The Sun Was Hotter Than The Grill!

38 degrees Celsius! By: Jon Lindsey …Or for the Americans 100 degrees Fahrenheit! In the midst of this gnarly, nasty heat four Rugby teams were competing for the prestigious Crusaders Cup (previously known as the Meat Cup). The lineup consisted of Fuji Club, Toda Over the top, The Crusaders B team and of course the host of the cup, The Crusaders. This all took place on Yokota Air Force Base on August 26th, 2018. Each team played 3 games with 7 minute halves for a grand total of 42 minutes play time which is just over half of the play time for a traditional Rugby Match. Each team valiantly stayed true to the core values of Rugby with integrity, respect, solidarity, passion and discipline. Fuji Club was very concise and deliberate with their movements and actions and played a speedy, textbook pitch. Toda Over the Top played tough, hard knock rugby, while The Crusaders B team in their first game as a team played intensely despite their lack of experience. The Crusaders took on the opposition and showed no mercy even when facing their inexperienced B team. After some hard knocks and heart-filled playing by all of the teams, Fuji Club won the cup. And as is tradition with rugby, after the games, the teams got together and enjoyed some BBQ and brews put on by The Cru. We all had our bodies pushed to their limits by one another (or maybe the sun…) but there isn’t much that a few beers and friendly faces can’t handle. Thanks for coming out and to the Air Force boys, Sparrow, Hiro, and our beloved Junko Saffery for putting in this combined effort to make a dream a reality. Big thanks to Crystal Kubik for the great photos…see below.