Like a small blimp, the rugby ball floated across the bright evening sky above San Marcos High’s Warkentin Stadium. Thomas Coleman booted the ball between the goal posts, providing the winning margin in the Santa Barbara Stingrays’ 26-24 victory over the visiting team from Morrinsville College, a high school on New Zealand’s north island.
The score hardly mattered. The match last Friday evening was more about displaying the qualities of rugby — a high-energy sport with a tradition of sportsmanship that also offers opportunities for cultural exchange when teams go on tour.
“It’s awesome to play a team from another country, especially New Zealand, which is like a rugby haven,” said Anthony Gills, one of the standouts on the Santa Barbara team.