JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – Neither a little cold weather nor the rain could stop the Flying Tigers from soaring to victory and sinking the Old Salts rugby team 55-17 at the Starfire Stadium in Tukwila May 27.
“It takes more time for the guys to gel as a team, but they still played with the same passion and even more because they are a military team,” said Robert Holder, head coach for the Flying Tigers.
The armed forces match was made up with all-star rugby players from around the world from the Army, Air Force and Space Command (Flying Tigers) taking on players from the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard (Old Salts).
Holder, who is also an Army veteran and was an assistant coach last year, said some of things he looked for in the three practices leading into the game were improvements from last year and enjoyment from the players.
“Meeting, watching and learning from some of the best the Army and Air Force had to offer was an overwhelming experience,” said Timothy Charfauros, from the 864th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade, just one of six players from Joint Base Lewis-McChord on the Flying Tigers rugby team. “Most of us just met each other and within 48 hours became a highly functional team. That speaks volumes to the level of professionalism these guys had.”
After a bit of a rocky start, the team found their momentum and scored consecutive tries back-to-back and even made an interception in the second half.
“We all play similar structures,” said Owen Ryckman, from the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force Multi-Domain Effects Battalion at JBLM. “When we meet, we have a general concept of what each other does and what we are trying to do as a team. So, in practice we fine tune those skills.”
After the match, the Flying Tigers were presented with the winner’s trophy by Col. Leroy Barker, 1st Special Forces Group deputy commander, from JBLM.
“It is an honor for me to present this award today,” he said. “The relationships we have within our community only fuel the relationships we have with each other. Service members are passionate, driven and focused no matter what uniform they wear.”
The team gathered for a special congratulatory message from Holder and Brian Jones, president of the Seattle Seawolves, Seattle’s professional rugby team that plays Major League Rugby.
This was a 15s match, where 15 players per team played. During COVID, matches were all 7s, where only seven players per team played.
“This was a very rare opportunity, because of COVID,” Ryckman said. “I am looking forward to meeting more players from JBLM and hopefully start up the JBLM team again.”
For more JBLM News, click here.
Social Sharing