Spring Practice Begins January 23!

What to Bring!
    -- shorts and a tee shirt (and sports bra of course)
    -- water
    -- mouthguard*
    -- cleats *
(*Please come and try us out -- you can get a mouthguard and cleats later! Wear running shoes if you don't have cleats!)

Directions to Penberthy:
    -- Take Olsen Blvd. (the street the Rec is on). Turn on Tom Chandler Dr. (between Reed Arena and the Softball Field). Drive to the end; park in the far end of the parking lot.  We're on the field under the lights.
        -- Email rugby@tamu.edu to arrange a ride!

We'll teach you how to play, but if you want to get an idea what rugby is about, check these out:

MIT Rugby Information
Harvard's Rookie Primer

Article on Aggie Women's Rugby from "Rugby Rugby" E-Zine

Texas A&M University women’s rugby club is not only a successful and competitive club, but we work to promote health, self-esteem, and leadership for our members.

We are working to increase and enhance participation of women and girls in sports by providing a social environment for the sport and assisting in clinics for younger athletes to gain knowledge and interest in rugby. TAMU women’s rugby is dedicated to the beauty of competition and to the skill and enthusiasm female athletes are finally encouraged to display.

Our rugby club has gained popularity and respect from the rugby community since our beginnings in 1976. Just from this fall of 2002 we have doubled our numbers despite graduating and losing more than half of the team. We have also doubled our fundraising from last year and continue to gather support from friends, family, alumni, and the Aggie family. Each year women’s rugby hosts an alumni game and social that is attended by Aggies, some of whom have gone on to other women’s rugby clubs. We have close relationships with the women’s clubs of Austin and Dallas and are invited to tournaments along with several other collegiate clubs.

We have recently been awarded the championship in the Texas Rugby Union with a record of 8-0, a title we are holding for the third year in a row. We went on to win the Big XII championship and were the only team not scored upon during the tournament. We also placed second during the Mardi Gras Tournament, behind the University of Virginia Women’s team who are ranked in the top eight teams in the country. We will compete in the Western Region rugby championship tournament, which we have also attended for the past two years, and are setting our sights on the national championship.  Each year we have gone, we have increased our ranking. This year we ranked as number 5 instead of number 7, which we were last year; 8th the year before that.

As part of the Aggie community, we took part in the past several Aggie sports fests, which we have participated in for the past several years, and under 19 girls’ rugby clinics in Texas. We also sent 9 representatives for the Texas Rugby Union under 23 team, and are sending several to the Western U-23. The Under 23 team’s membership is over half TAMU players, reiterating our dominance.

Our team is entirely student led and coached. The coaches go to clinics to learn the best safety techniques and equipment. Each one of our coaches is USA certified. Our assistant coach Craig Coates, Level III, is the head coach of the Texas Select Side, Women’s division. Kate Nichol, Level II, assists the Under 23 Texas Select Side and is our head coach. Under these two coaches, we have gone undefeated within our union for the past 3 years. Our coaches use what they learn in the clinics to teach us proper techniques. All of our coaches have played the game for many years and can give us insight from their own experiences. We are also assisted by a support staff of student coaches who contribute their own knowledge and love of the game. Recently Rec Sports purchased for us a new scrum sled to assist in our training and overall safety.

Come to Texas A&M for some serious rugby!