Professional Arena Rugby

Los Angeles Road Warriors vs Dallas Outlaws

Reunion Arena, Dallas, August 28, 1998

Professional Arena Rugby?   When I first heard of it, I didn't know what to think.  Even after a month of training, the four Unicorns and the rest of the players on the L.A. Road Warriors team were not sure what the rules were going to be as they headed off to Dallas.  As we arrived at the arena for our first practice inside on Thursday (photo), my first impression was that it was larger than the fields that we had marked off with cones to train on.  It looked like there would be some running room after all. Although we had been assured that our bodies would become one giant scab from people who know astroturf (Jeff Chadwick), we found that the surface was not that brutal. It certainly was softer than some "fields" that I have played on (San Fernando, Eagle Rock, Tempe come to mind). With neoprene to cover the knees, I don't see any reason not to play rugby indoors.

On Friday, the day of the game, we found out how the game was to be played. It would be mostly sevens rules, with the exception that the scoring team would kickoff, unlike fifteens. However, the most important rule change would be the ability to interchange players on the fly, an idea to keep the players fresh and the game fast-moving for the audience. After all, the key to success for this league, or any professional league, is fan interest and support, and not just rugby fans, we need the NHL fan in the off-season, and the WWF fan on an off night, if they have any. We entered the darkened arena to chants of BEAT LA! and LA SUCKS!, and I knew that this would be unlike any other rugby game that I had ever played.

It only took about thirty seconds to give the crowd what they wanted. A Dallas player ran a little too close to the sideline, and one of our players rewarded him with a slam into the thinly padded sideboards. For some reason he took offense, and we soon had a seven on seven mini-brawl. The pace was fast and the tackling hard, but soon the L.A. Warriors drew first blood, with a Unicorn connection, JB passing to Andy Wind for a try in the corner. Dallas came back with their own try, much to the delight of the home crowd, and a tight, seesaw battle was on. The first half ended at three tries apiece, but Phil, not accustomed to converting off astroturf through narrow posts (perhaps a rugby ball at our training the day before would have been helpful), left the Warriors four points shy at 15-19. After a nice, long, halftime break (there was a band scheduled to play, but they had technical difficulties, I guess Eddie Richardson wasn't available to set them up) the two teams were ready to square off for another twenty minutes. The first twenty had gone by so quickly that the two teams agreed to have the clock stop when the ball was dead in the second half. The second half was just as intense, Quinton was mixing it up with everyone on the other team, and had two shirts destroyed in the process. Phil got the hang of drop kicking off the carpet, especially on kickoffs, as he hung up some high ones for the Warriors to get under. So we got a few penalties for early shots and hitting the guy in the air, at least it was entertaining for the crowd. Late in the game the battle was tied at 34, when JB flipped a pass out wide to Barry Williams, who put in the winning try. Phil added the conversion for the final margin of 41-34. Note: If you ever play rugby with a scoreboard/timer, you do not stop when the buzzer sounds. John Arentson from the Warriors did that and was immediately hammered, leading to a game-ending brawl.

All in all, I think the game was quite fun, especially signing autographs for the kids after the game, and I think that this game may have the entertainment value to make it. Don't get me wrong, I think regular rugby is entertaining as well, but that's only for you, me, and the three hundred other people that showed up for the U.S. Eagles vs Australia match, some of the best rugby this country has ever hosted. I hope that there is more Arena Rugby in 1999, and if you would like to see it, be sure to check back here on the upcoming events page.

Phil McDonald's story of the game.

Action Shots

Unicorns on the Warriors

Los Angeles Warriors Team Photo

The Spoils of Victory

Ray Viers' Story of the Game

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