You have to see this big-time hit that proves rugby players are pretty darn tough
These guys will definitely need some Advil. Wow.
Check out the video above of a professional rugby player named Langilangi Haupeakui laying out a competitor, setting off an ugly sequence, and tell us you didn't cringe.
This is actually only one of several big-time hits in Sunday night's PRO Rugby match between Ohio and Sacramento. Catch the full game's replay here.
PRO Rugby -- the first team-sport professional league to launch in the United States since Major League Soccer in 1993 and Major League Lacrosse in 2001 -- officially kicked off four weeks ago.
Rugby is a game of big athletes, no helmets, continuous action and hitting -- a lot of hitting. It requires tenacity and versatility, immense athleticism and endurance, proving to be the ultimate team sport which also meets specialization.
It has a rabid fan base in the United States, and has transformed into the fastest growing youth sport in the nation. With American fans having access to international competition on TV, the desire for more is always there.
In 2007, an estimated 4.2 billion people watched the Rugby World Cup. It is the fifth largest global team sport behind soccer, cricket, basketball and baseball. Yet in spite of all its popularity around the world, it had no professional league in the U.S. or North America. Well, until now.
This spring, PRO Rugby officially launched in America. Five teams, five cities, over 100 of the best athletes in the world -- all converging on fields across the country.
