Rugby!

Twin Falls started their first rugby club team ever.  

Rugby is a rough, injury laden game so of course Dallin and Landon have been in on it from the start.  I'm not too sure about having these boys play in a sport that requires the purchase of supplemental health insurance as part of the league fees...

Last week they played a team from Idaho Falls and the week before a team from Capitol high school in Boise.  Most of the teams in Idaho are fledgling teams that are still learning the rules so the referees teach as much as anything.  Last week they had a ref that is the head coach for the team at Idaho State University. 

Rustin and I totally don't get what the game is all about yet--scrums, rucks, tries... 

Scrum--
One  team throws the ball in and each team  wraps their arms around each other's shoulders and sort of lifts their hook up off the ground so he can kick the ball behind him to his teammate. The scrum half then picks up the ball and throws it to the backs who run...  

Scrum

Ruck--
blue team is fighting (and losing) to get control of the ball on the ground.  Teammates push the pile until they are over the ball so another teammate can come in from behind and pick up the ball. No one in the ruck can pick up the ball.  It's really just an organized dog-pile-sort-of-scuffle to regain control of the ball after someone is tackled.

The uniforms are pretty cool and they have some fun traditions.   

The teams bring each other "presents." They will give the 'player of the game' from the opposite team a tee shirt or a pair of shorts or some other useful item.  

The players in this league are very sportsman-like and compliment each other liberally both during and after the game.  

Rugby is kind of like a super fast paced football game with running more like soccer and a big dog pile whenever someone loses the ball.  And unlike football, anyone can carry the ball which is fun for Dallin and Landon since they are strapped to the line in football.  

 Dallin gets the ball. 

 He is surrounded by guys ahead.  

Landon calls for the ball so Dallin passes it back (all passes go backwards...) 

 

 Landon gets the ball, breaks through a 

couple of tackles,

 And scores a try (sets the ball down in the end zone.)!

We are pretty sure Dallin re-cracked a rib that was originally injured in wrestling but it isn't too bad. Thankfully no one has needed this!