The teams are part of the Chicago Area Rugby Football Union, which has approximately 40 teams, youth through adult. They're the ones driving it. Rugby's appeal rests not just in the competition itself, he said, but also in the camaraderie that exists among players everywhere. You join a brotherhood you stay in till you die. It's a gentleman's sport.
Players prove the latter with their post-match parties, which are known for their beer consumption.
High school parties stick to soft drinks and pizza, but the object is pretty much the same. That interaction traditionally includes rugby songs. Given the off-key rendition of the school fight song De La Salle's players produced as Friday's match began, their rugby parties could get ugly fast. That meant it would have to wait for its first rugby party and next chance to assault innocent eardrums. It seemed to make De La Salle's rugby debut a total loss, but nothing could kick the smile off Wylde's face.