COMMUNITY JOURNALISM: Rugby gets new life in Iowa City

By Megan Lehman, community contributor

The legend of how rugby was created stems back to Rugby, England, in 1823.

William Web Ellis, a soccer player, picked up the soccer ball during a match and began to run it down the field. From England to the United States, a new rugby league team has found a home right here in Eastern Iowa.

The Iowa City Crash is a new AMNRL franchise is the new Midwest Division. The Crash will be playing in green, black and white during the summer months of June, July, and August. The team is calling out for all rugby league players and all interested in learning a new sport to come out and join them for their first season.

For those ages 8-18, a junior league will be formed to mold the future Iowa City Crash team members, as well as a co-ed flag football team.

For more information, find the Iowa City Crash online at www.facebook.com/iowacitycrash or shoot them an email at iowacityrugbyleague@gmail.com

For those who are new to the sport, rugby league is full contact sport and a mix of football and soccer. Rugby is referred to as one of the hardest, most physically demanding team sport created.

Rugby is popular in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. The United States rugby team, the Tomahawks, has been competing in international rugby competitions since 1987 and in 1998 the United States began its first domestic competition known as the American National Rugby League, or AMNRL.

The USA Rugby League was formed in 2011 and now will be competing in the Rugby League World Cup in 2013 against teams such as New Zealand, the returning champions.