March 30, 2009

The Navy Men's Rugby Team will play host to Army on Saturday, April 4 at 6 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.  Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth under 18.  Midshipmen and Cadets will be admitted free.  There is also a $5 charge for parking at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

To help fans learn more about the sport, navysports.com will be running rugby facts of the day this week leading up to Saturday's game.

*Rugby is the precursor of American football and has been played in the United States since 1870.

*American football, as well as basketball, owes many of it's characteristics to rugby. In fact, basketball was invented by James Naismith as an indoor alternative to Rugby when the New England winters required an indoor game. Some of rugby's characteristics such as quick switches between attack and defense, ball handling and committing defenders to attack space are all found in basketball. Some people liken rugby to tackle basketball on grass.