Three Friends from Cranston Launch a ‘Rebellion’

A strong bond is formed between teammates when playing high school sports. Once the experience is over, life leads friends in different directions and over time, those paths normally become further apart.

However, in the case of Cranston natives Lawrence Almagno, Anthony Nardolilo and Alex DeCiccio, their love of rugby brought the former high school teammates back together as adults and their bond has grown stronger than ever.

Almagno moved to Cranston prior to entering the ninth grade at Bishop Hendricken. He played football, wrestled and was introduced to rugby for the first time in the spring of 2000.

“Kevin Martel, a senior and wrestling teammate, invited me to play,” recalled Almagno. “There were about 20 seniors, three juniors and me as a freshman. I fell in love with the sport.”

Graduating most of the team meant having to find a lot of new players the following year, a challenge that would serve Almagno well years later.

“I needed to make a huge recruiting effort,” said Almagno. “I was able to convince a bunch of my football and wrestling teammates to join, as well as kids who were just friends of mine.”

Nardolilo and DeCiccio, who had been friends since attending middle school in Cranston, enrolled at Hendricken in Almagno’s junior year.

Like Almagno, DeCiccio was approached as a freshman by an older teammate on the wrestling team to play rugby. Nardolilo, who also wrestled, joined the rugby team his sophomore year.

Separate Ways

The three athletes became skillful players and contributed to the team’s success, as Hendricken became a powerhouse in New England and the Northeast. Following high school, the three players went their separate ways, but continued their rugby careers.

DeCiccio attended the University of Rhode Island, where he studied film and media studies. He became the captain of the rugby team at the end of his sophomore year. It was also in his second year that he was one of 23 players selected to represent the Northeast in the National Collegiate All-Star Championship in Glendale, Colo.

For two summers during college, DeCiccio played for the nationally-ranked Boston Rugby Football Club. In his junior year, DeCiccio studied abroad in New Zealand, mainly to play rugby, and ended up making his university team.

Nardolilo continued his education at Suffolk University in Boston, where he studied entrepreneurship and marketing. Since Suffolk did not have a rugby team, he started playing with Boston Rugby in 2006.

“It was a great experience for me to make that jump from high school rugby with boys to playing in a man’s world,” recalled Nardolilo. “It helped me mature, both on and off the field.”

Almagno pursued his education at St. John’s University in New York City, where he studied advertising, international business and psychology. While in school, he was asked to play rugby for the New York Athletic Club, which he did for a few years before joining the Old Blue American Rugby Team, which was also based in Manhatten.

In 2010, Almagno was back in the area, studying law at Roger Williams University and playing rugby for a team in Connecticut. One of his jobs at the time was working for a New York-based hedge fund. The company played a role in forming the USA Rugby League and approached Almagno to help launch a team in New York.

When it became difficult to secure a playing facility, the company’s interest in starting a team faded. In January of this year, Almagno kept the dream alive by trying to form a team in his home state.

“Being a Rhode Island resident and studying law at RWU, it was impossible to monitor and develop a team anywhere else,” explained Almagno.

Together Again

Almagno got a hold of former teammate DeCiccio, who had established plenty of contacts in the local rugby scene through playing and coaching.

“Alex assured me that we could obtain enough quality players to form a team,” explained Almagno. “He was still involved with URI Rugby, which is where most of our players came from. I was able to recruit the rest of the players by playing for the Providence Rugby Club.”

Nardolilo, who lost contact with Almagno after high school, joined the effort a few weeks later.

“I came aboard at the end of February,” remembered Nardolilo. “From the minute I began working with this team, we all had big aspirations, but we knew it would take a lot of time and hard work.”

With the start of their first season only months away, the three friends devoted countless hours to forming the USA Rugby League’s newest franchise, the Rhode Island Rebellion.   

The most daunting task may have been raising the necessary funds.

“Financially speaking, we knew that our first year of operation wouldn’t turn a huge profit,” said Nardolilo. “We were realistic with ourselves and even prepared for a loss in year one.”

Through ticket sales, sponsorships and dipping into their own pockets, the three friends collected $28,000 in start-up funds. The co-owners struck a deal with the City of Providence to use the turf field at Classical High School for practices and home games.

Adding some international experience to a roster loaded with local players, were two players from England and two from Australia. They learned about the new team through the internet.

The Rebellion’s season got off to a rough start, losing their first three games, on June 4, June 11 and June 18. Back-to-back wins gave the team some confidence, but the following game, in front of 2,000 fans in Jacksonville, resulted in a 30-4 loss. A 32-18 defeat to New Haven on July 23 eliminated the Rebellion from the playoff picture in the eight-team league.

“Our goal on the field was to make the playoffs,” said Nardolilo. “Even though we fell short of that, we developed a strong team that has a bond second-to-none. This team has so much talent, and with most of us in our early 20’s, we’re only going to get better.”

In addition to their behind-the-scenes responsibilities, Nardolilo and Almagno participated in every practice and game. DeCiccio, however, was limited to helping the team off the field.

“I have accumulated a number of concussions over the years and was advised to end all type of contact sports for the rest of my life,” explained DeCiccio. “It was the toughest thing to ever hear, and every time I go to a practice or watch a game I feel the bite of the rugby bug. It is awful, but working with this team has given me a way to stay involved in the sport.”

Media Exposure

Using his experience with media, video and photography, DeCiccio serves as the team’s media coordinator. He maintains the club’s YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr accounts. Meanwhile, Almagno keeps the team relevant through posts on Twitter and Facebook.

Nardolilo and Almagno make sure the team’s website is frequently updated with current events, scores and promotional activities. The games were recorded in high definition and made available for viewing on the website within a week of each contest.

The Rebellion averaged 300 fans, but with a full off-season to spread the word, the three amigos hope to increase that figure into the thousands next season. Attempts are underway to have their home games aired on a local cable station, which would provide tremendous exposure.

The team recently enjoyed some national exposure, on an episode of the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food Nation.

“I came across an email stating that they were looking for a Rhode Island rugby player who can eat a lot of food,” said Nardolilo. “I jumped at the opportunity and nominated Connor McQuade, one of our largest players. I immediately received a phone call from the executive producer, asking us to submit a video of Connor to showcase his personality and ability to eat large quantities of food.”

The television executives loved what they saw. They sent the show’s host, Adam Richman, and a camera crew to Rhode Island for a week to film the episode.

“Adam Richman came to our practice wearing a Rhode Island Rebellion T-shirt, which was awesome,” recalled Nardolilo. “We spent the evening filming different scenes with Adam playing rugby right alongside us.”

The eating scene, featuring Richman and McQuade, took place at the Olneyville New York System restaurant in Providence. McQuade’s challenge was to eat 15 full-loaded hot wieners in 45 minutes.

The Rebellion’s logo and team name was prominently displayed throughout the entire episode, which aired Aug. 10. Video clips and behind-the-scenes photos are posted on the Travel Channel’s website.

The club’s appearance on Man vs. Food Nation was one of the topics discussed when Nardolilo and Almagno were guests on Dan Yorke’s WPRO’s radio program on Aug. 19.

Giving Back to the Community

One of the goals the team’s founders had when they created the Rebellion, was for the players to give something back to the community. In doing so, the team helped initiate a rugby club at Classical and most recently, started an after school flag rugby program in the Providence middle schools.

The 10-week middle school program will start with students from Essek Hopkins and Roger Williams Middle Schools. The students will play twice a week from October to December. Almagno is seeking donations to expand the program to other schools over the next two years.

Support System

Establishing a semi-professional sports team obviously required a great deal of time and energy, but it also might not have been possible without the support of the owners’ loved ones.

“My family and friends have been so supportive throughout this entire process,” said Nardolilo. “I think our girlfriends get the worst of it. They all have helped out a ton this year, sometimes doing tasks that most people wouldn’t want to do. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better support system.”

Clash of the Clubs

On Aug. 26, the Rebellion will play a 9/11 Memorial game against the Providence Rugby club, with all of the proceeds being donated to the Feal Good Foundation, which benefits injured first responders from the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001. The game will be held at Classical starting at 7:00 p.m.

What will make this game unique is one half will be played under Rugby League rules, which the Rebellion usually play by, and the other half will employ Rugby Union rules, which Providence follows.
Admission will be $5 and refreshments will be available for purchase.