It’s the Super Scrum : Undefeated Valley Ruggers Pay Way to Play for National Title

Chris Conrad’s 10-year Thousand Oaks High reunion takes place this summer and he is sure to visit with old football buddies, guys with creaky knees, steady jobs and stable marriages.

The hard hits and adrenaline rush of football are decade-old memories for most of them. But Conrad, a dependable linebacker then, will tell them about this weekend, about playing with the San Fernando Valley Rugby Club for the U.S.A. Rugby Division II national championship.

“This is the epitome for us,” Conrad said. “Everybody plays for the love of the game, No. 1, but to play for the national championship makes this season really special.”

The club is 35 years old, but only in the past two years has it become a consistent winner. San Fernando Valley takes a 16-0 record into the four-team championships, held Saturday and Monday in Austin, Tex.

Win or lose, Conrad won’t let anyone at his reunion tell him rugby ain’t football. For guys in their late 20s and 30s not on an NFL payroll, this rough-and-tumble British import is about as close as it gets.

Ruggers run with the ball, tackle ballcarriers, score goals and kick conversions. They suffer bruises that never seem to heal and party like crazy afterward.

Rugby also has elements of soccer. Ruggers do not wear pads, are prohibited from blocking opponents or throwing a forward pass, and they play continuously, not pausing to huddle. Timeouts are forbidden and substitutions are rare.

“There is an intensity on the field that resembles American football but there is something different about rugby players and we know it,” said Clive Thomas, player-coach of the San Fernando Valley club. “We are a bit off kilter. That’s why there is such camaraderie among us.”

Diversity too. Because the sport is popular in Europe, South America, Africa and Australia, many U.S. teams have an international flavor. For every American such as Conrad who learned the game after high school, there is a San Fernando Valley teammate who developed his skill in Argentina, Wales, Kenya, Tonga, Great Britain or New Zealand.

Argentina and Great Britain were at war in the early 1980s, but expatriates from those countries practiced side-by-side this week at Studio City Park.

“During the Falklands War we were taught to hate the British,” said Javier Prelooker, 27, an Argentine native and captain of the San Fernando Valley club. “But today we don’t even think about it. These are my closest friends. Our common ground is this sport.”

Rick Shaw, 27, of Studio City and Marcelo Sala, 31, of Sherman Oaks joined teams before the age of 10--Shaw in Kenya where his father was a pilot for Kenya Airways, and Sala at a private school in Argentina.

Sala, nicknamed “Little Napoleon” because he is 5-foot-8 and is considered a master strategist, has played for 21 years, the past six for San Fernando Valley.

“We have improved the team steadily by adding players from all over the world, but the atmosphere of friendship stays the same,” said Sala, a Studio City restaurant manager.

A recent addition is Shaw, who at 6-3, 230 pounds combines strength and experience. Shaw has played for several Division I teams--the highest level of club rugby--but he is enjoying this season more than any other.

“I’ve put so much time and effort into this game, for so long it was my entire life, that I am happy playing for a Division II team that holds high standards,” Shaw said. “All the diverse backgrounds bring many styles of play, and I think that is our strength.”

The San Fernando Valley club has played so well, it could move up to Division I next season and join a league that includes such established clubs as the Old Mission Bay Athletic Club of San Diego. That probably won’t happen, however.

The January, 1994, earthquake cost the team its longtime playing field at Cal State Northridge--the field is covered with portable classrooms. An infusion of more talent also would be required.

Last weekend, the team defeated two-time national champion Santa Rosa, 10-6, at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to qualify for the championships.

San Fernando Valley will face Topeka, Kan., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The match will be followed by one between teams from Vermont and Michigan.

No matter how far they hoof it to compete, the players must foot the bill. All that’s paid for is beer--and only for the most valuable player of each game.

The MVP is given “the cup,” a beer mug that remains full courtesy of teammates during a postgame party that traditionally includes both teams.

Conrad, a first-year player on the San Fernando Valley team, was awarded the cup after his first game. Its contents helped him forget his bumps, bruises and bloody nose.

“I hadn’t played rugby in three years, since college days at UC Santa Barbara, and it reminded me how much fun this game is,” he said. “We pay for everything from our jerseys to airline tickets, so you know that every guy on the team has the same love for the game.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Club Roster

San Fernando Valley Rugby Club Roster: Mike Adams, center; Chris Conrad, flanker; Rodney Dowson, scrum half; Gonzalo Esccuti, center; Chris Grantz, hooker; Ben Harrell, winger; Dave Jones, hooker; Darrell Kee, lock; Art May, prop; Tasi Mounga, flanker; Silvio Parobi, fullback; Chris Perkins, lock; Javier Prelooker, outside center; Rigoberto Rodriguez, winger; Marcelo Sala, fly half; Andrew Shanks, scrum half; Rick Shaw, outside center; Pete Smolin, prop; Gonzalo Soares-Gache, fullback; Ricardo Son, prop; Mark Tandy, flanker; Bernardo Torrez, 8-man; Jeff Umland, flanker; Chris Vivian, 8-man; Darryl Wagner, prop/lock; Coach: Clive Thomas; Assistant: Tony Wagner.