I spent Friday evening and Saturday morning/afternoon watching the Rugby tournament that took place at the Haagsche Rugby club. Ignoring the weather forecast for the Friday evening, a good turn out of supporters turned up to cheer on those participating and to enjoy the beer and food that was on offer.

  Breakaway - photograph by Neal McClimon

Teams from Ireland, Poland, France and the Netherlands played two semi-finals. Despite the deluge of rain that preceded the games, the pitch was in perfect condition allowing for some entertaining free flowing rugby. Great to watch and full of tension as the substitutes called out to their team mates in the heat of the battle. It is a lot of fun to watch live rugby as you can really hear and feel the crunching tackles as players do their best to batter each other in to submission. Yet the sportsmanship is amazing, no petty arguments, referees decisions are never questioned, everybody plays to the whistle and that is it, no questions asked. Footballers should take note of the way rugby players behave on the field of play.

Saturday was a bit of a confused day. Two teams due to play in the Colts tournament did not show up, so unfortunately there was no action to watch. I did however bide my time for a while and watch the local Colts go through some training routines. A real shame I could not get to see them play for real as they were lightning quick with their handling skills. Oh well, maybe next time.

  It's gonna hurt - photograph by Neal McClimon

There is one other thing to mention, as I did get there early, I was able to watch the junior teams having a practice session. I am guessing there were around 35 kids there aged roughly between 5 and 8, maybe even a bit older. It made me laugh as I watched; for the simple reason they were really tackling rough and there was only tears maybe twice, which soon stopped after a pat on the head by the coaches. This form of sport and exercise I personally believe is perfect for kids. They learn discipline and sportsmanship and it also toughens them up.

From 14.00 there were a couple games for the older masters of the game, putting their boots on and really getting stuck in to each other as though they had something to prove to the younger boys. There were some really meaty tackles flying in and as with all the other teams and players, when it was over, it was time to shake hands, get a shower followed by beer, just how rugby should be played and enjoyed.

What amazed me when watching the rugby was the fact that some of the men looked over weight and as though they couldn’t run for two minutes let alone run a war for eighty! The fitness levels required to play this bruising game is astounding, especially when you add to that the brutal punishment the body takes.

The Haagsche Rugby Club is always on the lookout for new members and are open to non Dutch players joining. If you fancy getting yourself fit and enjoying a good old game of rugger, get in contact with them, they would be most welcoming and as with all rugby clubs around the world, the social side is a very important part of it. Play hard and party hard is a good way to describe it.

Haagsche Rugby Club contact:
www.haagscherugbyclub.nl
info@haagscherugbyclub.com
070-3244955

Or go and visit them on one of their training nights that take place every Tuesday and Thursday at: Theo Mann Bouwmeesterlaan 800, 2597 HM, The Hague.

Text and pictures by Neal McClimon
neal@thehagueonline.com
www.itpphotography.com

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