Australian Rugby?!?

After my Bike Ride on Monday, the 7th I was about as exhausted as I have ever been (well...excepting Two-a-Day practices for football). I had already committed to another event that night, however--rugby practice.

Most of you know that I played quite a bit of Rugby while at university. I really love the game of rugby, as it blends many of my favorite elements of several different games. I thought it would be interesting to get involved with a rugby club here in Australia to fool around, blow some steam, and see how a culture that actually liked rugby approached the sport (Americans have never been too fond of it in our Football dominated world). Upon arriving though, I struggled to find anybody at all who liked, much less played the sport. Apparently in South Australia, Rugby is not so big a deal either. They prefer the Aussie Rules Football I described in my blog before (which is understandable, as it is a great game). They tell me that Rugby is bigger in other states, like New South Wales (where Sydney is), but not in the "Footy" dominated South Australia. Even there, a lot of people prefer Rugby League over the far superior Rugby Union (that I played in the US). Go figure! I finally found two boys at my Church, twins, who played for the local north-east district rugby club (NEDS). They invited me to a practice and I made arrangements to go with them to see what it was like here in Australia.

NEDS is an interesting club (playing Union rugby and not League). As I have stated previously, a lot of sports in Australia are done through local clubs rather than at schools and universities. As such, NEDS has programs for small children all the way up to the seniors (over 18). I, of course, count as a senior (which makes me feel old). I like the structure of teaching young kids the game and letting them grow through the ranks. It really helps to build a community I think.

The actual practice went well. I didn't bring my rugby cleats with me to Australia (for obvious packing reasons) and so I made some terrible slips and embarassing falls, but I had an unbelievably good time. I really do love playing Rugby and the practices reminded me of the how long it had been since I last played (the previous fall). It is good to just get out, throw around the ball, hit somebody hard, get hit, etc. I loved it. The coach of the senior team is a female (and a strong-willed one at that). I reckon she does an amazing job as their coach. The guys on the team range from super-fit kids barely over 18 to fat, balding men in the 40s. It is actually fun to play in such an environment. Everybody brings an interesting perspective to the game and,with the varied ages, it feels like a small community in itself. That having been said, even though I lack a lot of experience in the game, I would probably be one of the better players on the squad were I to play on the team. I am more in shape than a lot of the old guys (which is saying something, as I am hardly in shape) and I have a fair bit of experience. Some of the players have never played before (again, Rugby is not as popular here as I had thought it would be) and others are struggling with even the basics. The team is also very small. As of yet, I have not seen a full senior squad. It reminds me of the Hillsale team I helped start originally, small and struggling.

The practice went well and to date I have been able to practice twice. It is not a high priority of mine while I am here and it seems that is fine with the coaches who are just happy to have another person in drills. I wouldn't mind actually playing on the squad in games, but I have to figure out the logistics of how that would work (insurance, how it fits into my schedule, fees, etc.). I feel that, in the end, I will just have to walk away and say there are more important things to do here than play Rugby. This is sad though, as I really do love the game and I had a blast at the practice. As odd as it sounds, it makes me feel at home.

Either way, it was interesting to see the differences between Rugby here and Rugby abroad. It will be more interesting to see if I actually get to play a game.

More later on that.

In Christ,

Chris