In the heat of what would be his second official rugby game at SIU, Will Sharp had only three words for his sister.

“It’s rugby time,” Sharp said as he prepared for a grueling, day-long competition sporting dirt stains and holding on to prolate spheroid balls for dear life.

Sharp was among about 65 SIUC students and several hundred others to participate in Ruggapalooza Saturday- an annual men and women’s rugby tournament hosted by the SIUC women’s rugby team.

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As Sharp, a freshman from Batavia studying mechanical engineering, caught up with his sister, Jessica, during a break in the action, his sister asked him how he spent his first few weeks at SIUC.

He played rugby.

The proud sister responded by giving her brother a hug and telling him how great it was.

Jessica Sharp, a senior studying physical therapy at Northern Illinois University, said she taught her little brother everything he knows about the game.

“He played soccer because I did and then did track because of me,” Sharp said. “He always follows in my footsteps, and I like that.”

SUB: The ins and outs

Rugby is a game that is played in many countries around the world and is a mixture of football and soccer. Each team has 15 players on the field and spends the two 40-minute periods attempting to score as many points as possible.

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Players can score by touching the prolate spheroid-shaped ball to the ground of the opposing team’s goal line, earning a “try.” After the try is scored, the team has an opportunity for a kick, similar to an extra point in football.

Rugby differs from football in that if a player falls to the ground the ball is still in play, and in rugby the players are not allowed to pass the ball forward.

Most players at the tournament said their favorite part of the game was the subculture that made for an instant closeness between players.

Some players had played rugby for several years, while others had only been playing a few days.

Sam Pellegrino, a freshman from Chicago studying finance, was beginning his fifth day as a rugby player at Saturday’s tournament.

Pellegrino said he has always been interested in the game, so he joined the team Sept. 4.

“I’ve gotten better every day since,” Pellegrino said.

SUB: It’s a lifestyle

The more experienced players were more than happy to share stories of how he or she became a rugby player, including tales of victory and personal triumph.

Liz Entwhistle’s team was invited to play in the tournament and she drove about six hours to get here and has been playing rugby for about nine years. She said what drew her to rugby was the camaraderie.

Entwhistle said she began playing soccer at age six, moved on to play on her high school’s football team and finally started playing rugby while an undergraduate at Northwestern University.

She said her best memory of rugby came when she was playing in Scotland and scored her first goal.

Camaraderie, friendship and a sense of belonging on campus were the main reasons players from each team gave for loving the sport.

On the fields, fans watched as players attacked the opposition and stopped at nothing to help their team to victory.

Several players also said they loved the “no pads” policy and being able to tackle.

The day was also an opportunity for new blood to get accustomed to the battle, as it was the first year for a women’s B-team to participate due to an excessive number of women interested in the sport this year.

Danielle Sheppard, a senior from Champaign studying radio television, said even though the women’s B-team didn’t win any games, just watching the “newbies” play made the day a success.

“The best part of the day for me was watching the rookies do so well,” Sheppard said. “We trained them and taught them everything they know.”

Daily Egyptian writer Christian Holt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or [email protected].