July 10, 2018 10:21 pm

Toughen Up as We Break Down the Physics of Rugby with Todd Clever and Trevor Lipscombe

It’s time for rugby to step into the spotlight. On this week’s episode of Playing with Science, our hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly take to the turf and explore the science of rugby with former USA team captain Todd Clever and Professor Trevor Lipscombe, Director of the Catholic University of America Press and author of The Physics of Rugby.

To start, we get a little bit of sport history, and Gary, Chuck, and Todd give us some basic rules understanding for those who are unfamiliar – including yours truly. Having played soccer all my life, rugby has always been on the outskirts of my understanding. However, after listening to this episode, it seems like I have a new sport at the center of my attention.

You’ll hear why the sport is described as “elegant violence” and how fewer people are injured playing rugby than playing American football. We also learn more about the phrase “all skills, all players” and how all the players on the field play offense and defense.

Trevor gives us the science behind the scrum, lineouts, and the spin pass. We also get the player’s perspective from Todd including details on how he taught himself to pass with both hands.

Lastly, Trevor ponders what the future of rugby looks like on an international scale and Todd shares his excitement for the sport’s rapidly growing culture in the United States.

Please join us tomorrow night for Physics of Rugby, with Todd Clever right here on our website, as well as on our Playing with Science channels on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen