Womens Rugby
Created | Updated Oct 18, 2005
Rugby is not only a game played by men with odd-shaped balls. It is also played by women, and I don't just mean the stereotypes. I'm a womens rugby player. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
Women play the same 15-a-side union game as the men, but we also play 10s and 7s. We adhere to the same RFU rules as far as play goes, but we do have an additional rule about nails (they have to be clipped short - scarlet talons do not look good or stay looking good for long on the pitch!!)And if you dare to show up with the intent of committing the ultimate sin of wearing make-up on the pitch, then one deserves all one gets as far as I am concerned!!
The biggest girls in the team play as forwards - last to the ball, first to the bar. It pays to be big in the scrum especially if you're up against a scary-looking pack of Valkyries intent on annihilation or hospitalisation of our strongest players. Oh yes, women rugby players play rough. I have been in plaster a couple of times after games - fractured my scaphoid when a girl was thrown on top of me in a ruck, dislocated my shoulder when the scrum collapsed on top of me, and tore my achilles tendon training. I currently hold the team record for the most injuries in one season, had more injuries than I've played matches!
You don't have to be built like a tank to play womens rugby. A lot of our backs are tiny girls who are very fast runners, and able to get on the ball. It takes all sorts to make up a squad, a mixture of strength and swiftness and good training makes for a good team.
Womens rugby is not that well promoted, even though the England Women won the recent Womens Six Nations. Paula George, the retiring captain, is the most well-known female player, and an inspirational role model to younger female players coming up through the RFUW ranks.
Since the English triumph in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, many more clubs around the country are now starting up girls' and women's teams. It's a great way to keep fit, and learn a skill you never thought you could learn, and good fun getting muddy. If you're interested in taking up the game, and you're not afraid of getting dirty, then why not contact your local rugby club to see if they have a ladies or girls team? It's brilliant!
Women play the same 15-a-side union game as the men, but we also play 10s and 7s. We adhere to the same RFU rules as far as play goes, but we do have an additional rule about nails (they have to be clipped short - scarlet talons do not look good or stay looking good for long on the pitch!!)And if you dare to show up with the intent of committing the ultimate sin of wearing make-up on the pitch, then one deserves all one gets as far as I am concerned!!
The biggest girls in the team play as forwards - last to the ball, first to the bar. It pays to be big in the scrum especially if you're up against a scary-looking pack of Valkyries intent on annihilation or hospitalisation of our strongest players. Oh yes, women rugby players play rough. I have been in plaster a couple of times after games - fractured my scaphoid when a girl was thrown on top of me in a ruck, dislocated my shoulder when the scrum collapsed on top of me, and tore my achilles tendon training. I currently hold the team record for the most injuries in one season, had more injuries than I've played matches!
You don't have to be built like a tank to play womens rugby. A lot of our backs are tiny girls who are very fast runners, and able to get on the ball. It takes all sorts to make up a squad, a mixture of strength and swiftness and good training makes for a good team.
Womens rugby is not that well promoted, even though the England Women won the recent Womens Six Nations. Paula George, the retiring captain, is the most well-known female player, and an inspirational role model to younger female players coming up through the RFUW ranks.
Since the English triumph in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, many more clubs around the country are now starting up girls' and women's teams. It's a great way to keep fit, and learn a skill you never thought you could learn, and good fun getting muddy. If you're interested in taking up the game, and you're not afraid of getting dirty, then why not contact your local rugby club to see if they have a ladies or girls team? It's brilliant!
