Rugby team just won national championship and the sport continues to grow in Tampa.

Tampa, Fla- - Rugby has always been a popular sport overseas. However, now the sport is becoming popular in the United States.

On a sticky Saturday this summer, a group of guys gear up for a big match.

The Tampa Bay Krewe are always pumped to play, but on this particular day, a team from across the pond is here to compete.

"It's really nice to see clubs like this that really love their rugby," Luke Allen with the University of Wales said. "Its really promising."

Allen and his rugby team took a tour of the United States and thought a challenge in Tampa sounded fun.

The Krewe just returned after winning the Division 2 National Championship.

"Since 2005, we've grown from 15 average players to 100 active players, 3 full teams, a Division 2 National Championship, and a Division 3 Florida Cup Championship," Eric Saunders with the Tampa Bay Krewe said.

The talented team formed in 1989 and hopes the team will continue to grow. Captain Tyler Cathey says once someone is exposed to the sport, he guarantees they will get hooked.

"I've grown up playing team sports, and I love being part of a team, and that is what rugby offers," Cathey said. "More than anything in this point in life, I can be a part of a team and play a team sport."

Lt. Colonel Kirk Kumagai started playing on a base and anytime the military moved him, he always looked for a team.

"You play together, you party together, you do everything together," Kumagai said. "It's your family."

Many who first see the sport say it looks like football and even soccer. While there are similarities, there is no protection from the physical contact.

"It's definitely a physical sport, it involves lots of aspects," Allen said. "You have to be fit, strong, and have to take a hit."

Besides big hits, ball possession is important. There are two 40 minute halves. A try equals 5 points, an extra point is worth two points, and a penalty kick is worth three points. Each team has 15 players and subs are limited.

Besides the men in uniform, Eric Saunders hopes to add under 19 and under 15 teams in the future to help the sport grow. There are even talks with Hillsborough County Schools about adding flag rugby.

"On the sidelines you'll see younger boys and the older fellas helping um out, showing them the path so the teams gonna continue to grow," Saunders said.

The Krewe knows that in order to grow their family, they have to target younger generations.

"Its very much a family atmosphere and that's really been the strength of the team," Saunders said. "So we're looking that as the cornerstone of the family and continue to build off that is the plan."

To learn more about the Tampa Bay Krewe, go to www.krewerugby.com