Rugby showed up in some unexpected places over the past week. An NFL champion pulled on boots for his first match, an NBA star trained with a French pro club, and Hollywood signed on to tell one of the sport’s great stories. Here are the crossovers that got people talking.
Jason Kelce: The former Eagles center made his rugby debut on October 7 with London’s Old Streetonians RFC, playing 30 minutes at No. 8 in a friendly against Hackney RFC. Former teammate Beau Allen joined him, and former England international Joe Marler gave them a crash course beforehand.
Victor Wembanyama: The Spurs center spent part of his offseason training with Provence Rugby alongside Harrison Barnes. He worked through tackling, passing, lineout and strength sessions, and said they helped his stability, movement and strength. Provence released the footage in October.
Mark Cuban: Cuban played rugby at Indiana and returned to Bloomington to support the Hoosiers against Marian. No. 8 Marian won 29-14 over No. 11 Indiana.
Dwayne Johnson: His Seven Bucks Productions is partnering with Pango Productions on Undeniable: Portia Woodman, a documentary directed by Zoë McIntosh about the Black Ferns star’s career and achievements.
C.J. Stroud: The Texans quarterback was spotted throwing a rugby ball during his pregame warmup at Lucas Oil Stadium.