Marlborough Rugby Club- Not just for the boys!

Marlborough Rugby Club kicked off their 2010-11 season last weekend with a new addition to their programme- Girls Tag Rugby.

Marlborough say with the creation of Girls Tag Rugby sessions they are aiming to introduce girls to the enjoyment of team sport, especially the camaraderie, discipline and spirit of rugby.

“...core values, values which we think are important to rugby.” says Tim Richards, Chair of Junior Rugby and Coach of the U11 team.

The boys all play Tag Rugby up until the U9 age group, and with RFU rules allowing girls to join the boys in contact rugby up until U12s, two girls are playing with the U9s and one with the U10s this season.

With the addition of Girls Tag Rugby to the Marlborough Rugby Club programme, the girls who don’t want to move on to the contact sport are now able to continue playing. One of the reasons this session came about was that some parents didn’t want their daughters to go on to contact rugby. Tag Rugby is non-contact and is as safe, for example, as netball- the “tag” represents the tackle.

The club hope to be able to expand Girls Tag Rugby to further age groups, and say that even as it stands they try not to turn anyone away. Marlborough also hope to talk to other clubs in the future about the possibility of organising some matches.

Last Sunday was the first Girls Tag Rugby training session. Fourteen girls of a variety of ages attended- and they all said they would be back next Sunday!

Marlborough Rugby Club’s Girls Tag Rugby training is Sunday 10.30- 12.00 on the common. The coaches are Jaclyn Jimenez and John Havill. Marlborough is a progressive club which always welcomes new members.