Americans Playing Rugby

One of the most popular sports in England (aside from football, or for you Americans, soccer) is rugby. It is a sport I had always heard about but never actually seen played. The base where Bill works has a team that started the year before we moved to England. They are called the Molesworth Maulers and they play against other rugby clubs in the surrounding communities.

The season for rugby is very long, starting in September and lasting until May. The first game of the season was a beautiful day in September 2010. The Maulers do not have a home pitch (field) so we are always the visiting team. The team meets on base prior to the match and caravan to opposing team's pitch.

I had no idea what to expect that first game and did not trouble myself to actually learn any of the rules. This proved for a very confusing initial experience. I decided that rugby seems to be a combination of 3 sports.

Soccer,


American Football,

And Cheerleading.

This is by far, the MOST brutal sport I've ever seen played. Rugby players are tougher than any American football player. These guys tackle, push, and kick one another without any padding or helmets!!!

After the first match, Bill came off the pitch with the biggest smile on his face and proclaimed, "That was AWESOME!!" That was it and he was hooked. Bill immersed himself in learning about the game. He read books and recorded professional matches to watch so he could learn the intricacies of the game. We recently learned that Bill will be the new coach for the Maulers next season (as well as continue to play).

This picture below is Bill scoring his first "try" for 5 points.

This picture below is a "scrum". You can see Bill on the blue team crouched down low on the left side. Both teams meet (ahem, crash into one another) to compete for the ball that is placed inside as a way to restart the game after an infraction has occurred. If I were on the other team, I'd be scared to face Bill in this formation!!

In January, 2011, Bill's team had the opportunity to have a practice with the coaches of the Northampton Saints, a professional rugby team about an hour away from where we live. It was a great experience for the guys and lead to their first win EVER as a team the following weekend! We were all invited to attend the game that evening as the Saints took on Edinburgh and it was so cool!! The energy of the crowd was unreal. We struggled to follow along with the songs, chants and cheers of the other fans, but were able to join in by the second half of the match.

Saint's scoring their final try of the game.

Saints in a scrum vs. Edinburgh.
They won the game!!

The Rugby season continues for Bill and the Maulers. They are still learning the game and playing hard each week. All and all they are having a great time and having an opportunity to engage in important part of British culture, RUGBY!!!