FORT SAM HOUSTON (September 6, 2018)- The U.S. All-Army Rugby Sevens team took home the gold at the 2018 Armed Forces division of the Rugbytown Sevens in Glendale, Colorado. This marks the team's sixth consecutive Armed Forces Rugby Championship. The team also won the plate championship marking the team's first ever bracket win.
Army beat Navy 43-14, the Marines 32-0, the Coast Guard 38-0, the Air Force 34-0 and faced the Air Force again in the finals beating them 12-7.
Many of the players developed injuries during the tournament so the rest of the team had to push through in the final game, according to Cpl. John Cullen.
"The guys stepped up and looked great, they had the mindset that we won't stop. I was exhausted afterwards, that was the most tired I've ever been on the field," Cullen said.
Cullen played football at the University of Utah and during his last year of eligibility he played rugby for Mark Drown, the current All-Army rugby coach. Drown recruited Cullen to join the All-Army team.
Cullen, a parachute rigger, won most valuable player of the entire Rugbytown Sevens tournament making him the first Armed Forces player to win the award. The award is named after a fallen service member, Jon Snow.
"To win it as an armed forces player meant a lot more. The award was named after a service member who was also a paratrooper and being able to win while representing the Army is really cool," Cullen said.
The All-Army Rugby team is made up of various Army Soldiers and National Guardsmen from across the country. Every year a team is recruited and trained before the annual tournament.
"We had less than two weeks to prepare. We look for the top players in the system, they are already physically fit and smart about how to play. We will not be together and they can get back to playing at a high level quick," said coach Mark Drown, a retired Army Colonel.
Drown has been coaching the team for the last seven years. He started playing rugby when he was a child and went on to play at a university. When he heard an All-Army team was forming in 2012 he asked to coach it.
Drown gets the men in shape before the tournament. They practice up to three times a day, according to Cullen.
"We train at a very high performance. We have up to three trainings a day to simulate what a tournament day will be like. We will do weights in the morning and practice on the field in the afternoon," Cullen said.
Many of the players have played rugby most of their life. Team captain, Capt. Will Holder started playing when he was in the third grade. He continued to play through college where he competed with the combined services team. After college he was recruited for the All-Army team in 2013.
Although Holder has played the sport for years, he mentions that playing for the Army is different.
"Playing for All-Army is a different mentality, representing the Army and not just a high school. You represent a lot of people, knowing you're wearing Army on your chest is special. The competition at this level is very good, we are constantly being challenged by the other teams," Holder said.
Drown mentions the similarities between the Army and rugby.
"I can see the similarities of applications to the Army and rugby. We use the players to help train each other, that's also a military aspect. A coach that would come in without Army background might miss that and how to motivate the player," Drown said.
Cullen agrees with the similarities.
"The Army gives you strength, the general fitness and mental toughness of being a Soldier helps. When you develop that it will help you no matter what. You are already in a team environment in the Army so it is easy to play on a team," Cullen said.
Drown hopes to expand the program in the future to open the public's eye to the Army and Soldier athletes.
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