Sam Brock has changed the way Loyola plays rugby.

Since October 2010, Brock has been coaching the Loyola rugby team and led them to the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Brock started playing football, baseball and basketball as a child before competing in college soccer. When he was 25, his older brother introduced him to rugby.

“I fell in love with rugby during my first match and have been playing ever since,” Brock said.

Brock played the sport for 23 years before he started coaching. In fact, Loyola is the first team he ever coached.

“This is my first time coaching the sport. I haven’t even had a full year with the team yet. Coaching is completely different, and I’m constantly learning through this experience,” Brock said.

In addition to it being Brock’s first time coaching, the majority of the rugby team was new.

Even with an inexperienced team, Brock stayed and his “hands-on and interactive” coaching brought the team further than they expected.

“Being new to coaching college rugby, I had no idea what to expect. But I am impressed that with a junior team Loyola has that we were able to advance to the playoffs this season. That says a lot for the work ethic of these players,” Brock said.

A strong work ethic may have gotten Loyola to the rugby playoffs, but the team’s youth was still a problem.

“Because of our inexperience, we spent most of this year concentrating on rugby fundamentals. Next season, I’d like to concentrate more on advanced techniques and more intricate offensive and defensive strategies, as well as our strength and conditioning training,” Brock said.

With more incoming support from the university, Brock is motivated for next season.

“I’m dedicated to the team because of the dedication they show. It’s easy to be excited about this group because of how hard they work to improve, and the university has really gotten behind the program,” Brock said.

Because of this year’s success, Brock has set bigger goals.

“I expect the level of play from Loyola rugby to only improve, and our long-range goals are not a conference championship, but a national championship. That’s not just a wish, it’s an expectation,” Brock said.

Michael Sanchez can be reached at [email protected]