Question
Is there US rugby teams and if so when do they play? I was also wondering if there was like a rugby world cup or a national game.
Answer
Yes the United States does have a National Team, they're called the Eagles. It's set up for Men, Women who play Club side (Adults), Under 23 Women, Under 19 (Men and Women) and Under 17 Men. All of these Eagle teams are under the guidance of Jack Clark, USA Rugby Eagles Manager and all have specific coaches who scout, recruit, invite and work these men and women into the program. Also as coaches of high schools, college and club sides we're all set up to follow a National Coaching program that way if a player is selected to try out for the National Team, they have the fundamentals in place to compete.
The Eagles have many different schedules, depending on who you want to see and where you're located in the country. For an USA Eagles schedule you can look to usarugby.org, right now there are no games scheduled because of the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
This is held every 4 years and starts in September of this year and will be held in France. The Eagles (Men) will be competing in their 4th Rugby World Cup (this is the 6th World Cup Competition) and open against England on 9/8/07.
Previous Rugby World Cup Champions have been: New Zealand, Australia (twice), South Africa and England.
Question
I’ve heard about Rugby and I’ve just almost done with my freshman year in college and want to try the game out. Is there still time for me to play this year?
Mike Adams, Los Angeles, CA
Answer
Unfortunately there isn’t time for you to play this season. Most of the college and university teams are completing their seasons and either they’re done or gearing up for playoffs or championships. This doesn’t mean there’s no hope for you. There are a lot of Men’s club sides that are still playing Rugby that you could still go out and have a run with. Or during the summer look up a Men’s (or Women’s) club and go out and have a run with them. A lot of these clubs play what we call 7’s, this is Rugby except there are only 7 players on the field for both teams. You may not make their A team, but look at the fun and experience you’ll get from these players and coaches. That way when you go back to school and walk on to the Rugby Practice pitch, you’ll have knowledge of how to pass the ball and some of the basics in which to play. I tell all my players to go out, find and play with their local Rugby club during their summer breaks. This accomplishes a number of things:
- They continue to work on their passing skills.
- They maintain their fitness levels.
- They gain more experience from listening and learning from more experienced players and other coaches.
- They can have some fun playing Rugby with people who love a game so much that they play Rugby almost year round.
Question
At my college, the team is recruiting players for the upcoming season
and I’m thinking about joining. But I have a few questions.
1.What kind of physical demands must a Rugby Player meet?
2.Just how rough is rugby? Are serious injuries likely?
3.Basically, do you think it would be a good idea for me to play?
Tom Roseman, Dallas, TX
Answer
You’ll never know how much fun rugby can be (on and off the pitch!)
until you try, even if you have to spend a while learning the finer
points of the game. As a sporting experience, I would recommend the
game to everyone. It is a tough sport, but if played properly and at
the appropriate level, not dangerous. As the old saying goes “crossing
the road is dangerous”. Implies, everything has associated risks, but
they need to be evaluated in proportion. Two moments that will bring
you back to Rugby:
- Scoring your first Try, imagine working against your opposite
number (your opponent) for a number of minutes, supporting your
team-mates and finding the open space. Your team-mate feeds you the
ball and off you go, crossing the goal line and grounding the ball.
The Referee running right next to you, blowing his whistle and saying
Try Scored, I still remember when, where and how I scored my first
Try. It’s like your first love, you’ll never forget.
- The
other is that the contact is fun, Try it and see: when you get the
opportunity to make your first tackle, you’ll line up the player, get
your body in position (you’ll be taught this) and then make the
tackle: Don’t be passive or go half-hearted (that’s how people get
hurt) and visualize driving the player back where he or she came from…
it’s the best feeling.
Like any sport, you’ll be challenged physically to be strong, quick,
agile and need to have high levels of anaerobic endurance. If you have
a good strength base and moderate endurance levels, then you sound like
you have the makings of a Rugby Player.You don’t need to be big in
height or stature, your coach will help you find a position to play and
will teach you things you’ll need to know to play the game. One of my
best team mates was only 5’ 6” tall played Scrum Half, he learned from
the older players and knew how to work his Forwards to maximize our
abilities during a match.
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