‘Hooligan sport’ popularity spreading across eastern Idaho

BLACKFOOT — Though neither was certain who to attribute with the apt description, both John Hitchcock, coach of Pocatello’s Portneuf Rugby Club, and Bernie Watson, Rugby Idaho board member, described their sport the same way: “It is a hooligan sport played by gentlemen.”

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, is credited with the quote as a counter to the description of football (soccer) as “a gentleman’s sport played by hooligans.”

Well, gentlemen and ladies alike have taken interest in rugby in the three years since the formation of the Portneuf club, Hitchcock explained.

“The Olympics helps a lot with that,” he said, crediting the U.S Women’s team, which won the nation’s first Olympic medal in the sport in a century, during last year’s games. … “This is the first year we’ll have a (girls) team, and we’re pretty excited about that. When we first started, we had barely enough for a (boys) team. Then we had a pretty full team last year. But this year will be the first time we have a varsity, a JV and a girls team.”

The Hooligan

Rugby is a physical game, but one that Watson, a rugby lifer who has played for nearly 50 years — beginning when he was just 11 — said does not grant unfair advantages to players of a certain size or build.

“With rugby, it doesn’t matter what shape or body you have, there’s a position for you,” he said.

Sure, being bigger, stronger, faster than your opponent will give you a leg up. But, Watson explained, it is not like basketball, where you have to be tall, or football, where you have to be strong. The small, smart player can often be the best player on a team, because playing the game relies on synchronicity between teammates.

At the highest level, players are occasionally big and brutish — but far from all match that description.

For example: Ilona Maher, the star of the U.S Women’s run to a 2024 Olympic Bronze, is listed as 5-foot-11, 198 pounds. She is an imposing human specimen. But Alex Sedrick, the hero of the Bronze Medal match victory over Australia, is just 5-foot-3, 130 pounds.

Sedrick, at roughly the size of the average American woman, tore through the Australian defense and sprinted her way to a match-winning try.

“Rugby has got a spot for anybody. You can be short and fast, or tall and slow,” Hitchcock said. “There are so many different types of players, because everybody handles the ball.”

The Gentleman

For Hitchcock, one of the best things about the sport of rugby is the sportsmanship it breeds.

“Most sports, you have to spread out after the game is over. They take away the refs by, you know, police (escort) or whatever, and they separate the teams. But after a rugby match, you have a social,” he said.

Following a rugby match, the standard is to have joint barbecue, where the opposing teams’ players and coaches are joined by the match’s officials for lunch, during which teams will pick a player of the match from the opposing team and reward a gift of some kind.

“It is also one of the harder things about rugby is, after you get stomped by a team you have to have a barbecue with them,” Hitchcock added. “But in today’s day and age, it’s one of the best things about rugby.”

Watson, who grew up playing rugby in the UK but has played in several countries and states across a long career, said the tradition can be found anywhere the game exists. There are times, he added, when the match gets chippy, but players are always friendly after the whistle blows.

“There’s a bit of pushing about … but after the game, you leave it on the pitch — you’re buddies,” he said.

Where it all fits in Idaho

Rugby is not sanctioned by the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA), so it is not offered by any of the schools. But, as both Hitchcock and Watson explained, its popularity has grown, and clubs have popped up across the state.

In eastern Idaho, Hitchcock said, there are youth teams in Idaho Falls and Rigby, to go along with a team he and head coach Ife Tabakece — who asked Hitchcock to speak on the team’s behalf — manage. Due to it limited number of teams, the Portneuf Rugby Club, which includes players from Blackfoot to Marsh Valley, often travels to Boise, and occasionally Utah, for matches.

But both men believe participation numbers will continue their steady rise, partially because of how inclusive it is to people of all physical and emotional maturity levels.

They described the gameplay as a cross between soccer, basketball and wrestling — with the constant movement of soccer, the spacing and hand-eye coordination of basketball and the physicality of wrestling.

“This really is for everybody. It might seem confusing at first, but it’s pretty easy to pick up,” Hitchcock said.

He explained that some of the members of the Portneuf Club come from a background in football or wrestling, while others come from lesser-contact sports, like tennis. Still others joined with no previous sports experience. And all find a similar joy in playing rugby.

“It’s a sport for girls and boys, men and women. It’s about character-building.” Watson added.

Portneuf’s current team is made up of high school-aged players only, but they are hoping to form an middle school-aged team this year. Information about joining can be found on the club’s Facebook page — here.

For further information or to find a team close to you, visit the Rugby Idaho site — here.

And now is the perfect time for the teen who has always been interested to join, according to Watson, with the United States set to host both the Mens Rugby World Cup, in 2031, and Womens Rugby World Cup, in 2033.

There are also options for adults interested in giving the sport a try.

The Portneuf Valley RFC is an open team that meets for games every Wednesday at Development Workshop, Incorporated in Idaho Falls — with outdoor matches when weather permits. For more information, visit their Facebook page — here.

Watson, who still takes part in the touch matches — not full-contact, similar to touch football — encourages anyone looking for a physical outlet to give it a try.

“I love the sport, so I’m just trying to share it,” he said.

EastIdahoNews.com comment boards are a place for open, honest, and civil communication between readers regarding the news of the day and issues facing our communities. We encourage commenters to stay on topic, use positive and constructive language, and be empathetic to the feelings of other commenters. THINK BEFORE YOU POST. Click here for more details on our commenting rules.