Yay for me
Posted by John Humphreys on June 15, 2009
After a few weeks off, last Saturday I got back into rugby. This is good news. First, by playing in different places I get to explore new parts of Sydney, and last Saturday we had a game out of Balmoral, which has a stunning beach.
Second, it keeps me fit. And this was doubly true on Saturday because I played two full games (for 3rd and 2nd grade).
Third, I’m learning a new skill. I think I’m clearly getting better at rugby, especially my defence and my understanding of the game. I’m starting to get a bit more confident and try a few things. And the particular “yay for me” moment this week was that I scored my first (and our teams only) try in the 2nd grade game.
A short dramatic recreation: The evil enemy was leading 5-0, but we had the ball in their half. From the breakdown one of the more mobile forwards went down the blind side and drew in teh winger, and then got a pass out to me on teh left wing. The easy part was to stroll past teh out-of-position winger The harder part was to run over (there was no space around) the fullback… but that didn’t prove too hard and I fell over the line in teh corner. That took the score to 5-5.
The postscript is that the enemy went on to scare another half dozen unanswered tries and we lost badly.
Forth, rugby is toughening me up a bit. A decade of not playing contact sport, and driving a computer, has made me too soft. Waking up covered in cuts and bruises and aching everywhere is a good tonic for an otherwise easy life.
And of course, the final and most important benefit of rugby is that it is fun. Perhaps there is something inherent in guys that makes us enjoy physical combat. I’m feeling pretty sore, and annoyed at some of my mistakes (I managed to do a clearly kick straight into the arms of a waiting opponent who scared easily, among other things), but it was fun.
