FORT BENNING, Ga., (Dec. 3, 2014) -- The Columbus-Fort Benning Rugby Club is looking for dependable players willing to travel for the February to April season.

Fort Benning and Columbus merged their teams together in the mid-1980s creating the Cruise-A-Matics, said Gary Kent, who has juggled many positions within the club and has been a part of it since its inception in 1984. It is the surviving rugby organization in town.

Tight-head prop and Soldier Staff Sgt. Shawn St. John, A Troop, 1st Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, said no previous skills or knowledge of the game is needed to join the team. Anyone is welcome to come out.

"We will teach them the basics," he said. "We'll teach them how to run, pass, tackle, how to fall to the ground when they get hit to prevent injuries. We're going to show them everything we can ... so they can come out, play and actually enjoy the game."

Kent said when the Cruise-A-Matics travel, it mainly consists of a three-hour distance alternating between Georgia and Alabama with an occasional 4.5 hour drive for a tournament.

"We're having to rebuild again," he said. "In order to commit to a schedule, you've got to have players you can depend on."

As of this moment, the team will pick up games as they can, Kent said. The numbers are there for home games, but 15-20 players are needed for travel.

Rugby is "quite unique in its total make up," he said. It's the ultimate team sport. Everyone depends on one another.

St. John said it really takes a team effort to play the entire game.

"You're not going out there as an individual for that 80 minutes and win ... you're going against 15 other guys," he said. "It's a hard 80 minutes. It's a lot of work (and) fun. The one thing I really like is you don't have first or second string players. If you show up for a game, you're going to play, even if you're new. We want people to play (and) learn the sport."

Kent said rugby is about camaraderie.

"Your opponent is your opponent for an 80-minute game and then he is your buddy for the rest of the time," Kent said. "In tournaments you can play against a guy in one game and three hours later, if you wanted to pick up another game, you might be playing with that same person. After games there's a common party where both teams socialize. You can (also) walk into any rugby club and be immediately taken in."

Kent said rugby is "an in or out kind of sport" that's not for everybody.

"It's kind of a love-hate relationship with the sport," he said. "If you can grab a guy, get him out to a practice, into a game and he loves it, (then) he's hooked. It doesn't take any period of time. When you are hooked, (you're hooked). It's a lifelong type of deal."

St. John said he originally thought rugby was lacrosse when he went out to play the sport in 1996, but once he realized what it was and gave it a shot, he has been playing ever since.

"It's a great sport," he said. "It's a lot of fun. I love the game and I love to play. (People) don't know what they're missing."

To check out or attend practices, visit the CruiserDome 7-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays at 1904 Blanchard Blvd., Columbus, behind the Dolly Madison Bakery and Carl Gregory Chrysler Jeep Dodge Dealership off Victory Drive.

For information, call Kent at 706-577-4925, or St. John at 706-536-8810 or visit www.columbusfortbenningrugby.weebly.com/.