Rugby: Stylish Chapeaus and a Bloody Nose

Last week, I attended my first rugby match, and oh my!  Look what I've been missing! As far as I could tell, rugby combines three rather diverse elements: stylish chapeaux, the Time Warp, and flags.*


[Click on images to enlarge them.]

My initial impression was that everyone was Scottish.

Certainly, there was a preponderance of mesomorphs:

Next, I noticed the stylish chapeaux worn by some players.

There were a couple of other identifiable groups there, besides the players:

Rugger-Huggers

Ruggerettes

And, it was virtually impossible to overlook Ross, a human dynamo whose apparent duty it was to build spirit in a variety of ways, most of them involving flags.

To see Ross in action, watch "I've Got Flags!" on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITovYdg3pHE

Ross discusses the game with some rugger-huggers.

To an outsider, rugby looks like a blend of football and wrestling. Players huddle and follow commands to "Crouch! Touch! Pause! Engage!" whereupon they become a struggling mass of manly muscle that eventually breaks loose into a chase and often ends in a dogpile.

Crouch! Touch! Pause! Engage!

View my video of the action on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnAISPbKfdY


However, to my untrained eye, the players' stances reminded me of nothing so much as the Time Warp dance from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

"It's just a jump to the left...

...then a step to the right...

...put your hands on your hips...

...and pull your knees in tight...

...do the pelvic thrust...it really drives me insane...

...let's do the Time Warp again."

In both the Time Warp and in rugby, there can be casualties, such as a bloody nose...

...or a lost contact lens.

In my opinion, this player hit the Trifecta: looks Scottish, possesses a mesomorphic body, and is obviously ready to do the Time Warp again.

Right back atcha!

*Official disclaimer: I am not a sports fan. I know nothing about the rules of rugby. This post reflects my impressions only and makes no attempt at accuracy regarding rugby, ruggers, rugger-huggers, ruggerettes, or rugs in general.