Is
this Football?
Texas is a football state
– is now and always will be. I love the game, coach the game, and
will always be a fan. Because I have been involved with it for so
many years I have come to appreciate why Texans love the game so
much. Their love is based on the physical nature of the game –
hard-hitting, running, and blocking – a tough game for tough
people. Sadly, Texas high school football fans have no football to
watch after December and the start of the next season– that is
until now. Welcome to the world of rugby football, a sport
full of action and physical contact, in short, a game that was meant
for Texas and one Texans are going to fall in love with – football
in the fall and rugby football in the spring, a sports fans dream!
Short
History of High School Rugby in Houston
High School rugby got its
start in Houston in the mid-1970s with a Memorial High School team.
Unfortunately, the team did not have much of a run, as there were no
other high school teams to play. Throughout the 1980s there was
very little organized youth rugby and it stayed that way into the
early 1990s. It was during this period that Lowell Locke (St.
Ambrose School) began a youth touch league with various parochial
schools. Over time the league expanded to include the Woodlands and
Spring (I coached both the boys and girls teams at Twin Creeks during
this era). The growth of youth rugby led to a renewed interest in
tackle rugby for high school. In 1998, the Texas Rugby Union began
high school rugby with the following teams in the league: Austin Area
Schools, South Grand Prairie (Dallas), Dallas Jesuit, and Bishop
Lynch (Dallas). St. Thomas was the first Houston area team to join
the new league, which it did in 1999. Since its inception TRU high
school rugby has expanded to 18 teams, with more being added each
year. The competition concludes every year with the TRU State
Championships and the top three team then advance to the Western
competition (usually held in Fort Worth). The top three teams
qualify for Nationals (venue changes every year). Last year the Katy
Barbarians placed third in the nation, which was a magnificent
effort.
The
Game
Rugby is essentially a
combination of football, basketball, and soccer. It is a tackle
sport played without pads – it is extremely fast paced with a great
deal of skill required (passing, kicking, and tackling) and all
players need to be in tremendous shape as high school rugby plays 35
minute halves with no timeouts and a 10 minute halftime. Players
score by placing the ball down in the in-goal (end zone) – this is
good for 5 points. The conversion kick is worth 2 points. Penalty
kicks and drop goals are worth 3 points. More on all of this in
future entries.
A
Chance to See the Game Up Close
To really understand the
game you need to see it and once you watch a match you will be
hooked. You have a wonderful opportunity to see some great rugby in
Houston as the TRU Championships will be held in Katy this year
(April 14-15). St. Thomas goes into the championships as the number
one seed in the South (they play Dallas Jesuit in the first game).
The other semi-final has Alliance (Dallas area) against Austin. I
guarantee you will see some great rugby!
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