Adopt a country, play rugby. The week of the Las Vegas Sevens tournament in February marked the introduction of an initiative to integrate rugby into 16 middle schools in the Las Vegas area.
Each school was assigned a country to participate in the “Adopt a Country” rookie rugby program. This provided students with the opportunity to learn about their school’s selected country and play rookie rugby, a non-contact version of the sport, in their gym class.The schools also held an assembly and had players from their respective country visit the students.
When asked who knew about the sport of rugby, about ninety percent of the students raised their hand. This is positive news for one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Through the implementation of rookie rugby programs in schools, students will gain a hands-on experience and the opportunity to learn about a new sport.
