By Lance Cpl. Travis J. Crewdson Hooligan Jonathon Till looks for support as opposing players try to bring him down during the Tidewater Tournament at Virginia Beach, Va., April 28. Till is a first-year rugby player who became instrumental in the success of the team during the spring season.

For Quantico’s spring rugby season, two new players, David Groth and Jonathon Till, stepped up to fill spots on the team and not only proved useful, but became an integral force throughout the season.

‘‘I decided to play rugby this year because Jeremy Woodruff, who is one of my good friends, played on the team last season and told me to come out,” Groth said. ‘‘I would have played in the fall, but I was recovering from knee surgery in September.”

Till said he was recruited by Hooligan Ben Mulford, who appealed to Till’s interest in contact sports.

Both athletes said they grew up playing more traditional American sports like soccer, basketball and football, all of which helped them better understand rugby. ‘‘I am the place kicker and also sometimes get to kick for touch, so my soccer ability has really helped out this year,” Groth said. ‘‘I had only watched rugby on television before when I lived overseas, but did not fully understand the game until I actually started playing.”

‘‘I knew Groth would catch on quick, because rugby came from soccer, and basketball was invented as off-season training for rugby,” said Jon Jacobs, assistant coach and captain of the Hooligans. ‘‘Till had a natural talent for the game. They got better with every match.”

When the time came to begin playing, Till said he found difficulty adjusting to the passing technique and the fact that ruggers cannot block defenders to guard the ball carrier.

‘‘I caught onto the game pretty quickly. I had good coaches around me,” Groth said. ‘‘(Hooligan coach Christopher Woodbridge and Jacobs) helped me out a lot. I also talked with Woodruff a lot about the game, even when we weren’t at practice. We would also go out and watch matches that were played overseas on TV.”

While both Marines gained a much better perception of the sport, Till said there are still certain calls referees make during matches he does not understand.

‘‘You learn a lot more at matches than you do at practice when you’re unopposed,” Till said. ‘‘You have to do a lot more decision-making.”

Jacobs said Groth and Till rose to the occasion during matches, acting as go-to players in many situations. Groth’s boot was especially helpful for kicking conversions and to relieve pressure when pushed back on the pitch. Jacobs said Till was easy to coach and able to execute what was learned at practice during matches.

Till expressed his appreciation for the Marines who make up the team.

‘‘The team is great because there’s no animosity between officers and enlisted or anything,” he said. ‘‘I don’t even know the rank of half of the players. Everybody helps each other out, and all the experienced players will correct you really fast, but only because it takes a team effort for all of us to perform the way we do.”

Till said he wished he had discovered the sport earlier and admitted he enjoys playing rugby even more than football. He said he hopes to continue playing and is researching teams in his home town.

‘‘I love the sport,” Groth said. ‘‘I am going to continue to play and develop my skill as a new player. I look forward to being around for sevens (a version of rugby using only seven players per team) this summer and then another full season next fall.”

For more information or to join the Quantico Hooligans, visit the team Web site at www.quanticorugby.org.