July 2023 - Adamsonmedia.com

Rugby X marks the spot

Association football, tackle football, lacrosse … sports designed for outdoor play on large fields can be and have been adapted to smaller, indoor venues.

The Major Arena Soccer League, the soon-to-be revived Arena Football League, and the National Lacrosse League maintain the spirit of their original sports while adding unique elements to make things faster and – arguably – more fun for fans.

**Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Spoutable @ScottAdamson, Post @scottscribe, Mastodon @SLA1960 and Twitter @adamsonsl**

And this made me wonder if it had ever been done for one of my new favorite sports, rugby.

Turns out it has.

And I think it’s terrific.

It’s called Rugby X, and it’s the invention of Ben Ryan, the director of elite performance for Brentford FC who gained famed as a rugby sevens coach. (Rugby sevens features seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of 15 players playing 40-minute halves, which is the set-up in rugby union. If you’re lost at this point, go to the Google Machine, learn about traditional rugby, and then come back here later).

Rugby X entered an experimental stage in 2017 when the England Sevens team took part in a closed-door Rugby X trial, and two years later the following rules were approved:

* The pitch is half the size of that used in rugby sevens, with 55 by 32 dimensions in meters (60 by 35 in yards) plus five-meter run-offs.

* There are five players per side plus seven rolling substitutes that are allowed to come in at breaks in play following tries.

* Scoring consists of five points per try with no conversions, drop goals or penalties.

* Kickoffs are replaced by tap starts on the five-meter line, with the opposing team standing 10 meters back.

* Chip kicks allowed but not box kicks, up and unders (kicks designed for height and not distance) or any kick over 10 meters in height.

* Line outs are replaced by quick throws made by a substitute.

* There are only three persons per scrums with no pushing and hooking is allowed.

*Drawn matches are settled by a “one on one” competition involving one defender on the five-meter line and one attacker 30 meters from the goal. The attacker has 10 seconds to score. It’s conducted like a sudden death penalty shootout.

* Game length is 10 minutes with no break.

“It’s a really interesting attempt to make the game more accessible,” former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio told the Evening Standard in a September 29, 2019, story. “I know that rugby can be complicated and this should be easily digestible with hopefully try after try after try.

“There’s no doubt that 15 a side is not for everyone. This is easy to understand … it’s just full-on and there’s not the complexities of law after law. It’s just fast and furious. You still have full contact but it’s an accelerated version of the game, a sort of rock ‘n roll rugby.”

In October, 2019, the inaugural event took place at London’s O2 Arena, with Argentina winning the men’s title and England taking top honors among women’s teams.

“We have no intention of this game ever trying to compete with sevens or 15s, it’s a really good entry-level to the sport,” Ryan told Sports Gazette in November, 2019. “I don’t see it ever competing with the World Sevens circuit, but I think as a one-off, two-and-a-half-hour indoor venue at international level I think it works, the signs are pretty good. I have been really pleased with the sessions and the player’s feedback has been excellent.”

I have no complaints with traditional rugby; I’ve become a huge fan of Major League Rugby, Premier Rugby Sevens, and enjoy the sport in all its forms. Today, the third round of the Rugby Championship is taking place in Melbourne and Johannesburg. But Rugby X, I think, could become really popular if given the chance.

But will it be given a chance?

The Rugby X website hasn’t been updated since 2020, its last tweet (a retweet, actually) came on July 3, 2020, and my request for more info via the Rugby X press contact has gone unanswered.

But I remain hopeful we haven’t heard the last of it.

Who knows? Maybe MLR can set up an offseason Rugby X tournament, similar to what the Premier Lacrosse League did with its recent championship series.

Until then, go to rugbyx.com and check out highlights from the 2019 event.

It’s worth a look … and something I hope to see again soon.

Creepy Dumpster Guy

It had become something of a cruel ritual.

Each afternoon the kids would walk past the rusty, baby blue dumpster, taunting the odd man lurking behind it.

**Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Threads @sladamson1960, Spoutable @ScottAdamson and Adamsonmedia on Facebook**.

“Look everybody … it’s Creepy Dumpster Guy,” yelled Randy. “Hey … Creepy, you found any tasty chicken bones in there? It sure stinks in there, Creepy Dumpster Guy. Is it you, or the trash we’re smellin’? Maybe you’re the trash.”

The man – dressed in an army jacket, blue jeans and green trucker’s cap – never responded. Still, the boys would laugh, staring him down as they continued on their way home from school. Sometimes they’d even empty the remnants of their lunch boxes on the pavement, occasionally wadding up napkins and throwing them at him.

“Come and get it,” they’d chant.

Jada had watched this go on for weeks, following the same path as the boys but staying well behind. She was quiet – had been for most of her 12 years – and said nothing to the young men who seemed to take great pleasure in making fun of the unfortunate fellow.

The first few times, she simply waited until the loudmouths had moved on, then she’d scurry quickly past the dumpster herself, trying not to make eye contact. One day, however, her pace slowed.

At first, she just gave him a quick glance, and then a smile.

Later, she’d wave – and Creepy Dumpster Guy waved back.

They didn’t speak – Jada didn’t really know what to say to him, anyway – but she wondered if hers was the only friendly face he’d see during the course of the day. That thought made her sad, but at least she was making an effort to be kind. Hopefully, she thought to herself, others were making the effort, too.

She had even started provided food for him. She and her family didn’t have a lot, but she was usually able to sneak an extra apple or banana into her paper bag while preparing her lunch each morning.

She’d place them a couple of feet away from the dumpster and scurry off, hoping Creepy Dumpster Guy would enjoy the fresh food, even if it was just a piece of fruit.

Fridays, unfortunately, were always especially rough for him. It was the end of the school week and a time when Randy and his minions saved their worst for Creepy Dumpster Guy.

The taunts were longer and more vicious, and at times it became physical. Often, they’d throw pennies at him.

“Hey, Creepy Dumpster Guy,” Randy would yell. “Why don’t you save these and go buy a new dumpster!”

But on this particular day the gang brought rocks, and thought it’d be funny to use the man for target practice.

Jada could hear the projectiles pinging against the dumpster, and the more she heard, the angrier she became. Although she had never confronted the boys and felt her mouth go completely dry as she began trotting toward them, it was time to put an end to this senseless barbarism.

“Stop it, Randy!” she bellowed – her voice shaking. “Leave him alone! You could hurt him.”

Randy gave Jada a bemused look.

“What do you care?” he said. “It’s none of your business. He’s just some bum.”

Jada stepped off the sidewalk and walked toward the man, who was still crouched behind the dumpster. She then looked toward Randy with fire in her eyes.

“We don’t who he is,” she said. “But I know who you are. You’re a jerk. And a coward. And if you’re going to throw rocks, throw ‘em at both of us. Show how tough you are to your little buddies.”

Randy turned red, looked at his crew, and then looked back toward Jada and Creepy Dumpster Guy.

“You’re the … jerk one,” he mumbled, dropping the medium-sized rock he held in his right hand. “Let’s go, guys.”

Jada made her way back to the sidewalk and noticed something different about Randy and his posse. For the first time they didn’t look like bullies, they simply looked embarrassed – maybe even defeated.

Jada smiled.

“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “They won’t bother you anymore … I’m gonna make sure of it. Oh, and I’ll come by in the morning and bring you something to eat. Bye.”

As Jada disappeared into the distance, the man stood up – although he wasn’t like any man anyone had ever seen before.

Humanoid in form, he was mostly translucent, with a slight amber tint. And the dumpster was simply an optical illusion – a clever disguise for his spacecraft, which he entered by phasing through the side after shedding his disguise.

“Report,” boomed the voice from the electroacoustic transducer in the roof of the craft.

“The microcosm test was a success; we would be wise to allow their species to evolve,” said the being. “As we observed there is much cruelty, but there is also kindness … and strength. Precognition signals that the young female human, Jada Abernathy, will become President of the United States in 30 Earth years. She – and a coalition of others like her – will formulate a workable plan to guide this planet on a path to peace. My recommendation is to postpone the invasion and give them an opportunity to succeed.

“Ashtar Sheran signing off … and plotting a course for Proxima Centauri B.”

The AFA’s farewell

The original United States Football League played its inaugural season 40 years ago, ushering in three springs of big budget football that was far better than the NFL wanted you to believe. But 1983 was also the last waltz for the American Football Association, a minor league circuit that spent seven seasons in relative obscurity.

Its final game, however – an American Bowl clash between the homestanding Carolina Storm and San Antonio Bulls on July 23 – makes for an interesting footnote. While one team was kinda/sorta “promoted” to the USFL, the other joined a new professional league that never got off the ground.

By the time the AFA reached the end of the 1983 campaign, it was obvious it wouldn’t return in 1984. The new USFL had completed its first season, making a splash by luring established players from the NFL and signing up-and-coming stars. A national TV contract with ABC also made it a serious player on the national stage.

The AFA, on the other hand, was a revolving door of franchises that paid players very little; one percent of the home gate was the standard for most teams. But despite the low budgets and low profile, there were some good players and quality teams throughout its seven-year run. The last two standing in the final season were the Storm and Bulls, who were making a high-profile exit with their championship game appearance.

San Antonio had long been a staple of non-NFL pro football, including a franchise in the ill-fated World Football League’s second season (the 1975 San Antonio Wings).

The city was represented by the Charros in the AFA from 1977-81, and the Bulls from 1982-83. Oilman Clinton Manges owned the franchise, and angled to trade up once the USFL was formed. AFA Commissioner Roger Gill – who also just happened to be general manager and head coach of the Bulls in 1983 – was willing to help.

“We’re using our team this summer as a training camp for the USFL,” Gill said in an interview with the Austin American-Statesman on June 17. “We have about 62 players, dress out 45 for games, and we get inquiries all the time from players who want to come out and try to make the team, because they know they’ll be in the USFL next year.

“I would say 10 or 12 will probably make our USFL team.”

Two weeks before the American Bowl, the USFL officially announced that Manges’ team would, indeed, be part of the growing league in 1984. Jacksonville – one of six expansion clubs in year two – had already secured the nickname “Bulls,” however.

Meanwhile, an entity called the International Football League was unveiled at a New York press conference on June 30, and Charlotte was announced as one of its flagship franchises. While it would play a spring schedule like the USFL, it had plans for expansion to Australia and Japan in 1985. By early July, the Storm was already touting its move to the IFL. And the day before the AFA title clash, it was reported that Roman Gabriel was closing in on an agreement to be the new head coach, replacing Steve Patton.

“I’m going to be involved next year,” Patton told the Charlotte Observer. “But knowing we need a national person as head coach, my position will be changed.”

Patton said he was in favor of the move.

“He’s a good, quality person – the kind of person I could be involved with,” Patton said. “The IFL needs name coaches, especially in a city that doesn’t have the recognition of a Los Angeles or a Miami.”

Other franchises in the IFL’s first year were to be placed in New York, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Houston, Chicago, Milwaukee, Miami, San Jose, Omaha and cities in Tennessee and Ohio.

As for the final American Bowl, it was a blowout; Carolina won, 39-0, in front of 4,626 people at Memorial Stadium. The Storm (originally knowns as the Carolina Chargers) finished 7-0 and ended their AFA run with two titles and a 20-game winning streak dating back to 1982.

Unfortunately for the champions, their impressive victory over the Bulls was not a springboard to even better days in a better league.

Failure to land a television partner forced the IFL to put their league “on hold,” and that hold continues into the summer of 2023.

The remnants of the Bulls, however, were reborn as the San Antonio Gunslingers, who played in the USFL in 1984 and 1985.

Eventually, of course, Charlotte won the ultimate professional football promotion, beginning play in the NFL in 1995.

San Antonio, meanwhile, went on to field teams in the World League of American Football, Canadian Football League, Alliance of American Football and XFL 3.0. In 2005, the city hosted the New Orleans Saints for four games due to the after effects of Hurricane Katrina.

As for the AFA, it served as a nice bridge between the WFL and USFL. Existing in an era before indoor football, it provided welcome opportunities and good competition for players who failed to earn spots on NFL and CFL rosters.

It never found a place in the spotlight, but it also deserves more credit than it received.