Both Vujaklija and Jonkergouw emphasise the sport’s encouraging atmosphere. ‘The players develop a bond that I feel is absent in other team sports,’ Vujaklija says. Rugby is sometimes described as a game suited for gentleman thugs. The referee’s word is law during a match, players must restrain themselves even if they disagree with a ruling and only the team’s captain is allowed to speak with the referee. Chris Jonkergouw has played for four years. The game won him over after he moved from Holland to Wales. The sport is demanding, but fair. After a match, players line up to pay their respects to their opponents. The hundred-kilo prop who just tackled you is suddenly your friend. Many play rugby because of the game’s social nature. ‘After the game, we’ll grab a beer with the rival team.’ 28 / AALTO UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE 28
Demands focus The team trains twice a week from April to September, for two hours each time. In winter, players maintain their fitness at the outdoor gym. Being fit boosts performance and protects from injury. The risk of injury is nevertheless high. The sport involves physical contact both with your own teammates and the opponents. The physical effort required involves, for example, each player falling down or colliding with another every second minute on average over the course of an 80-minute match. Their hearts race, reaching rates of up to 200 bpm. The many positions and roles in a rugby team call for players with very different physical and technical attributes. The professional duties of these Aalto players require similar versatility. ‘The members of a research group also have their own specialised roles. The aim of our research pro-