intensity.

Kiril Gupta, the team’s secretary and social media manager, has been in the rugby club since Fall 2023. While it was fun to learn last year, the intensity and discipline Gupta feels this year watching the new coaches is unparalleled to past seasons. 

“The last two practices I’ve been to with Coach Q and Coach Duncan, it’s been a total 360 in competition,” said Gupta.

While neither of them has any experience coaching the sport of rugby, both have many years of experience playing the game. 

Qoro was only 8 years old when he started playing rugby. He was a high school and college All-American rugby player and even got a chance to represent the United States at the Junior World Cup. He eventually went on to play for the first professional rugby league in the United States, playing for the Sacramento Express team in the Professional Rugby Organization. 

“This game has brought me so many opportunities,” said Qoro. “The friends, the leadership, the integrity, the discipline, it transfers over to my work. But rugby has done so much for me in my life. It’s kept me out of a lot of trouble in my life.” 

Unlike Qoro’s young start in rugby, Small’s career began in middle school and continued through college. As an SFSU alumnus, he played for the SFSU rugby club for three years. Additionally, Small played for the NorCal Pelicans in 2016 and for Bay Area Baracus Rugby Club in 2021. 

“I’m really excited to give back to the rugby community here at SF State,” said Small. “I graduated in 2018, I played here for three years and I just really love the sport and want to teach the next generation of rugby players.” 

Qoro says he wants to bring forth a culture that when you hear “Gator rugby,” you know the team’s defense is like no other. 

“I also want to get involved as much as I can and make them learn to love this, because if you don’t learn to love this, then this is going to be torture,” said Qoro. “You have to learn to love the tackling, the physical part, the violence, it’s controlled. It’s controlled violence.” 

Along with a new coaching staff, Nikolai Hunagte is the new president for the rugby club this year. 

“My expectations are to win, gain respect of the university, and gain the respect of the student body,” said Hunagte. “We want people to be proud that they go to SF State, be proud of the homegrown talent that we have here and that we’re developing.” 

One more addition this season will be the reintroduction of the battle of the city rivalry between SFSU and the University of San Francisco. 

“It’s a match I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Gupta said. “Unfortunately, USF won the last trophy match before the pandemic started, so they currently have that trophy right now. Our goal is to bring back that trophy to SF State. It’s the true battle of the city.” 

The rugby club’s preseason begins Sept. 21 on the road vs. California State University, Monterey Bay. The Gators will visit the 2022 National Collegiate Rugby small college champions California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt on Sept. 27, and will renew their crosstown rivalry with USF on Oct.12. 

In the spring, the club will host three matchups: against the University of Nevada on Feb. 22, American River College on March 1, and Stanford University on March 15.