Women’s Rugby Union? Do you mean touch football?
No! Not touch football! Full contact rugby union like the Wallabies and the All Blacks play. Well,OK … not a great deal like the Wallabies and the All Blacks play, but at least by the same rules. Either way, we have contested scrums, jumping in the line-outs, etc etc.

Does playing a full contact sport like rugby mean you get hurt a lot?
No. We have no more injuries than any other women’s sport. You do get a few scratches and bruises from time to time, but we have found that we get fewer injuries than friends playing sports like netball and hockey. Plus, each club has sports trainers/physios at every game who have first aid qualifications.

When do you play?
We play on Saturdays, generally in the mornings at about 11am. Training days and times differs for each club. The season runs from April through to September each year.

How old do I need to be?
The minimum age for a player in the women’s competition is 18, but dispensations can be granted for younger girls with parents’ and coach’s consent.  We are in the process of developing a competition just for the younger girls too!

I’ve never played rugby, is it hard to learn?
No. If you can break into a jog and you can pass and catch a football at least half the time, we can make a rugger-girl out of you. There are a lot of rules, but you can get by with two or three to start off with.

Do I have to be fit and/or a ‘big girl’ to play rugby?
No. Fitness comes with training, like any sport. As for size, there is a spot on the field for every size woman – that’s the beauty of women’s rugby! Sure, we have some girls who come at the heavier end of the spectrum, but we’ve got a couple you could snap like twigs (we call them “wingers”) – and a whole range in between.

Why would a girl want to play rugby?
Simply – it’s the greatest game in the world. It’s physical, fast and at times euphoric. It’s very much a team game – everyone has a role that has to be played for the team to succeed. You’ll make friends (both men and women) you’ll keep your whole life.