Therefore, from a distance, I assumed rugby was essentially the same thing, just with a fatter ball and less pads. My indoctrination into the sport was slow at first. Many of my students are on the school's team and I was occasionally stop by the pitch and watch a bit of their matches. Often, a sympathetic colleague or parent would tutor me through different aspects of the game. I had to admit, it was more exciting than I thought it would be, mostly because it kept moving!
Fast forward to an invitation to travel to neighboring Singapore for the famous Singapore 7's tournament, a world-class event featuring the best players from some of the biggest rugby countries facing off in quick games of seven-a-side.
And now let's talk about a perfect learning curve. With only seven minute halves and a brief, couple minute half-time huddle, the matches move along at a rapid pace, giving a first timer (me) a lot of opportunities to piece this beautiful game together.
A unique cultural part of the rugby experience is the fans' love of dressing up. It is apparently tradition to support the event or your favorite team by going all out on a costume, especially if you're part of a group. Our crew decided on the relatively easy theme of Thai Boxers for the first day of the tournament, and then home country pride for the second.
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| Team USA, represent! |
In the end Team Canada and Team USA landed deserved spots in the Finals, with the Canucks coming out on top. It was an exciting journey for both teams as their had to get passed powerhouse rugby nations like Australia, Fiji, and of course, the New Zealand All Blacks.
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| Stoked about Canada and USA in the Finals! |
