Mystic River Rugby Club Reaches USA Rugby National Sweet 16

The Mystic River Rugby Club is going back to the USA Rugby National Sweet 16.

Holding the top-seed in the Northeast, the Malden/Melrose-based Mystics advanced past the Mid-Atlantic region’s fourth-seeded Northern Virginia Rugby Club (NOVA) with a hard-won 27-17 victory in a USA Rugby Playoff match at Pine Banks Park.

The club advanced into the Elite Eight last season, before succumbing to the pressure of top-flight Life University, 58-3.

Chris Tofte paced the Mystics attack with a pair of tries in the first half, while Jamie Green and Adnan Kawuma secured the goal line as well for Mystic River. The Mystics also scored on a Derrick Roma penalty kick.

The Club will now face a yet to be determined opponent on May 21/22 in Manassas Park, Virginia in the USA Rugby round of 16.

“Today was a team effort. We like to play rugby with the top four inches of our heads, and not let the pressure effect our game,” said Mystic River head coach John Banarhall. “Our physicality is good, our technique and our game play is solid. It’s execution and today they executed.”

Tofte scored twice in the first half for the Mystics with two tries, and Roma was 1-for-2 on conversions, while NOVA matched Mystic River in terms of reaching the try line, but failed to convert either of the subsequent conversions, and trailed 12-10 at the break.

NOVA drew first blood after the half, and split the uprights for the extra two points as well.

Five minutes later, the Mystics pulled level when Kawuma scored. Roma hit the upright with the conversion attempt. Nine minutes after tying the score, Mystic River took a lead they would not relinquish on Green’s try and Roma’s conversion. Roma would add the cherry with a penalty kick towards the end of the game.

The Mystics will be looking to make it back to the Elite Eight—and hopefully beyond—in Manassas next month.

“We’re hoping to at least make it to the Final Four in Glendale, Colo.,” Banarhall said. “And maybe go further, only time will tell.”

What kind of football is this?

Any stray dog-walkers in and around the environs of Pine Banks my have happened upon a curious spectacle on Saturday afternoon. To the casual observer, rugby resembles either an organized riot, or some archaic, pre-forward pass version of the football that occurs on this side of the Atlantic. There is tackling, just as one might witness at any field in the state on Thanksgiving morning. There are, however, virtually no pads and no helmets.

There are events known as scrums and mauls; it is fast paced, exciting and vicious, and while Daniel Day-Lewis may not be known to frequent the rugby pitch, one thing is for certain: There will be blood.

In the United States, the top-flight rugby competition is known as the Rugby Super League (RSL), and is sanctioned by USA Rugby, the highest governing body in the country. USA Rugby was founded in 1975, and affiliated with the International Rugby Board—the sport’s highest authority—in 1987.

After the RSL, the next level of play is Division One. This is the circuit that Mystic River RFC competes in. Other clubs in this conference include the Amoskeag Rugby Club, Boston Irish Wolfhounds, Boston RFC, New Haven Old Black, South Shore Anchors and White Plains RFC.

How the game is played

Rugby has its origins in England, and is played over two 40-minute halves. There are nearly no stoppages of play, unless an official calls an injury timeout.

The 15 players on the field are comprised of backs and forwards, with the backs being the offensive players, and the forwards acting in a role not unlike that of a lineman, responsible for blocking and stopping the other team from tackling the ball carrier, who tries to carry the spherically-shaped ball across the  try line, which is analogous to a touchdown. A try is worth five points, and the team who scores is afforded the chance to kick the ball through the uprights for another two points, this is known as a conversion. Teams can also attempt to kick a field goal for three points after a major penalty is awarded by opting to “kick for the points,” or through a drop kick from any spot on the field at any moment.

The ball can be passed laterally or backwards, but never forward, and it can be carried or kicked downfield as well.

Perhaps the most identifiable aspect of rugby is the scrum, which occurs when a player is tackled to the ground while in possession of the ball. (Editor's note: see comment below.) The tackled player releases the ball and rolls away and the eight forwards from both teams struggle for the ball in a tangled mass of churning bodies.