Tales of a college rugby player in New England and the game that gave birth to American footballWe had just beaten a few of the top men’s rugby football clubs in the East that excelled in both sevens and fifteens. This included – Mystic River, Beacon Hill, the Washington Exiles and two good college teams – Brown University and Coast Guard Academy. As I prepared for the championship final against another very good men’s club – the Hartford Wanderers RFC – I lay down on the sidelines and stretched my sore leg muscles. My mind drifted and I couldn’t help but remember the previous three consecutive finals our school (URI) had participated in. We had beaten some excellent teams each year to advance to the Harvard Business School Sevens finals, but we had lost each close championship match. This rugby sevens tournament was the most popular sevens tournament in the East and it consisted of rugby clubs – men’s and college teams from all over and the U.S. – winner takes all!
- Connor is a novice writer who tells true stories. His professional background consists of his previous work as a teacher and software developer. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a BA in Education. Connor enjoys sports of all kinds, and he and his wife Leslie (Jeannie in this story) currently reside in Rhode Island.
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Connor Murphy tells a tale of a triumph in the face of adversity in this story about his college ruby days. Taking place in the US, a state college in the small state of Rhode Island, a group of young adults play rugby for the love of the game. This rag-tag group bonds like no other, and as a result wins games in divisions way out of their 'league'. They not only trounce other college teams (with coaches and uniforms) but they also take on, and defeat, men's teams as well. This is the story where the love of the game and the camaraderie of the players surmounts the 'expertise' and polish of other teams, including a visiting team from France. Told in a very down-to-earth way, Connor brings us through all facets of the game, including how to play (a section I needed badly), as well as antics on and off the field. This is a real feel-good book and would be a perfect underdog movie for anyone smart enough to pick up the story!
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A good story from the late 1970's about a group of young college men from the University of Rhode Island most of whom were former american high school football players with no prior rugby experience but due to their athletecism and committment to the game found success on the rugby pitch against formidable opponents. Also, they had no coaching except what could be offered by the more senior members of the club. A truly remarkable achievement and refreshing story of a much simpler time than the age of specialization we have today.
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