Black Hearts Rugby Club Forming in West Hartford

I have to admit that I didn't know much about the sport when I contacted the organizers of West Hartford’s new Black Hearts Rugby Club. But after my conversation with Norbert Deslauriers, I’m convinced that it is going to catch on very quickly here.

“Rugby is the third most popular sport in the world,” Deslauriers told me. “Only soccer’s World Cup and the Summer Olympic Games have a larger audience than the Rugby World Cup,” he said. I had no idea that rugby is played in 120 countries throughout the world, is the most popular club sport on college campuses in this country, and will be officially included in the 2016 Olympics.

“I think it’s a great time to introduce the sport to West Hartford,” said Deslauriers, who recently held an informational meeting for potential participants in the U-19 youth rugby club, which is open to boys and girls ages 14-19. There are already 15-20 signed up, and more are welcome at the club’s inaugural practice which will be held this Sunday, April 3, from 1 p.m.-2:45 p.m. in the  gym.

Deslauriers is confident that the sport will quickly become popular. There are already 10 teams/clubs playing at the U-19 level in Connecticut. Eight more teams are in the process of forming, including at Avon High School and Southington High School. Simsbury High School’s team currently has 45 boys and 17 girls participating. At the college level, there are 74 men’s teams and 60 women’s teams in New England alone.

“Financially it’s a great sport to play because there is very little equipment required,” said Deslauriers. The only requirements are a pair of cleats, a few rugby balls, and a mouth guard. There are 15 players per team, and games have 80 minutes of playing time on a field that has approximately the same dimensions as a football field.

“Rugby moves much quicker than almost any other sport. Even though there are set positions, every player can do every task,” said Deslauriers, who added that it gets you into great shape. The clock rarely stops, and although up to seven substitutions are allowed, a player cannot return to the game once he/she has been replaced.

Like any sport, rugby has its own unique language – terms such as “try,” “scrum,” “ruck,” and “maul,” which may not immediately have obvious meaning to novice players. However, Deslauriers and the other organizers of the Black Hearts certainly have the experience to impart the rules of the game to those just learning the sport.

Deslauriers started playing rugby with a men’s rugby club, the West Hartford Yahoos, when he was a junior at in 1983. He played at St. Anselm College and then founded the rugby club which still exists today at Nichols College. He currently plays with the Connecticut Grey, which is an over-35 rugby club, and also referees through the New England Referee Society.

The other organizers/coaches have lengthy rugby resumes as well. John Kerr has played since 1979, has been a member of the Connecticut Grey since 1996, and has also played rugby all over the world. Ed Carr has also played rugby since 1979, and he currently plays for the Connecticut Grey as well as the Belfast Perennials, a team in Northern Ireland.

“Rugby requires great teamwork. If every player does their part, the team will be successful,” said Deslauriers.

To understand the flow of the game, Deslauriers suggested watching game videos at www.rugbydump.com. Additional videos can be found by searching “Rugby Union” on YouTube.

For more information about the Black Hearts Rugby Club, contact Deslauriers at 860-202-8045 or email him at whrugby@comcast.net. Those who want to participate in Sunday’s practice must complete a CIPP (Club & Individual Participation Program) form online at www.usarugby.org, sign a waiver, and bring a copy of their health insurance card to the practice.