To the outside eye, the sport seems to be utter chaos. The game is known for its egg-shaped ball and those endearing bumper stickers that read, “Give Blood: Play Rugby” and “Rugby Players Eat Their Dead.” Still, for the third generation of the Horning family of Wilmington, Del., the sport of rugby is king.

When freshman Jake Horning, AS 2003, laced up his boots for UD’s Rugby Club this fall, the total number of Hornings in the sport stood at five. James, BE 2000, plays wing. His brother Josh, HNS 2002, takes the inside center spot. Jake will handle the fly half position. Cousins Tom, BE 2000, and Paul, AS 2003, take the field as a back and forward, respectively.

How common is this family affair in the game?

“Most I've ever seen was two brothers and a cousin,” says Delaware coach Hugh Kinney, who’s been involved with the sport for three decades. “I think we'll see a lot of personal pride and determination this season as each of the five Hornings spurs the others on.”

Rugby players are a special breed—tough, resilient and a bit nuts. During an 80-minute match that’s played with virtually no timeouts and limited substitutions, a typical player will run seven miles. And, amidst the bone-crunching tackles and elbows-flying high leaps, the only protection is a plastic mouth guard. James Horning, weighing in at 160 pounds, often battles opponents close to twice his size.

“You have to be crazy in a way,” says James, his smile widening. “The next day after a game, it hurts to get out of bed. If I haven’t played in awhile, it feels like I’ve been in a car accident.”

Here’s a short primer. Each side has eight forwards who push, charge, wrestle, barge and, very occasionally, move the ball forward, tucking it under one arm. Sometimes, they move in knotted groups—known as scrums—hiding the ball. The other seven players are known as backs, since they run sideways, throwing the ball backward to each other. When the ball is being run, a tackled player attempts to lateral the ball to his own supporting players. Once a player breaks the tryline (goal line), he must touch the ball down to the ground and is awarded five points. A kick through the goal posts is taken immediately after the try and is worth two points.

All five Hornings got their start at Salesanium High School in Wilmington, Del. In a twist on traditional sports, the youngsters taught their fathers (James Joseph, AG ’75, and Thomas Peter, BE ’76) the rules of the game. To further hone their skills, the Hornings play for the Wilmington Rugby Club during the summer, where the players’ average age is 30.

Rugby has been a club sport at UD for seven years. “To play well, you need lots of self-discipline in your training,” says Kinney. “The game has evolved from a strictly physical one to a game of finesse that’s smooth and flowing.”

“When I first came to Delaware, we had really big guys so we tended to jam the ball right up the middle,” adds James. “Now, we're utilizing more strategy by sucking the defense into the middle, then tossing the ball out wide. We’ve been able to beat some of the area’s men’s teams with our speed and endurance.”

Contrary to popular belief, rugby players are not carried off the field in alarming numbers. Kinney says the injury rate is less than other contact sports. In his seven years as coach, he recalls three broken bones, two blown-out knees and one shoulder separation. All the players returned to play again.

One constant that rings true with all of the Hornings is that the social get-togethers after games are important.

“Rugby players form a bond with not only their teammates, but also the opposing teams,” says Josh. “After a game, we go out and celebrate with the other team, which is very uncommon in other sports. No matter how rough the game was, there are no dust-ups. We tend to put whatever energy we have left over into singing a string of traditional rugby songs as loud as we can.”

–Terry Conway