Jack Reilly, a Bainbridge High School graduate in 2020, loved playing soccer, but playing rugby has allowed him to explore the world.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Reilly has lived in New Zealand for almost two months playing rugby in Otago. “I like professional dreams,” he said. “But I’m here because I want to have experience in another country and live in another community for a while.”

Reilly began playing touch rugby in Kitsap County and Seattle a few years ago. However, the opportunity to play tackle rugby was limited in Washington state. “I wouldn’t say there’s much of an atmosphere,” he said. “There are about three or four Facebook groups that meet in different parts of Seattle and play touch rugby. Most of the guys just left college and don’t want to tackle anymore.”

Reilly left Bainbridge to pursue an engineering degree at Montana State University. “I didn’t go there for rugby,” he said. “I got a decent scholarship there and just wanted to get a little bit away from home. We have a pretty good rugby team so I decided to join.”

Montana State ended the 2022 season ranked 22nd in Division 2 nationally. Reilly played winger for Montana State, a position where he typically is the last defender on the outside and was known to make open field tackles and big plays down the sidelines on offense.

Once the season ended, a handful of players, including Reilly, were invited to compete in the Otago Rugby Union. “They needed a winger, and I got the green light to go from our coach,” he said.

Reilly transitioned from winger to fullback, similar to a sweeper or center back in soccer—the player who receives deep kicks and launches attacks. Reilly found himself on the Matakanui Combined Rugby Football Club. “I began playing for them pretty quickly,” Reilly said. “I think it’s cause I’m playing soccer, which is obviously similar to it. Plus, it is a really small, rural area.”

Matakanui’s rugby team is one of the lower-tier teams in the Otago Rugby Union. The union, different than a rugby league based on certain rules, is equivalent to A or AA in Major League Baseball.

If Matakanui won the league, Reilly would have the opportunity to play for the Otago team. If he impressed there, he would be called up to the professional level seen on international TV. “I was really excited to start playing for real for the first time last year,” Reilly said. “I’ve really only been playing rugby for about a year.”

In his first professional year, Reilly has impressed the locals. His favorite moment so far came right off the bat. “The first game I did really well,” he said. “I got two tries (scores) pretty quickly but then I got my ankle injured right now. I continue to play but I haven’t been the same player.”

Due to the injury and concussions, Reilly is unsure if he will return to New Zealand next season despite being offered a spot on the roster. “I want to play professionally but there’s that aspect of injuries,” Reilly said. “If I’m able to make it through a whole year without a concussion, I might make it back down here.”

When Reilly does not play, he explores New Zealand’s nature and culture. “New Zealand is such a beautiful place,” he said. “It’s like the Lord of the Rings place.”

In addition, Reilly works on the farm he lives on with a few other players. He described one day his boss told him to kill a wild boar. So, he went to the bushes with a few dogs and took care of it.

Reilly said the tight-knit community has some similarities to Bainbridge’s community style. However, there are differences when it comes to gathering around the sports in the two towns. “Bainbridge sports are different because we have enough people in Bainbridge to play against each other,” Reilly said. “But here, they never have enough players…so you just get the whole community riled up about the one team.”

Reilly said after games the entire community will head to the local bars, grab drinks, share stories, and the captains will honor the players who did well that day. Reilly has become a local celebrity in Matakanui. “I’ve only been here for like six weeks once school ended,” Reilly said. “I’ll go into town and walk into a store, and people I don’t even know will recognize me.”

Even though Reilly’s future goals are up in the air, he does have a few things set in stone. “I am really interested in going to med school to be a doctor,” he said. “I’ll definitely play at Montana State and like to find a men’s team to continue to play at a high level.”