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Why Rugby Is So Much Fun
You squint your eyes through the rain as you try to focus on the opponent. Pushing for the ball in the ruck, your arms are locked with your teammates to hold the enemy off. Then a rival player takes an open opportunity to claim the ball. You both go down in two inches of mud and water.
And then it’s time to make nice — at the rugby social.
“Once it’s over, it’s over,” said Becky Strum, of Amissville, whose sons Max and Caleb play for the Warrenton Wolfpack. “The kid you were just trying to run over is the one you’ll be laughing and eating hotdogs with.”
Having a social at every game is one of the many unique aspects of rugby. And being a good host is as important as knowing how to play the game.
“The social is an integral part of rugby,” said Tommy Camarca of Marshall, whose son Vito is a Wolfpack player. “Rugby is a very physical sport, but once it’s over it’s time to socialize.”
Strum and Camarca are two of several parents and coaches who pitch in to organize the meal and cook the meat of the day. Around the grill and under the awnings, teams and families from both opposing sides are welcome to mingle and partake of refreshment.
“Socials are the norm for rugby, at least at the mens’ level,” said Greg Hicks who coaches the U-13 rugby team as well as the Warrenton Wolfpack tackle football team. “I wasn’t sure what would happen at the boys’ level, but Coach Chris Russell (of the Molly’s Marauders adult team) has taken the reins with this.”
Although the Wolfpack organization is only in its second season of rugby competition, the team has tried to bring honor to a game steeped in tradition and history. With the help of an array of coaches from different parts of the world and Molly’s Marauders, the young players learn the basics of the game as well of the etiquette of rugby...
See the Friday print issue of the Fauquier Times-Democrat Weekend Edition for the complete story.
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