Coaches

Head Coach

Sam Enari

Coach Enari grew up in Bloomington Indiana where he lived and studied until he graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in Education.  During his time in Bloomington, he was able to play for, and then coach his local high school club, he played for IU, Coached the IU Women's rugby club, and even managed to squeeze in a season abroad in Sydney Australia. After graduation, Coach Enari went to New Zealand to play.  Upon returning to the states in 2013 Enari began his teaching career and continued coaching the IU men’s rugby club as the backs and track coach. 

In 2014 work took Enari next to Houston where he played for Houston United and Coached the  University of Houston Men’s Rugby team.  In 2016  Enari departed Houston to Denver Colorado where he played for the Glendale Raptors, Merlins, and Waterdogs, and was the first coach fo the Rocky Mountain Magic, leading them to 2 national births.

Spring of 2021 brought Enari From Colorado to Massachusetts where was hired as an assistant rugby coach with American International College. 2022 Coach Anderson decided to step away from the day-to-day and Hired Coach Enari as Head Coach for the University of Kentucky Men's Rugby program.  

You can reach Coach Enari directly by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Assistant Coach & Director of Rugby

Gary Anderson

Coach Anderson is originally from Montana. He moved to Lexington in 1998 to attend the University of Kentucky where he picked up the sport of rugby. During his time playing rugby for the UK, he was a two-time captain leading the Wildcats to back-to-back winning seasons. Upon graduating in 2002 with a  B.A. in finance he began playing for the Lexington Blackstones where he helped lead them to a national ranking in 2009, falling just short of a National Championship.  Coach Anderson joined the University of Kentucky coaching staff in 2012 as an assistant coach under the guidance of Tony Vince. In 2016 he was named the head coach, during his time as the helm Coach, Anderson lead the UK to three SEC Championships, and two National Final 4 appearances, and was named SEC coach of the year 3 times. In 2022 Coach Anderson moved into the position of Director of Rugby, his role with the program covers a wide swath including, mentoring, fundraising, recruiting, and coaching. In addition to working with the UK, Coach Anderson is on the staff of the U18 Panther Academy as well as the EIRA Rugby Program.

Assistant Coach Backs

Emilio Betanzo

He grew up in Chile and played Rugby from ages six to twenty-one, mostly as a full-back and fly-half. Decided to come to the US for college and played rugby for Arkansas State university until his junior year. He graduated in 2018 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is a USAW Level 1 Olympic weightlifting Coach, and trains in the Olympic lifts. He has been involved with UK rugby since February of 2022, helping with the back line as well as strength and conditioning. 

Assistant Coach Forwards

Henry Johnson

Henry is a UK grad (class of 2021) hailing from Wisconsin, where he was a 4 time Badger Selects hooker. A member of the 2017 and 2018 SEC championship squads, he now splits his time between coaching the set piece for UK and propping for the Lexington Blackstones. He emphasizes technical excellence and loves to tell players to “Be a problem.”

Assistant Coach Backs & 7’s

Vince Gross

Coach Gross Vince began playing rugby for the University of Kentucky in 2000 after spending two years wrestling and playing collegiate soccer.  After college he continued his rugby career with the Lexington Blackstones, who he captioned and represented on several local Union and Territorial select sides, playing both fifteens and sevens.  Coach Gross’s heads up the 7’s program with the assistance of Jan Debeer and Scott Tungay.

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Schedule

8/26 @ Rio Grande

9/2 @ Marian

9/16 @ Clemson

9/23 Alabama

9/30 @ Kennesaw St

10/14 @ Georgia

10/21 South Carolina

11/4 @ SEC Playoffs

11/11 @ SEC Championship

11/18 National Final Four

Home games are played at UK Rugby Field at 700 Jerry Claiborne Way Lexington, Kentucky 40502