Mens Journal

of a man and having zero expe-
rience. The reply: Sure. Good
athletes are at a premium in USA
rugby. The sport may be grow-
ing but it has a long way to go
before it can compete with foot-
ball — or even soccer — for talent.
Islescriedallthe wayfrom
Austin to Aspen eating peanut
butter sandwiches while wiping
away tears. You probably would
have cried too. He was giving
up his Olympic dream in sprint-
ing for a sport he had never
played. He had $500 to his name
and a dim hope that his ragged
Hyundai Sonata would make it
through the mountains.
That was four years ago.
Isles is now one of the 10 best
rugby sevens players in the U.S.
which depending on your v iew-
point is a testament to either the
American spirit or the dearth of
rugby talent in a nation of 300
million. Isles scored his f irst
try against the All Blacks New
Zealand’s legendary squad
and the YouTube video “Carlin
Isles—TheFastestRugby
Player Ever” has amassed over
850000 views. There’s footage
of him cradling the ball and
streaking past Kiwis who seem
stuck in superglue.
For the past month Isles has
been working through an ankle
injury but he should be healthy
for Rio. In trying to imagine
how it will feel to walk in the
parade of athletes entering the
Olympic Stadium on August 5
Isles says “For me it’s going to
mean everything. All the sweat
tears hard work. Everybody
who doubted me.” He smiles and
f ingers his USA Rugby T-shirt.
“At the end of the day my dream
came true and I’m here.”

“YOU GOT DICKEDin the dick”
says Pat Blair a 220-pound
Olympichopefulas heclamps
his teammate on the shoulder.
The poor guyisgroaningover
his aching privates. Bruised and
nearly castrated black brown
and white the Eagles look like
an internment-camp version of
a Benetton ad.
To bridge the cultural chasm
and the experience gap the
team has participated in some
of those dreaded team-building
exercises. The most infamous
of them is the 72-hour mostly
sleepless walkabout in Joshua
Tree deep in the California
desert accompanied by former
Navy SEALS. After being awake

for more than 40 hours the men

were asked to climb up a small

mountain in the winter black.

A rope attached them with two

steps separating each player.

“You had to tell the guy in

front of you ‘There’s an incline

there’s a hole watch out’ ” says

Hughes the captain. With his

square jaw and handsome face

helookslikeanAbercrombie&

Fitch model. “It really helped our

communication on the f ield. You

have to believe in each other.”

Hughes is a notable excep-

tion to the inexperience of the

American squad. His mother

is American but he grew up in

England. He came to the States

toplayrugbyatDartmouthand

can often be seen on the pitch

barking orders and directions

like a Piccadilly traffic cop. He

says that the big challenge the

Americans face is that they lack

the intuition that comes with

years of playing the game. “I tell

the guys make a decision” he

says. “Doesn’t always matter if

it’s the right decision but run or

passwecanlivewith whatever

you decide. Just make a choice.”

One of the team’s transplants

is Nate Ebner who is a slightly

slower more brutal version of

Baker and Isles. If his name

ringsabellit’sbecausehe’salso

aspecialteamsstandoutonthe

New England Patriots. He has a

Super Bowl ring and a $2.4 mil-

lion NFL contract but he’s no

newbie to rugby.

Ebner was a teenager when

his father a junkyard owner and

Jewish Sunday-school teacher

gave him permission to join his

Ohio rugby team. When Ebner

was 19 his dad was murdered

and he found solace in rugby

playingforthejuniornational

team. But he went to Ohio State

and the siren of college foot-

ball called. Later the Patriots

draftedhimbuthealwayshad

his eye on the 2016 Olympics.

In the spring he showed up at

the Olympic Training Facility

in Chula Vista California with

the blessing of Patriots owner

Robert Kraft and coach Bill

Belichick.

“Rugby is so free-f lowing

that you just have to react and

it’s more artistic” says Ebner.

“You gotta think on the f ly and

just create and go with the f low

whereas football is much more

about studying your opponent.

It’s much more chesslike.”

In the end you have to play

the actual games and American

progress has been a bit of a dog’s

breakfast. Last year the Eagles

won their f irst major tourna-

ment in London and beat New

Zealand in Dubai when Hughes

hit a tough two-point conver-

sion. In rugby the location of the

kick after the score depends on

wheretheballis placedafterthe

scoring play. Hughes had to hit a

22-yard kick with a giant rugby

ball from the far left sideline —

the equivalent of a 50-yard field

goal from a bad angle. But he

made it and the Americans

went nuts.

Currently the Eagles are

ranked sixth in the world. This

year they’ve been inconsistent

but they’re showing hints of

brilliance. They f inished their

pre-Olympic season with tour-

naments in Paris and London.

The French one wastrès terrible

with the team being crushed

by Argentina and then losing

to France and Scotland. One

moment Baker would be in the

open f ield; the next he looked

hesitant holding the ball as for-

eign hordes encircled him.

But the Eagles took third in

London after beating both the

Fijian and Samoan teams. Their

biggest victory was against New

Zealand when they won 42–14.

Bakerranwildscoringfour

tries and thundering down the

sideline smiling and saying “All

right all right.”

“Now my brother who

thought I was crazy says ‘Man I

wished I’d played rugby’ ” Baker

says with a grin.

The victory suggests that

while the odds are still stacked

against them a medal in Rio

isn’t completely out of the ques-

tion.For 14 minutestheEagles

looked like they had been play-

ing rugby all their lives. MJ

“With rugby you gotta think

on the fly and go with the

flow whereas football is much

more about studying your

opponent. It’s more chesslike.”

Perry Baker

might be

the fastest

guy in rugby.

SEPTEMBER 2016 83 MEN’S JOURNAL