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Atlanta Bucks Rugby
404-441-7657
www.atlantabucksrugby.org
sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/Atlanta
BucksRugby/www.atlantabucks.com
Laws of play
Fifteen players on each team continuously carry, pass, kick and ground the ball to score during two 40-minute halves. Play does not stop unless there is a penalty, the ball goes out of bounds, or there is an injury.
The starting team kicks to the opposite end of the field. Play starts where the ball is caught. If a player is tackled, they must release the ball. Play is restarted with a battle for ball in either a ruck or a maul, which are two-on-one formations aimed at continuing play with little or no delay.
If the ball goes out of bounds, a line-out occurs. A formation of players boosts another player in the air, vying with the other team to grab the ball.
If there is a law infringement, the players form a scrum, or a group of tightly bound players group together around the ball, and push the ball outward with their feed into play.
Scoring
Try: 5 points for grounding the ball in the opponents’ in-goal.
Goal: 2 points as a bonus kick after a try, 3 points from the field during play, scored by kicking the ball over the opponents’ crossbar and between the goal posts.
The catch
Players cannot pass the ball forward, only kick it, and players may not be tackled without the ball. Substitutions are only allowed in the event of injury, and there is no separation of offense and defense units.
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > FEATURE
By: BO SHELL
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There were so many other activities I could have engaged in on a Wednesday evening — preparing to watch “Lost,” vacuuming, clear coating my nails or just laying around being fabulous.
Instead, I was on my way to a place where out-of-shape gay boys go to die: Atlanta Bucks Rugby practice.
Players and potential team members bring proof of insurance and a waiver of liability, essentially handing the team permission to injure them. I like my legs, damn it, and they are not to be used for sport.
My papers went to Bullett Manale, an aptly named player who’s known for his strong kicks. Born with a competitive spirit and always involved in various sports, he now admits rugby is his favorite, even with the constant injuries and grueling practices immediately following difficult weekend competitions.
“Rugby is a series of continuous plays for 80 minutes,” Manale says. “Unless you’re out on the field for 80 minutes, I’m not sure you understand how long that is.”
But it’s clear how long it is: too long.
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Atlanta Bucks Coach Nancy Tomelleo played rugby in college and in Atlanta before joining the Bucks. (Photo by Sher Pruitt)
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A woman with a whistle and clipboard emerged from the crowd of guys: Coach Nancy Tomelleo’s tiny frame was a surprise, since I expected some fierce butch lesbian with arms and legs comparable to those of her readied players.
“Thanks for coming out,” she says. “You look like a back.”
A back? Is that a position? I’m not usually in the back of anything. Should I have been offended?
She may have been the smallest person on the field, but the Bucks respect Tamelleo. Her playing experience, first in college, then with the Bucks’ sister team, the Harlequins, trumps that of nearly every player on the pitch (that’s rugby for playing field).
“I never considered getting back into rugby, but this group of guys … I’ve never met anyone like this,” she says. “They were so determined to learn the game and so dedicated that I just couldn’t say no to helping them.
“Rugby is one of those games,” Tamelleo adds. “It’s cult-like. It’s always in your blood.”
Chad Pifer, president of the Bucks, which is also a non-profit group that raises funds for groups like AID Atlanta, says that before Tamelleo joined the Bucks, the team was in rough shape.
“Nancy, I would say, is the tipping point that turned the team around,” Pifer says.
There was barely time to col-lect my thoughts before the whistle blew and everyone lined up for a couple of laps of long-strides across the short side of the field.
It took less than five minutes, and I was ready to hit the ground. I didn’t know whether to pass out or throw up.
“You can’t be intimidated,” says Jody Weaver, a financial controller by day and rugby animal by night. “It’s very grueling playing 40 minutes without stopping. You have to be tough.”
An admitted Advil junkie, Weaver says new players can’t be afraid to be roughed up.
“When you’re in the rugby zone, whether that be a practice or a game, you’re going to do whatever you can,” he says. “We’re known to play with injuries: broken thumbs or sprained ankles. You get out there and play anyway because you want to.”
After regaining my composure, I went into throwing techniques with a group of other “backs,” the smaller, quicker players who are responsible for running the ball.
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Southern Voice Reporter Bo Shell learns a passing technique during an Atlanta Bucks practice.
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Considering my long-time aversion to football-shaped objects and sports in general, I did pretty well. But I was beginning to drag when we started a second running exercise, back and fourth over about 10 yards, sprinting and setting down the ball, volleying it on fingertips, then throwing and catching it.
To kick the ball, players first set it on the ground on its end, then kick it before it falls. Not an easy task. The result was supposed to be a low-lying roll effect, but at best my right foot launched it too high, and at worst my left foot missed it completely.
Most gay men would rather run marathons in heels. Thank goodness for water breaks.
Some may be surprised to ...
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