Rugby For Women – A Beginner’s Guide

Last year I started a journey into a brave new world. A brave, new and very muddy world. The world of women’s rugby. I wrote about it last year in a piece for HuffPost – and things went a bit viral off the back of it.

Without rehashing old content though, I wanted to touch on it a bit more for the women who’ve asked me about it since. Especially the ones who still believe that they couldn’t do it.

I honestly believed that too. Sometimes, I still do. But rugby is a sport that has a lot to offer women, and it also provides you with a strange kind of confidence you might not know existed before.

So here, without further ado, is my beginner’s guide to women’s rugby – for both fragile and fearless types alike. For what it’s worth, I was and very much still am hovering near the fragile end of the spectrum, so you’re not on your own at all.

How do I get started with women’s rugby?

A good place to start is to find your local rugby club. If you’re not sure where it is, hop onto Google or you can check the England Rugby website. You can also visit England Rugby’s Inner Warrior pages, which were set up by the RFU to try and encourage more women across the country to get into rugby. That’s how I got started with it, and it was a great way to introduce a total novice to the game.

If your nearest club doesn’t have a ladies’ team yet, there’s bound to be one locally that does. Women’s rugby is growing at an incredible rate, so don’t be disheartened.

You can also check out a lot of the women’s rugby teams across the UK on Instagram and Twitter. Some of these profiles will give you a great first look into the world of grassroots rugby for women, and they’re refreshingly free from Insta-perfection too.

I’m not built for rugby

You’d be surprised to discover the variety of shapes and sizes involved in this game. I’m 5’3 and not exactly a big physical presence. I’m not especially strong, but I can run fast, and that’s where I can make a bit of a difference. Lots of people believe the stereotype of female rugby players being huge, brawny women who’ll mow down anyone in their path. And while this may be true in some cases, the game of rugby requires diversity in skills, sizes, shapes and attributes in order for your team to work.

There’s a role for everyone on the rugby pitch, regardless of how big or small you are. Don’t let any hangups you might have about your size or shape stop you from giving it a go!

But I’m terrible at sport

That’s what I thought, but so what? The whole point is that you give it a go – you probably aren’t terrible at all. And if you still feel like you are, then you’ll inevitably start to get better. You have your own skills to bring to the table, and if you’re worried about letting the team down by not being able to catch and throw, guess what? So is everyone else. Women’s rugby isn’t school rugby. We’re not there anymore, it’s different. Your new teammates will be women just like you, and they’ll laugh with you if the ball gets dropped, not at you.

Will I need an expensive training kit?

Not really. To be honest, the only thing you’ll need to invest in is a pair of rugby boots. If you’re like me, with size 5 feet, you can get a kid’s pair for a fraction of the cost of the adult ones.

I think I got my first boots for about £20 and they’re Adidas ones. Anything bigger than a size 5 and you’ll have to have a look at the boots in the men’s section. It’s slowly becoming more mainstream for women’s boots to be manufactured, but to be honest, they’re just going to get pitted in mud anyway, so it doesn’t matter all that much.

The other thing you’ll want to buy is a decent-quality sports bra. By decent quality, I mean supportive, possibly underwired and with a proper back fastener. I got one like this from Marks & Spencer and it’s been worth every penny so far. Rugby does have a contact element to it as an impact sport, so you want to protect yourself as much as possible.

Other than that, you’ll just need some old tops, trackies and leggings to train in. You’ll get muddy whilst learning, so there’s no point spending a fortune on new gear really. Check out this post for a beginner’s guide to basic rugby gear if you’re thinking of giving it a go.

Won’t I end up with my face smashed to bits?

Only if you put your face somewhere you shouldn’t. I was a proper worrier about getting hurt and so far I’ve been fine. A lot of it is common sense, and a lot of it is learning how/where to move, stand, tackle and roll. The short answer is that you won’t get hurt if you’re learning and doing it right – and if you’re not sure then you can always ask. 

Another thing to invest in if you decide to give the contact version of rugby a go is a decent gumshield. I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on the importance of this point. You must protect your teeth at all costs.

There are different variations of rugby, so if full contact isn’t something you’re that comfortable with then you can start off with touch or tag rugby, which is a lot less full-bodied.

Most people worry about getting hurt when it comes to rugby, but it’s not a foregone conclusion that you’ll end up with a messed-up face and broken legs, so like everything new, check your misconceptions and try it for yourself.

I don’t know any of the rules

Neither do most beginners. It doesn’t matter. Rugby is good fun, great fitness and it helps to build incredible friendships. You can learn the rules of the game as you go along. To be honest, I still don’t really understand half of them and I’ve been playing for a while now.

Don’t think that you’ve got to sit up at night swotting up on the Six Nations and reading rule books, just worry about learning something new and enjoying yourself.

I’m too nervous

So was I. However, it’s been the best thing I’ve ever tried to help me overcome that. There’s always that fear factor when you’re trying something new. There’s also a bit of an anxiety factor when it comes to playing team sports and meeting new women. Don’t let it get the better of you though. You’re tougher and way more capable than you think.

Rugby is a sport about discipline, teamwork, empowerment and respect. It’s something I’d encourage any woman to have a go of because it’s so much more than just a game.

Want to know more? If you’ve got any questions you can ask away in the comments below and I’ll happily answer them as best I can. Let me know if you give it a go yourself, I’d love to hear what you thought of it!

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