'Old boys' rugby club, with Bay Area players in their 60s, tours overseas, returns undefeated
The Bald Eagles Rugby, with the team's average age 54, returned from a tour in Europe undefeated, winning all 5 of its matches last month. (Bald Eagles Rugby )
SAN FRANCISCO - While the FIFA World Cup was underway here in the Bay Area and around North America, overseas in Europe, another sporting event brought together a multinational group of athletes, many from the Bay Area, who took to the field and demonstrated that age is nothing but a number.
Team's oldest player is 68
Men, ranging in age from 35 to 68 years, with the average age 54, slammed into one another, tackled, mauled and sprinted, all for the love of rugby.
It was an illustration of how fit and strong these athletes were as they engaged in a sport widely considered one of the most physically demanding in the world.
What we know:
Those who made up the Bald Eagles Rugby Club were mostly from the Bay Area but included players from around the country.
They represented a wide range of professions, including doctors, lawyers, brokers, engineers, teachers, and firefighters, according to North Bay real estate broker and appraiser and the team’s captain, 62-year-old Matt Eshoo.
Portugal and Spain tour
As part of its tour last month, the Bald Eagles played a match outside of Portugal's capital against the Lisbon Veterans or Belas Rugby Club.
The team then went to Spain, where they traveled and played three matches, starting with one against the Seville Old Boys at the University of Seville.
After a stop in Madrid, the Bald Eagles went to Barcelona and played two matches in one day: One was against the Sitges Rugby Club Veterans and the other against the Barcelona Masters Rugby Club.
"As you can imagine that last day was really tough," Eshoo said.
Physical sport
Most would agree that at any age, rugby is a "really tough" sport.
The game is fast-paced with players using highly skilled technique in their movements, getting hits often described as "controlled violence," as they wrestle to possess the ball and get it to the scoring zone.
Players are not protected by heavy padding or a hard helmet.
The captain explained that most of the men on the team have been playing for decades and have been active in other sports as well.
Bay Area-based
Local perspective:
The team considers its home pitch on Treasure Island, where the San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Club is headquartered.
The Bald Eagles have also played numerous matches at Boxer Stadium in San Francisco’s Balboa Park.
‘Show up fit’
The team doesn’t hold practices, but there are conditioning expectations.
"Our motto is simple – show up fit," said Eshoo, who has been the team captain for 11 years and played for the club for 28 years.
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"While I am 62 years old I am still fast and strong and do CrossFit, yoga, running and weight training when I have time," the athlete said, "I routinely play or do CrossFit against men in their 20s and 30s and get the best of them."
When asked how he and his teammates dealt with the physical limits of aging to compete so fiercely in such a gritty and grueling sport, Eshoo responded, "We don't accept it. Maybe we look a little older every year. But you know, you just got to do it."
Team's deep history
Eshoo said his team has a long history that includes some legendary players.
"We are the oldest masters rugby club in the USA and the third oldest in the World," he shared, adding, "This year we celebrate 50 years and have ties to best players ever produced in the USA. Rudy Schultz who won two Olympic gold medals in 1920 and 1924 played in our first match in 1977."
The team is made up of a group of high-performing athletes who are "committed to excellence," according to the captain. He described his players as "warriors dedicated to this mercenary style of travel and play."
That commitment showed on the pitch as the Bald Eagles won all five matches as part of its tour; four of them were contact and one was a touch match.
In all, the team scored a total of 125 points and allowed only 15 against them.
Big picture view:
Despite the competitive nature of these players, the main objective is to make strong bonds and connections through the love and passion for the game.
And there were special moments that contributed to that objective, including when one player got to bring his 19-year-old son to take the pitch with him.
The team typically does one international tour a year and two here in the U.S., as well as a couple of local matches.
During these events, many retired players show up to support the team. There have been moments when former Bald Eagles players in their 70s will get on the pitch, some of them donning red or golden shorts, which indicates they're protected from being tackled.
International tours
Recent international tours include trips to Cuba which was last year, Bermuda for the World Rugby Classic the previous year, and France in 2023.
During the France tour, Eshoo recalled facing a team in Toulouse, where he and his players showed up to find they'd be clashing with significantly younger men. The opposing team was made up of players in their 20s and 30s, with only one in his early 40s.
"Toulouse is the biggest rugby city in Europe. They won the European championship," he said, noting, "Three of the guys were trying for the men's professional side."
Despite the age gap, the game was competitive and held tied for a time before the Bald Eagles pulled out a win, for a 22-15 victory.
"At the end of the game, the other team was dead silent. I said, 'Listen. Do you hear that? That's called stunned silence,'" Eshoo recalled laughing.
Eshoo said his team plays hard wherever it goes. "Everybody is dead serious," he said, noting the players' intensity on the field has inspired masters rugby clubs around the world.
The club's objective
As much as they love to be on the pitch, equally rewarding is the comradery aspect of these matches as players from both teams come together to celebrate.
Bald Eagles' at the post-game party in Portugal. Players wear their tour jackets to the after parties as a show of respect to the opposing team. (Matt Eshoo )
"The real story behind master rugby is the opportunity to do four things at once," Eshoo said. "Travel, play rugby and be with really cool people and meet really cool people."
And for the Bald Eagles, this latest tour allowed them to live out that story.
"After the match we made loads of new friends and sang and danced with the opposition for hours and then took the bus ride back to our hotel which was full of singing and laughter," Eshoo shared.
And for many, it was a reminder of their youth when they first fell in love with the game.
"It was amazing fun. The whole group was like a bunch of high school kids all over," he said. "In the end rugby is an affliction and we all love it."
Post-game party in Spain on the Bald Eagles' last day of its tour. (Matt Eshoo )
Matt Eshoo (right) with Bald Eagle teammates. (Matt Eshoo )
(Matt Eshoo/Bald Eagles Rugby)
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