Finney has been playing the game for 40 years and is in no hurry to give up the sport where, on occasion, a player can end up with a mouth full of grass in place of teeth.

"I love the raw physicality of the game," Finney said. "Head-on tackles without pads ... the herd running at full speed to annihilate the ball carrier ... it's all good."

Finney is a member of the Hawai'i Harlequins, the state's oldest rugby team. He also is one of many men older than 40 who play the sport.

Earlier this month, the Harlequins hosted an international tournament with teams from the Mainland, Canada, New Zealand and Samoa.

Since 1973, the three-day tournament allows for one game where the Hawai'i Old Boys squad participates against another visiting 40-and-older team.

This year, the Hawai'i Old Boys beat a combined team from British Columbia, 40-25.

Rugby is named after its birthplace, Rugby, England, where the sport was born in 1823.

"Rumor has it that a player during a soccer match picked up the ball and started running until someone tackled him. From that point on rugby evolved into what it is today," said Robin Graf, 47, general manager of the Waikiki Parc Hotel.

American football is an offshoot of the sport.

The playing field is called a "pitch," and it is wider (70 meters) and longer (100 meters) than an American football field.

American football, though, inherited some of rugby's scoring methods and terminology. To score in rugby, a player must physically touch the ball down past an opposing goal line, called a try worth five points. After scoring a try, a player is selected to kick the ball between the goal posts (worth two points).

The ball is advanced by running or kicking it forward. The only passing allowed is to a teammate who is even with or behind the ball carrier. If a ball is passed forward, possession is given to the opposing team.

Tackling above the shoulders is not allowed, and only a player carrying the ball may be tackled. Downfield blocking is forbidden. The game is played in two 40-minute halves, with no stoppage of play, unless a serious injury occurs.

Considering the bloody reputation of the sport, and with little protective gear allowed, why would one want to play rugby?

"You learn to tackle very differently in rugby as you have no helmet or shoulder pads," said Kevin Sturm, 44, an engineer at Pearl Harbor.

Despite having had his nose, fingers, and ribs broken, Sturm said he still loves the sport.

Graf also professes his passion for the sport, which he started playing in college.

"I fell in love with the sport, the camaraderie of the players ... and of course the parties were legendary," he said.

Ulu Lomu echoes Graf's sentiments on the camaraderie.

"It's a fun sport. When you play the game, you build strong bonds of friendship," said Lomu, a 47-year-old property manager from Kailua.

Considering the physical demands of the game, and the players' ages, staying in shape is key.

Graf said that he surfs and plays basketball to stay fit, but he no longer trains for rugby as he did in his younger years.

Lomu, who started playing rugby in Tonga at the age of 8, now plays once a year in the "Old Boys" game, and stays fit by playing soccer and basketball.

"When you stay fit, you tend to avoid injury," he said.

Still, there are sometimes a shortage of players, which is why "youngsters" John MacGregor, 36, and Eric Finney, 32, the son of John Finney, played for the Old Boys against the Canadian squad.

While the Old Boys don't get together and play on a regular basis, their passion for the game has not waned.