I went to a Rugby match and a hockey game broke out.

I am appalled by the behavior of the SLO rugby team. I have seen many fights during a rugby game. I have seen opponents hit a teammate and I have seen a teammate hit an opponent. I have seen players stomp, rake, elbow, gouge and bite in rucks. I have seen high tackles, I have seen spear tackles and I have seen a tackle that sent a player to the ICU. Helicopters have landed at games to take a player to the hospital.

But in all the time I have played Rugby and all the time I have played sports…I have never witnessed an event like I witnessed on Saturday during the “B”side game. For the uninformed, let’s recap shall we?

Pasadena RFC played SLORFC in SLO. The game was a hard fought battle that was physical on both sides of the ball. The referee handed out 5 warnings for the game. Four to one single player during the game and one before the game. He stated to the PRFC Team that, “Penalties will be called when I see fit. I will try to talk a player out of committing penalties to improve the flow of the game. Additionally, I will not allow any player that plays outside the spirit of the game to continue. ” This comment, plus the fact that the ref was wearing a SLO Rugby jersey leads me to a few conclusions.

One, he knows the SLO players pretty well. He has refereed 2 of their 3 home games and lives in SLO. He changed on their sideline, called several of their players by name and was hugged by no less than 3 of their players after the game on their sideline. Second, he is the only ref I have ever seen this year warn a team to “play nice” prior to a game. In my humble opinion this means he knows that SLO plays dirty and he was hoping to talk us out of retaliating…he knew what was ahead of him. Don’t get me wrong, we have refs that know us by name and several refs have ties to our team. I am sure teams don’t like it when they see us talking friendly like to a ref after they have lost. I am just making a point that it was evident to me that he knew what this team was like due to his close relationship to them and he knew that something was most likely going to happen.

The first half sees Pasadena mount goal line attack after goal line attack only to be held out by a staunch SLO defense. Kudos to them. Each time they held us out, they grew stronger and more resolute to do it again. I had said that there were four warnings. Each of those four remaining warnings was given to one player. Kai Beech of SLO, their outside center. All three warnings were for dangerous play. Again, I am not bitching so much about his play. He is a big strong player that should use his physicality to his advantage. Stiff arms are a valuable tool in rugby. But throwing a balled up fist to the face as part of the stiff arm is not. Big tackles can be demoralizing for the player being tackled and energizing for the opposite players. But spear tackling is one of they most dangerous tackles and should, in my opinion, be an immediate yellow card for the offending player.

Kai Beech was guilty of all of these and was warned and repeatedly told during the game, “this is your last warning.” This did not deter him. In fact, after each “warning” he would turn away from the ref and walk back to his teammates laughing. His teammates would encourage him by either a) not telling him to wipe that smile from his face or b) by giving him a “high five.”

Kai Beech would rather spear tackle a player than play as part of a team. He would rather fight an opponent than beat him with superior play. Even their president, Leif McKay, admitted, “we pretty much know Kai will get a yellow card each game.” I saw Lief after the game and he looked to have a child with him. I can’t recall if it was a boy or a girl. Maybe he has one of each. Anyway, I would ask Lief, “Would you want your son to grow to be a man like Kai?” “Would he want his daughter to marry Kai?” I have a three-year-old girl. I would be happier knowing that she is paying for law school as a stripper rather than finding out she chose to marry Kai.

Kai Beech has no respect for his team, his opponent or the sport of rugby. How do I know he doesn’t respect his team? Easy, he chooses to do his own thing and play the way he wants to no matter the consequences. He doesn’t care if he gets a red card. What does it matter to him if his team has to play a man down? He only cares that he was able to punch someone or spear tackle a player. HIS personal satisfaction is so much more important than the success of the TEAM. Also, and I am not joking about this, you can tell he has no respect for SLO as he chooses to wear different color socks and shorts that the rest of the team. May seem trivial, but when your mindset is, “I am better than everyone else and I can wear whatever I want,” this is how you act. He is a narcissist.

How does someone like this develop? Narcissism takes root very early in life. I would venture to guess that Kai’s parents are divorced. If not, his dad is not around much. Either due to travel or alcoholism…or both. He most likely has a sister and possibly younger siblings. But he is the oldest boy. He doesn’t have and older brother. Older brothers would never allow a turd like this to get away with what he has gotten away with. His mother is probably guilty for the sperm donor she chose to supply the Y chromosome for her little angel. Let’s be honest. Who would name their kid Kai? It means sea in Hawaiian. Mom wanted her kid to be cool and she wants Kai to be her friend cause mommy didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. Mommy needed something to love cause her husband was banging the secretary. Anyway, Kai is the type of child that would get into trouble. His mother, seeing that dad would never be around, would have to discipline him and rarely did. I suppose she was the type of mother that would yell at a teacher for disciplining her child.

I have digressed. Sorry. Anyway, Kai gets several warning during the A side game. He told one player that he would “get him after the game” and another player that he “was gonna break his face.” How prophetic he turned out to be.

Kai was needed to play in the second side game as well as the first side game. I would assume that SLO players do not like playing two games every week. I never did! Maybe the leaders of the club should be asking themselves, “Why can’t we get/keep players?” “Why am I forced to play 160 minutes of rugby each weekend?” Maybe, and I don’t know if this is true, but maybe the atmosphere of the club is negative. So here is Kai, playing in the B-side game. He is warned yet again for dangerous play. Mind you…he is not being warned for being offsides or fringing. He is warned now 5 times for dangerous play. After a lineout to Pasadena the ball ends up in Suan’s hands and he knocks on. Kai, in typical fashion, hits Suan late and high. Both players go to ground and then return to their feet. With Suan’s hands at his side, Kai hits Suan three times with his elbow causing a large gash over Suan’s eye that required stitches. Because the ref didn’t actually see the play and only saw one of the punches, it was determined by him that he would get a yellow card. SLO seeing what was transpiring sent Kai to the sideline. We were told that he wouldn’t play any more that day. Oh goody, that will teach him. Obviously tempers flared on our sideline. Was SLO apologetic? Did they hang their heads in shame? Hardly. Their coach, Sean Leamy, who was playing flanker (he had played center in the A-side), actually had the audacity to yell to our sideline to “quit crying.” Awesome.

After the game, some Pasadena players chose to not “break bread” with SLO. Instead a congregation of players gathered near the bus. Only one SLO player came over to speak to this group. At the time, I was not sure why their president or coach wouldn’t have come over, but so be it. This player that came over, interestingly enough, was the player that “high fived” Kai Beech when he left the field. He also was the player that left the field with Kai once the game was over. Oh yea, I forgot to mention this. Not only is Kai too cool for school, he didn’t help the team clean up the pitch. Instead he, his buddy and two girls left the field. Maybe he was on his way to make sure the after party was set up in time and that we all got cold beers and good food in a timely manner. Shucks, that Kai…always thinking of others.

So here is Kai’s friend trying to convince us to come over to the party and have a good time. From Kai’s friend, we learned a few things as well. First we learn that is the way Kai is. They, SLO, have pretty much accepted his behavior. Two, when asked why they didn’t reprimand him or ask him not to play, he responded it was because Kai was a good player. Really!! He said that. He told us that Kai has played DI before and he is a valuable to the team. Wow, speaks volumes about SLO. Lastly, while Kai’s friend was badgering us with his “life’s tale,” he tells the group that when one of his buddies is in trouble, he tries to use his “silver tongue” to get him out of trouble. Great, the only reason this mental midget has come to talk to us is to try and calm us down. Presumably so we will not file a report with the Union.

I know there are players that wanted Suan to file assault charges with the police. Personally, there would be nothing better than to have seen Kai leave the pitch in handcuff rather than with his friend, it is Suan’s decision and I stand behind him no mater what he wants. It would be a pretty big commitment for anyone to press charges. Just the hassle of having to drive up to SLO again would make me think twice.

In the end, the determination of whether Kai Beech plays again this year will be up to the Union. Precedent has been set for a minimum 2 game suspension, so I imagine any where from 2-5 games would not be unthinkable. The push for a season long ban has been made and I would place the odds at about 2-1.

Last thought. I have just learned that SLO gave Kai Beech their War Hammer award. By the name, I don’t think the War Hammer is a “you are a dumb shit” award, so I can only assume that the SLO leaders whole heartedly and unabashedly approve of such behavior.

Oops,Tanner