Isaac Brekken / AP
The United States’ Nese Malifa goes for a try past Fiji’s Josefa Bole during a USA Sevens World Series rugby tournament, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, in Las Vegas.
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010 | 8:56 p.m.
Rugby terms to know
Stoppages: Play is stopped only when there is a rule violation, when the ball goes out of bounds or when there is a score.
Handling the ball: The ball can be passed laterally or backward, or kicked in any direction at any time during play. Throwing or dropping the ball in a forward direction is illegal.
Rucks: A ruck occurs after a tackle is made. Both teams converge over the ball and attempt to push the opposition off it.
Scrums: A scrum is a method of restarting play following a minor rule violation (such as a forward pass). Three players from both teams bind together and line up in front of the opposition. A member of the non-offending team places the ball in between the players and each team pushes against each other until possession is established.
Tries: A try is achieved by touching the ball down in the opposition's in-goal area (similar to a touchdown) and is worth 5 points. A try is then followed by a conversion, which is a drop-kick at goal worth 2 points.
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Four men dressed from head to toe in cow costumes lift their cups to the sky and start mooing.
This is not a Halloween party. It’s a scene from a concourse in Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday afternoon at the USA Sevens International Rugby Tournament.
“It’s great to walk through the casino like this,” said Roman Durden, one of the four men.
Cow costumes might look odd at the craps table, but Durden and his crew fit right in with the rugby crowd.
To call the USA Sevens event a tournament doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s a festival, a celebration of all things rugby. That means plenty of costumes, beer and as many flags waving as outside of the United Nations building.
Durden and his friends, who all play rugby together, traveled from Orlando, Fla., to catch the 44 rugby matches between 16 countries over the weekend. The costumes were a no-brainer.
“Every time we all get together, we pick one or two costumes for the weekend,” Phil Gunthart said. “This year, it was the cow costume and powder blue tuxedos. Those were fantastic, too.”
Like the majority of the fans Saturday, Gunthart was at Sam Boyd to support the USA rugby team. Although they lost two of their three matches Saturday, no one was too depressed about Team USA’s start.
Not even the players. With this atmosphere, they couldn’t be.
“I love playing at home,” USA starter Zachary Test said. “Getting to play here is a dream come true.”
It was easy to see why. Chants of “U-S-A” spread through the crowd within two minutes of the start of the team’s second match of the day against South Africa, a 33-12 loss.
A contingent of females near the field sported American flag bikinis and miniskirts with stars and stripes.
“It’s just about having fun,” Durden said. “It’s the mentality of rugby. It’s a brutal game; it’s a rough game; it’s a fun game. But all the people are just out to have a good time.”
It helped the crowd’s spirits that USA won its final match of the day, a 23-5 victory over Canada. If America has a rugby rival, it’s definitely Canada.
“I hate Canada,” Test said. “It’s like Giants/Dodgers — just blood.”
No animosity, however, existed just outside of Sam Boyd. Organizers set up an area with merchandise tents, a stage where bands and dance groups performed all day and a Las Vegas Rugby Academy station.
Children learned how to correctly pass, kick and run a rugby ball and could even take on a scrum sled at the academy’s space.
“We’re trying to teach the kids the basics for rugby right now,” said Tony Laulu, one of the Las Vegas Rugby Academy instructors. “It helps them improve as they grow up. Maybe one day, they will play for the U.S. team.”
Laulu said it was an honor for Las Vegas to host the USA Sevens Tournament, which had been held in San Diego for the previous three years.
Kevin Kleveland, a local rugby enthusiast who plays for the Sin City Irish club, said perhaps the tournament will help the local rugby scene. Most of the local teams have to travel to Arizona or Southern California to play.
“Hopefully, it will help the sport and it will grow,” Kleveland said. “The exposure couldn’t hurt.”
Matches will continue Sunday and culminate at 6:46 p.m. with the final cup game to determine the champion.
No matter who wins, the fun will go on for those in the crowd. After all, it’s a celebration.
“The rugby community is very open and friendly,” Durden said. “You can go anywhere in the world and if you’re a rugby player and you know another rugby player, your house is open and you’ve got instant friends anywhere in the world. It’s one of the greatest sports for instant camaraderie.”
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