The City of Greer has become a community for athletes to participate in the sport of rugby, as the Varsity Greer 76ers team brought home some hardware for the second year.
“We’ve had two seasons now that we’ve actually won the state championship and brought it back to Greer,” High School Director Warren Taylor said.
But High School Director Warren Taylor says it’s about more than just the victory.
“Winning the championship is great but bringing more players into rugby as a game is what we’re looking for,” Taylor said.
Sign-ups are happening right now for the junior summer flag program directed by Andy Garcia.
“The goals of the program are to introduce the game to the community so kids who have not played the game. This is a good chance for them to come out and learn,” Garcia said.
After moving to Greer from New Zealand, Garcia saw the need for the no-contact co-ed program for ages 9 to 12.
“I’m excited about the game because of the fact of what it has to offer as far as the athletic expression, the physicality the nonstop action which kids really love,” Garcia said.
Registration happens in August for tackle rugby on both the junior and varsity level. Garcia and Taylor say rugby is a great in-between season sport.
“This is the perfect sport for those baseball players, those football players to play in the off-season to up level, their skill set and athleticism,” Garcia said.
And one that teaches skills both on and off the field.
“Rugby is a way of life. We teach the boys to be gentlemen on the field to play your heart out and then to actually be comrades or rugby players, and then still the camaraderie that you have between different teams,” Taylor said.