( CNN ) -- In summer 2010 , Big Sky High School graduate and football star Glen Maricelli began a grueling 2,170-mile drive from Missoula , Montana , for a collegiate tryout in Marietta , Georgia . It was the farthest from home he had ever been . His goal was a chance to continue his athletic success . Four days later , he arrived in Georgia , exhausted . An hour after that , Maricelli was trying out for the Running Eagles squad , sprinting for fitness tests in the sweltering Georgia summer heat . Gasping for air and dripping with sweat , Maricelli could n't be happier . `` When you 're running those sprints , lifting those weights and running up hills , it sucks at the time , '' he said . `` But right when you 're done , everyone is out of breath and looking all around , it 's like 'yes , it was worth it . That was good . ' `` A football running back known for scoring three touchdowns in a game , Maricelli discovered rugby in high school as a way to condition . Rather than rely on the controlling coaching aspect of football , rugby allowed Maricelli and his teammates to run the plays and run the game . The sport became his passion , so he put his football days behind him and looked for a college rugby program . Now a sophomore at Life University in Marietta , Maricelli plays for one of the top varsity rugby teams in the U.S . But for most colleges , rugby is considered at best a second-grade niche sport . Seventy-five miles to the east in Athens , Georgia , a true portrait of collegiate rugby versus collegiate football unfolds . Unlike the University of Georgia football team , with its sold-out stadium of more than 92,000 fans any given fall Saturday , UGA Rugby barely has 100 fans , although both teams collide with well-known Southeastern Conference rival schools . `` What happens is , the footprint of collegiate football in the South is monstrous . It takes the air out of the room , '' University of California head rugby coach Jack Clark said . `` Playing rugby is akin to a communist activity . '' Yet behind the scenes , rugby serves an American passion for a worldwide sport . Finding a field . It 's the simple act of stumbling upon a practice , catching a rare match on TV or tossing a rugby ball around that draws people away from the ingrained mentality of American football . Universities with big football traditions often offer rugby , but football 's domination can make it hard for `` ruggers . '' They set up at recreational sport fairs , speak at student group meetings and recruit from high school tournaments , but they can offer only rudimentary benefits . In the place of customized scooters , Nike team wear and logo-embossed gear , rugby players say they discover lasting friendships , passionate competition and the dynamics of a heavily skill-based game with a lifelong , global network . The recruits will have to pay for dues , travel expenses and jerseys , and they must practice three to five days a week . But first , they have to find a field . Although some of the big colleges like Florida , South Carolina and Tennessee have fields designated for club rugby , the UGA team classifies itself as a `` stepchild . '' `` Historically , rugby players have been 'field gypsies , ' `` said Rod Seddon , president of the Georgia Rugby Union . University of Georgia senior and criminal justice major Robert Thomas knows the struggles firsthand . One Thursday when he was 19 , Thomas stepped on a rugby pitch for the first time . That Saturday , he played in his first match but had no idea what he was doing . `` Two weeks later , I do n't know what it was , but right before the SEC Tournament , something clicked , and everything made sense , '' he said . Although Thomas had never played a team sport before , the camaraderie aspect drew him in immediately . `` It 's driven to not just be a team on the field but off the field that I really like , '' Thomas said . `` We do everything as a team . '' From field setup to team dinners , it 's not hard to spot the UGA ruggers on campus . They 're always together . On a Wednesday night downtown , people sometimes ask what they 're celebrating . The teammates respond that it 's Wednesday , and they 're just hanging out , as usual . Cameron Nizdil , a 20-year-old sophomore from Moorpark , California , was offered a walk-on spot on UGA 's track and field team . Running is in his genes , but Nizdil turned down the opportunity and pursued rugby instead . `` Rugby had the better social environment , '' Nizdil said . `` It was the best decision ever . '' Anatomy of a team . Collegiate rugby teams often comprise powerful athletes , football and basketball players who entertained rugby as a third sport in high school . The athletes require `` a real melting pot of skills and a portfolio of body types , '' Clark said . From towering players built like oak trees to shorter , nimble sprinters , physicality is expected . Each one has the chance to sprint , pass and tackle , and a successful tackle wo n't stop the action . There is no quarterback or wide receiver . `` Unlike football , we do n't want guys to travel for a weekend just to sit on the sidelines , '' said Rene Daniel , a rugby coach at Georgia Tech . With no pads or helmets to cushion the rough blows , players also have to learn how to use their bodies without causing serious injury . Few timeouts , limited substitutions and the possibility of five or six matches in a single tournament force them to be in top form . It is a rapid , bruising contest that crashes muscle against muscle and challenges mental and physical technique over pure power . `` I love football , so I went out to play rugby in college , and it was a big change , but it was addictive , '' said Willie Washington , a UGA senior . `` I like the challenge of it . In football , you get the ball , and people can block for you . In rugby , it 's you against seven or 15 other guys . You 've really got to think and be smart with the ball . '' Blaine Scully graduated from high school as a three-sport , All-American athlete . A natural , he excelled at basketball , water polo and swimming . In June , the recent University of California-Berkeley graduate helped the national rugby team , the USA Eagles , defeat Russia for the Churchill Cup Bowl , an annual rugby union tournament leading up to the World Cup . Scully discovered rugby in college under the tutelage of American rugby legend Jack Clark , head coach of the Golden Bears . Clark has had to fight hard to preserve the rugby tradition but says it is often one of the five most-attended sports out of 29 at the university . `` What I know is that rugby positively changes lives . Everyone that plays the sport is willing to pay it forward , '' Clark said . `` I had a player tell me after the season was over , 'Coach , this was the hardest thing I 've ever done that I would n't trade for anything , ' and I said , 'Well , that about sums it up , son . ' `` Getting into the game . Collegiate club teams usually begin their season in the fall with a month of training to orient the `` new guys , '' whether it is freshmen or those new to rugby in general . One of the biggest challenges : teaching guys to pass the ball laterally or backwards , only , and still score . It creates a culture of teamwork -- `` the most team-oriented team sport , '' Thomas said . `` When you have to give up five days a week and some weekends when you 're traveling , it becomes a job , essentially , but a job that one loves , '' Georgia Rugby Union secretary Nicholas Burgess said . It showcases the volunteer nature of rugby : There are few paid positions related to the sport in the entire U.S. Rugby is a true battle on the field , from the bloodied players who forge on without stopping to the one missed tackle that can cost the game in a breathless contest . Afterward , the home team hosts a social for the visiting team , no matter who wins . They even put up the out-of-town players in their homes . It is a game driven by respect , because each player knows what another has gone through to be on the field . `` Of course it sucks to lose , especially at home , '' Thomas said . `` But point being , this is a tradition . You would never see that from football . '' Most ruggers say respect is one of their main reasons for playing the game . `` There 's nothing like giving 80 minutes on a Saturday to the game that you love , '' Burgess said . `` You 're with 14 other guys in the arena against 15 guys that you 're trying to beat the hell out of . Then afterwards , it 's being able to shake their hands and have a beer together . That 's the beauty of it . ''
Behind the scenes , rugby serves an American passion for a worldwide sport . Rugby teams face challenges , from finding a field to funding . Rugby players connect with the game and each other through powerful camaraderie .