Craig Webb, the coach and president of the Fairfax Eagles calls it a team sit-up – twelve aspiring rugby players lying on the tundra-like ground of Burke Lake Park in two rows of six. With arms and legs locked together, the group slowly rises from the ground in unison, counting out sets of twelve with grunts and sighs before eventually collapsing in exhaustion. Despite a temperature hovering around freezing, this is how the newest team of the American National Rugby League trains. Webb stands above the struggling players counting with them as they complete the last set.
"Now that was a team effort," he said, as the players take a breather on the ground, sweat turning into visible steam rising from their foreheads. Next up – practicing how to tackle.
FOR THE FORMER COACH of the D.C. Slayers – the Rugby League team just across the Potomac which Webb took to the playoffs last year – the coach has his work cut out for him before June 2, the team’s first game of the season, which pits the Eagles against the Slayers. Instructing a rag-tag group of 20-something males through the subtleties of proper tackling requires patience, especially when the level of talent that came out to the first training session of the season ranges in experience from veterans, to those who have only seen the sport on television. But Webb is optimistic.
"To be honest, if I can compare it to last year, I think it went very well," said Webb after the practice. "For 13 guys to show up four months out from the season– that’s sensational."
But while the team is new on the scene of rugby, trying to find their own pace in a 10-year-old league made up of 12 teams, Webb, who came to the States 12 months ago from a town just north of Sydney, Australia, has a special weapon – Steve Grant.
A former Slayers player and Fairfax resident originally from Scotland, Grant has been playing the sport for roughly 15 years. Not only is he Webb’s go-to man during practice, he has also been instrumental in rounding up many of the players for the team – using his inherent charm to find athletes in unlikely places.
"A bunch of these guys are new to the sport – new to any sport," Grant said between sprint drills. "Half of them I met on MySpace and a couple of the guys out at bars. You know, you meet a guy at a bar and say ‘hey, you look like you’re in decent shape, fancy playing rugby?’"
Chris O’Connor, who originally hails from Ireland but now lives in Fairfax on a work visa, came across Grant at a local bar. O’Connor said that he played rugby back in Ireland and it was just by chance that he met Grant.
"I met these drunk Irish guys in a bar one night, can you believe that?" joked Grant as he introduced O’Connor.
Grant continues his humorous tirade by introducing one of the quickest and smallest players on the field, Fairfax resident Matt Weaver, who said he came out to Burke Lake Park for the training. Grant pointed out Weaver’s small body size, joking that they call him, "the intimidator, or just the enforcer – or sometimes just pillow."
"I’m actually not going to play, I’m just practicing to get into shape," said Weaver. "If I get tackled I’ll get smashed – I’m too small."
RUGBY IS A NOTORIOUSLY PHYSICAL SPORT, leaving some who play bloody and bruised, so the Fairfax Eagles hired a team physician to help prevent and treat any injuries. Barrie Pilgrim, a Springfield-based rehabilitation specialist within the chiropractic field, showed up for part of the training session to meet the team.
"I’ve been helping the teams in the rugby scene for the past few years," said Pilgrim. "I was a player as a young man and played in southern Ontario. Through natural interest I got involved with it in the eastern U.S."
While Pilgrim appears in-shape, he says his rugby years are long behind him.
"I’m too much of a wimp," he laughed. "I’m an avid cyclist now-a-days. But it’s a fantastic game – one of the toughest sports on the planet, it’s just brutal. Everyone has multiple roles out there and it requires the highest level of fitness."
Grant chimes in, "We use the term ‘athletes’ loose around here," as the out-of-breath players ran drills up and down the field.
For the first training session of the season, 13 people showed up, and both Webb and Grant said that there were at least 20 more that had been in contact through e-mail, all interested in being part of the Eagles. According to Webb, after a few months of training the team will hold tryouts before selecting the final members. The season, which runs from June to August and includes nine games, culminates in a four-week playoff held in Jacksonville. But before Webb can consider taking a team to the playoffs, he’s currently concerned with getting the team’s finances off the ground. Surprisingly, starting a new team within the American National Rugby League is not too difficult, said Webb.
"There are no set criteria at the moment about setting up a team," he said, which was done by sending an e-mail to the president of the league.
But as Webb explained, the real difficulty is marketing the team, which needs sponsors to help pay for the cost of gear and travel expenses.
"It’s very hard to sell something that people aren’t aware about," said Webb. "In Jacksonville they market it fantastically and if it’s marketed fantastically it could be up there with the big sports. It’s very similar to American Football – it’s really not that hard to follow."
Webb said that he and Grant are currently working on a format for sponsorships which would offer incentives to companies like large logos on player’s jerseys.
WITH JUST THREE MONTHS to go before the start of the season, Webb is currently searching for a stadium that the team can compete in, which the coach believes will be solidified by the end of the week. Still open to any area residents interested in trying out, Webb is looking to take a team to the playoffs for the second year in a row. While the league is still relatively new in the country, so is the talent.
"Player competition in-around the league really isn’t the best," he said. "If we can get out in good condition, there’s a good chance we can get picked."
After the practice, everyone came together for a final meeting, deciding that they would continue the training sessions on Saturday mornings, 10:30 a.m. at Burke Lake Park. With a smile, Grant raised his voice and posed a question to the team, "Do you guys have any buddies you can bring down?"