Former Rugby Ohio all-star and Ohio State University All American Nate Ebner is back playing rugby and is in Hong Kong this week with the professional touring side, Samurai.

Ebner will be lining up at center for the Samurai in the Hong Kong 10s. Ten-a-side rugby is not a common form of the game, but is actually a nice combination of 7s and 15s. The teams generally play with a forward pack of five or six, and a backline of four or five. Games are 20 minutes long (ten-minute halves). So the action is fast-paced, but has somewhat more contact and rucking than in 7s.

Ebner was tapped by the Samurai after he negotiated a contract extension with the New England Patriots. The contract allows Ebner to take a leave from the team this spring and summer to try to make the USA rugby team for the 2016 Olympics. Ebner, who is a defensive back and special teams player for the Patriots, did not make the USA 7s team squad for Hong Kong and Singapore - he's only been training for a couple of weeks - but he remembers how to play rugby and Samurai decided putting him on the team would be fun.

Ebner was a standout for St. Edward and went on to be part of a USA U19 team that included the likes of Shawn Pittman, Scott LaValla, Zack Test, and Taylor Mokate - all capped by the Eagles. He is from a rugby family - his dad Jeff was a longtime player and a great influence on his son. Jeff Ebner was tragically killed by a thief at his business, Ebner & Sons Auto Reclamation in 2008. 

“He didn’t push me,” Ebner told Tom Curran of Comcast Sports New England (see entire article here). “He never made me do anything. He just played and enjoyed playing. And I enjoyed playing as a young kid. ... In the summer, I’d go work in the junkyard with him all day and then we’d go work out. ... We’d work all day, work out in the afternoon and run hills. Tuesdays and Thursdays we’d drive to Columbus and go play rugby with the 7s team. He was still playing and the 7s was something we all did to run around and still play and stay in shape.” 

So now 10s is what Ebner is doing to stay (or get) in shape and get some game time.