Harlequin Hoorah
The face of women’s rugby in Colorado
STORY BY MATT GUNN • GUNNMA@MSCD.EDU
PHOTOS BY EMILY VARISCO • VARISCO @MSCD.EDU

Harlequin Olde Girls player Val Griffeth tackles a dummy during rugby practice Thursday, April 6 at Mir Park in Glendale. Her coach, Mark Bullock, watches from behind.

What is Rugby?

Origin: Rugby School, England.
1845: First written rules of the game.
International Rugby Board: The governing body of rugby. Founded in 1886.

Types of rugby: Two: rugby league and rugby union. Each has different rules. Rugby union is popular among American colleges and clubs.
Players: Rugby league teams use 13 players, rugby union teams use 15.

Positions: In rugby union, each team plays with eight forwards and seven backs. Forwards are named according to their duties within set plays. A team’s front line includes two props and a hooker. The props support the hooker in set plays. Other forward positions include two locks, two flankers and a number eight. Defensive positions include two halfbacks, two centers, two wings and a fullback.

Ball movement: Teams move the ball either through a series of lateral passes or handoffs. The main rule in passing is that the ball cannot be thrown forward. Forward kicks are allowed for game restarts, or to move the ball up field.

Try: Points scored when the ball is touched down in the opponents goal zone. A try is worth five points.

Conversion: After a try is scored, a conversion may be kicked through the uprights of an opponent’s goal. Conversions are worth two additional points.

Goal: A kick through the opponent’s uprights in open play. Goals are worth three points.
Scrum: One of the most recognized set plays in rugby. In a scrum, both teams lock together in an effort to gain possession of the ball.

Line-out: When the ball goes out of bounds, line-outs are used to put the ball back in play. Various tactics are used to retain possession of the ball, including lifting players to catch a high pass.

“You kick someone’s ass on the field, but afterward you’re having beers together. It’s a very social sport.”

Martha Campbell

   Rugby is not a game for the weak of heart.

   Rugby is the embodiment of a team sport. It is a game where no individual stands above the rest, where each player is contributing to a greater goal.

   It’s a physical game in which players are asked to fight through the pain. Everyone’s a competitor, and no one leaves the field until the 80-minute clock runs out. When not playing, teams spend most of the year training for tournaments and divisional play.

   “ It’s really fun being in a game where you depend on people and people are depending on you,” said wing Martha Campbell. “I think that develops a relationship on the field and off the field as well.”

   Off the field, rugby is about community and camaraderie. A player, or rugger, is never alone. Regardless of background or skill, each shares a common bond: her love for the sport.

   The social aspect of rugby is as important as the game itself.

   “ You kick someone’s ass on the field, but afterward you’re having beers together,” said Becky Hentges, a rookie on the Harlequin Olde Girls Rugby Club. “It’s a very friendly sport off the field.”

   A rugger’s competitive side is matched only by her commitment to expanding the sport.

   The Olde Girls have been on the Colorado rugby scene since 1981. Although they compete at a national level, the only requirement of team members is a desire to learn and compete. Players’ ages range from 18 to 37.

   They are one of only four women’s clubs competing in Colorado.

   “ Everyone who’s played the sport loves it,” said Katie Wurst, who plays the power position of prop for the Olde Girls. Wurst also works for USA Rugby, the national governing body of the sport. Her goal is to share her knowledge of rugby with people who aren’t so familiar with the game.

   “ It’s all over the entire world,” Wurst said. “I’ve been to more countries than I can count just for rugby.”

   Internationally, supporters of the game are like American football fans. People can’t get enough of rugby, regardless of whether they’ve played it or not. It’s a great way to start a conversation that often leads to friendship.

   “ It’s just like this dependency of the rugby community that you can count on it and it’s always there for you,” said Harlequin “Social Babe” Jaime Lange. “It’s internationally there as well.”

   Rugby originated in England, and has spread primarily in Western Europe, the South Pacific and South Africa.

   The game continues to grow within the United States because of its accessibility. It’s played on a pitch roughly the size of an American football field. The goal is to score tries and conversions, worth five and two points, respectively, by taking the ovoid ball to the opponents’ goal zone.

   Players can pass the ball to each other laterally, and the lead offensive player is allowed to make forward kicks. Rugby’s a game that needs to be experienced first-hand to be fully understood.

   Many of the Olde Girls described their first experience with the team as something special. Whether they’d played before or not.

   “ I fell in love the first time I got tackled,” Hentges said. She began playing in Fargo, N.D., and found the Olde Girls through a Google search.

   The team works on tackling and everything else rugby on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Glendale’s Mir Park. Their head coach, Mark Bullock, tells them to “be passionate,” and says, “How we practice is how we play.”

   Through early April, the team was training for the Best of the West Tournament in Austin, Tex. The Olde Girls practiced hard, each player fighting for a spot on the playing roster.

   The Olde Girls cited tournaments as another way to grow closer as a group. Travel is also a step toward progressing the sport across America, and a way to mix competition beyond local games.

   “ I like competition,” team vice president Paula Bailey said. “Sometimes I don’t know; my foot’s swollen, my knee hurts and I want to go home. Honestly, it’s the camaraderie, the competition, staying in shape is a big thing, and – I know this sounds stupid – but being a tough girl.”

An unidentified player catches a throw from her teammate during practice. The girls ran many drills testing their speed, agility and coordination.

Val Griffeth, left, and Sarah Puff attempt a tackle during rugby practice. Griffeth and Puff are both members of the Harlequin Olde Girls RFC Rugby team, which practices two days a week and gathers girls from various Colorado cities.