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WE SAW YOU: Elvis 7s Rugby Tournament

Elvis fans and rugby players alike enjoyed themselves at Memphis Blues Rugby Club’s event.

Jack Albert, 18, just played his first Elvis 7s Rugby Tournament, which was held August 3rd at McBride Rugby Field at Tobey Park.

“I thought it was really cool,” says Albert, who plays in the Eureka Kings (no Elvis affiliation) Rugby club in St. Louis, Missouri.

“It was fun to just enjoy the music and the environment and get to play the sport I love at the same time,” he says.

The music that played during the games was mostly recorded Elvis standards, as well as a mix of other artists. The event, presented by the Memphis Blues Rugby Club, features a sideburns contest and Elvis-themed prizes.

Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” was played. “I think they only played that once,” says Albert. “We were walking on the field and that song came on.” Or, in rugby lingo, “I was about to go pour out my heart on the pitch, leave it on the field.”

Albert wore protective covering on his right leg so he wouldn’t mess up his new tattoo. It’s an anime symbol “from Berserk” and basically means, “Everybody has a bigger purpose in life and you’re destined for greater things than what you think.” 

By Michael Donahue

Michael Donahue began his career in 1975 at the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar and moved to The Commercial Appeal in 1984, where he wrote about food and dining, music, and covered social events until early 2017, when he joined Contemporary Media.