Local Rugby Team Seeks New Members

It is not every day a person can join a team in a sport they know nothing about and end up playing for a national championship, but that’s exactly what happens on the Montauk Sharks rugby team.

The Sharks finished sixth in the nation last year and they hope to go at least that far this season. And the team is looking for new recruits.

“Most of the guys on the team now had no rugby experience,” scrum half Brian Anderson said from the sidelines on a recent Tuesday night practice in East Hampton’s Herrick Park. Anderson was knocked out of commission for a couple practices after breaking his finger and splitting open his head to the tune of eight stitches during a Saturday game, but he returned to action after just a week off the pitch. Anderson acknowledged that it could seem a bit crazy, but that’s rugby.

“You’ve got to want to hit people,” the 24-year-old general education teacher and teaching assistant at Springs School said, noting most members of the Sharks learned to play rugby from their teammates, but they usually have a background in contact sports. Jarrel Walker, for instance, is a former East Hampton High School football player and wrestler, and played professional Arena football.

The key to the Sharks’ success is the handful of lifelong players from countries like Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa, who do a solid job teaching their American friends the subtle and not so subtle aspects of the game. “Guys like Gordon teach you real quick,” Anderson said, noting the coaching prowess of team captain and fly half Gordon Trotter, a personal trainer who has been with the Sharks for 12 years and played rugby all over the world. “These guys teach you to play once, you fall in love with it.”

Trotter, 39, is the oldest team member to actually play in games, but the Sharks have a number of members who coach and help manage the team. “We’ve done really well,” Trotter said, pointing out that the Sharks finished sixth in the National championships last year after losing to Rocky Gorge, which took the top spot overall.

An experienced player born in New Zealand, the team captain said last season the Sharks had mostly American players who knew little or nothing about rugby before joining. The 28-man team practices every Tuesday and Thursday and Trotter said the neophyte players learn through “a lot of repetition” as well as experiencing play each week.

Every Saturday, the Sharks play their “A” and “B” teams in games at home or away. New recruits play on the development team until they are seasoned enough to move up to the A squad. The team plays in the Empire Union season, which has Southern and Northern divisions covering the New York State region. They play during the months of September and October, but the championships don’t begin until spring.

The Sharks are currently 4-1. The team returns home to host Syracuse in a North/South crossover on Saturday, which should attract as many as 150 fans to Herrick Park.

“It’s the ultimate team sport, you cannot play it without the rest of your guys,” Trotter said, sharing his love for rugby. “In what other sport do you have a drink with the opposition afterward?”

Sharks coach and member for 32 years Rich Brierley, of East Hampton, said the team has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception in 1973. “It’s gotten better, it’s gotten different,” Brierley said, explaining that even the rules have changed over the years. “Montauk Rugby Club always, from the get-go, has been a competitive side,” he added.

The team charges dues to help cover expenses, but they are waived for new players while they decide whether or not rugby is for them. For years, recruitment was difficult because of the potential for injury, but Trotter said the Sharks started providing insurance for members last year.

Brierley and Trotter said joining the team is a big commitment, which includes evening practices and weekend games, and it can be difficult for your average working person. But the Sharks play to win and team members need to be able to do well and play safe. “This is a game that requires you to be fit,” Trotter said, noting that it’s a grueling 80-minute endurance test with no time outs.

But, “It’s a game most guys become addicted to,” Brierley said. “It happened to me. The first time I walked off the field, I never looked back.”

To find out more about the Montauk Sharks rugby team, visit www.montaukrugby.com. To inquire about joining, click on “Contacts” and call one of the members listed, and for scores and schedules, visit www.montaukrugby.teamsnap.com.