Photo By Clark Carpenter | Gunnery Sgt. Walter A. Jenkins, Jr., ammunition chief for the 22nd Marine...... read more read more
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THESSALONIKI, Greece — The rugby pitch is a place of battle. Opposing wills clash with power and intensity. Warriors focus on scoring or preventing an opponent's score and push themselves to extreme physical limits. In Greece, a land rich in warrior culture, Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit rugby team met for combat, but instead found friendship through battle.
As the punishing sun beat down on the American Farm School Campus in Thessaloniki, Greece, the 22nd MEU Rugby club stepped from the bus, ready for a fight. They were greeted by the third-ranked team in the Greek Rugby Federation League, Iraklis. The English translation of the team name is Hercules.
The tight cropped hair and clean faces of the Americans contrasted sharply with the long black locks and impressive beards worn by many of the Greeks.
When the Greeks heard the MEU club had challenged them to a match, there was a degree of concern as Marines are well known for their physical fitness and battlefield aggression.
"I thought, flip, we're not as fit as Marines," said Patrick Sawers, team founder of Iraklis. "We were just hoping we had more experience."
After some stretching and warm-ups, after agreements on field set-up and after the Greeks provided two additional players to fill the 22nd MEU's short line-up, the battle ensued.
"Because of their ranking in Greece, we were expecting a pretty tough game," said Lt. Joseph A. Nellis, 22nd MEU surgeon and one of the founders of the MEU's fledgling rugby club. "We weren't disappointed."
Although the Greeks had the advantage on experience, they did concede that the Americans hit extremely hard. Ultimately, experience won out over fitness as the MEU team took a punishing loss, 41-0.
"They have a very powerful and experienced pack which was evident in their stealing many scrums throughout the match and forcing turnovers in the ruck," said Nellis, a Pittsburgh native. "However, we stood our ground on quite a few scrums and were able to wheel Iraklis on at least two occasions."
After a match filled with solid tackles, buckets of sweat and a few heated moments, opponents met as friends for a social after the game. In keeping with one of the great traditions of the sport, the Marines, Sailors and Greeks shared food and drink and presented one another with tokens of appreciation.
"Rugby is unique from other sports because it fosters a deep respect for your opposition," said Sawers. "Whatever level of rugby you play, you sit down with the other team and have a drink and a laugh after the match."
Yammis Vasileiadis, a heavily built Greek sporting a wild mop of curls and massive beard, reflected on the match and saw the event as much more than a clash of opponents.
"Rugby is a game that does not have borders," said Vasileiadis, the tight end prop for Iraklis. "When we play, we do not have nations -- on the pitch we are just rugby players."
In the end, the battle ground at the American Farm School in Thessaloniki was a place were friendships were planted, and instead of countries against countries, rugby players met for game that bonded opponents from across the sea.
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit is a scalable, multi-purpose force of more than 2,200 Marines and Sailors. Led by Col. Gareth F. Brandl, the 22nd MEU is composed of its Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22; and it's Command Element.
The 22nd MEU, deployed aboard the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, is currently serving as the theater reserve force for U.S. European Command.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2009 14:18 |
| Story ID: | 35167 |
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| Web Views: | 624 |
| Downloads: | 590 |
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