Mitchell McGinnis said watching rugby at Stade de France during the 2024 Olympics prompted him to bring new life to the Jackson Rugby Club, which nearly died out during the COVID-19 pandemic. McGinnis said he began recruiting players, secured permission from Jackson Public Schools to use Murrah High School’s practice field and helped restart regular practices.
“I remember sitting there Googling rules and trying to understand what was happening on the field,” McGinnis said. He said he found the club on Facebook, sent messages and scheduled practices, but early sessions fell through. He then began recruiting directly and scouting fields until the team held its first revived practice in October, the club said.
The club traces its roots to 1974, the team said, and struggled for years as members left for families and careers. Coach Chris Mendonca said the last active members tried to keep practices going and that talks to merge with a Biloxi team stalled when the pandemic hit. Mendonca said he started playing rugby in 1999 while deployed in Germany and has relied on the sport as an outlet ever since. “We get to have a good time. We get to run around together, laugh at each other,” Mendonca said. “This is what I live for.”
Now the team meets most Sundays at 3 p.m. at Murrah High School, running drills, practicing tackles and gathering under a blue tent for refreshments, McGinnis said. He encouraged anyone interested to try a practice. “We like to have a good time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or girl. Come out and learn the game with us and have a good time,” McGinnis said.
The revival has drawn newcomers and attention. Caroline Swindool said she joined after seeing a yard sign and was welcomed despite initial intimidation as a woman among many men. “It’s really just a hodgepodge of a bunch of different people that you wouldn’t put together in a group normally, but everybody comes out and has the same common goal,” she said. Longtime member James Lawson said the team now has the right mix of people to grow the sport locally. USA Rugby, the sport’s national governing body, said it counts about 11,000 active players nationwide.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
