By Vongni Yang / Special to The Bee

The first time Herb Breen walked onto the field at Roosevelt High School in early February, he knew it was a long shot. Rugby in the barrio, he thought to himself, the notion seemed a fool’s mission.

The boys standing before him that first practice were a motley crew, if ever he saw one. They were the children of migrant farmworkers, of broken homes headed by single parents … Read More

The Huffington Post / Alena Hall / alena.hall@huffingtonpost.com

When Lana Shields, 68, came across a local newspaper article highlighting her once-rival high school in 2011, she paid particularly close attention. As she read about the school’s new rugby team and the giving coach that made it all happen, she knew she had to share that story with the world.

Shields teamed up with professional friends Nancy Fletcher, 57, and Cindy Ware, 55, and is now working … Read More