The Gustavus Women’s Rugby Club has started their fall season, playing in a two game tournament and two regular-season games. The women won one of the games, and lost the other to Winona, the defending Division II National Champions.

The women were still able to score 2 trys on the champions.

The fall season is the women’s most competitive season throughout the year, and they are hoping to leave their remaining five games (three of which take place at Gustavus) as champions.

“Going to Nationals would be fantastic. Other teams in our division are Mankato, NDSU, UND, Bimidji, Duluth and SCSU,” Junior Jessica Gold and Scrum Captain said.

According to Gold, the majority of the women on the team had never played Rugby before coming to Gustavus. With proper training from their five-year coach Charlie Johnson, the women have been positive and confident while they prepare to give their competitors a challenge this fall.

“To prepare for the season our fantastic coach, Charlie, gets us into shape and teaches us rugby smarts. Most of us have never played rugby before college, so we all had to learn the skills and techniques and work on them daily at practice,” Gold said.

The team competes on Saturdays, and practices for an hour and a half, four days a week, working on their fitness and techniques.

“Everyone should know that anyone can play rugby. There is a place for everyone on the team. Any body type and level of skill or ability.”—Alexa Giebink

“During practice we practice ball-handling skills, work on plays, condition our endurance, and do tackling drills,” Senior Martha Eichlersmith said.

The team has been recruiting women of all skill levels and assure people that there are ways to play rugby without the danger of being injured.

“A lot of people are afraid to join rugby because they are afraid of getting hurt . . . injuries do happen, as in all sports, but our coach stresses safety and teaches us the correct way to tackle and get tackled to minimize injury,” Gold said.

According to the women, there are two types of players: backs and scrummies. The backs are usually smaller and faster because they need to run with the ball. The scrummies are usually the bigger and stronger girls that are involved in the scrum.

With this in mind, the team wants people to know that women don’t need to be a specific body-type to play rugby.

“Everyone should know that anyone can play rugby. No experience is necessary. The vast majority of our players never even heard of the sport before they came to Gustavus, including myself. There is a place for everyone on the team, any body type and level of skill or ability,” Junior Alexa Giebink and Women’s Rugby Treasurer said.

For more information about the team, go to their blog at located at the Gustavus web page.

-Haley Bell