Does Matt Damon Play Rugby?

26 July 2022

Most people know Matt Damon as a hard-working star who acts in movies that span many genres. He’s known for respected flicks such as “Good Will Hunting,” “The Bourne Identity,” “The Martian” and “Contagion.” Since Damon is such an acting powerhouse, it’s no surprise that people often wonder whether he has other talents under his belt. Does Matt Damon play sports? Does Matt Damon play rugby specifically? You can learn the answer to that query right here.

Does Matt Damon Play Rugby?

Damon certainly isn’t a professional rugby player by any stretch of the imagination. Despite that, he does have some experience with the team football game and all that it has to offer. That’s because he acted in “Invictus” back in 2009. This renowned sports drama delved into the ins and outs of the Rugby World Cup in 1955. Understandably, Damon had to gain some rugby knowledge prior to beginning his role. The actor played a man by the name of Francois Pienaar. Pienaar was an openside flanker who served as the captain of the Springboks, the national rugby team of South Africa.

Damon is no stranger to movies that revolve around sports. He was in “School Ties,” a 1992 flick that highlighted football in many ways. The actor revealed that football and rugby are in no way, shape, or form similar. He believes that football is immensely structured in nature. He believes that rugby is a lot less restricted.

Learning the art of rugby was a pretty eye-opening experience for this entertainer. He has stated that the sport comes with a significant degree of risk. He mentioned the possibility of being trampled on by a player wearing cleats. Damon had concerns about that sort of accident during filming. He didn’t want to have to delay the film shoot for days for purposes of recovery.

Although it’s true that Damon learned and played a bit of rugby for the film shoot, he kept things rather moderate. Clint Eastwood was the movie’s director. He was equipped with a handy monitor that enabled him to assess the scenes he just shot. Damon was able to join the director in viewing the footage frequently. He had concerns about the fierceness of the sport. That’s precisely the thing that compelled him to steer clear of playing it too much.

Who Exactly Taught Matt Damon How to Play Rugby?

While Damon didn’t become a rugby expert after the filming of Invictus, he still managed to get a world-class training experience. He may be able to thank an individual by the name of Rudolf de Wee for that, too. This man is headquartered in bustling Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Rugby is something that’s immensely familiar to him as well. He cannot remember a time without it, after all.

How in the world did de Wee score the thrilling and highly desirable gig of teaching rugby to Damon, anyway? He was lucky enough to have a connection by the name of Chester Williams. The pair were pals as youngsters. Williams grew up to become a professional rugby powerhouse in South Africa. Since he was aware that de Wee was a coach, he took it upon himself to reach out to him about the movie. He thought that it would be beneficial for de Wee to take on training duties. De Wee quickly agreed and traveled to Cape Town. That’s when he relished the opportunity to collaborate with a number of prominent names in the vast acting realm. These actors knew that they had rock-solid training support from de Wee. The coach did all that he can to guarantee that the cast received training that was remarkably comprehensive.

The aforementioned Eastwood had something to say about the film and its portrayal of rugby, too. He indicated that Williams wanted all of the actors to play the sport authentically on the silver screen. He ruled out the whole concept of artificial movie athletics. He said from the start that he wanted everyone to play rugby the correct way. Eastwood admitted that rugby is a sport that’s especially difficult. He believes that rugby players are nothing like ordinary human beings.