Rugby brings player across the globe to BYU

This article was published in the BYU Daily Universe on February 7th, 2011.

As a 10-year-old in New Zealand, BYU rugby star Ray Forrester made one important decision, leading him down a path he never dreamed of.

It was 14 years ago that Forrester, living on the south island of New Zealand, was chosen to play for a representative rugby team on his island that held games on Sunday. Whether to play on Sunday would be an extremely difficult decision for any primary-aged LDS child, and his stepfather left it up to him.

“My dad said to me, ‘You can choose whether you want to play or not,’ and I played that first Sunday game,” Forrester said, “[but] I knew that it was wrong.”

Following that game, Forrester stopped playing for the team. They even begged his father to let him play, but Forrester’s choice was final.

“I chose not to [play] because I just knew that Heavenly Father would bless me,” Forrester said.

And the blessings have come aplenty. After Forrester’s decision, rugby became the vehicle that has taken him around the world and back again. Now, at the age of 24, Forrester has settled down as a starting prop for the highly talented 2011 BYU rugby squad.

But it has been a long journey.

His first stop with rugby came at the Church College of New Zealand, located on the north island of New Zealand, then on to Europe for a rugby tour, and then off to Utah to play for perennial rugby power Highland after high school.

It was playing that season with Highland that helped Forrester realize another decision: He wanted to serve a mission.

“For me, coming into the strong LDS culture was good for me because I come from a little branch back in NZ,” Forrester said.

In January 2006, Forrester was called to serve a mission to an area not too far from his home: Brisbane, Australia.

Following his mission, Forrester made his way back to Utah for the sole purpose of playing rugby at BYU. But Forrester soon realized the value and blessings of a good education.

“When I had the opportunity to come back over here it was all about the rugby,” Forrester said. “Now I’ve realized that education is just as, if not more, important.”

Forrester’s commitment to education has made him a force not only on the field but in the classroom.

“[Forrester's] committed to his educational success as much as he’s committed to be a good rugby player. His ability to do well in the classroom has allowed him to do well on the field,” said BYU coach Wayne Tarawhiti, who knew Forrester from when he played at Highland.

For Forrester, studying at BYU is more than just an education, it’s the beginning of a new tradition in his family as he’s the first to actually get past high school.

“For me and for my circumstances that I come from, it’s such a huge blessing to be here and I definitely need to take advantage of it while I have it,” Forrester said.