Travis Airman plays rugby for Air Force

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Brugman
  • 60th AMW Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  An Airman with the 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron parlayed his love of rugby into a spot on the Air Force team. 

Senior Airman Michael Turner, supply technician, was selected to compete for the team after playing the sport only three and a half years. 

“[Airman Turner] is good with the ball, fast on his feet and he hits hard,” said 1st Lt. Ryan Faucheux, 22nd Airlift Squadron. Lieutenant Faucheux was also selected to play for the Air Force team but he won’t be able to compete due to a recent injury. 

Airman Turner has played soccer all his life and got into rugby by chance. He tried out for the base soccer club at Osan Air Force Base, Korea but was turned down. A friend told him he should try rugby instead. He loved the sport so much he quickly became captain of the Osan team. 

“It’s organized chaos – a pure gentleman’s sport,” Airman Turner said. “There is camaraderie like no other. It’s so great to be able to hit someone really hard and then have a beer with them after the match.” 

Rugby is more than 200 years old and American football is descended from the game. 

Rugby, according to Turner, is an incredibly disciplined game with a long list of rules and traditions. This discipline extended to try outs where Air Force Rugby hopefuls had to eat certain foods, submit to a curfew and train for more than six hours a day. 

“You hardly ever see a fight — it’s all about power and speed,” Airman Turner said. “The level of physical ability you have to have is tremendous.” 

Each match is 80 minutes long and each team is only allowed seven substitutions per match. 

Airman Turner plays the #14 position, a strong side wing. According to Lieutenant Faucheux, the players are numbered, with numbers 1 through 8 handling more of the hitting and tackling. Number 9 through 15 are the smaller faster players who tend to do more scoring. 

“It’s hard to explain to people who don’t know about the sport,” Lieutenant Faucheux said. “It’s a lot more like basketball than football because of the constantly moving plays.” 

Airman Turner plays rugby at least two times a week during the season and then switches to soccer in the off season. 

His dedication to the game extends to the local community where he helped coach the Vacaville High School Rugby team. 

The Military Club Nationals are in August. From there, Airman Turner’s goal is to go on to the Armed Forces Championship in October.