All in the family for this side: Worcester Rugby Sevens Tournament set for Saturday

WORCESTER — It’s all about family when it comes to rugby for Ryan Adams.

The Worcester Rugby Football Club captain struck up a conversation with Sarah Ludy, who was playing for the Worcester Shamrocks, a women’s club, while marching down Park Avenue during the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2019.

The two began dating and were married two years later.

“Rugby started my family, so obviously it’s very close to my heart.,” Adams, 30, said Wednesday evening outside Chandler Magnet Elementary School before the club’s weekly practice.

The Adams family grew with the birth of their first child, Albus, on Sept. 28. Their son’s name is inspired by Albus Dumbledore, a Hogwarts headmaster from the Harry Potter series, of which Sarah, who grew up in Shrewsbury and graduated from St. Peter-Marian, is a big fan of.

Then there’s the extended and very expansive proverbial family Adams has become a part of since he began playing rugby five years ago.

“I’ve made a ton of friends here, some of my best friends that I talk to every day,” Adams said. “And it’s not just the camaraderie with your own team, it’s the camaraderie with the other team, as well.

“It’s the 30 guys out there putting their bodies on the line, and there’s a special connection there. And afterward we’re all friends, even if we weren’t friends on the field.”

Those bonds will be strengthened and lengthened when the Worcester Rugby Sevens Tournament takes place Saturday at the Green Hill Park athletic fields.

Play will begin at 9 a.m. and is expected to end around 4 p.m. with 25 to 30 teams from all over New England participating. Men’s and women’s teams will each vie for top honors in two divisions, competitive and social.

“This is a big deal for the club,” Adams said. “We try to bring out everybody we can as far as the club goes. It’s a whole day of rugby.”

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Adams grew up in Holden and graduated from St. John’s in 2011. He competed in the discus and sprints for the track team and played freshman football, but didn’t make the cut for the Richard Rodgers-era basketball team.

Then it was off to Bentley, from which Adams graduated with a degree in economics in 2015. He then spent a year each working in Chicago and Sacramento, California, for Hanover Insurance before returning to Central Mass.

It was then that Adams resumed working out, with his childhood friend, P.J. Conlon, a Wachusett Regional grad, to tone up his mid-20s body.

“But I kind of needed something to work toward,” Adams said. “P.J. had played rugby up at Castleton State in Vermont when he was in college for a couple of years and said rugby is a great sport, so I went after it.”

The two joined Worcester Rugby, and Adams was hooked from the get-go.

“I started winter training with them, and it was a great way to get introduced to the game and meet the guys because it’s kind of an intense game to play, obviously,” Adams said. “I played that spring (in 2018) and have been absolutely hooked since.

“I got robbed of a little bit of time with COVID, but I’m about to turn 31, and it’s not long term, but it’s something that I love playing for as long as I can.”

As for those interested in giving rugby a try, Adams pointed out how, with the traditional version having 15 players to a side, there is a position for everybody. And while the game is definitely physical, it’s considerably safer than most contact sports due to its rules, etiquette and, ironically enough, lack of equipment.

Then there’s the friendship, which can extend well after one’s playing days. Worcester Rugby, which was founded in 1979 and calls Breen’s Cafe on Cambridge Street home, currently has 30 to 40 players that age from 19 to 38 “revolving” around the team, with a large alumni base that still follows the club.

“One, it’s just a great way as an adult to make friends,” Adams said. “And it’s a great way to stay physically fit, which I always say helps your mind.

“The other thing would be just to stick with it. If you come out, it’s going to be intimidating at first. So, come out, stick with it a good while and you’ll get something out of it.”

Perhaps even, both literally and figuratively, a family.

—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichGarvenTG.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: All in family for Worcester Rugby, with Sevens Tournament set for Saturday