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Women’s rugby team in works to become a Tech organization

A women’s rugby team is forming at Tech.

According to Veronica Sublett, women’s rugby captain, rugby is a contact sport, but there aren’t any physical requirements to being a rugby player.

“The one thing people say is that they’re too small,” Sublett said. “You’re never too small. I’m 5-foot-2.”

Sublett also said that rugby is like a cross between football and soccer.

“We don’t wear pads, we pass the ball backwards and we do tackle,” Sublett said.

Even though the women don’t wear protective gear, major injuries are unlikely, according to Sublett.

“If you’re taught how to tackle and be tackled, you should be able to do it perfectly in a game and not come out with any injuries, except for a bruise or two,” Sublett said.

According to Sublett, offense and defense are played at the same time, with a team of 15 players constantly on the field. The team is divided into backs and forwards.

“The forwards tend to tackle a lot more,” Sublett said.

“[Backs] are usually considered the brains, and they’re the fast people,” Sublett said.

The last position is the scrum-half, who connects the backs and the forwards.

“They’re your quarterback of rugby, so they tell everyone what to do,” Sublett said. “You want to protect them because they’re normally really small and very fast.”

“We’re getting to the point that we’re able to build up a team,” Sublett said. “We’ll have about two scrimmages, hopefully, this semester. Next year we’ll be in the tournament during the spring semester.”

This isn’t the first time that a women’s rugby team has been mentioned at Tech.

“They tried starting a team here two or three years ago,” Sublett said. “But it didn’t pan out for them.”

According to Sublett, any female who is physically capable can play, as long as she has the dedication.

“Once you fall in love with the sport, you don’t want to leave it,” Sublett said. “It’s just like a sisterhood of athletes.”

The team is in the process toward being recognized as a Tech organization. Sublett said the team hopes to be an official organization by the end of March.

For more information, contact Sublett at vcs1129@gmail.com.