Tag Rugby is a game that has surged in popularity in Ireland over the last few years, from competitive to social it seems as though everybody knows someone who is involved on a regular basis.
Whether you play the game yourself or have friends who do, you will surely recognise these players that always pop up in every game of tag rugby.
The lad who has decided he is playing scrum-half.
Nobody has assigned positions in most tag rugby matches, yet this fella has taken it on himself to be the scrum-half, captain, and manager as well. He's at every breakdown, insisting for the ball so he can show off his elaborate spiral that nobody is impressed by.
The forward who is way out of his depth.
He found a niche for himself in rugby union due to being freakishly tall or really really heavy (or both), but his lack of co-ordination and general oafishness have been found out in this nimble, quick-footed game. Typically seen looking very disappointed when he finds out there are no scrums.
The "high-stepper" who thinks he's from Fiji.
You know the type. He's watched one too many Waisale Serevi videos on YouTube and he thinks he can juke the entire opposing team, slowing down before each opponent and breaking into a mini-Riverdance jig.
The chancer who takes an extra four or five steps after having his tags stripped.
It's even worse when they sprint off down the field because they "didn't know" they lost their tag at the gain-line.
The guy who drops everything.
He's only here for the exercise, and tag rugby is a social game, so you can't really get mad at him, unless you are...
The guy who always complains about the guy who drops everything.
A bad loser, and typically a decent player who nobody would ever invite out for a pint after.
The ridiculously competitive girl.
Typically raised in a house full of brothers, she's been competing since she could walk and she sure as hell isn't just there for the "craic".
The guy in a "Hell & Back/Tough Mudder" t-shirt.
Every game has one. This absolute legend paid to run through a load of obstacles covered in mud, and his free t-shirt is the only way that you can know he is tough as nails, so he'll wear it at every opportunity.
The International wildcard.
Especially common on university campuses, the International wildcard is someone from a far off land who heard someone on your team was playing tag rugby and said "Hey, that sounds like fun!". They can range from the Spanish guy who has never held a ball in his life, to the American bro who was the hottest prospect in high-school football until the scouts discovered he has asthma. There's no way to tell which one it's going to be until it's too late.
The overly-positive girl whose spirit can't be broken.
Depending on how seriously you take tag-rugby, she can be the best teammate ever, or the worst. She's here for the craic and she's going to have it. Inspirational pep talks, cheering you on with support, saying how brilliantly you played despite your countless mistakes, she's always looking on the bright side, sometimes annoyingly so.
The guy who's always injured.
This poor lad shows up with his knee heavily strapped and visibly struggles in the warm-up, before hobbling off after the first phase. Sometimes he disappears, never to be seen again, and sometimes he hangs around because he only came to go to the pub after.
The ringer.
You're short on numbers, no regular players available, so your mate calls in a lad he kind of knows who always has some bizarre reason why he would be a good option, something like this:
The fitness freak who couldn't handle the full contact game.
All engine, no technique. The fitness freak was the guy in school who was fast as lightning, so it was always a mystery why he didn't play for the senior cup team... Until you saw him try to initiate a tackle.
The ridiculously annoying couple who do everything together.
This insufferable pair are being counted as one because they are very rarely more than three feet away from each other. Offering each other moral support for every mistake and then skipping the post match pints because they have to go to IKEA and then to a cookery class.
The big lad who's surprisingly agile.
You see him out on the wing and think he got lost on the way to the chipper, but before you know it he's stepped you and left you for dead. They are rare, but you'll know them when you see them.
