Expeditionary rugby team draws a crowd in Kuwait

Photo By Sgt. Kyle Fisch | Terrence Bass, cavalry scout and winger for Arifjan Eagles Rugby Club, carries a ball during the Eagles match against the Kuwait Scorpions, Nov. 7.  

KUWAIT

11.07.2014

Story by Sgt. William White 

U.S. Army Central   

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - In the wake of USA Eagles’ loss against the New Zealand All Blacks last week, the Arifjan Eagles Rugby Club, comprised of U.S. Soldiers stationed at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, took a fall against the Kuwait Scorpions Nov. 7. The Arifjan Eagles, though, are considering the day a victory for the sport of rugby.

“This is an opportunity to show the people at Arifjan what rugby is about and just a great opportunity to connect with the people of Kuwait,” said Capt. Christopher Philpot, Arifjan Eagles president and logistics officer with Area Support Group Kuwait. “It’s a great partnership opportunity because most of the Kuwait Scorpions work in Kuwait. They’re schoolteachers, security guards; so we are connecting with the lifeblood of Kuwait,” Philpot said.

The Eagles and Scorpions certainly did connect as they collided for 50 minutes of hard hits, form tackles and scrum downs. Spectators, many of whom had never seen rugby, filled the stands and the crowd grew as the game progressed.

The Arifjan Eagles have been playing for less than a year, with more than half of the team experiencing their first match against the Scorpions, a team with decades of combined experience.

The Eagles showed extreme fitness and superior communication, but the Scorpions size and experience prevailed against the young Eagles team. Though the Eagles took a beating, the faces of the Soldiers who had just played 50 minutes of rugby for the first time was not indicative of a loss.

“I had a blast, really. It was a lot of fun and I really learned a lot about the game,” said Terrence T. Bass, a cavalry scout and winger for the Eagles.

For Bass and eight of the 16 rugby players at Camp Arifjan, Friday’s match against the Scorpions was their first time playing a live game and, according to Bass, it won’t be his last as he plans to play when he returns home from his deployment.

“It’s just good to see Soldiers out here playing rugby,” Philpot said. “When you play rugby you have friends everywhere so some of these guys might play together back home.”

The eight experienced Arifjan Eagles have played for clubs throughout the U.S. These Soldiers have played for Fort Hood Rugby, Fort Bragg Rugby, West Point Rugby and others, leaning on their experience to teach the expeditionary Arifjan team rugby fundamentals. Regardless of their experience levels, many of the players may play together in the future as the sport continues to grow in the military.

“The game just brings everybody together,” said Robin Killner, chairman of Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club. “When you play rugby you become a member of a world wide family and once you’ve played, you never move far away from it.”

Killner, himself a rugby veteran, said rugby is one of the more integral sports in Kuwait and other parts of the Emirates.

“Rugby was actually the first game to be played in Kuwait back in the 1940s so it is the oldest sport ever to be played here,” he said.

Early rugby can be traced to the 1800s and inspired modern American football. Its steady return in the U.S. is evidenced by the Soldiers of Arifjan fielding a team on their own initiative.

“The game is a passion,” Killner said. “You’ve got to have heart and commitment and courage to play but above all its great fun.”

Though many may not realize, rugby has been subtly present in the military for decades. Each military academy has a men’s and ladies’ rugby team and many military posts have clubs as well.

Though not all military posts have clubs, many surrounding communities do which Soldiers play on.

Camp Arifjan Soldiers interested in playing can contact Philpot on Facebook by searching Arifjan Eagles.

• Date Taken: 11.07.2014
• Date Posted: 11.11.2014 02:33
• Story ID: 147481
• Location: KW