Scrum

At the same time, McKinney demands that each player understands they are a part of the team with individual responsibilities to their overall success. At one point, he admonishes his players, saying he has ten “killers” on the team when he should have thirty-five. During a game, a fight breaks out when one of the parents rushes the field. As the university considers harsh penalties for the shameful incident, McKinney uses this opportunity to teach his team a valuable lesson in failure. These lessons include accepting the consequences of one’s actions and then “getting up” after failure and moving on.

Lastly, there’s the racial elephant in the room. McKinney wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by the school’s alumni and the community, who openly wished for his failure. Moreover, as the only black coach in his conference, he was disrespected by the other schools. But rather than playing victim to racism, he and many minority players saw diversity as an advantage and opportunity for success. The other schools showed them disrespect; by winning, the Queens rugby team turned disrespect into respect.

“…Morgan picked the right season to follow Coach McKinney and the Queens rugby team.”

Director Morgan tells the story of Scrum with talking-head interviews with McKinney, school administrators, parents, and players. Their testimony about the coach is honest and heartfelt. And, damn, Morgan picked the right season to follow Coach McKinney and the Queens rugby team.

I certainly got a Hoosiers vibe watching Scrum. For Coach McKinney, his team was built on the fundamentals of the game, good sportsmanship, and true teamwork. As much as it is about rugby, the film’s about the person’s character that is ultimately produced because of the game.

For screening information, visit the official website for Scrum.