Lewis County "Spartans" Rugby Football Club: Welcome

Welcome to the Lewis County Rugby Football Club. Established in January 2005 to bring Rugby football to Southwest Washington. We are glad you are here!

Our Contact Information: lcrugby@aol.com is our team email address. Feel free to contact us is you have any questions or need more information.

What is Rugby you ask....

Well, Rugby is a sport that is enjoyed world wide primarily in countries that had ties to England. It is a direct descendant of Soccer (Football) and many of Rugby's rules called laws would be familiar to Soccer fans. The main difference is that legend has it at Rugby school in England William Webb Ellis decided to liven up a soccer match by picking up the ball and running with it. The game proved to be popular and rules at Rugby school were recorded and the game spread throughout the world. In the United States Rugby was a very popular sport with the main focus being on the college teams. The United States was the last winner of a gold medal in the Olympics beating France for the honor before Rugby was pulled from Olympic competition. Rugby once again is an Olympic Sport starting in 2016!  As I write this USA Rugby is going through a massive restructuring phase and the IRB has voted to give second tier nations like the USA and Canada several million pounds to build their programs. (American Football is a direct descendant of Rugby in the same fashion that Rugby can claim a lineage from Soccer. The biggest distinction that caused a deviation from Rugby was the addition of a forward pass among other things which will be evident when you see or play Rugby.

Other things that make rugby unique are ---

1. Little padding for players- This helps keep injuries down in that there is little to hide behind in a tackle so you are ready and know how to fall. American football has more injuries because players tend to forget they are fragile behind the pads and forget that fact. Another advantage to this fact is that Rugby is far cheaper to outfit a player because there are fewer items to wear.

2. Speed of play- The referees are there to keep the game moving not to stop the clock everytime someone makes a penalty. The only time play is stopped is when a player is injured or a serious penalty happens. Most penalties are either handled by the offending team losing the ball or other options that keep the game moving but reward the side that did not break a rule.

3. Everyone has a place - Anyone can play the game there are 15 player positions on the team and they are determined by speed,size and experience in any combination so if you are big or small, slow or fast, novice or pro there is a spot just for you!

Rugby has been described as a lifestyle rather than a sport. Great cameraderie and bonding can be found with the team players who find a common bond with their game. Fans are also very protective of their teams and before and after the game there are many ways fans and players socialize. In some ways the Socialization rituals are as important as the games in that a team can lose on the field but win by being the most gracious at the post game mixers. Many teams find excuses to socialize outside of the matches and the LCRFC will try to follow the examples set forth by other clubs in this respect.

If this sounds like a fun sport or activity to support please join us and see what Rugby is about. Right now the game is second only to Soccer in gaining new converts worldwide and with greater awareness perhaps it will become the most popular new sport to get involved with.