ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For the first time in their 60-year history, all three Rochester rugby teams are playing together.
"It's people who lived here their whole life, people who came back and it's a new crop when they come out of college," Rochester Renegades President Emilie Dawson said.
The unified team faced off against three visiting teams. It's for a game-day fundraiser to help Rochester's Ukrainian community. All the money raised Saturday will go to ROC Maidan to help Ukraine.
"Rochester is our hometown,” Rochester Colonials President Justin Araki said. “There's a good amount of Ukrainian presence. Ukrainian refugees came here starting in 2014, so it's a big part of our community.”
The three rugby teams: the Colonials, the Aardvarks and the Renegades are playing under the name One Roc Rugby.
It's something that might seem unusual, but organizers say that's the spirit of rugby.
"Rugby is different than any other sport I've played,” Dawson said. “In the fact that you have to support each other.”
That's exactly what Saturday's games hope to accomplish, by showing support for the Ukrainian community.
"A common refrain in rugby is 'I'm with you, I have your back,'" Dawson said. "That's what we're doing today, just saying ‘I'm with you.”’