D-M Airmen participate, win Armed Forces Rugby Championship against Navy

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jamie L. Coggan
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Two D-M officers helped the Air Force rugby team claim its fifth consecutive Armed Forces Rugby Championship Nov. 20 on Stewart-Watson Field at Fort Benning, Ga., defeating the Navy 37-8. 

D-M players were 1st Lt. Ryan Dombrock from the 25th weather squadron, and 1st Lt. Michael Hobson, from the 354th Fighter squadron.

Lieutenant Hobson, who also plays locally for Old Pueblo rugby, competing against teams from Tucson and Phoenix, has been playing rugby for 24 years.

As a major contribution to the game, when the Air Force team did not have anyone to play the position of scrumhalf, Lt. Hobson stepped up and played in that position for the team. He is one of the few players that has played rugby for such a long time and therefore brought a lot of experience and skill to the team. 

Rugby is a sport played by two teams of 15 players who attempt to score more points than their opponent within two 40-minute time periods. 

Scoring is very similar to American football. A "try" is rugby's equivalent of a touchdown and is worth five points. It is scored when a player advances the ball into the end zone and touches the ball to the ground, the origin of the term "touchdown". After a try, the scoring team is awarded a short, unopposed "conversion kick" to be put through the goal posts for an additional two points. A three-point "penalty kick" is equivalent to a field goal in American football, but occurs when a penalty is called within a team's kicking range. 

The competition, which began Nov. 16, featured teams representing the Army, Air Force Marines, navy and Coast Guard. 

The Air Force team finished the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. 

Though he enjoyed the whole experience, Lt. Hobson admits that the highlight of the game was the Air Force winning the tournament for the fifth time in a row. 

"The event is an awesome opportunity for the different services to get together and compete in a true warrior sport, said Lt. Hobson. "The inter service rivalry is great, but it also gives participants the chance to get together with our brothers in arms from different services and learn what they do in their various jobs."