Playing at the Boys HS Rugby National Championships is an education, and a rough one at that, but a rigorous education has its benefits.

For Aspetuck out of Connecticut, the difficulties have certainly helped the program. Last season, Aspetuck did enough to garner an invitation to the BHSRNC, but not enough to make the top tier of the HS Club bracket. 

Watch The 2019 Boys HS National Championships—All Games—May 16-18 LIVE on FloRugby

Aspetuck, instead, went into Tier II. This is not an afterthought tournament, though. The Nationals Tier II, comprising the four teams from the Single-School and HS Club brackets that didn't get slotted into the top-tier competitions, is full of highly-ranked teams.

This year's 2019 group will probably be the toughest ever, which is what everyone said about last year's group. And it was true. For Aspectuck, the games were difficult but, ultimately successful. They beat Phoenix Alpharetta 28-27 in the first round, and Eastside Lions 16-15 in the second. The Yellow Jackets hit a wall in the Tier II final against the San Diego Mustangs, losing 38-19, but that's OK—they'd proved they belong, and left some business to do for 2019.

And they're on their way. Led by HS All American Raymond Weiner, Aspetuck is undefeated in league play. They ran out some younger players against Fairfield Prep over the past weekend, including three freshmen, and won 50-40—OK, so defense (mostly finishing off a game) seems to be a work-on for the youngsters.

But going into the upcoming Gonzaga Classic tournament, the Yellow Jackets seem a little deeper, a little more clinical, and can chalk that up in part to the clubs experience at Nationals last year. Back again this year, Aspetuck is making a case for being in the top tier. A strong showing at Gonzaga will help that.