Lebanon
The Upper Valley Mountain Men have been active during the winter months, staging informal pickup outings every other week in the Lebanon Middle School gymnasium.
After going 7-2 and finishing second to Monadnock last autumn during its inaugural New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) Division IV season, Upper Valley’s players are keeping the game fresh on their minds while using the outings as a recruiting tool. A fair number of newcomers have shown up for one or more of the untimed, unscored contests, introducing them to the fundamental rules and skills of the game, minus much of the physicality.
It’ll be a different story once the spring scrimmage season kicks off in mid-April, but for now, playing on a gym floor beats what the club was doing last winter.
“We were actually playing outside in the frozen snow behind (CCBA’s Witherell Center),” said Brian Frampton, a Lebanon resident who serves a number of administrative roles and plays for the Mountain Men. “I think this is a lot better for the winter, especially trying to get more people to come out. Paul Coats and the (Lebanon Department of Recreation and Parks) were very encouraging about it. They always like to see more adults get involved in community sports.”
The Mountain Men hope to attract high enough numbers to field men’s “A” and “B” teams as well as a women’s team, if not in time for informal spring play then by their second league season next fall.
More than 20 people, including five women, attended last Wednesday for 90 minutes of co-ed play. Three captains chose teams in one-by-one fashion.
The games were essentially a series of possessions. When one team scored, the other exited for the team in waiting. It was enough to give the experienced their competitive fix while allowing newcomers to keep gaining a feel.
Megan Chapman, a competitive rower, has been playing since the beginning of the indoor season.
“It’s been really cool, just learning the ropes and the basics of the game,” said Chapman, a member of the Upper Valley Rowing Club who sported a Tom Brady jersey on Wednesday. “I’d say I’ve been improving every week. Some of the rules are still a little confusing, but I’m getting there.”
For those who cringe at the notion of rugby on a gym floor, rest assured it’s fully two-hand touch. When a player is “tackled” by getting contacted by both hands of an opponent, he or she simply sets the ball down, just as someone tackled in an outdoor version of the game would be required to set the ball down for the opposition.
“Awe, man, you would have just got lit up if this was real life,” someone called from the sideline during one sequence.
Of course, not all plays developing indoors on a gym floor would necessarily transpire in the elements on grass. That’s not lost on Vince O’Shea, a Mountain Men board member.
“This favors a lot of quick running and speed,” he said. “There’s a lot more juking going on and breaking out for runs than you might see on grass.”
That’s fine by 23-year-old Taylor Harned, of Quechee, whose long strides and thrashing arms make him difficult to tackle — or touch.
“I call (my running style) flailing,” said Harned, who began playing rugby 5½ years ago for the club team at Eckerd College in Florida. “Indoor rugby is great for flailing around.”
Harned is one of many former college players, including 2013 Dartmouth graduate Quinn Connell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumnus Tyler Morin, former UMass player Emeric David and Darius Long, who played at Williams.
There was plenty of athleticism on display, such as Long’s zig-zagging rush to avoid numerous tackles, including a stab by Claremont resident Matt Kier at the goal line yielding just one hand of contact thanks to an elusive last-second torso maneuver by Long.
There was also some inadvertent contact, such as one collision between White River Junction’s Tim Puzio and Dartmouth assistant women’s coach Mike Cameron that sent Puzio to the floor.
“For those who want to, you can still go pretty hard,” Frampton said. “But it’s mostly for fun and to stay engaged with the game. Diving to score on a basketball court can be pretty rough on your elbows.”
Gavin Lee was excited just to be playing a version of rugby again. The University of Maine graduate played for one semester in Orono before stepping away for academic reasons. He recently moved to Sharon.
“I was psyched when I found out about this group,” said Lee, who joined for the first time last Wednesday. “I definitely plan to play for the outdoor season.”
Indoor play, which is free of charge, continues Feb. 22 from 8-9:30 p.m. and every other Wednesday night through March.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.