The 2015 Rugby World Cupis taking place this month in the United Kingdom and the match between South Africa and the United States on Wednesday proved less than thrilling for Americans. In the words of Kimball Kjar, who used to play for the U.S. and is now the director of operations for Rugby Utah, it was tantamount to one-way traffic.
“It’s one of those issues right now in the world of rugby that you have what they call the tier one countries which are the South Africa’s, the Australia’s, New Zealand, England, and the France’s of the world," Kjar said. "And then you have the tier two countries which are the U.S., Canada, Uruguay, and some of these other countries that are trying to professionalize the game within their countries.”
Rugby Utah is the governing body for the state and has the sanctioning rights to the regional Olympics development team which means they are on the lookout for the future players of rugby. Rugby was last played in the Olympics in 1924 but will be returning to the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“If even a tenth of the talent that is in our country begins to compete at a high level on the rugby field then we are going to be a country that is going to be a force to be reckoned with," Kjar said. "But it hasn’t quite gotten there yet.”
Kjar said Utah Rugby’s goals benefit all of Utah and that today’s youth are tomorrow’s players that will give South Africa a run for their money.
“...we need to try to position Utah strategically within the national landscape, to make sure that we remain an epicenter of rugby here in North America," Kjar said. "Hopefully we can affect that change not only on a local basis but a national basis and begin to, within my lifetime, be able to say, ‘Okay – when we do play South Africa it’s going to be a push, one way or the other, no one knows how it’s going to turn out’. "But, that might be another two or three world cups before that comes around.”
Owen Power is the president of Utah Youth Rugby. The organization has been around since 2010. Owen is from South Africa and said when he and his family relocated to Utah their son immediately joined a rugby team.
“Rugby itself is a sport that is built around the key concept in that, ‘We’re all in it together,’" Owen said. "And just by its nature, strangely enough, does encourage character. You need to be fit, you need to be strong and you certainly need to be brave as you play. At the same time you realize you cannot do it on your own and so you develop a camaraderie with your team mates that is not prevalent in many sports.”
The popularity of the rugby game is growing faster in Utah than it is in other states. There are more than 40 clubs here. Owen said although there are more male rugby clubs than female clubs, the number of female sports teams is increasing.
“The Lady Orem Stallions is a really interesting team," Power said. "They are a girls high school team so they’ll have girls on there that are freshman age on up to seniors. They have been the dominant team in the girl's division for the last couple of years. This year they did win the state championship.”
The rugby season is spread throughout the year. Owen said with youth between the ages of eight and 14 participating in the sport, rugby has increased in popularity in Utah and throughout the country. He said it is the second most popular sports game being played throughout the World.
Those who are new to rugby will hear words like, maul, ruck and scrum. Owen and Kjar said while the U.S. is not a Rugby World Cup contender now it is only a matter of time before more players in the state will find themselves speaking the language of a game that found its way from across the pond and into the heart of Utah.