RECREATION
Rugby fast, tongue-tying
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| Kaz Futawatari throws a dive pass during an HPU practice.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
By Casey McGuire-Turcotte
Special to The Advertiser
For those who have never done a "knock on" on a "pitch," scored a "try," or huddled in a "scrum," welcome to the hard-hitting and lingo-heavy world of rugby.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Although Western Europe remains a hotbed for the sport, high school and club teams in the Pacific, specifically Tonga and Hawai'i, have started to gain recognition in rugby circles.
Francois Seneca gets a boost from teammates Andrew Ames (4) and Nic Gioffre, rear, during a Hawai'i Pacific University rugby team practice.
Structurally like soccer and physically like football, rugby "fixtures" (games) are played on a "pitch" (field) about the size of a football field. Teams are made up of 15 players, each with a specific position and duty.
There are eight forwards who concentrate on winning possession of the ball and scoring, much like forwards and halfbacks in soccer.
The remaining seven players are backs, whose primary job is advancing the ball up the field to the forwards.
The oval rugby ball, which is a bit bigger than a football, but with no laces, is moved by either kicking or throwing. Forward passes are illegal, and the only protective gear is a mouth piece.
Andrew Shelling, president of the rugby club at Hawai'i Pacific University, began playing rugby at age 7 with a club team in his native New Zealand.
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At 16, he suffered a severe injury during a game that left him paralyzed for two weeks. Despite the injury, he still is a proponent of the sport, and he says pain is very much a part of the game.
Andrew Shelling, president of the rugby club at Hawai'i Pacific University, began playing rugby at age 7.
"Most of the guys who come out for the team are people who couldn't make the football team, but really wanted the physical contact of the sport," Shelling said. "We show a video of the games when people first sign up so they can see what they are getting into. Some of them don't come back."
Scoring in rugby can happen in three ways: a "try" (like a touchdown) is worth five points, a point-after kick is worth two points, and a "drop goal" (like a field goal) is worth three points.
Shelling said there are about nine club teams on O'ahu, including the Hawai'i Harlequins, Brigham Young-Hawai'i, and two military teams.
The HPU team is made up of students from HPU and the University of Hawai'i. None of the Hawai'i colleges has official rugby squads.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
According to a recent NCAA study, college club teams are among the fastest growing groups in the country. There are now more than 500 Division I and II varsity rugby programs in the United States.
Members of the Hawai'i Pacific University rugby team form a scrum. Top, from left, Alika Reppun, John Agah and Andrew Ames. Bottom, from left, Scott Thompson, Francois Seneca, Charles Sweeney and Nic Gioffre.
Several local high schools have started rugby programs recently.
Hawai'i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island has fielded a club team since 1997. Head coach Bill Davis played rugby with several California select high school teams and for the University of Colorado-Boulder before bringing the game to Waimea.
"The first year, we had about six kids. No one really knew what it was," Davis said. "We have about 30 members, mostly high school kids from HPA, Honoka'a, Parker School and from the community."
The HPA team, which calls itself "Big Island Rugby," has traveled to tournaments in Hong Kong and Canada, and will compete in New Zealand during spring break.
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• Binding: The careful method in which players grip and grasp each other to form a secure scrum, ruck or maul. This is a critical skill to ensure the safety of players. • Charge down: The blocking of a kick by an opposing player. • Drop goal: A kick at the posts taken at any time a side is close to its own try line. If successful, it scores three points, but the ball must hit the ground before being kicked. • Feed: The rolling of the ball into the scrum by the scrumhalf. Must be straight down the tunnel. • Garryowen: A tactical kick that is popped very high and shallow, allowing the kicker and supporting players to easily run underneath it for recovery. Also known as an "Up and Under." • Jumper: A common name for a rugby jersey. • Knock on: Losing, dropping or knocking the ball forward from a player's hand resulting in the ball being awarded to the other team in a scrum. • Maul: Typically after a runner has come into contact and the ball is still being held by a player. The primary difference from a ruck is that the ball is not on the ground. • Pack: Another name for all the forwards, usually when they are bound for a scrum. • Pitch: The field upon which a match is played. • Ruck: Typically after a runner has come into contact and the ball has been delivered to the ground. The primary difference from a maul is that the ball is on the ground. • Scrum: The formation used in restarting play after a knock on or forward pass. A scrum can also be awarded or chosen in different circumstances by the referee. • Scrumdown: The coming together of the scrum. • Take: A well-executed catch of a kicked ball. • Try: A score resulting in five points when the ball is carried or kicked across the try line and touched down to the ground by a player. • Tunnel: The gap between the front rows in a scrum or the gap between the two lines of forwards in a lineout. • XV: A common identifier for the first 15 selected players of a club or team Terms as described by BrioMagazine. Contacts
Glossary
