Indian River: A Thank You

The following is told through the eyes of a rookie player in 2021.

It was 2021 and I was 23 years old, itching to get on a rugby field for the first time.

What I didn't know walking onto that field was the story that had brought us all there. Indian River RFC had recently lost their longtime head coach. When anyone leaves the ecosystem of a club it's felt throughout every layer — but a head coach? That one particularly hurts. The club that had been so resilient was now in a peculiar spot.

Indian River Pre 2021

Meanwhile in Orlando, a bunch of new faces were meeting for the first time. The Claymores had made a successful debut in 2018-19 — wins over Lakeland and Tampa — but covid had stripped a lot of that momentum. By 2021 we were down to a handful of players. The FRU saw two clubs that needed each other and brought them together. And so for the 2021 season, the Indian River RFC and the Central Florida Claymores took the field as one.

Claymore players months before 2021 debut

Walking onto that field for the first time was overwhelming. I had heard rumblings about our numbers and one glance over at Lakeland confirmed it — they had plenty. But then I looked at the teammates I was supposed to defend, and who were supposed to defend me, and I felt something unexpected. Comfort.

Claymores vs Lakeland 2021

Richie — a massive guy who oozed confidence. Jacq, an intense South African who had the honor of captaining the side. Julius, a player who looked like he came straight out of a comic book, jacked and running like someone had stolen his lunch money. And then the veterans — Justin, Brian, Randy, James, Charles — players who had been there, done that. I'm sure I'm forgetting names but the feeling I had looking around that field stays with me.

I sat on the bench waiting for my moment. It came after three minutes.

The match itself was a blur but two things stood out. The first was how intense rugby is when you're actually in it. The second was how the Indian River guys looked out for me. When I made mistakes, Jacq made sure I knew about it — but what they stressed more than anything was respect. For the game. For the opposition. For the referee. And above all, for the badge you're wearing.

We lost that day, as expected for two clubs meeting for the first time. But what happened after the match was what really sold it for me.

Richie hosted everyone at his house. I was in a sour mood after the loss but everyone around me was genuinely happy to just be there. Drinks were shared, food was eaten, someone jumped in the pool. And then there was the stick — a 2x4 piece of wood awarded to the player with the biggest hit of the match. A tradition I had never seen before and immediately loved.

By the end of that social I was sold. Not just on rugby. On these people.

We didn't do much winning that first year, to be honest. Lots of painful games.

One of the most emotional was our first club match against the Orlando Griffins — our inner city rivals. There was plenty of history there. Players who had left the Griffins, a coaching connection. The Indian River boys were unknowingly tossed into the middle of it. But both groups banded together for an intense, emotional game in Orlando. Final score: 45-21 in favor of the Griffins.

IR/Claymores vs Orlando 2021

The rest of the season followed a similar script — defeats to an experienced Daytona side, another loss to Lakeland. And yet through the messy season and the lingering effects of covid, the team somehow earned a playoff spot — rewarded with a five-hour trip to Tallahassee and quite a thumping at the end of it.

The second season felt different from the jump.

Both clubs had a full season under their belts. The friendships were real now. There was even a special edition of the Highland Games where the Raptors and the Claymores played an inter-squad match that felt less like a game and more like a celebration of what rugby is supposed to be.

IR vs Claymores at the Highland Games

But on January 22, 2022, the club suffered another loss at Lakeland. Frustrations rose.

Then eleven days later, on February 2nd, came news that stopped everything.

Club member Jordi Adamez had passed away in a plane accident. As I said before — when any member of a club leaves, it's felt by everyone. That feeling multiplied by a magnitude that's hard to put into words.

Jordi Adamez vs Daytona pictures in a Indian River jersey

Three days later, with heavy hearts and wet eyes, both clubs took the field again. Against the Griffins. A rivalry match full of emotion under any circumstances — but this one felt like no other.

I don't remember a lot of that game. I remember wiping tears from my face. I remember looking around and seeing not just the Claymore players who knew Jordi so well — but the Indian River players who had only known him for a year, every single one of them playing with their heart on their sleeve.

And then Julius — Juice — picked up the ball near halfway. He ran the way he always ran, like he was kicking off the earth itself. He scored. For the first time since the two clubs merged, we were leading a game.

The Griffins pulled one back. It stayed close. I don't remember exactly how it ended — sweat and tears and exhaustion will do that — but I looked up and there was Pat, a lanky, fiery scrum half from Indian River, running down the field and touching the ball down. A few minutes later it was over.

We had beaten our rivals. We had won our first game.

And as the final whistle blew, an airplane passed overhead — one last reminder of our brother Jordi, who was a pilot himself.

I joined rugby because I wanted to run at people as hard as I could. I had no idea I'd end up here — surrounded by people who were once strangers from two different cities, playing for something bigger than any of us.

Two clubs. One mission. We won it for Jordi.

Final score: IR/Claymores 12, Orlando Griffins 7.

That season was special in ways that went beyond that one game. The first win feels incredible — but no one ever talks about the second win. That one felt just as good, one week later against Fort Lauderdale.

IR/Claymores 39, Fort Lauderdale 20.

After IR/Claymores victory vs Ft. Lauderdale

The team closed out the season with two more losses to Daytona. But no one can take those wins away from us. And more than the wins — no one can take away the experiences and the relationships that were built over those two years.

Without Indian River, it's hard to imagine where the Claymores would have been headed in 2021. Thanks to those experienced players and the young blood coming up through the Claymores, the club built off that season and kept growing. And Indian River did exactly the same — they rebuilt on their foundation and re-emerged as a new club out of Vero Beach.

Shoutout to Treasure Coast RFC!

Treasure Coast 2023

The following season was a success on both ends. Treasure Coast had a strong opening campaign, competing in seven matches as a brand new club. The Claymores finished 7-3 and reached the D4 State Final, ending the year as runners-up.

D4 2023 Runner Up’s

None of that happens without those two years together.

A massive thank you to everyone who contributed to those first two seasons of Claymore history. And nothing but well wishes to the future of rugby coming out of Vero Beach.