FIU student plays a rough round of rugby, Papua style


In a remote village of Papua New Guinea, the call went out by word of mouth. Anyone have a pair of size 14 cleats? The American kid wants to play in our rugby tournament.

Of course not. No such luck.

So FIU religious studies major Kyle Decker played barefoot in a rough and tumble game of rugby with the Gogodala tribe of Balimo.

The tournament was organized as part of a visit to the island by FIU Professor Tudor Parfitt and a delegation of FIU students. Parfitt, a Welshman and a lifelong rugby fan, dedicated the game to his brother, late Robin Parfitt. Another student on the trip, Keysel Pelaez arranged to bring a special gold cup for the winner of tournament, dubbed the Tudor Parfitt Rugby Tournament.

Decker’s team won the cup, but not before the recent FIU graduate took a few hits on the muddy field. Check out the highlights:

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