Smashmouth Rugby: 'The Way We Like It'

The New London County Rugby Football Club was defeated by Providence RFC on Saturday. The final score was somewhere around 36-25 but no one was certain at the end of the match. 

No matter. After it was all over, Kirk Bailey, a New London player, said, "now we're heading out to the other rugby tradition" - the infamous nights of drinking and brawling at a local pub.

But, Bailey said, that's not what the club is about.   

"It used to be that guys would drink a lot and they just happened to play rugby," he said. "Now, guys just want to be good rugby players." 

The "drink-up" as it is called, is where instead of fighting each other, teams share a pint together and talk about the match. Each team awards the other team's best player, according to Rick Dickinson, one of New London's co-captains. 

The New London County Rugby Football Club was formed in 2003 by Dave Carlson. He passed out "dozens and dozens of flyers," he said, because he wanted to continue playing the game he learned in college. He has since retired from playing rugby but two original members still play on the team, he said.

"After 35 (years old) you feel a little bit broken down," Dickinson said, of the sport's unofficial retirement age. He said the day's game was a success because everyone was able to walk off the field.

He said the team has a diverse set of members who might have played in college, or might not. The team's youngest member is 17, according to Dickinson, who said that new members join the team with varying degrees of skill and experience. 

The club is part of the New England Rugby Football Union, a regional organization with adult and college teams for men and women. New London County RFC is a Division Three team. 

The spring is the team's practice season and the time is spent training new recruits and trying players in new positions before the regular fall season. Games are on Saturdays and the schedule is posted on the team's website.  

Two big events are coming up. May 7, the team is playing Seacoast Rugby in Montville and the proceeds will go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The following week is the New England Rugby Cup tournament in Newport, RI.