Rugby

Rugby is a popular sport in South Africa. In many ways, it is similar to American football. The goal is to score a "tries" by getting the ball on the ground in the end zone. Each try is worth 5 points, and the conversion kick is worth 2 points. 15 players constitute a side in rugby. Unlike American football, gameplay is continuous in rugby. The clock does not stop after tackles; instead, the ball is simply picked up out of the tackle and play continues. A game consists of two 40-minute halves. Also, the players wear minimal padding, which makes a full-tackle sport such as rugby somewhat dangerous. It is not uncommon to see a number of injuries each game. Some of the other features of rugby include line-outs (where players pick up their teammates in an attempt to catch a ball thrown in from the sidelines), as well as scrums (similar to football's offensive and defensive lines, except that the ball is placed between them and it becomes an 8-on-8 fight for the ball).

Since I got here back in April, I have been assisting fellow intern and alumnus Michael Bryant in the coaching of the St. Martin's Under-14 side. The team practices three days a week and has fixtures (matches) on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So far the Under-14 side has been the most successful side at the school, having won every match since they lost their first match, the first rugby game the boys had ever played. I've had to learn the game itself as I go, but I've been able to help improve the boys' fitness and get them motivated as a team. It has been a lot of fun to coach them and we're looking forward to some more strong matches before we close out the season, just in time for the World Cup holiday.

The professional rugby league in South Africa is called the Super 14. The Super 14 consists of 5 South African teams, 5 New Zealand teams, and 4 Australian teams. It is considered to be the best rugby in the Southern Hemisphere, and the national sides from these countries are always competitive in the Rugby World Cup, held once every four years. South Africa is the current Rugby World Cup champion; the next World Cup will be held in New Zealand in 2011.

Since I've been here, I have been able to see two of these Super 14 Rugby matches. The first match I saw the second weekend I was here was the first time I had ever seen a rugby match. The match was between the Durban (South Africa) Sharks and the Johannesburg (also SA) Lions. The Sharks beat the Lions 32-28 in what ended up being a close game. The Lions ended up losing every single game in the Super 14 regular season; no word on if they are connected in any way to the NFL's Detroit Lions. The other match I saw a few weeks ago was between two Super-14 powerhouses, the Pretoria (SA) Bulls and the Canterbury (NZ) Crusaders. The Crusaders have won the Super 14 more times than any other team, and the Bulls are the current league champions. Each of the last 5 Super 14 titles have gone to the Bulls or the Crusaders, so I was lucky enough to see some of rugby's best teams play that evening at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. The game ended being a fantastic back and forth fight, and the Bulls won a come-from-behind victory in the last minute of the game. This week, the Pretoria Bulls beat the Crusaders again in the league semifinal, and the Cape Town (SA) Stormers beat the New South Wales (AUS) Waratahs in the other semifinal, which means that an all-South-Africa final is in store for next weekend. I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Update: The favorite Bulls won the Super 14 League for the third time in four years, defeating the Stormers 25-17.