Steve Bleckman, Washington, has been playing rugby since his brother-in-law, a native Irishman, introduced him to the sport 11 years ago. Back then he was a student at Ranken Technical College.

Today Bleckman is a family man with a full-time job, but he still enjoys spending a Sunday afternoon on the field. Unfortunately, it's not as easy for him to do, since his team, Sunday Morning Rugby Football Club, plays in Marquette Park in St. Louis.

That's the reason he's trying to organize a Franklin County team. He's asking others who love the sport - and even those who may just be curious - to contact him.

Bleckman said at least 12 or 13 players will be needed to start a team, but 17 to 20 will be needed to play each game. Rugby requires 15 players on the field at one time.
Former football or soccer players would be good candidates for a rugby team, said Bleckman, but even people who haven't been athletes can learn the game and have fun.

"A big part of rugby is the social aspect," said Bleckman, "hanging out, being part of something."

The Sunday Morning Rugby Club, which is a member of the Missouri Rugby Football Union, is the most social and family-oriented of the St. Louis area clubs, he noted. At the Sunday morning games, families sit on the sidelines watching and cheering. There are even a few family pets roaming around.

After all of the games that Sunday Morning hosts at Marquette Park, the team invites the opposing team back to their clubhouse a few blocks away for a meal and drinks.
The clubhouse includes TVs playing rugby matches from around the world.

What Is Rugby?

"It's an adrenaline rush,"Êsaid Bleckman, who played football and baseball when he was a student at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School (Class of '97).

"It's the ultimate contact sport," he remarked. "There's no padding and it's continuous play."

Those are two ways the game differs from football. Another is the fast pace.

According to a "Spectator's Guide to Rugby" members of Sunday Morning provided, rugby has few stoppages and continuous possession changes, like soccer.

"All players on the field, regardless of position, can run, pass, kick and catch the ball," the Guide reads. "Likewise, all players must also be able to tackle and defend, making each position both offensive and defensive in nature. There is no blocking of the opponents like in football."

Just like in football, a rugby game begins with a kickoff to the opponent from midfield. As long as the ball travels beyond the 10-meter line, any player from either team can take possession of the ball.

Unlike football, rugby has no blocking or "downs" and it isn't required to move the ball 10 yards.

"The person with the ball leads the attack and there are several ways to move the ball," the Guide explains. "Any player may carry, pass or kick the ball and play is not stopped and therefore continues when the ball hits the ground or when a player is tackled."

In rugby, players can only be tackled from the waist down. When a player is tackled, play does not stop. The player must try to make the ball available immediately.

"Players from both teams converge over the ball on the ground, binding with each other and attempt to push the opposing players backward," the Guide reads. "This situation is known as a ruck. The ball may not be picked up by any player until the ball emerges out of the ruck."

The scrum is what many people may know as rugby's signature formation.

"The forerunner of the American football line of scrimmage," it is the method used to restart the game after the referee has whistled a minor law violation. It's created when "a bound group of players from each team form a tunnel with the opposition. The non-offending team puts the ball into the tunnel by rolling it into the middle and each team pushes forward until one player is able to hook the ball with the feet and push it to the back row players of his/her team. The scrum half then retrieves the ball and puts it into play."

Four Ways to Score

There are four ways to score points in rugby. The first is called a "try," which is when a team touches the ball down in the other team's goal area. Five points are awarded.

A conversion kick through the goal posts, attempted after a try, earns two points if it's successful. The kick is made from a line at least 10 meters straight out from the point where the ball was touched down.

A penalty kick can earn a team three points. The kick must be from the spot where the penalty occurred or anywhere on a line straight from that spot.

The final way to earn points in rugby is the drop goal. Three points are awarded for a successful drop kick, which can be taken from anywhere on the field during play. If the kick fails, the ball is still alive.

What's Needed to Start a Team Here?

Finding 17 to 20 players to make up a local rugby team is only part of what's needed to start playing.

"We'll need coaches, referees, places to play, sponsors . . . ," said Bleckman.

He noted that members of Sunday Morning are willing to come to Franklin County to help new players learn the sport or welcome newcomers to join them for a game or practice in St. Louis.

The field rugby is played on is longer and wider than a football field. It's typically 110 yards long and 75 yards wide. Any football or soccer field can be marked to accommodate a rugby game. That's what the Sunday Morning Club does each week, one player noted.

"We will need a place with lights so we can practice in the evenings," said Bleckman.

He's hopeful all of these things will come together so that a Franklin County rugby team will become a reality. The sport may be growing in popularity. It was recently added to the 2016 Olympic Games.

To get involved with starting a Franklin County rugby team, people may contact Bleckman by e-mail at steveatranken@hotmail.com.