So I was recently recruited to join the grad student rugby team at my university. They actually seem to take it pretty seriously--it's well organized and we host several tournaments for other universities each year. I'm really excited about it. The thing is, I haven't ever played before. Mind you, I'm pretty familiar with the game as a spectator; I've always been interested in playing but never had a chance. I'm sure there are rugby players out there in the BigSoccer universe who might be willing to offer a newbie some advice! I'm wondering if people have tips on how best to pick up the game, what position I should look to play (I'm not particularly big, so I'm thinking some sort of back?), etc. Heck, I'm not even sure what boots or other equipment to buy! The season starts in late August, so I'd also be grateful to hear about any tips for how best to train over the summer. If anyone has thoughts/advice/suggestions, I'm more than happy to hear them! NB: "Dude, you're gonna get hurt!" does not count as advice.
Right. First off, welcome to the community that is rugby. Best sport in the world I'd say and one of the only with a true brethren spirit. Position - don't worry about that, your coach will probably decide on one for you. Depends how your good your handling and kicking are, and whether you have good vision. Fitness - Rugby is an anaerobic sport with strong emphasis on core strength and the ability to work at very high levels of exertion for short periods of time. In other words, get off the treadmill unless you're doing basic cardiovascular work (I do this stuff because I'm a prop and need to lose weight, but if you're fit you shouldn't so much). I would look at investing in a gym membership and doing lots of squats, deadlifts and working on rowing machines. It's an 80 minute game but the reality is the ball is in play for less than half of that, so what you will be doing is running hard for 120 seconds, get a quick breather for a scrum, run hard for 90 seconds, lineout, run hard for 150 seconds, try, etc etc. Equipment - invest in a good pair of boots which should last a season or two (depends - I know some guys who wear their boots out in a season while I personally seem to be easy on my boots, as mine last two or sometimes even three with little wear). IMO Canterbury and Kooga are the best brands (I personally wear only Cantys). Personally I'd hold off on buying these for a few weeks/months, because a quick search of some of the top US rugby shops seems to reveal that these boots are a little hard to find either because of the exchange rate, Canty offering a new line soon, or both. Optimally you'll want 8-stud screw in boots for traction. Buy black, don't be one of those show ponies who wears white or colored, we like hitting them the best. Also buy good rugby shorts, at least one practice jersey and some socks. A mouthguard is required in all rugby matches for safety reasons. Ruggers and WorldRugbyShop are good for these things. Shoulder pads and whatnot are up to you. Don't buy mitts, they don't do anything. What else...buy a USA jersey. Don't be like those morons who wear All Blacks/Ireland/England shirts..they're the Man U fans of rugby. Wear your country's colors.
As to the injuries, I played for two seasons with my college's as an undergraduate, then for five years with my university's club when I was working on a Ph.D., and 7 more seasons with various non-university affiliated club sides. I started out in the second row and ended my career as a prop (a few matches here and there as a hooker, but those are best forgotten). In that time, I sustained two jammed fingers and a few really noticeable bruises. I saw a few broken collarbones (aka "mosquito bites" in rugger speak) and a few concussions... the great majority of those were in games against college teams where some freshman playing his first game decides to tackle someone like he did while playing high school football, and in doing so, takes a knee to the skull. Get fit, play smart, and your chances of injury can be minimized. Celtic has the conditioning right: the rowing machine is something I wish I had access to earlier, but it helped me play into my forties. If you have hills around you, sprinting up them is a good idea. And if you've never played a sport wearing a mouthpiece, get one when you start your training. Until you get used to them, they really steal your wind. Finally, there are some good links at bodybuilding.com (some links are better than others). Here's an Q & A with UC-Berkeley's strength and conditioning coach: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/md35.htm and here are all of them: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=Rugby Oh: I had to work hard at maintaining my flexibility: that' can't be overstressed, in my opinion.
Wow, thanks guys! I'm really impressed with the info. I may have a couple of follow-up questions, but I'll post them later when I have a bit more time.
This is super helpful. I'm going to start sprinting at the track and running some stadium stairs as soon as the summer starts. I lift weights all the time, but deadlifts aren't something I normally do--I know there are several different kinds; is there any one you'd recommend? I've been browsing on WorldRugbyShop, and one thing I noticed was the distinction between soft and firm ground boots. Should I pay much attention to this, or is there one I should sort of opt for by default? Also, since I'd like to avoid returning boots that don't fit right, do you know if rugby boots tend to run big or small? Hmm...never having played football (contact sports were a no-no growing up), I'm not sure I can visualize this. But I'm also the kind of moron who would break something during his first match. Can you elaborate just a bit, in the hope of safeguarding my bones? I would never have thought of this. Thanks! And the links are great too--today happens to be squats day, and I think I'll get to know my Swiss ball as well...
so i was reading the cardio workouts under the link provided. Row at a 2:20 per 500 m pace until you can do that for 40 minutes and then work it down to 2:00 per 500. wow! I can do 20 minutes at 2:17 pace, but if I even try to sniff a 2:10 pace I'm dying after 5 minutes.
Expect a broken nose. If you play for long enough at a serious level, it's usually a matter of when rather than if.
If the coach does decide to lump you into the forwards and you are going to be in the middle of a few ruck & mauls, then maybe some headgear is a worthwhile purchase? However, if you're a pretty boy back like myself, then you won't need that as if any big oaf forward gets near me- I'll kick it downfield!
Also don't fall into the trap that some rugby players do when talking to non-rugby people who learn that you play, don't indicate the game is a violence plagued, mass brawl of a brutal and life threatening tackles, fights and aggression. Your average non-rugby fan American thinks this game is essentially football without the pads. Some meathead rugby players re-inforce this stereotype by letting their ego talk about how tough they are and not how the game is actually played. Everyone of these non-rugby people have "heard of some guy, a couple of years ago, who broke his neck" in some maul or scrum. Invite them to a game, tell them when played properly its a spectacular game and not one step above a primedal riot. Its a hard game but not an out of control one. You will see your teamates do exactly the above from time to time, basically trying to impress some girl into bed by thinking this guy is one step away from being the world sh*tkicking champ.
The scrum cap is the international sign of **********dom. A scrum cap on a back is the intergalaxay sign of **********dom. You have no idea how much fun it is to hit a back who wears a scrum cap - you've basically guaranteed yourself they won't play well for the rest of the game, as they'll be too busy icing down their bruised vajayjay.
I've been playing off and on for almost 20 years and have never broken my nose. Then again, I also tore both my ACLs playing rugby, so there you go. The best advice I got when I first started playing, and at the time I knew almost nothing about the game, was just to do everything full speed - even if you make mistakes. A lot of mistakes or lack of knowledge or whatever can be covered up by just going all out.