We went to Women’s Rugby, Rygbi Merched this month and went to one of their pre match training sessions. What you all might not know is that Bangor University Women’s Rugby team is very successful; last year they only lost one match and couldn’t play one in the whole season. They also do some of the best fundraising events of the sports clubs, keep an eye out around Bangor for sweet tubs appealing for pennies. This is for the Mile of Pennies Appeal, the proceeds of which will go to Anglesey Riding for the Disabled and Evie’s Fund, a cancer charity.
Due to the quagmire that is Treborth, the training session we attended was on the tennis courts next to Maes Glas. This was probably a good thing as Pippa arrived in Hi tops and the closest thing Robyn had to trainers being walking boots. Not really cut out for lightning reflexes.
The beautifully northern coach Andy had us all warming up with some catching exercises, something which comes naturally to some, and not so naturally to others… we were definitely in the less natural category. Then came a quick little physics lesson from Coach, a concept that, in all honesty, I had not understood in High school, suddenly made perfect sense; F=ma. The harder you hit them, the less likely they are to want to be hit by you the second time. It’s about deterrence apparently.
Touch rugby for strategy and safety purposes ensued (who wants to be taken to the tarmac?). We both got ‘well stuck in’ according to coach. We didn’t do badly; held the line, ran when told to but one of us got her head in the game: Pippa hit the prop, then the floor.
‘Don’t just wait to be snotted on, smash ‘em back!’ seems to be the underlying sentiment behind this women’s rugby team. But if you watch a game, they’ll help the other team up after grinding them into the mud and apologise if they stand on people… usually. To round off the session the team practised their kicking game with a round of kick tennis. Very simple, if you drop the ball you’re out, if you don’t kick above the little fullback’s shoulder height, you’re out. Robyn’s team won, helped we’re sure by the fact that she didn’t touch the ball once.
If you happen to be in paddies around 8pm on a Wednesday, and hear a resounding chorus of ‘B-A-N-G-O-R, Bangor Rugby Team we are, we like to maul we like to ruck, and then at night we like to…drink’, feel free to join them for a pint, or a double vodka. The social side is just as important for these guys who have a social sec to organise pub golf, super hero night and court session for those who break their own brand of Universal Drinking Rules.
So join them for a beverage. They don’t bite honest, unless you have your hands in the ruck.
