NAS Jax hosts training camp for tourney

The first day of training camp began with a scrimmage between the Navy players and the Jax Men's Rugby Club Nov. 8. This was followed by a week of practice sessions on a new rugby field built and maintained by the base Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department.

"Last year, we created a temporary field for the team but this one is much better and we hope it will become the permanent location for the team's annual training camps," said NAS Jax Athletic Director Tim McKinney, a former rugby player who was instrumental in bringing the training camp to the base last year. "It's wonderful having the team here again - they are a lot fun. It's great having this caliber of athletes here at NAS Jax for a sport that is growing - but is not yet as popular as American football or soccer. It's also a great recruiting tool for the Navy to show our youths what they could be doing in the Navy."

U.S. Navy rugby player Ensign James Brodtmann of VT-4, tries to maneuver around a teammate during one of the practice drills.

MWR coordinated all the logistics for the team including base lodging in the MWR cabins, transportation, meals and escorting them to the championship games.

Players participated in three training sessions each day. "We start each morning with physical fitness, then we come to the field and hold practices sessions in the morning and afternoon. The practices consist of a lot of skills training such as ball handling, line-out maneuvers, lifting techniques, situational moves, penalties and team concepts," said All-Navy Rugby Team Head Coach ACC Pat Wallace of Naval Air Technical Training Center in Pensacola.

Wallace, who has been with the team since 1995, explained the challenge of bringing a team together. "We come to camp with 32 players from all over the world and cut it down to 25. The decision is based on how players performed during the scrimmages and practice sessions - based on their actual rugby skills, ability to play and their knowledge of the game. We have a lot of great talent this year."

"Camp went really well. We are definitely excited and are really coming together as a team. We've had a couple injuries, including a broken hand, some pulled muscles and regular muscle soreness. Most of the injuries tend to come during the championship because it's such a vigorous regimen of games," explained All-Navy Rugby Team Assistant Coach ET1(SW/AW/DV) Rod Hanks from USS Boxer, homeported in San Diego.

Team members give it their all as they practice their offensive and defensive moves.

Players are selected from a pool of about 500 individuals vying for a spot on the All-Navy Rugby Team each year. Scouts based in different regions around the world help decide which players are selected to attend the training camp. Players are given no-cost, temporary additional duty orders by their commands. "Navy Sports picks up the tab for these camps. Because it's an 'official' Navy sport, it allows more young, talented individuals to participate," stated McKinney.

Most other military sports programs eventually end up at the Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM) championships where U.S. military teams compete against military teams from other countries, but there is no CISM venue for rugby at this time.

To compete on a national level and eventually in the World Cup, military rugby players go through a pipeline which begins at training camps for each of the armed services and eventually brings them together at the Armed Forces Championship.

During championship games, individual players from the various armed services are scoped out to create an all-star team to compete against several national and regional civilian teams. From there, players are selected to join the U.S. National Rugby Team to play in the Rugby World Cup which is held every four years.

Navy rugby player Ensign Blake Lindsay of NS Everett, Wash., is lifted by his teammates during a lineout to gain advantage against the opposing team.

The sport of rugby or rugby union football, began in 1823 when William Webb Ellis caught a ball and began running while playing a form of football at Rugby School in England. The game soon evolved into one of the most popular sports in Europe.

A rugby union team consists of 15 players (eight forwards and seven backs). The role of the forwards is to gain and retain possession of the ball. They take part in set pieces of the scrum and the line-out. The role of the backs is to move the game forward by running or kicking the ball. Scoring occurs by achieving either a try or a goal. A try involves touching the ball to the ground over the goal line at the opponent's end of the field.

A goal results from kicking the ball over the crossbar between the upright goal posts. Three different types of kicks at goal can score points: the goal kick after a try has been awarded (which if successful becomes a conversion); the drop kick; and the penalty kick. A union match lasts 80 minutes, with the winner scoring the highest number of points.

After a demanding, grueling week of training camp, the All-Navy Rugby Team headed to Fort Benning. "NAS Jax is awesome and MWR has really taken care of us. Tim McKinney and his staff have been very, very helpful. They had everything ready for us. It seems easier the second time being here. We got to play on a brand new field. Our only request is that next year, hopefully they'll have some lights out there," said Wallace.

A U.S. Navy Rugby Team member goes for the tackle.

The two teams scrum down during the scrimmage.