MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- “The score? A lot to a little,” laughed Lt. Col. Samuel Pelham, executive officer, Headquarters and Support Battalion, MCB Camp Pendleton after playing in the second row flank position. “At least we put some points on the board, though!”
Marines and sailors from throughout California’s Southern coast squared off against the British Army in a heated rugby match at the 11-area football field, June 8.
“We held an invitational match of the Camp Pendleton Ghostriders Rugby Football Club against the 7th Parachute Royal Horse Artillery Rugby Team,” Pelham said. “This is a sport that’s growing in popularity here in the states, so this is an opportunity for us as Marines to show our younger players what the game is all about.”
The sport originated in the United Kingdom and consists of a 15-man team using a ball shaped similarly to the American football. The ball can be moved by carrying it in the hands or kicking it at any time during play, but under no circumstances can the ball be passed or made to go forward by the ball carrier other than by kicking the ball. It must be carried physically or passed backfield and at any time, players can, and will be, quite forcefully tackled.
“They put up quite a fight but I think the final score was a lot to about five,” said British Army Sgt. Lee Soper, artilleryman, 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, playing point man position. “It’s not their sport but they’re still giving it their all. If we were to play your football or baseball, they’d rightly smash us!”
While the British Army may not know traditional American baseball or football well, they used the experience as an opportunity to pass on their native expertise to young and old Marines alike.
“I grew up playing football in the islands and love taking my frustration out on the field,” said Pfc. Chanel Aguimbag, administrative specialist, Headquarters and Support Battalion, MCB Camp Pendleton, who played wing position. “It’s pretty awesome playing someone all the way from Great Britain. They’re really calculated and knew what to do and how to move around the field to get the goal. I even met a few people from the islands around where I’m from playing on the British team.”
Young athletes like Aguimbag will serve as the next generation of the sport in the Marine Corps.
“This is fitting because there’s no finer sport for Marines than rugby because it’s all about maneuver warfare,” Pelham said. “It’s a continuous flow and an ever-changing battlefield. You’ve got to change strategies and that’s exactly what we do as far as fighting wars. This is what we call smash-mouth rugby and there’s no Marine I know that doesn’t like to go into a big, full tackle. We don’t use pads either so this is perfect.”
This specific match served as a way to strengthen a bond already strong between the two nations. The Army soldiers recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan serving alongside Coalition Forces and believe it’s just as important to work together on the playing field.
“This is the first time I’ve interacted with Marines outside of Afghanistan so it’s quite interesting,” Soper said. “It’s nice to hang out with these boys without having to worry about [Improvised Explosive Devices] going off around you.”