The similarities between rugby and football are many, including the balls used and the odd, unexpected bounces they can take.
Had the ball bounced one way, Ryne "Pono" Haitsuka would have spent Christmas break with Oregon State preparing for the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against Boise State. The former Kamehameha receiver had hoped to play football for the Beavers when he headed to Corvallis three years ago.
Instead, Haitsuka spent the holidays with family on Oahu, taking a break from the USA Rugby Eagles Sevens men’s national team. The 22-year-old has transferred his passion from the gridiron to the pitch where the USAR Collegiate All-American back for the Oregon State club team is a rising international talent.
It has happened quickly and unexpectedly for Haitsuka, who had little more than random pick-up game experience in the sport before OSU. But his athletic ability and background in football, wrestling and track were perfectly suited to rugby, particularly the faster, more explosive seven-a-side game.
"It’s been like a dream," said Haitsuka, a solid 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. "I went to the All-American camp (last summer in Colorado) and guess I did well enough that I got a call from the national coach, inviting me to come down to the Olympic Training Center in San Diego.
"I wanted to stay on track to graduate this spring. My counselors were able to set up online courses I could take while at the training center. It’s working out but it’s still shocking. I can’t believe the way it all has happened."
He has only to check his passport to verify the reality. Cayman Islands. Fiji. South Africa. Dubai.
It didn’t take long for Haitsuka to earn his first cap (playing appearance for a select team). He was one of two rookies who made the roster for the Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens last November, scoring his first career try in a 19-14 loss to France.
The HSBC Sevens World Series continues later this month in Las Vegas. Haitsuka and Lahainaluna graduate Pila Taufa are the two Hawaii players vying for roster spots for the Jan. 26-28 stop at Sam Boyd Stadium.
"Basically for every tour stop you’re competing to get on the squad," Haitsuka said. "Nothing is set in stone. There’s 25-30 guys in the pool and we train for two weeks. Then they’ll announce the team. The guys who don’t make it stay at the training center and keep working."
"I know that he is humbled and awed by this opportunity," Haitsuka’s mother, Minette Fernandez, said. "When he received his jersey, he said it was so overwhelming to represent the U.S. It’s not just for him but for the kids in Hawaii to see what is possible when given the opportunity.
"We never expected this to happen. He’s only been playing organized rugby for two years. And to think that he has a chance maybe for the Olympics in two years … to even be considered for that team would be huge for our family."
Haitsuka said he wasn’t looking that far ahead, to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, where rugby returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1924. One goal is to finish his degree in psychology this spring via online classes.
"Up until recently, I never really thought about the Olympics," he said. "When I decided to play rugby, it was about getting as far as I can get with it."
Depending on how that ball bounces, it could be to Brazil.
On the web:
» usarugby.org
» irbsevens.com
