Elegant Violence

As mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, sport is a huge part of Scottish culture – historically and more recently. There has been a lot of coverage on Scotland’s success in the Commonwealth Games that took place in April this year. We came back with a fabulous 9 gold medals, 13 silver and 22 bronze! However, my real passion is rugby and therefore the biggest sporting result for me this year was Scotland’s victory over England in the Six Nations. I cannot emphasise enough how much of ‘a big deal’ this was. The two countries have a very long lasting competitive streak – not only in sport, but in anything. Any possible way to be better than each other is the goal. The Six Nation’s is a famous rugby tournament involving ‘six nations’ – you can kind of tell by the name – Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy. The Calcutta Cup is an additional trophy (founded 139 years ago) for the winner of the match between Scotland and England. England have won the Cup the most amount of times however 2018 made a change. Scotland pulled off an unforgettable win of 25-13. I was lucky enough to attend the match at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

I have loved rugby for many years and have played for 3 different clubs (adding another one in June). I started playing in 2012 when I began high school. I joined the school team and developed quickly. I was captain throughout my Under18’s career and won awards within the school. This motivated me further and pushed me to continue the school team when there was a dip in numbers. Along with other girls from the school team, I became part of Ross Sutherland Rugby Club as the club had a long-lasting link with our school. I began coaching younger players in my senior years in high school and will always be proud of how hard they trained and the attitude and optimism the team maintained despite nock-backs and failings. In 2015, I joined Lochaber Rugby Club and started training with their women’s team. Later my brother joined the club and we used to travel the 120 mile journey together every week for training. I think this really helped my relationship with my brother. As youngers, we would tear chunks out of each other – always arguing and playfighting. But as I became older and we had a common interest (rugby) and started to have fun and argue less. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still times I could strangle him…but most of the time we’re friends. Lochaber really gave me a flavour of what it was like to be in a ‘proper’ club and I loved every moment. However, a year on I was eager to progress and develop my skills. The women’s team wasn’t getting many fixtures and our coaching was being neglected. As much as I loved being part of the club, I knew I would have to leave if I really wanted to work my way up the ladder.

I soon became aware of a rugby club in Inverness, called Inverness Craig Dunain. This was partly due to my admiration of a player for Scotland’s women’s rugby team – Jade Konkel. Being a rugby fan (or nerd), my favourite and most well-known female player was Jade. I found out in a school project that she was from the Black Isle (which I used to visit when I was young) and had family connections will a club called Craig Dunain. Therefore, it didn’t take me long to look up this glorious rugby club. I contacted the women’s rugby team through Facebook and asked if I could come to training. I still remember my first phone call to the captain – I was unbelievably nervous. The difference with Craig Dunain compared to Lochaber was that Craig was a fully-fledged adults, women team. Lochaber was a much smaller club, with a fairly unacknowledged ladies team. Therefore, joining Inverness was a big opportunity and a big step for a 16 year old. Technically, I was severely underage to join the club however they were very encouraging and could see my determination. I would have done anything to be able to play with these unbelievable women.

I trained with Inverness ladies for a year, in which time my parents realised this was really a bit for than just a hobby for me. When I turned in 17, I began the process to become a full member and player for the team. It is rugby ‘law’ that the only way to play for an adult team (male or female), is to be 17 years old and complete a ‘dispensation’ test. This process ensures The Scottish Rugby Union that the young player is physically capable of coping with the extreme levels that adult rugby can have (including a statement that parents had to sign to show that they understood the physical dangers that their child would be in). The test also assessed that the player had sufficient knowledge and understanding of the game in order to play. Thankfully I passed all this kerfuffle and was able to play for the team. I was absolutely thrilled to achieve this and will always be glad I put in the hard work to get there.

I have now been playing for Inverness Ladies for 2 years and I can honestly say it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have not only become a better player, gained experience and confidence but I have also made life-long friends. As cliché as it sounds, we are a proper rugby family – men’s and women’s team combined. The support and encouragement I have been given is phenomenal. I can’t express how upsetting it will be to leave and not be able to see my girls every week or to be able to have wild weekends with them. There is no doubt that I will see everyone when I come home to visit and hopefully play for them occasionally.

Inverness Craig Dunain Ladies team is in the North Scotland league. This weekend was our last match of the season against Banff. The game was intense but one of the best my team had played. Possession was fairly equal and each set of points scored by one team was returned by the other. Every minute of the match counted but unfortunately, we lost out by 2 points (one conversion kick) – leaving the full-time score Inverness 22 – 24 Banff. The game left 3 players in hospital and a number assessed injuries on the side-lines throughout the game. I played as inside centre (number 12), this was my first time in the position but I was delighted to progress from the wing (number 11) and am pleased with the way I played. It was a brilliant way to leave with a bang, as the team really stuck together and had a good time.

Rugby is a huge part of my life now and I have dedicated a lot of time and money to get where I am today. Moving to Edinburgh is made even more exciting for me as it is the heart of Scottish rugby and the ideal place to progress as a player. I look forward to what lies ahead and am sure it’ll be an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I would encourage everyone and anyone to have a go at rugby. It has a mislead reputation of being violent and dangerous. Undoubtably, it is a bit rough but no where near as scary as it seems. Training teaches you discipline in the way you tackle and receive a tackle – therefore making the game a whole lot safer. Also, the best part about this sport is that it’s for all shapes and sizes! I started rugby as quite a ‘chunky monkey’ which was frowned upon by other sports. Always being picked last because you were the ‘fat girl’ wasn’t a great confidence-booster when you’re a hormonal teenager. However, it’s a different story for rugby. If you’re on the chunky side then any forward pack would welcome you with open arms (even fight over you!). This also doesn’t exclude the skinny-whippets either though, as every demolishing forward pod, needs a handy set of backs to help them on the pitch. Whether you’re slow or fast, big or small, tall or short there’s a position for you!

So do any of you play rugby? Or feel like you might give it a go now?