U.S. bangs its drums for scrums
RIO DE JANEIRO — The last time the American men won a rugby game at the Olympics, it was shocking that women cut their hair or showed their ankles. The team captain had served in World War I. The NFL was 4 years old.
Ninety-two years after the U.S. men beat France to win gold in the Paris Olympics, the U.S. men won another Olympic rugby game. The game is now seven-a-side, and this time a man employed by the New England Patriots helped them win it.
After dropping their first game to Argentina, the Americans came back in the evening doubleheader, shutting out host Brazil 26-0. They take on world champion Fiji on Wednesday.
“Hopefully, we got the first-day jitters out,” said captain Madison Hughes. “Because we have a big one tomorrow.”
Rugby is being played at Deodoro Stadium, far away from the Olympic Park. So far it feels like you’ve driven a bus to the Paraguay border.
But the American players aren’t worried about the distance to the venue, as long as the games get beamed back home in a timely manner. They hope the Olympics will provide the platform American rugby has been seeking for years.
“I hope it changes the game, that we can be trailblazers for something great in the game,” said Nate Ebner. “I love this sport. I want to see it have tremendous success.”
Patriot in their midst
Ebner’s presence is certainly helping to elevate rugby’s profile. He’s a safety and special teams player with the New England Patriots, drafted out of Ohio State in 2012. He has a Super Bowl ring. He took a leave from the Patriots to play in the Olympics, and on Tuesday his football teammates watched his game and the coaches — including Bill Belichick — wore shirts with his name and number.
“I heard about that,” Ebner said. “I appreciate it.”
That number is 12, not for Tom Brady but for Ebner’s late father. Ebner’s father, Jeff, was a rugby player at the University of Minnesota. In 2008, he was murdered — beaten to death — during a robbery at the family business in Ohio. He was 53.
“I think about him every single day,” Ebner said before the Olympics began. “He was my best friend.”
On Tuesday, before a lively pro-Brazilian crowd, Ebner was a dominant force. He scored a try. He also leveled a Brazilian player with the kind of hit that makes football fans shout.
“Football is a violent game,” Ebner said, “but it can get violent out here.”
He received a penalty for the hit.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Ebner said. “I’m out there getting yellow cards. I didn’t want to do that.”
Ebner has played in a Super Bowl and before massive audiences. But Tuesday was different.
“It was something I’ve never experienced, to be a part of something this big,” he said. “It’s really an honor to be a part of it.”
The game is incredibly fast, both the speed on the field and in length for the games, which run only about 15 minutes. Blink and it’s over.
In the first match, the U.S. team fell into a 12-0 hold but came back to take the lead before conceding a late goal.
“One mistake here, one mistake there,” said Danny Barrett. “That’s what’ll get you. We’re pretty good at getting on to the next one.”
A few hours later, he and his teammates took the pitch again and had a better outcome.
Thrill for Brazil
Carlton Isles, who has a track and football background and spent some time on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad, also scored a try against Brazil. He’s billed as the fastest man in rugby and showed off his wheels, though after the game he was nursing a pulled muscle.
“He was the fastest guy on the field,” said Brazilian player Felipe Claro.
Claro and his teammates were thrilled to play in front of their home fans in the compact little stadium.
“It’s something incredible,” he said. “All the crowd singing ‘Brazil, Brazil.’ It was unbelievable.”
Rugby is back in the Olympics. And even the New England Patriots are watching.