Popular in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, and many other Pacific nations, rugby can best be described as a cross between American football and soccer, but with no stops between plays and no protective padding. Rugby has a solid tradition in Savannah, with our local team, the Savannah Shamrocks, hosting an impressively large rugby tournament each year for St. Patrick’s Day. The Shamrocks team consists of players from Savannah and around the world, and competes against other teams from major cities in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, on weekends throughout the year.

Today the players on the rugby field, called a pitch, are not muscular burly men, but strong, athletic women. Many people are surprised to hear of women’s rugby teams, and even more surprised to learn that the women’s teams play with the same intensity and physicality of the men’s teams. After all, this is not a game for the fainthearted.

A team consists of 15 players, loosely divided into two portions: forwards and backs. Forwards are the larger players, primarily responsible for tackling and moving the ball backwards toward the backs, who generally are the smaller, quicker players on the team. The rugby ball is shaped like a football, but is larger and has no laces. The backs run the ball toward the end zone, called a try zone, in an effort to score a try. A try is worth 5 points, and the conversion kick, between 2 upright posts, is worth 2 points.

While some similarities with American football can be readily seen, the differences make rugby a very exciting game to watch. One of the most easily recognizable plays of a rugby match is a scrum, where two teams face off for possession of the ball in what looks like a very unfriendly huddle. Players interlock their arms and bodies into a human battering ram, pushing against the other team in an attempt to gain control of the ball, which has been rolled between the feet of the front lines of each team in the scrum.

What would encourage a person to play a game that is often described as “Elegant violence”? I spoke with Robin Rathmann, the head of the Savannah women’s rugby team, and Amanda Hufford, a player on the team, about this question.

Robin started playing rugby while enrolled at SCAD, where she was first introduced to the sport. A woman in one of her classes was recruiting new players, and described the athleticism and camaraderie inherent in the sport. Robin decided to check it out, and was hooked by what she saw. Aside from the opportunity to socialize with other sporty, athletic women, she states that “tackling is lots of fun. I … like the violence of it.” It is a fun, fast-paced game she describes as “controlled mayhem on the field.” Amanda notes that playing rugby gives her the opportunity to take out aggression in a healthy way.

The training, Robin states, is difficult, and the physical endurance required to run non-stop for 40 minutes while tackling other players is a big challenge. However, one of the benefits of the game is the variety in players. All shapes and sizes are welcome on a rugby pitch, from small and lean to large and muscular. “There is a position for anyone, no matter what body type they are.” She states that age is also not a determining factor, and shows as an example the U.S. National team, with women whose ages range from early twenties to late thirties. In fact, many rugby clubs have teams specifically geared for their older members.

Teamwork is vital to rugby, and much like American football, plays involve many members of the team working together. This focus on teamwork in rugby is a major draw for Amanda, and gives her the chance to feel a part of a group competing for a common goal. She also states that telling people she’s a rugby player is always a fun, and often surprising, conversation starter.

My own experiences playing women’s rugby echo these sentiments. It is a sport for those who crave competition and appreciate camaraderie with fun-loving people. The social aspect of rugby is very strong, and home teams usually host a post-game party for the other team. The fierce competition of the match is put aside, and players from both teams can enjoy meeting others with a passion for the sport.

Rugby is always looking for more recruits, and if you think you may be interested in playing, practice starts at 6:30 pm in Forsyth Park, every Tuesday and Thursday. Feel free to come by and check out the action. And if playing the sport may not be for you, you can enjoy watching the game from the comfort of the sidelines.