Podcast: Rough and rowdy rugby stars open up about their sport’s culture on and off the pitch

Podcast: Rough and rowdy rugby stars open up about their sport’s culture on and off the pitch

Rugby’s a rough sport? Really? U.S. Rugby Men’s Eagles Sevens studs Kevon Williams and Brett Thompson ponder this observation on the latest episode of In the Village. Eventually the U.S. Rugby stars would relent that their sport can be bruising. But, Williams says, most players have more of a hit-or-be-hit approach to the game.

“Rugby has a stigma of being a super, super tough sport,” Williams tells In The Village podcast host Elizabeth Beisel. “Obviously it is a little rough because we’re hitting each other without pads on. People are out there throwing their bodies around and trying to put a hurt on someone. But at the same time, they are trying to protect themselves.”

The Olympic rugby stars also talk about how the rowdy nature off their sport occasionally follows them off the pitch, where comradery builds and friendships are galvanized.

Listen to In The Village every day during the Olympics for an exclusive inside look into the daily lives of the athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

For more episodes of In The Village, check out Apple Podcasts or listen below:

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