That's because he broke his wrist and leg, snapped his Achilles tendon and got stitches in his face several times. He was also living contract to contract.

So he moved from London to San Diego three years ago and joined an amateur rugby club—Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. He also met his fiancée, Presentation High School graduate Delayne Allison.

Jennings worked in a San Diego venture capital firm before moving to Willow Glen with Allison in December.

Now he is the captain of the San Jose Seahawks, an amateur rugby club, which accepts all levels of players, from beginners to advanced.

The San Jose Seahawks began in 1971. There are more than 100 people in the club, which is split into two sections. The men over 35 years old are called the Silverhawks.

Karl Laucher, 62, has been playing in the club since it opened in 1971. A former football player, he joined the San José State University rugby team and the San Jose Seahawks the same year.

Laucher says having players from other countries, like Jennings—who is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland—helps the club because many Americans don't start the sport until college. Jennings can teach other players lessons he's learned since he began playing the sport at 10, Laucher says.

The Seahawks have a successful record. They have made it to the national championship the past four years and have always finished in the top four. Jennings says Northern California rugby clubs are the best in the country.

"This year we're hoping to become champions," says Jennings.

This might happen because Jennings joined the team, Laucher says. Jennings played professionally for two years after playing rugby for Napier University in Scotland.

Jennings says rugby is more than a sport—it's a "brotherhood." He found his current job, as an account executive for Dale's Produce Company, from a friend in the Seahawks.

Jennings is a forward, similar to an offensive player in football. In his position he makes "trys," which are comparable to touchdowns in football. There are eight forwards and seven backs, like running backs or wide receivers, on the field at once during a rugby game.

"The backs are the slim, attractive, good-looking players, also called the 'pretty boys,' and we call forwards like me 'donkeys,' " Jennings says.

A direct descendent of football, rugby was created in England in the 1800s. The game lasts 80 minutes, with no timeouts, so endurance is critical.

Hard work and practice has paid off for Jennings, who was recently chosen for the U.S.A. National Rugby Team, a semiprofessional team comprised of the top players in the country. Jennings is currently one of 50 players in the pool for the team, also known as the Eagles; the team of 35 is selected from those 50.

Since there is traveling involved, players are paid an allowance. The national squad will play matches in April against Russia and Canada, among other countries.

"It will be an honor to represent my country if I make the cut for the national team," Jennings says. "Even though my heritage is Scottish, the U.S.A. feels like my home."

For more information about the Seahawks or for a schedule of games, visit www.sjrugby.org.