That’s right, I said it! You’re S-O-F-T… SOFT! Rugby should be a much bigger sport in America than it is, but just like we've seen with soccer in recent years, rugby is surely and slowly becoming a more recognized sport in The U S of A. I personally love rugby; one of my only regrets in life is not playing on the college rugby team when offered an opportunity to play. That’s another story though.
The game of rugby, for those that don’t know, is a very physical and gritty sport. It is most popular in countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland, all countries known for kicking back, getting drunk and then beating the heck out of one another. To draw parallels to the sport in an American way, the game is a combination of American football, wrestling, soccer (without the flopping), and a good ole fashioned game of keep away all in one. How can you not absolutely love this sport? It’s the best. I’m actually guilty of waking up in the wee hours of the morning to catch Australian Rugby matches from time to time. I’m even the proud owner of a rugby ball!
I was elated when during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games they announced Rugby (7’s, 7 people playing on the field) would be added to the games. Due to it’s growing popularity around the world, it only seemed right that a truly physical and demanding sport like rugby takes its place among other less physically demanding and quite head scratching sports like Table Tennis, Equestrian (the horse does all the work! But this will be a different blog), Synchronized Swimming, and Trampoline to name a few.
This year in the 2020 (taking place in 2021) Tokyo Olympics, Team U.S.A. came into the games with something to prove. Team U.S.A won a buzzer beater against Team Kenya, then in their next match won yet another buzzer beater due to basically a full field rush by Madison Hughes to seal the victory in the last seconds to defeat Team Ireland.
Then alas, Team USA’s time came to a heart wrenching end when they faced their Revolutionary War rivals Team Great Britain. Team USA was up 21-0 almost the entire match and then, just like that, Team Great Britain put up 26 unanswered points to send Team USA packing. Don’t worry though; Team Great Britain met their maker in the form of Team New Zealand to send New Zealand to the Gold Medal match.
I haven’t even discussed Team Argentina and Team Fiji (currently playing as I type this) who are in a 14-12 game in favor of Team Argentina as we head into the second half. Team Argentina actually only played with 6 people (you need 7) in their match against Team South Africa; in what other Olympic sport are they doing that? Certainly not basketball, and definitely not 3x3 basketball.
To me Rugby is the ultimate Olympic sport as it contains a multitude of different sports that are akin to popular American games. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Rugby takes over the world in the next decade. So, I’m calling it now: rugby is the sport of the future, and it’s certainly the sport of the present as far as the Olympics go. With it’s team comradery and just true passion it’s hard not to enjoy it, even if you have zero idea what’s going on. I mean these guys are literally going to war with a lot less padding than what football players wear. It’s up tempo and there are not a ton of breaks. All gas, no brakes as I like to say. Then, when the dust settles and the air clears, don’t be surprised to see the teams share a pint of beer as a sign of respect and brotherhood.
If you haven't watched it yet, watch the clips on YouTube and get caught up and join the Rugby bandwagon. It’s not gonna disappoint. To catch the Gold Medal match, just try and peep in and out of the Olympic Games this Wednesday when you get time. If you miss the men’s rugby, that’s fine because they also have women’s rugby and it hasn’t started yet! So, you have zero excuse to not watch Olympic Rugby!
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