Weekday
The weekly feature page of the University Daily Kansan
April 12, 1978
Rick Rentro (left), wing forward for KU, carefully eyes the ball during a scrum down. The scrum down is an important part of rugby, for it determines which team will receive the ball. As the teams bind together, the referee tosses the ball into the middle of the scrum, and the players push to the opposite backwards to get to the ball. The ball then has to be kicked backwards to the wing, where the players can run with the ball.
With lusty cries of "Come on scrum!" 15 sweaty, red-faced men hurl themselves at the ground and scrumble in a tangle of arms and legs for possession of a smooth leather ball.
They get hurt a lot—broken fingers, conclusions, "cauldiflower cars." But, they stuccumely claim, it's not madness.
It's rugby, and they belong to the KU Rugby Club.
Maddenningly, they race around the field at 23rd and Iowa in heated struggles with their opponents to who can get the ball.
A tight knot of players clambers where the ball apparently has landed. Arms and legs flail, guttural shouts and curses can be heard by the audience on the sidelines. Someone's T-ster is spinned out in front of the muddle and hip joints of a few loose players.
That murdle is called a scrum. Eight members of a fifteen-team team battle with the opposing team in the scrum for possession of the loose ball. It looks like a giant mutant snider.
The remaining seven players form the "wing," or back-field. These players are responsible for doing brilliant things.
Brilliant, indeed, for wing players can snatch the ball from underfoot in the scrum and fling it to teammates with all the ease and grace of a flat racing dive—only they dive onto the hard clumpy field, not water.
Ruggers will tell you they are gentlemen in a ruffian's sport. They play a game of "elegant violence," as one team
Rugby is similar to both soccer and football, but it has a few significant differences. No blocking is allowed and the ball is thrown over the back.
Therefore, scoring plays rely heavily on the running and dodging abilities of the backfield.
The game proceeds at a grueling, nonstop pace.
Rubio is played in two continuous 40-minute halves. There is no stop in the action to set up plays. Decisions are made in
And in rugby there are no substitutions for injury or fatigue.
A veteran rugby player and Lawrence resident, Jacques Fluker, talked about the nature of rugby. Control is
"You can't be too dumb," Fluker said. "That's the difference between this and football. You can be dumb and play football."
Often a rugger will have to pitch the ball behind himself to a teammate, either before or during a tackle. Here, Mike Forth, KU wing forward, applies pressure to an opposing runner, forcing the pitch.
Rugby...Rough and Wild
One subtitle, refreshing characteristic of rugby is that there seem to be few stars in the game. Success depends upon good
Anthony Rees-Thomas, a psychologist in Topeka and former New Zealand rugby player, said the emphasis on teamwork contributed a lot towards strong friendships among the team members.
There may be no stars to dazzle spectators, but KU's team has its share of star personalities.
Fluker is one such colorful rugger. He calls himself the "old man" of the team, although the 27 years would hardly be old. He was the best player at the age of 18.
One teammate called him the "walking wreck"—he's broken his nose so many times that he doesn't have any cartriage left in the bridge. One of his more legendary tricks involves strining a straw in one nostril and out the other.
Fuker also has had operations on both knees to correct rugby-related injuries, but he still is playing on KU's second
Fluker shrugs off critics of the sport who say it's too violent to be plaved without pads or protection.
"You don't go out here to kiss and love somebody," he said.
He pointed to the field where a player had just been tackled.
"They want to play hard and get some licks in," he said. "You release a lot of frustrations."
You'll release a lot of it if situations.
Flinker says there's even an advantage to getting hurt.
Fucker says there's even an advantage to getting hurt. "I feel the attention when I get hurt," he said jokingly. "I'm a lousy-rugby player, but I love to get hurt." He grinned.
Rugby games have a third half that many people hear about but few actually see. the legendary post-game party
Ruggers gather at a local bar or at a teammate's house to guzzle their 2.5 lifeblood and vie in sexy fashion with their friends.
Rude songs and lew jokes are the highlights of the party—rugged players love to entertain. Each song or story gets
The teams compete in the barroom just as intensely as they do on the field to see who knows the most verses to "Nellie" (a song by Helen Keller) on stage.
The party goes on, and it's time for a brazen ritual called the Zulu Warrior.
Traditionally, the high scores of the game perform the little dance of celebration for their teammates . . . in the nude.
They hop and jump in a circle to the accompaniment of a nseudo-African chant, "Take 'em off, Zulu warrior!"
A stray glass of beer finds its way onto the dancers' bare bottoms and the dance ends in a f laugh of humor.
Any brave challenger is welcome to try—the balance a full cup of beer on their heads, bob up and down and take their clothes off while the audience sings the children's tune, "Muffin Man."
Games of skill are also standard entertainment at the rugby parties. One truly amazing spectacle is the "Muffin" game, which takes place on a field with
It's not as easy as it sounds. Even the spectators get wet when those glasses of beer cascade to the floor.
The party legends of the KU ruggers have circulated widely among bar patrons who have been innocent witnesses to the celebrations. If any mystique or stigma has formed about the sport, though the players don't seem to care.
Mike Forth, Littleton, Colo., junior, has played with the KU Club for two years and he says people have misconcep- tions about his leadership.
He took a swallow of beer and wiped a little grime from his sunburned chin.
"Nawww, they just enjoy life," Forth said
"Winning the party is a big part of the game."
For glorious仕 his teammates who are hoarsely singing Alouette" to a player's fiancee who is standing on a chair, Lloyd
"Do you love her big, 'back door'?" the leader of the choral group sings.
Forth grins.
"We're really a harmless bunch of guys when you get right down to it."
Above left: After receiving a deep gash over his right eye, Verbenec would probably tell you that rugby is definitely a rough game. Ron went to the hospital after the game and received 20 stitches. Above rugby he could not play rugby because the risk of injury is always present, especially because no protective padding is worn.
A big part of rugby is what happens after the game is over, when a good deal of beer is downed and songs are sung. Andy Riley have Hawk, Rick Hattan, Byron Kim, Billy Prior, Mike Forth, Marv Oller and Steve Mendinger.
Photos by Tim Ashner
Story by Melissa J. Thompson