Yesterday, we played a rugby game against Erie. This is their second season and for many of the players it was their first ever game of rugby. We played 13s and 2 of those players were Angels, including me. It was, I must say, one of the most inspiring days of rugby I have seen in a long time.
The Angels won the game 103-0. But so what? What impressed me so much about that team was Erie's attitude throughout the whole match. Every single play, they stood back and talked about what they did well. Did they realign that time? Yes! Did they participate in a ruck or cover the outside? Yes! And each time, they felt proud of that improvement. I think that attitude is so awesome. I have played against so many teams that self destruct on the field when they make mistakes. We find it laughable when teams are negative toward one another. I'm so glad for Erie that they are starting their team out on such a positive model.
Honestly, they have good players. Another few seasons, a bit more depth on their bench, and they are going to be a threat in the Midwest. They made smart kicks, came up hard on defense. They have all the pieces there, they just need to solidify their foundation. It was a real honor to take the field for them yesterday.
(Obviously it was an even bigger honor to put on an Angels jersey for the second half)
After years of nomadic temporary employment, advanced degrees, and chocolate ice cream, a rugger with a love of knitting and a cyclist with no domestic skills signed a Ketubah and bought a house in Pittsburgh.
1 comment:
Thank you for stepping up and playing a half with a developing team. Your work around the loose piece was especially noticable!
I, too, was impressed by Erie's "never say die" attitude. They forced the Angels into several handling errors...and their "scramble" defense was quite impressive. Pittsburgh had to earn every single point.
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