While serving in the Army stationed in Savannah Georgia my roommate invited me to join the Savannah Rugby Club. I'd never seen it in person, never mind played the sport, and so my roommate convinced me to check out a game.
When we arrived I was surprised over the scope of the production...the opposition was a club from Denmark and the stands held well over 200 people, there were 40 or so people on the sidelines including coaches. The uniforms were really nice.
So my roommate introduces me to the coach during the game, coach shakes my hand and says "what size cleats?". I tell him, he finds me a pair and PUTS ME IN. Coach tells me to tackle anyone who runs at me, and if I get the ball I run "that way".
A few minutes in someone comes running at me, I wrap him up around the waist, pick him up and drop him on his shoulder and get a huge attaboy from a few of my new teammates. Feeling prideful at this point, a short while later someone is tackled and the ball goes to the ground and starts to roll...I break into a sprint from the spot coach told me to be, throw a forearm, a few shoulders and dive on the loose ball.
All of the action immediately stopped, I'm talking guys from both teams standing there in a circle looking down at me while I'm in the fetal position wrapped around the ball. The ref walks into the circle and says, "you can't do that".