State title reflects local rugby growth

PORTLAND — The Union High School rugby team was 14 minutes from its state title clinching win on Saturday when two Union players collided.

For half an hour, players from Union and the opposing Newberg Tigers sat together on the field at Lents Park in southeast Portland while wounded Titans Bennie Taylor and Tyler Dione were assisted by medical personnel. Dione went to a hospital for stitches but was home Saturday night, and both players are OK, according to Union coach David Curle.

During the break, Newberg nominated the injured Union players for rugby’s traditional Man of the Match honor.

Then the teams returned to tackling and battling away for another 14 minutes before Union’s 46-20 win was complete. The victory completed unbeaten season for the team from Vancouver and made the Titans champions of the Rugby Oregon Varsity Premiership — a significant accomplishment for a program in only its second season.

Union’s roster included players from different cultural and athletic backgrounds. The Titans had enough players to field two teams. Newberg had but three or four substitutions.

The growing popularity of rugby at Union — one of four boys high school rugby clubs in Clark County — reflects a nationwide trend. A Bloomberg report in December of 2014 showed that rugby participation has grown by 81 percent in the United States since 2008, faster than any other team sport.

Union used its speed and passing game to pull away from Newberg on Saturday for a 46-20 win in the Rugby Oregon Varsity Premiership state championship game.

Brenton Curle scored three tries and Tyler Dione two to lead the way. Also scoring tries for Union were Caleb Browning, Trevon Turner and Kyle Vermuelen. Union led 29-5 by halftime and scored the first two tries after halftime to lead 41-5.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Union coach David Curle said. “Newberg were really up for it.”

To counter Newberg’s strength at forward, the Union strategy was to keep the ball tee and then defend and force Newberg into turnovers.

The Varsity Premiership is the Rugby Oregon league for teams representing individual high schools.

Prairie 52, Battle Ground 24 — The Prairie Wolf Pack beat rival Battle Ground on Saturday in the Shield Final, a consolation match at Lents Park in southeast Portland. Jordan Marti scored an early try to set the tone for Prairie. Logan Jacques was named Prairie’s man of the match.

More rugby

• Here is video of Union’s state championship match: https://youtu.be/Vyl7_2V5OU8

• Registration for the Rugby Oregon summer sevens season is open at rugbyoregon.com.

• Rugby Oregon will hold a July 6-9 camp at Laurin Middle School for boys and girls entering grades 3-8. No experience needed. Details at rugbyoregon.com.

“You have guys from all over, different backgrounds and you have all guys who are together,” said Union junior Jake Burchett, who played lacrosse before choosing rugby. “They might not be from the same place, from the same way of life, but they all come into this culture and play the same way.”

The Titans won almost every ruck and needed fewer phases of play to take the ball across the line for a try — rugby’s term for a touchdown.

The action can be rough and intense. But the camaraderie that was evident during Saturday’s injury timeout is as much a part of the rugby culture as is fierce, physical competition.

“If we travel to Newberg and play Newberg, after the match everyone gets together and sits in a big circle and coaches speak then the captains speak,” said John Fletcher, coach of the Prairie High team. “Then we name the most valuable player for that day.”

The game is pretty attractive too.

“It’s all about the excitement,” Union senior Benny Taylor said. “There’s people that have never seen rugby before and then they come out and watch it and they fall in love.”

Jenn Heinrich is the president and CEO of Rugby Oregon. She gives credit to coaches such as Fletcher and Union’s David Curle for helping jump start rugby programs for middle schoolers, which develop more experienced players for their high school teams.

Fletcher in New Zealand and Curle in Zimbabwe grew up playing rugby and are excited about its potential growth here.

Prairie, for example, will add 10 freshmen next season who have rugby experience from middle school programs that started in 2011.

But nobody’s rugby family is doing as well as Union’s after avenging a loss to Prairie in the 2014 state title game. Playing rugby in the spring to prepare for football in the fall has been a major attraction for the sport, but according to Curle nearly a third of Union’s team had never before played an organized sport.

“The experience was kind of the party scene and play some rugby in college,” Fletcher said about rugby’s past place in the United States. “So there’s really been a shift away from that as teams have gotten bigger and more kids are playing at younger levels and the skill set got better.”

Brendon Curle, a junior and the son of David, has contributed greatly in the recruitment of players and by teaching players the game he’s played his whole life.

“Generally, we got most of them from football,” Brendon Curle said. “Then success just brought it in, we’re a family.”

The family includes girls as well. Union’s girls rugby team was there to support the Titans boys team, as were supporters from other Clark County schools.

“With the Olympics coming in 2016 and it being a World Cup year there’s just a lot of excitement around it,” Heinrich said. “Rugby hasn’t been in the Olympics since 1924.”

Whether it’s the Olympics, World Cup or just the fact that it’s something new, Rugby Oregon is thriving and Clark County is now leading the pack.

“It’s the corny saying, but it really is more than just a sport,” Burchett said. “It really is that way.”