Rugby Update

For the first time in three years I am playing rugby competitively. I played throughout high school and in my senior year ended up captaining the squad, although that was probably due to the overall inexperience of the rest of the players, and probably not due to my leadership or rugby skills.

A quick rugby explanation for all my reader. Rugby consists of 15 players per side - 7 backs and 8 forwards.

The backs are usually assigned as follows:

Back 3 - Right Wing, Left Wing, Fullback: Usually the fastest players on the side, responsible for returning kicks and known for finishing tries.

Centers - Inside Center and Outside Center: Big, hard runners who can make a pass, run straight and hard, and tackle well. The inside center is similar to a full back in Football and the outside center is more like a tail back.

Fly Half - Quarterback of the team: he decides which plays to run and who should get the ball. He is also usually the best passer (along with the Scrum Half) and best kicker on the team.

Scrum Half - Usually the smallest, scrappiest player on the team. He is a very strong passer and is the link between the forwards and the backs.

The forwards are assigned as follows:

Front row - Loosehead and Tighthead Props, Hooker: These guys are the first row in the scrum. The hooker is the person who hooks the ball back into his side with his foot when the ball is tossed in to the scrum. The props are usually the biggest guys on the team and are used for their crashing and mass (Lineman in football)

Second Row - Locks: These players are strong tacklers and runners and usually the tallest two fellows on the pitch. They are the ones that are hoisted into the air during lineouts.

Flankers: The best tacklers on the team - think of them as line backers in football.

8: The back of the scrum. He controls the ball with his foot and must be able to run like a back but hit like a forward. One of the busier players during the game.

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Alright, in my early high school rugby days I played on the wing which tends to be where many teams put new players to learn the game. You don't get very much action out there but it is a critical position if the team can move the ball around. Later that year and for the next couple years I played in the centers and enjoyed that position immensely as you get a lot of passes but you tend to get hit really hard really often. In my final year I played Fly Half which was a lot of pressure but a lot of fun. Our team really sucked that year so there wasn't that much pressure. This year I'm playing out on the wing again mainly, but I've played a couple of games at fullback as well. This league offers a much more competitive game than what I played in high school, mainly made up of university players and wiley veterans.

I've played about 7 games with the club and we aren't doing very well (2-5) but we are starting to come together as a team. The club has 4 teams - Waterloo County 1, Waterloo County 2, Cambridge Pirates, Kitchener Knaves. We all practice together, but are in different leagues. WC1 and WC2 are in the Ontario Rugby Union Keenan I and II leagues respectively (one and two leagues beneath the Ontario premiership). Cambridge and Kitchener play in Niagara Rugby Union A and B respectively which are competitive leagues but not as tough as the ORU league. I play for the Pirates and absolutely love the group of guys we play with. Good attitudes, tough players, and they love to party after the games. The reason we aren't doing so well is because the other teams in the NRU A put their first team out every week. We tend to get the second and third string players from the club since the first string players and lots of second string players all play for Waterloo County. However, another year as a group and we'll be much more competitive.
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There are so many reasons I'm attracted to this game:

1. You get to do everything! Play smashmouth and knock some lights out or play with finesse and precision. Every player on the pitch gets to tackle, kick, pass, and run. In football you have one job and you probably don't get involved in most of the game play.

2. You can play as long as you are able. Similar to hockey, soccer, and slo-pitch, there are plenty of men's leagues around the country and there is no age limit. Many places also have old-timers leagues that you can play in if you're over 40.

3. Sportsmanship. You pound some guy's face into the mud all game and then he buys you a beer after the match. The so-called "third half" is the beer up that always takes place after the match and it is mandatory. Lots of chugging competitions and sing-a-longs.

4. Culture. Due to its origins in England, the rugby culture feels very British. And its a nice change of pace. The field is called the pitch, your cleats are called boots, your uniform is called your kit, out of bounds is called "into touch", a game is called a match, speed is called pace, and so on.

5. Fitness. Rugby is more running than any other sport I can think of. It's very sprint/stop with a lot of physical contact which keeps its players in really good cardiovascular shape as well as keeping overall strength and speed up.

Anyways, we have about 3 more matches left this season and then I can finally heal for a while. Anyways, hopefully that is the last self indulgent post that comes up here. More insight next time.