UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 27, Page 3
April 14, 1994
Seeking a coach; Women ruggers form UD's newest club team

     The 15 players line up diagonally along the muddy field, facing their
opponents. The kickoff starts the game and one woman catches the ball. She
begins to run, then passes behind to the next woman. The team continues
down the field toward the opposing goal, trying to dodge opponents.
     Oomph! The ball carrier is tackled, landing face-down in the mud.

     It's just another day for the Women's Rugby Club at the University of
Delaware. Yes, women have turned to rugby, the rough game traditionally
thought of as a men's sport.
     The club for women is new to the campus this year. Early last fall,
Fiona Fraser posted flyers, looking for females who were interested in
learning to play the sport. Holly Loveland, a transfer student, had learned
rugby while attending the University of New England in Australia. She
enjoyed the game and contacted Fraser.
     Together, they formed the Women's Rugby Club. Fraser did most of the
administrative work, such as filing applications with the Student
Activities Office, scheduling practices, reserving practice fields and
talking with the men's rugby coach, Hugh Kenney, in order to establish the
club.
     Loveland worked with interested women, teaching them the game and
running practices.
     Club member Denise Conway describes rugby as a combination of football
and soccer.
     "It looks like chaos when you see it, but there are actually many
rules you need to know in order to play," she said.
     Rugby is played on a field with goals at both ends. Each end has
uprights, as well, like football. The ball is similar to a football and a
team has 15 players, with eight forwards and seven backs.
     The game begins with a kickoff. The player who catches the ball can
either run, drop-kick or pass to a teammate. Once the ball carrier is in
motion, the ball cannot be passed forward, only laterally or backwards.
Players line up diagonally across the field. When the player wants to pass
the ball, a teammate runs behind, ready to move up beside her to catch the
ball. The idea is to pass laterally so no yards are lost. Only the person
with the ball can be tackled, so teammates can't offer protection by
blocking or tackling opponents.
     When the club started, more than 50 women joined, explained Loveland,
who is club president. There are now about 30 to 40 members. At most
practices, she said, 20 to 25 members are regulars.
     "For a rugby team, our members are small," Loveland said, "which is
good, because you don't have to be big to play rugby."
     But, it helps to be tough and fast. When men play rugby, it's common
for players to get broken fingers and bloody noses.
     Loveland said women are not as rough as the men, but they are getting
more aggressive and they do tackle.
     Members always have bumps and bruises. Concussions sometimes result
during very rough games. More injuries-including bloody noses, sprained
ankles and sore elbows- occurred early last fall, simply because the new
players didn't know the game well enough. Overall, Loveland said, there
have not been many injuries this year, especially now that the women know
how to protect themselves.
     The clubs the University women will play vary in level of experience.
While some teams have been active for several years, such as Princeton and
West Chester, other teams are just forming.
     Delaware's club is an associate member of the Eastern Pennsylvania
Rugby Union (EPRU).
     Loveland said Princeton's team is ranked first in the league. She said
Penn State is another very good team they play, but it is not in the EPRU.
West Chester has existed for several years, but it has a young and
inexperienced team this year.
     Loveland said she considers the Delaware club a good team with much
potential. The women are currently seeking a coach of their own, because
Kenney doesn't have the time to devote to both the men and the women.
     The Men's Rugby Club has been very supportive of the women, Loveland
said. The members helped a lot last semester, teaching the women how to
play the game, and a few men came to coach at games. The men also let the
women's team borrow equipment.
     "The girls wouldn't have started without their help, without the guys
coming to help out at practices," Loveland said.
     Loveland said there are no tryouts and anyone can come out for the
team. And don't worry about knowing the rules. "The best way to learn is to
get thrown into a game," she said.
                                                  -Gina Poltrok