Cheer for Vendetta
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Marching off the field of the Alexandria Rugby Club, the American University in Cairo’s (AUC) Vendetta rugby team refused to let their 20-12 defeat on March 1 break their spirit.
“I’m really proud of the guys. It was awesome. The team played major league rugby that day,” said Ammar Ammar, the team captain.
For 21 of the players, the game was their first real match. Alexandria Rugby was able to score four tries, worth five points each, in the first half. However, they also lost two of their players due to injuries inflicted by the Vendetta team.
During the second half, Vandetta charged on to the field and scored their first two tries of the season. Although it was not enough to win the game, it was enough to shock their opponents.
“The guys were surprised at our performance. They didn’t believe we had only been training for three months,” said Ammar.
“It feels good. You know you made a team that has been playing for five years earn a win from you. That is saying something,” said Ahmed Atlam, who plays the position of scrum forward.
The tries were scored by fullback Adham Salloum and scrum half Mohamed Adeeb. Flanker Ahmed El Mallah was recognized as best player of the team, and Adeeb for best performance in the game.
Although the team returned to Cairo with two players with dislocated shoulders, a dislocated finger, a foot injury, countless bruises, and bloody uniforms, their injuries are considered minimal to the average rugby match. However, thanks to the assistance of Nabila Shalash, AUC physiotherapist and sports injury specialist, and Hany Ali Sallum, another sports injury specialist at the university, all of the players will be able to play in the next match against Cairo Rugby, said Ammar.
