The lights shone down on the players as they interlocked with one another and awaited commands.

"Crouch, touch, pause, engage," yelled a rugby captain as two opposing players launched themselves into one another during a scrum to start the next play of rugby.

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) Rugby Football Club, the Ike Maulers, battled hard against the Golden Eagles, the local Bahraini rugby football club, in Manama, Bahrain, Aug. 14.

This marked a couple of firsts for many Ike players -- their first international rugby game and, for some, playing the sport for the first time.

"The team did phenomenal overall," said Lt. j.g. Caleb Healy, one of the Maulers' captains. "We got every one of our players at least 15 minutes of playing time, which was our biggest success today because they got to see the feats of their work."

The team had been practicing for the past several weeks as often as they could in Ike's hangar bays while at sea to prepare for the match. There may not have been a lot of room, but the team found the time and space to make the practices work, even with the heat reaching above 100 degrees.

"It's much nicer to play in Bahrain than in the hangar bay," said Airman Michael O'Connell. "Playing on grass with cleats is definitely better than playing on non-skid as we do all the time."

Being able to participate in a community relations project like this is a great opportunity to play a new sport with fellow Sailors, and also be able to meet and form new bonds with people from around the world, stated Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dartez Williams.

The rugby exhibition brought locals together to meet Sailors, and gave both U.S. Sailors and Bahraini people an opportunity to see there is more to the U.S. Navy than life at sea.

"We played really hard together," said Lt. James Royal, a rugby team member assigned to the "Screwtops" of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123. "To experience the teamwork, camaraderie and sportsmanship with the other team on the field was fantastic."

The Ike Maulers were unable to clinch the victory over the Golden Eagles, and the final score was 31-17.

"The key is to have fun with it," said Healy. "When you have fun, you learn a lot better."

The Maulers will keep practicing and honing their rugby skills as they look forward to their future matches.

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