The Wake

With words scrum, ruck, maul and try used to describe various parts of the game, it is easy to notice that Rugby is a foreign game. Originally an English sport, there are 15 players on the field from each team during the game. The equipment is rugged and the game is played without pads, but mouth guards are worn to protect costly dental work. Due to the lack of pads, injuries occur frequently ranging from concussions to broken bones. This fascinating sport is offered at the club level at the “U.”

The “U’s” rugby team is composed of hard-hitting, beer-guzzling crazy asses. This group is not pampered with scholarships and each player must pay $75 per semester in order to play.

The coach, Lauren Lemke, doesn’t get paid and must pay out of pocket for some team expenses. Unlike varsity sports, funding for club sports does not cover all the necessary costs. Ends are not met with this meager amount.

Rugby has two seasons, fall and spring. The fall season matters more and is taken very seriously. The team practices three times a week during the fall season, for a total of six hours per week. The practices are intense and include conditioning and drills two nights of the week.

On Fridays, the team has a walk-through before Saturday games. Andy Belling, a sophomore on the team, talked about players’ credit-loads. “To be eligible to play, you need to be taking at least 12 credits,” he said. This was shocking to find, since many athletes at the varsity level usually don’t take that amount of credits during the season. This schedule puts extra pressure on these athletes’ sore shoulders.

During the fall season, the team plays two vital league games. This past fall, the Minnesota rugby team played the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse in their two league matches and won both, which advanced them to the Midwest Final Four tournament held at Purdue University.

In addition to playing the league games, the team competes in roughly eight additional games. Also, the team competes in tournaments during the fall. When asked about the competitive nature of the game, Belling answered, “rugby is a gentlemen’s sport meaning that you beat the shit out of the other team on the field, but after the game you socialize together.”

The Minnesota team finally arrived at Purdue, after an extensive road trip by van. Ordinarily the trip wouldn’t be too bad, but when traveling for a collegiate athletics team, one would think the traveling accommodations would be a little better. The team won one of two games at the tournament and qualified for the national competition in California.

The chance to play in the national tournament was a great achievement, but required even more work and time out of each player. Since the under-funded club needs to cover the cost of flights for 30 players, fundraising is a necessity. The team has done a variety of activities in order to raise the money. The activities include cleaning the Sports Pavilion after events and working at the Excel Energy Center concessions stands. In addition, the team has received donations from alumni.

The fundraising efforts will payoff for these young men as they head to sunny California in mid-April for the tournament, where they are the 16th seed. They expect to play the University of California – Berkeley, who will most likely be the number one seed.

Rules of the game

The rules of rugby are quite confusing to the average person, but the game is more or less a combination of soccer and football. The game begins with a kickoff, which allows one team the initial possession. From there, the teams can only pass the ball backward, similar to the backwards lateral in football.

There is also an offsides penalty, which is called when the defensive backs are in front of the last people in the scrum. The scrum occurs when both teams are vying for control of the ball in strange, chaotic formations. When the ball goes out of bounds, there is a line out which is similar to a throw-in during a soccer game. Tackling is allowed from shoulders to the ankles, but if a player is on the ground, they are considered part of the ground.

Once a team has scored what is similar to a touchdown, they receive five points. This is considered a try. Whichever side of the field the try is scored on, the team attempts a conversion on the same side of the field from any distance in back of the end line for two points. The conversion is like an extra point.

Also included in the scoring of rugby is a post, which is worth three points and is attempted after a penalty if it is within range. The post can either be dropkicked or kicked off of a tee. It can also be attempted during play if there is a clear kicking lane. The ball must cross between the uprights during a post and on a conversion. After scoring, the team that scored receives the ball again on a kickoff, which is backward in terms of soccer and football.

This fascinating game can be enjoyed this spring when the rugby team takes the field in late February. If you are interested in joining the rugby team here at the “U,” feel free to contact Andy Belling via email at bell0355@umn.edu.