Appearing on the Joe Rogan podcast, retired U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major, John McPhee has claimed that his combat roots made him perfect for rugby, and has suggested that martial arts should be a part of any rugby training regime.
After years of fighting against the grain to get this global superpower to acknowledge the greatest game on the planet, America is finally turning its eyes to rugby. The game is gaining more traction and interest in the states thanks to the excess foreign imports like Ma’a Nonu and Matt Giteau plying their trade in the MLR, Ilona Maher bringing her 8 million online followers to watch her regular updates from Bristol, and of course, the Los Angeles SVNS tournament that proved such a success earlier this year.
The global game has welcomed the USA with open arms, and the population appears set to embrace it.
The thing with bringing in new fans, however, is ensuring that the rules are simple enough to learn while remaining enjoyable. Rugby can look like a simple game on the surface (get the ball from one end to the other), but the reality is quite the opposite. With a complex cocktail of set plays, open-play running, kicking, tackling, jackaling, and a whole cacophony of new rules being introduced year after year, it’s a sport that can take some education on.
However, one particular new fan appears to have the sport down. Appearing on the Joe Rogan podcast, McPhee has claimed that his combat roots made him perfect for the sport, saying:
“I seen the Fort Bragg rugby team practices on Tuesdays, so I just went out there for something to do.
“Man, I’m going to tell you, you think f****** jujitsu f**** people up, f****** go play f****** rugby. Actually stay the f*** away from rugby. It is f****** brutal, no helmets no nothing, man.”
“My first practice, I just ******* grabbed the ball and just ran every one of these little ************* over, and then guys were like ‘man what college you play in?’ I was like ‘None and I never played rugby a day in my life’ On my first game you know was like ******* to my third practice you know.
I mean it’s crazy but in doing jujitsu and fighting people in Iraq every night, I thought rugby was kinda easy. The guys running at me and I just gotta take him down ******* double legs. I started getting more tackles than anyone in my team. The coach was like ‘You had like 80 tackles a game how do you do that?’ It’s like double-leg takedown, single-leg, maybe a trip.
“One of the times, one of the coaches was like ‘Hey could you teach us how you normally tackle, you get the most tackles’, and like I’m basically teaching him wrestling.
“I just thought wrestling, why don’t they teach them that?
“I know there are a lot of sports that use a lot of disciplines so I would imagine they would have to be ******* having wrestling practice or takedown tackle practice right? I would imagine they’re doing the same as everyone else.”
Watch the video here:
American special forces guy claims to have picked up rugby and ‘made 80 tackles a game’ due to his jiu jitsu skills 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Ez58CVc7h2
— Jamie Wall (@JamieWall2) December 11, 2024
Fans have taken differing views on the claim. Here are a few of our favourites from the social media site, X::
numbauan: “I played rugby in the US against the Marines in University. It was like tackling fluffy pillows.”
Zain Paisley: “Even the best players would have picked up some kind of injury, with that many tackles per game”
Morne Viijen: “It’s John “Shrek” McPhee. Regarded by other SFOs as the best warfighter the DoD has ever produced, but clearly also someone that doesn’t care whether the words he say are true or not.”
Brett Barnard: “This guy is a legend in the SF arena, wouldn’t argue with him.”
TheStroBro: “Like it’s possible at grassroots level where you play. A lot of lazy blokes. Especially over here in D3 or D4 level. But 80 tackles would be tiring. But probably like 30 max for a normy. We have sole dudes in MLR that pure mutants that would do a job in Super Rugby.”
John McPhee bio – according to sobtactical.com
John McPhee, widely known as “The Sheriff of Baghdad” or “SHREK,” is a retired U.S. Army Special Operations Sergeant Major with over 20 years of distinguished service. Specializing in various special mission units, he accumulated extensive combat experience across multiple theaters. Since retiring in 2011, John has been a trailblazer in video diagnostics training, analyzing shooting techniques with unparalleled precision through a specialized app.
A Master Instructor and Subject Matter Expert, John founded the S.O.B. brand to extend his expertise to civilians, law enforcement, and militaries worldwide. His training modules span a range of skills, from Special Activities to Advanced Marksmanship. With a focus on efficiency—defined as speed, accuracy, and proper technique—John’s innovative video diagnostics offer a fast track to perfect practice. He believes in not just practice but perfect practice, debunking the myth that practice alone makes perfect.
Over a decade of consulting in special activities has solidified John as an industry leader. His mantra: “Efficiency is speed and accuracy applied simultaneously with perfect technique.” With John’s unique approach, prepare to reach your peak performance.
HSBC SVNS Perth takes place on 24-26 January at HBF Park. Plan your ultimate rugby weekend in Western Australia with the help of flexible travel packages including tickets and accommodation. Buy Now or Find Out More.
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