Saturday is a rugby day. The U.S. Virgin Islands Rugby Football Union Privateers will take its squad of 21 players to Bayamon, Puerto Rico, for an 80-minute match against the San Juan Rugby Club.

Saturday’s 4 p.m. match will mark the second time the Privateers have played on the San Juan Club’s home turf. Last May, the Privateers tied the San Juan team 5-5 in a match.

This weekend the Privateers hope to earn a more decisive victory against the more experienced, more established club. Although, as hooker Ryan Mullen said, “We’re really all just looking forward to the game.”

Regardless of the match’s outcome, the San Juan Rugby Club will host the Privateers for a post-game celebration – a tradition between the clubs in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Privateers squad, coached by St. Thomian Joe Brugos, includes a number of former college players – including Brugos himself, his brother John Brugos and Mark Grimes – as well as players from St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.

The USVI Rugby Football Union was officially born in August 2012 by founding members the Brugos brothers, Ryan Mullen, Scott McFarlane and Dan Perez. The Union operates as a 501c3 nonprofit and is currently the only rugby union in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Its players range in age from 18 to nearly 60 years old and, in experience, from novice to referee level. Both the BVI and San Juan teams have been instrumental in helping the Privateers to develop a strong squad, thanks to scrimmages and sometimes player loans if a team is short a man.

Although the USVI Rugby Football Union does not have a women’s squad currently, it did have a small squad of women who played touch rugby in 2013 and would like to foster a women’s team again. The Privateers have also held youth rugby clinics on both St. Thomas and St. John.

Coach Brugos says, “We definitely plan to incorporate youth in the future.” The International Rugby Board supports the USVI Union and has even proposed to pay to send coaches and trainers to the territory to teach physical education teachers about the game and raise local awareness of the sport.

The International Rugby Board has not yet been able to coordinate this training with the Education Department, but Brugos said he remains optimistic that it will come together in the near future. While these and other factors are part of the Union’s long-term development, they are essential for the Privateers to qualify as members of the North American and Caribbean Rugby Association and the International Rugby Board.

The Privateers practice every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Charlotte Amalie High School field on St. Thomas and encourage both spectators and potential players to attend practices. The Union plays home matches on the South End Cricket Field, beside Addelita Cancryn Middle School.

The USVI Rugby Football Union is also sponsored by Bellows International, Dr. Chase, Offshore Marine, Cattie Law Offices and a number of other local businesses and individuals. My Brother’s Workshop recently contributed the construction of a training sled to the team. The community, including the St. Thomas Cricket Association, has been supportive of the team thus far, and Brugos said he is hopeful that the Union will continue to grow.