The Vandals Rugby Club is a close-knit group of loosely connected FOBs -- Friends of (Frank) Baker, an itinerant rugger whose clubs include the Buffalo Old Boys, Amoskeag (Manchester, N.H.), Providence, Nashville, the Washington Irish and Los Angeles. It's comprised of approximately 60 players ranging in age from their early 20s to more than 50 and in ability from international level to social side. The roster includes players from more than a dozen U.S. clubs, as well as squads in Canada and Ireland. There are no dues -- the only requirement is a passion for rugby and penchant for story-telling.
While the 5th century Vandals were known for gratuitous cruelty as they rampaged through Europe, Vandals ruggers are simply gratuitous -- in their rugby, in their socializing and in their camaraderie. It is a social club that is and always will be about the essence of rugby, which is equal parts on-field desire and dedication and off-field friendships and frivolity.
The Vandals were born after Baker moved from New Hampshire to Providence. In consultation with Amoskeag's Frank Kelley, Baker decided that the skillful ball-handling of members of the Providence Rugby Club would mesh well with the ferocious tackling and general mayhem favored by Amoskeag.
The Vandals traveled to the 1995 Portland (Maine) Tournament, a favorite destination for Canadian and New England clubs. The unheralded Vandals stunned the field, advancing to the finals where they dropped a hard-fought decision to Division I power Mystic River, which was the New England champion. The next year, the Vandals got their revenge, defeating Mystic to win the championship.
When Baker moved to Nashville in 1997 the Vandals went on hiatus. It took another move -- to Washington, D.C. -- to rekindle the Vandals flame. In 2001 the club traveled to the Washington Irish St. Patrick's Day Tournament, winning the consolation championship. Subsequent trips included the 2002 Baton Rouge Mardi Gras Tournament (3rd place), 2002 Las Vegas Rugby Tournament (4th place), 2003 New Orleans Mardi Gras Tournament (2nd place), 2004 Fort Lauderdale Ruggerfest, 2004 Montreal Irish Tournament (1st place), 2005 Fort Lauderdale Ruggerfest (club division semifinalist), 2006 Wild West Rugby Tournament in Scottsdale (competitive division semifinalist), 2007 Can-Am Rugby Tournament in Saranac Lake, N.Y. (consolation finalist), 2008 and 2009 Wild West Rugby Tournament, and 2010 Can-Am (over-35 semifinalist).
Those who complete five Vandals trips are inducted into the Vandals Hall of Fame and henceforth referred to as "Right Honorable Vandal." Every Vandals trip includes a Kangaroo Court, which opens with the Vandals Prayer. The text of the prayer, Hall of Fame induction ceremony and names of the Hall of Fame members can be found under the "Features" section of this Web site.
God speed Vandals. You may be older, but you're slower than ever.
To learn more about the Vandals, check out this link to a story by RHV Jay Atkinson:
http://wesclark.com/rrr/dented_heads.html