That has to hurt.
When the US faces off against Ireland in the Donnybrook Cup rugby league match on St. Patrick’s Day in Chester, the new head coach of the USA Tomahawks will be bringing his experience as a player to bear.
Marcus Vassilakopoulous has gone up against Ireland before. Vassilakopoulous, who was born in England and now lives in Aston, PA, was playing for the Sheffield Eagles in the UK when he was tapped by David Niu (short for Niumataiwalu), a former player, coach, and one of the founders of rugby league in the US, to play in a game against the Irish Wolfhounds at Glen Mills School on St. Patrick’s Day in 2000. Niu, who lives in Philadelphia, is a teacher there.
Vassilakopoulous qualified to play with the American team because his grandfather was actually born in Wisconsin.
On the freezing cold night in Glen Mills, the US was victorious. Vassilakopoulous met up with the Irish team again on another St. Patrick’s Day in 2004, this time in Atlanta, where, although the humidity was a killer, the Tomahawks won again. His last meet-up was in Moscow, where injuries to the American team forced them to scare up Russian-based American players (one of whom, Vassilakopoulous was sure was CIA, KGB, or both). That time, they lost to the Irish.
Last year, the Wolfhounds ran away with the Donnybrook Cup at the post-St. Patrick’s Day game played at Northeast High School. This year, this classic match-up is at Quick Stadium at Widener University in West Chester, and past experience has taught Vassilakopoulous that the Irish are tough.
“It’s going to tough again like last year,” he said, when reached by phone earlier this week. “I’m going to try to build a bit on our performance last year. We were good in the attacking part of the game, but the defense we’ll have to tweak a little bit. We need to play pretty physical like the Irish do.”
Rugby, like aging, is not for sissies. Blood is often spilled in this centuries-old game that makes American football look like a tea party in comparison. Rugby players hit, slam, tackle, and may well eat their dead, as the t-shirts proclaim. “It’s bone on bone, meat on meat. It’s a brutal sport that’s not for everybody, but I love it,” says Vassilakopoulous. And, he notes, the Irish are as fierce as they come.
“They’re very passionate about playing for their country,” he said. “They put their heart and soul into it and so we expect the same again.”
The coach, who now works at the Glen Mills School, had some of his team out last Sunday for practice. Since the Tomahawks are a national team, its members come from all over—Hawaii, Georgia, Texas, Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Team captain, Apple Pope, heads the Jacksonville Axmen in Florida. “I got some of the players from Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut here, but all the players have the playbook so we’re all on the same page.”
Vassilakopoulous has taken some time off from coaching the Delaware County Bulls to focus on the Tomahawks. He expects to be headed to Hawaii, France or Italy, and possibly Canada this year.
“We’ll see after this fame,” he said cautiously. “I might not get asked back. I need to make sure the boys perform.”
Although women also play rugby, Vassilakopoulous says, it’s mainly a guy thing. And that’s the way it’s going to stay at his house. Vassilakopoulous and his wife have three young daughters. “Girls do play rugby but my girls won’t be playing rugby,” he said. “Too brutal.”
The Donnybrook Cup kickoff is at 1 PM at Quick Stadium, Widener University, 17th Street and Melrose Avenue in Chester. The day starts, however, with matches starting at 10 AM between the Hibernians RUFC and the North East Irish RUFC, then Msgr. Bonner vs St. Augustine Prep High School at 11:15. The pre-match ceremony starts at 12:45 and features John and Michael Boyce of Blackthorn singing the National Anthem, while their sister, Karen Boyce McCollum, sings the Irish national anthem. The Ryan Kilcoyne Irish Dancers with Bagpiper John Collins of the Philadelphia Emerald Society Pipe Band starts at 12:40. Judge Jimmy Lynn will do the coin toss.
After the match, Blackthorn will be performing at the Grandstand Deck at Harrah’s Chester. For more information, go to the Donnybrook Cup website.
