USA vs France Rugby, July 3, 2004, by Kurral Ochwat

From MemoryArchive

Who: Kurran Ochwat
What: USA vs France Rugby match
When: July 3, 2004
Where: Hartford, Connecticut

Growing up I played youth and high school football but knew nothing about rugby. My high school had a rugby team but I never saw them play. Rugby was not big in the 1990s but most schools in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohiohad club teams. After high school, a quick stint in the military and 2 years at The Ohio State UniversityI transferred to American University.Having gone to large university it was quite hard to make the transition into my new school. A buddy of mine who convinced me to transfer to American suggested that I join the rugby team. Overall, the team was a pretty good bunch of guys and it would give me something to do throughout the week besides working out and studying. I arrived in the summer and caught up with some of the rugby guys who stayed behind in Washington, DC during the break. I told them that I had no experience in playing rugby but seen a little on television. They told me that the majority of the team never played rugby before and that all you needed was an aggressive attitude and toughness. I knew that I would have no problem but was wondering where we would get enough players for a full team. The guys at American University tend to be on the un-athletic side of the fence. My coach suggested that we make a trip up to Connecticut and watch the USA Eaglesplay the French team. We drove up to Hartford, Connecticuton July 3, 2004 to watch the Eagles play France. With a little finesse I was able to concoct a story with some of coordinators of the match and convince them that I wrote for American University’s newspaper. We received two press passes and we were able to watch the game right on the field. My first experience was watching the best rugby players in the United States play the best rugby players from France. I have seen Ohio State footballgames and the sizes of those players. Rugby players tend to be the same size but do not play with pads. The sheer force that these guys would hit each other in full sprint almost deterred me from playing. But my coach, who was with me on the sidelines, told me not to worry, most of the kids in our league were nowhere near the size of these professional players. I was not all that shocked considering where I went to school. The game was very intense and afterwards I was able to interview the captain of each team. I asked a few pointless questions and then asked them to pose for our school newspaper. I now prefer watching rugby games over football. Rugby is played at a much faster pace and the players don’t hide behind padding.