I want Joe (and Danyiel) Ngata more than I wanted Haloti.
I want those guys too ... but if I had a choice and pulled Haloti out from a time machine ... it's Haloti all day every day.
I have a friend who played MLB at the FCS level and also played rugby. He played rugby against Haloti Ngata in some tournament in high school and said he was a total bad ass, which qualifies as fairly unsurprising, I suppose.
He said the combo of the guy's size and quickness with the total absence of pads was absolutely terrifying.
I've seen haloti's high school rugby highlights. 6'5" 300lb and runs like a deer. He could have been world class at rugby ...
I grew up with a couple of guys that played in the league and I played rugby at UW. I played with some guys who were really big, or really strong, or really fast. None of that was so bad but yeah every once in a while you would have to play a guy like this who was just on such a different plane of athlete that combined all those other things. It sucked and there was usually nothing to do about it. Guy like that could just wreck a whole game by himself.
I still think USA Rugby should scoop up a bunch of bubble NFL players (like guys that are on and off practice squads) and train them in how to play rugby. I don't think it would take long to see the US National team become really fucking competitive in the sport, particularly in Sevens.
The new emphasis on 7's and the fact that 7's is a spring sport means there's a ton of guys playing rugby in football's off-season. This alone is going to completely reshape America's performance in the sport.
I want Joe (and Danyiel) Ngata more than I wanted Haloti.
I want those guys too ... but if I had a choice and pulled Haloti out from a time machine ... it's Haloti all day every day.
I have a friend who played MLB at the FCS level and also played rugby. He played rugby against Haloti Ngata in some tournament in high school and said he was a total bad ass, which qualifies as fairly unsurprising, I suppose.
He said the combo of the guy's size and quickness with the total absence of pads was absolutely terrifying.
I've seen haloti's high school rugby highlights. 6'5" 300lb and runs like a deer. He could have been world class at rugby ...
I grew up with a couple of guys that played in the league and I played rugby at UW. I played with some guys who were really big, or really strong, or really fast. None of that was so bad but yeah every once in a while you would have to play a guy like this who was just on such a different plane of athlete that combined all those other things. It sucked and there was usually nothing to do about it. Guy like that could just wreck a whole game by himself.
I still think USA Rugby should scoop up a bunch of bubble NFL players (like guys that are on and off practice squads) and train them in how to play rugby. I don't think it would take long to see the US National team become really fucking competitive in the sport, particularly in Sevens.
The new emphasis on 7's and the fact that 7's is a spring sport means there's a ton of guys playing rugby in football's off-season. This alone is going to completely reshape America's performance in the sport.
USA rugby is already doing that. Where do you think they got the black guy who has been named the fastest rugby player in the world from?
I want Joe (and Danyiel) Ngata more than I wanted Haloti.
I want those guys too ... but if I had a choice and pulled Haloti out from a time machine ... it's Haloti all day every day.
I have a friend who played MLB at the FCS level and also played rugby. He played rugby against Haloti Ngata in some tournament in high school and said he was a total bad ass, which qualifies as fairly unsurprising, I suppose.
He said the combo of the guy's size and quickness with the total absence of pads was absolutely terrifying.
I've seen haloti's high school rugby highlights. 6'5" 300lb and runs like a deer. He could have been world class at rugby ...
I grew up with a couple of guys that played in the league and I played rugby at UW. I played with some guys who were really big, or really strong, or really fast. None of that was so bad but yeah every once in a while you would have to play a guy like this who was just on such a different plane of athlete that combined all those other things. It sucked and there was usually nothing to do about it. Guy like that could just wreck a whole game by himself.
I still think USA Rugby should scoop up a bunch of bubble NFL players (like guys that are on and off practice squads) and train them in how to play rugby. I don't think it would take long to see the US National team become really fucking competitive in the sport, particularly in Sevens.
The new emphasis on 7's and the fact that 7's is a spring sport means there's a ton of guys playing rugby in football's off-season. This alone is going to completely reshape America's performance in the sport.
USA rugby is already doing that. Where do you think they got the black guy who has been named the fastest rugby player in the world from?
I want Joe (and Danyiel) Ngata more than I wanted Haloti.
I want those guys too ... but if I had a choice and pulled Haloti out from a time machine ... it's Haloti all day every day.
I have a friend who played MLB at the FCS level and also played rugby. He played rugby against Haloti Ngata in some tournament in high school and said he was a total bad ass, which qualifies as fairly unsurprising, I suppose.
He said the combo of the guy's size and quickness with the total absence of pads was absolutely terrifying.
I've seen haloti's high school rugby highlights. 6'5" 300lb and runs like a deer. He could have been world class at rugby ...
I grew up with a couple of guys that played in the league and I played rugby at UW. I played with some guys who were really big, or really strong, or really fast. None of that was so bad but yeah every once in a while you would have to play a guy like this who was just on such a different plane of athlete that combined all those other things. It sucked and there was usually nothing to do about it. Guy like that could just wreck a whole game by himself.
I still think USA Rugby should scoop up a bunch of bubble NFL players (like guys that are on and off practice squads) and train them in how to play rugby. I don't think it would take long to see the US National team become really fucking competitive in the sport, particularly in Sevens.
The new emphasis on 7's and the fact that 7's is a spring sport means there's a ton of guys playing rugby in football's off-season. This alone is going to completely reshape America's performance in the sport.
USA rugby is already doing that. Where do you think they got the black guy who has been named the fastest rugby player in the world from?
Thas why I said it. Unlike soccer the US is actually a sleeping giant in Rugby. If more guys that are marginal NFL talent(at best) like Wooching chose to go play rugby after college then even the Tri-nations are going to have to take notice. I still prefer 15's but if 7's can make it in the Olympics and helps grow the sport in the US then I'm on board.
Comments
With FSU and UF trying to recruit the West Coast, I'm curious how that will affect the recruiting landscape for the PAC.