Keegan revelling in kiwi rugby experience

AMERICA isn't known for its rugby prowess, but it does have a few avid supporters.
Keegan Hornbeck didn't pick up a rugby ball till he was at university, but he hasn't looked back since.
The corporate recruiter from Los Angeles is in New Zealand for two months to learn more about the sport he has grown to love.
With backing from the Pasadena Rugby and Football Club, and American rugby legend Aaron Tanner, Keegan was granted a two month stint in Stratford.
"New Zealand is known as the greatest rugby playing nation in the world and our club was keen to learn from the best. Our team is highly competitive, but we can only get better," he said.
Keegan has been playing for the Stratford Senior B Rugby Team, and said the experience has been invaluable.
"I have been noting down drills from practices and game strategies. The play here is a lot quicker than back home, so it will be great to have new ideas to inject into our team," he said.
The Pasadena Rugby and Football Club is large compared to most it can field two teams and usually has 40-50 members, but the comparisons between the sport here, and in Keegan's home country are immense.
"There is virtually no backing for rugby in America. We don't have the community support like there is in New Zealand."
The Pasadena club doesn't yet have clubrooms, so the team are forced to spend their after-game functions at local bars something they laughingly refer to as 'stink and drinks'.
When his home team has a 1pm kick off, their day has to start early in the morning.
"We have to paint the fields and make the goal posts before we can play. It ends up being a long day," said Keegan.
A former high school American football player, Keegan, a flanker, enjoys the physicality of rugby and is glad he made the switch.
" You can go an entire season without touching the ball in football. Everyone has one specific job to do. Rugby is much more a team sport and is very physically demanding. Deciding to play rugby was the best thing I ever did," he said.
Keegan hopes that his new-found skills will help gain more of a profile for rugby in America.
"When you tell people you play rugby, they ask questions like 'is that the game with the stick'? Most people know nothing about it. It is only since the Rugby World Cup that Americans have started to take notice. Now, there are a few high schools fielding teams. In New Zealand, it is a culture. Watching eight-year-olds play great rugby on a Saturday morning is inspiring. I hope to see that in the future at home," he said.
As for his Stratford experience, Keegan is having a great time so far, and has another month to look forward to.
"The people in Stratford and the rugby club are awesome. It has been great to play with people who have been doing it for years and have a good grasp of the game fundamentals."