Thinking of making an attempt to play (women's rugby)

[Tricia McMillan]

Okay, so. I've watched rugby over the years, and always wanted to give it a go. I have a sporting background, so playing a sport wouldn't be new to me, but I've always been told that I don't have the body type at all to play rugby (amongst other people telling me that rugby is "not for girls"), and wouldn't do well in the sport.

So, here's me:

I'm 155cm tall and my weight is in the 40's (kilos). I am not very muscular but I have a lot of stamina, coming from my background in soccer, where I played central midfield at a very high level. However, also from my soccer background, I'm not very coordinated with my hands/arms when it comes to handling a ball. Also, being as small as I am, I'm not a fast runner, but I have a good amount of agility.

I've been told that if I were to improve my ball-handling skills I could play one of the inside back positions, such as 10, 12, or 13, but I'm probably not fast enough to play out on the wing, and could also make it as a fullback if I had good tactical kicking skills.

What do you guys think?

 

[kovana]

Scrum half.

 

[ranger]

What kovana said.

 

[TRF C A Iversen]

Okay, so. I've watched rugby over the years, and always wanted to give it a go. I have a sporting background, so playing a sport wouldn't be new to me, but I've always been told that I don't have the body type at all to play rugby (amongst other people telling me that rugby is "not for girls"), and wouldn't do well in the sport.

So, here's me:

I'm 155cm tall and my weight is in the 40's (kilos). I am not very muscular but I have a lot of stamina, coming from my background in soccer, where I played central midfield at a very high level. However, also from my soccer background, I'm not very coordinated with my hands/arms when it comes to handling a ball. Also, being as small as I am, I'm not a fast runner, but I have a good amount of agility.

I've been told that if I were to improve my ball-handling skills I could play one of the inside back positions, such as 10, 12, or 13, but I'm probably not fast enough to play out on the wing, and could also make it as a fullback if I had good tactical kicking skills.

What do you guys think?

If I were you I'd seriously look at taking a lot of time getting some skill up with passing the rugby ball. Learning to spiral the ball is not as hard as it may first seem, and can be learned in a day, but can take a while to perfect. Basically passing with yourself and a friend whenever you can, in your backyard if you have one, a local park, even the lounge room at home if you are sure you won't damage anything, every minute you spend doing it will make your handling better. Playing scrum half (halfback) isn't a bad idea, although if you weren't to play there, Inside Centre (2nd five-eighth) could be a good second option. Either of these positions require you to be able to pass well and reasonably quickly. This would be the ideal first step in developing your game.

After getting some of your handling and passing skills up, the remaining two things that will need some work are: your speed from a standing start (short sprints/ shuttle runs, can help a lot) and some impact training (you'll need to get used to getting knocked around a little), which can be started off with tackling a tackle bag (even using a sack full of clothes can help).

Hope this gives you some ideas or inspiration.

 

[lucky number 7]

what the guys have said about working your ball handling skills is key from what I have seen of my sisters team playing rugby what seperates the good players from the bad is their ball handling .. if you can control the ball well with confidence you are set.

 

[TNT88]

Scrum half sounds about right. If you've played soccer at a high level, i'm sure you have a good work ethic. Passing on both sides and having a decent length kick is all you need really. Tackling and attacking will come with experience.

There are lots of youtube videos with good passing tutorials, its all practice. Most pro players will pass 300+ times a week (maybe a lot more?), most amateur players will pass less than 50 times a week. So if your committed to becoming a good scrum half, find a wall/trampoline or something to practice passing against, and try and get a good number of passes in each week.

 

[Tricia McMillan]

Don't mean to bump an older thread, but starting in December I'm being recruited by a local women's club to play as a loose forward.

I'm scared.

 

[jamiee26]

40kg!!! god in heaven less than that's half my bodyweight(91kg, 200lbs) and I'm 14, Any way I've just started at one of my local clubs and pretty much just be yourself, try and make friends with a few people and get along with the rest. If you just explain you've never played rugby before in your life (I guess), then I'm sure you will be taken off by yourself and given some tutoring or something, and if they don't just ask to be (this is unless they have another system for new players) and don't be scared, even if you are don't look it but are, you don't want to give the wrong impression!

 

[jamiee26]

Also get going to a gym and do the 5x5 method: http://stronglifts.com/free-stronglifts-5x5-report/, read through it all and you will get what I mean.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Oh Tricia... I'm sure there's a lot of guys willing to assist you in getting your hands on some balls and getting your skills better... also hand-eye co-ordination is key and you have to look at it when it's coming straight towards you... Never Squint...

P.S. Sorry if this sounds a bit dirty... lol

 

[jamiee26]

oh tricia... I'm sure there's a lot of guys willing to assist you in getting your hands on some balls and getting your skills better... Also hand-eye co-ordination is key and you have to look at it when it's coming straight towards you... Never squint...

P.s. Sorry if this sounds a bit dirty... Lol

rofl!!!

 

[Tricia McMillan]

40kg!!! god in heaven less than that's half my bodyweight(91kg, 200lbs) and I'm 14, Any way I've just started at one of my local clubs and pretty much just be yourself, try and make friends with a few people and get along with the rest. If you just explain you've never played rugby before in your life (I guess), then I'm sure you will be taken off by yourself and given some tutoring or something, and if they don't just ask to be (this is unless they have another system for new players) and don't be scared, even if you are don't look it but are, you don't want to give the wrong impression!

I'm up to 44 now!

I'm not too worried about the (lack of) experience I have... I'll be in the same boat as most of the rest of the team; since it's rugby for women in the United States, most started playing as adults like me. They've taught the game to plenty of women who have joined them never having played before. And I have quite the head start since I'm from a country where it's popular and I know a lot of theory and rules from having grown up watching it.

Oh Tricia... I'm sure there's a lot of guys willing to assist you in getting your hands on some balls and getting your skills better... also hand-eye co-ordination is key and you have to look at it when it's coming straight towards you... Never Squint...

P.S. Sorry if this sounds a bit dirty... lol

:lol:

If I'm going to play loosie my first priority is to make sure I'm a rock solid tackler. I will of course work on ball handling skills but it seems to me that as a beginner playing flanker or 8 that my most important trait would be the ability to knock down an opposing forward before they can get very far. If it gets passed to a back then it's out of my hands and I can just chase to join or stand off the next ruck.

 

[Saintjay]

I'm up to 44 now!

I'm not too worried about the (lack of) experience I have... I'll be in the same boat as most of the rest of the team; since it's rugby for women in the United States, most started playing as adults like me. They've taught the game to plenty of women who have joined them never having played before. And I have quite the head start since I'm from a country where it's popular and I know a lot of theory and rules from having grown up watching it.



:lol:

If I'm going to play loosie my first priority is to make sure I'm a rock solid tackler. I will of course work on ball handling skills but it seems to me that as a beginner playing flanker or 8 that my most important trait would be the ability to knock down an opposing forward before they can get very far. If it gets passed to a back then it's out of my hands and I can just chase to join or stand off the next ruck.

You will be fine, welcome to the loose forwards club people with talent

Watch for the number 8 pick and go off the back of scrums, be quick to the break down and try to nail the number ten and scrum half as much as you can.

Just watch loads of Richie McCaw. Tackle get to your feet and go for the ball, and if the ref blows up look innocent.

 

[Aedaphon]

I thought kiwis were taught to tackle at birth? :lol:

But honestly, same as everyone else here, work on your handling as much as possible and just tackle/ruck your way through the game. I find my biggest problem when I'm playing in the back row is that my attention switches off after a couple of scrums/lineouts and I start to lag slightly behind the play. Most people are fit enough to play their way through a match (and it sounds like you are) but just make sure you're pushing yourself reasonably hard at all times... It's only 80 minutes :lol:

 

[lucky number 7]

As a loosie you are going to have to put your head where most people wont put their hand tackling and rucking is very very important

 

[LittleGuy]

Their putting you in at loose forward!!!! Did you make a bad impression in the team meetings(do they want to see you get killed)? Or is this a league for petite women?

Seriously though as a guy who is probably as proportionately small sized when compared to the average size of my gender( I am 165 cm and about 66 kg), and actually had a similar sports background to you e.g. I was actually very good at soccer, even today I can play better when I go out against guys who still play regularly(but I find soccer is full of DB's) and was much better at it than I ever was at Rugby, Ice Hockey or Baseball. I can't believe they didn't use you at scrumhalf or fullback even. These are pretty much the only positions I was ever given except for wing once or twice in an emergency and only then because I was fast.

Your knowledge of the game should help you big time though, even in Canada my knowing the sport better than most really helped me, as you know where to be and what to do in certain situations. I remember quick tapping to myself and scoring a try in a high school game and a guy freaking out on the referee saying it was illegal LOL. You'll probably encounter some hilarious and frustrating experiences with players who don't know the game though my high school once had a 0-0 tied game (albeit in horrible conditions.)

 

[TNT88]

I referee womens rugby sometimes and some of the best/strongest/fastest/fiercest players must have been <50kg.

Loose forwards have a high workrate so fitness is a key. Just getting to rucks and protecting your own team's ball is probably the most important role. Making tackles is also important, I was never a great tackler though so I have no advice for that lol.

 

[Tricia McMillan]

Well well well!

Tonight was my first match, an exhibition match against... a team I forgot the name of. They wore red and yellow hoops.

Anyway, I definitely had quite a few growing pains in the limited amount of time I had on the pitch (I started from the bench, though in this exhibition match free substitution was allowed, so I was promised by the captain that I'd get a couple playing stints to get the hang of things).

So I come on about 30 minutes into the match (we didn't have a game clock on a scoreboard or anything - only the referee had the official time, we had estimates), to play at blindside flanker, as the other team was to take a drop-out. A couple breakdowns go by and I think I got them right, while defending, I stood back a bit on the blind side away from the ruck, covering the opposing blindside winger (they were committing most of their forwards to the breakdown, so there was no forward receiver in the blind side while I was on). After the first two, they passed it to the winger I was covering and I barreled forward for the tackle. She didn't try to evade me at all so I lowered my body and wrapped my arms around her hips. Long story short, I pulled a Sam Warburton. Much to my surprise I lifted her into the air, got into a panic and dropped her. My reward for my first bit of action was a yellow card in my face. Ouch.

After half time, I guess the referee forgot that I was supposed to still be in the bin because we sent a full fifteen back out to start the second half (but with the starter at 6 instead of me). I got another chance with about 10 minutes to go in the match, when we had the ball even. I never got to touch it but I'm pretty sure I got my ruck binds right, joining from the back and protecting my side of the ruck. Had an opponent try to counter-ruck me and I knocked her down. Was pretty happy with myself for that. After we kicked the ball away I went back to standing off the ruck on the blind side covering the same winger. They gave her the ball from the first breakdown and I missed my tackle on her. She went on to sidestep our fullback and score a try, which was also the end of the match. ****.

In the end, we lost 29-10. I'm generally displeased with how it went, though I would stop short of calling it a nightmare. Also, my main disappointment is that I did not get to experience a real, live contested scrum despite playing forward. There simply weren't any while I was on. Oh well, next game!

 

[jamiee26]

Well well well!

Tonight was my first match, an exhibition match against... a team I forgot the name of. They wore red and yellow hoops.

Anyway, I definitely had quite a few growing pains in the limited amount of time I had on the pitch (I started from the bench, though in this exhibition match free substitution was allowed, so I was promised by the captain that I'd get a couple playing stints to get the hang of things).

So I come on about 30 minutes into the match (we didn't have a game clock on a scoreboard or anything - only the referee had the official time, we had estimates), to play at blindside flanker, as the other team was to take a drop-out. A couple breakdowns go by and I think I got them right, while defending, I stood back a bit on the blind side away from the ruck, covering the opposing blindside winger (they were committing most of their forwards to the breakdown, so there was no forward receiver in the blind side while I was on). After the first two, they passed it to the winger I was covering and I barreled forward for the tackle. She didn't try to evade me at all so I lowered my body and wrapped my arms around her hips. Long story short, I pulled a Sam Warburton. Much to my surprise I lifted her into the air, got into a panic and dropped her. My reward for my first bit of action was a yellow card in my face. Ouch.

After half time, I guess the referee forgot that I was supposed to still be in the bin because we sent a full fifteen back out to start the second half (but with the starter at 6 instead of me). I got another chance with about 10 minutes to go in the match, when we had the ball even. I never got to touch it but I'm pretty sure I got my ruck binds right, joining from the back and protecting my side of the ruck. Had an opponent try to counter-ruck me and I knocked her down. Was pretty happy with myself for that. After we kicked the ball away I went back to standing off the ruck on the blind side covering the same winger. They gave her the ball from the first breakdown and I missed my tackle on her. She went on to sidestep our fullback and score a try, which was also the end of the match. ****.

In the end, we lost 29-10. I'm generally displeased with how it went, though I would stop short of calling it a nightmare. Also, my main disappointment is that I did not get to experience a real, live contested scrum despite playing forward. There simply weren't any while I was on. Oh well, next game!

Well, Well done and congratulations on your first dump tackle! And of course you first match

 

[TNT88]

Not many people can claim to have been yellow carded for a dangerous tackle in their first game! I wouldn't call that unsuccessful.

Anyway, good luck with your career in the backrow.