Saint hopes to play rugby for a long time

Cormac Saint has been playing rugby for 12 years and hopes to be playing for a lot more. Born in England, Saint moved to El Dorado Hills when he was 3 in 2007 and later on moved to Rescue in 2013. As soon as he was old enough to play rugby, he joined the Mother Lode Rugby Club and has not looked back since. The 2022 Ponderosa High graduate, Saint now plays rugby at Cal Berkeley, which has one of the best rugby teams in the country. But besides that, Saint recently represented the US by playing on the U20 USA rugby team, which beat Canada a few weeks ago in South Carolina to qualify for the Junior World Trophy, which takes plays in Kenya in July. While the roster for the team has not been released yet, Saint hopes to make it. In the matches against Canada, Saint came off the bench for the first game and gained a strong starting position in game two to help the team seal their ticket to Kenya. Folsom Telegraph: What are your hopes/ plans after graduating college? Cormac Saint: I hope to play professional rugby in the MLR( Major League Rugby) or overseas in England or Australia. FT: Do sports run in your family? CS: Yes sports run in my family. All six of my family members have played rugby. Both of my older brothers played collegiate rugby and my older sister was a national snowboard champion for USCSA. FT: How long have you been playing rugby and how did you get your start in it? CS: I have been playing rugby for 12 years now and I always had a passion for rugby at a young age because everyone else in my family played. Once I was old enough to play for Mother Lode RFC, I never looked back. FT: Have you ever been involved in any other sports? CS: I have played a lot of sports during my lifetime. In high school I played football, soccer, and was on the ski/snowboard team. When I was younger I played soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and raced dirt bikes. FT: What do you enjoy about rugby? CS: What I love about rugby is that it is a game for everyone. No matter your size or shape there is a spot for you on a rugby field. Rugby has given me the opportunity to see the world and create lifelong friendships and connections worldwide. FT: You have had the opportunity to represent the U.S. in competition. What is that like? CS: It is a huge honor and privilege to represent the United States in sport. It was a dream of mine coming true and a very proud moment for my family and I. Any time you get to wear the red, white and blue is a massive honor and I hope I get the opportunity to represent my country again. FT: Your U20 USA rugby team qualified for the Junior World Trophy, which takes place in Kenya in July. Will you be playing on that team? If so, what are your thoughts on traveling to Kenya and representing the U.S. in an international competition? CS: It was a great opportunity to be on the US side which qualified for the Junior World Trophy for the first time since 2016. Selections for Kenya will be finalized soon but I am really hopeful that I will be in that squad. I am really excited to possibly get that chance to travel to Kenya and experience the culture while getting to play against great international competition. FT: How many games did your team play to qualify for the Junior World Trophy? How did you play? Score any points? CS: We played in a two-game qualifier series against Canada to qualify for the Junior World Trophy. In the first game, I came off the bench to finish the game on the wing (number 14) and at scrum half (number 9). In game 2, i started at scrum half and later moved to the wing playing the full game and scoring the final try of the series. FT: Do you also play rugby at Cal? Tell me about your team? CS: I play rugby for Cal which is a varsity program at the school. We are the oldest sport on campus and have won 33 national championships during that time. As a freshman, I played 7s in the fall and 15s in the spring where I was on the bench for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and national championship final. Playing rugby at Cal is a massive privilege and I am super grateful for every opportunity I get in the Cal jersey. (Cal rugby is much like Alabama football with its dominance and history.) FT: What was your favorite subject or class in college? CS: In college, I am pursuing a major in business or economics and my business class has been the most enjoyable and interesting class yet. FT: Do you have a favorite genre of music or a favorite singer/group/rapper? CS: I enjoy most genres of music but country music is by far my favorite. Artists like Tyler Childers, Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan are among my favorites. FT: Favorite food? CS: I love a good spaghetti and meatballs. (From Papa Giannis in Cameron Park.) FT: Do you have any pets? Tell us about them. CS: I live on a small little farm with some horses, goats, chickens and dogs. My three dogs are definitely my favorite and I enjoy seeing them when I come home. I have a border collie, a cocker spaniel, and a Pomeranian husky. FT: Do you have any hobbies? What do you like to do in your free time? CS: A few of my favorite hobbies are snowboarding, mountain biking and the occasional surf if I can get to the ocean. I really enjoy being outdoors and doing things with my family and friends. FT: What inspires you in sports? CS: My biggest inspiration in sports are my parents and family. I want to make them proud every time I get on the field and show them that all their time, effort, and work they have put into me was worth it. Without all of them, I would not be where I am today. FT: What job or profession do you hope to have some day? CS: I hope to option a business or economics degree from Berkeley and work in the finance or the investment banking industry.