One similarity that rugby shares with American football is the general shape of the ball, although the rugby ball is not as aerodynamically sound. It doesn’t have to be because nobody actually passes the ball.
Unlike football, rugby is a game governed by laws, not rules. As any rugger will tell you, rules are subject to interpretation, while laws are inviolate.
The primary method of scoring in rugby is called a try. A try is worth five points and occurs when a player places the ball on the ground with downward pressure in the in-goal area. Following a try the conversion kick is worth two points. The try is a touchdown in the most literal sense.
The girls playing rugby at Sebastian River High have become well versed in those terms and many others like hooker, ruck, maul and scrum. A father and son team from Scotland founded the program and they teach the finer points of the game to anyone willing to – shall we say – give it a try.
“I have been the director of rugby and head coach for the varsity girls program at SRHS since 2008,” Allan Dobson said. “We are currently the only high school program in the state of Florida. We have been to Nationals once and have won Southeast Regionals twice. All of that has been accomplished in the past seven years.”
A SRHS boys rugby team was introduced this season, in part based on how enthusiastically the girls have taken to the sport, not to mention the enjoyment and success they have experienced in return.
“Nine girls have gone on to play rugby in college and they have received over $1 million in scholarships and non-hardship financial assistance,” Dobson said. “We have athletes at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri; American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts; and Life University in Marietta, Georgia.”
The current team has been invited to participate in the 2016 Girls High School Rugby National Tournament May 20-22 at Lindenwood University. Twenty-one players and three coaches are scheduled to make the trip. College scouts will be on hand.
The team has launched a fundraising effort to offset the considerable travel expenses. Anyone wishing to support this cause should go to www.gofundme.com/SRHSRugby for particulars on how to become a sponsor or make a contribution.
Without other Florida high school teams as potential opponents, SRHS plays against club teams comprised of players 19 years of age or under. Those athletes must be in high school or pursuing a GED.
“The format that we are playing right now is called 15s,” Dobson explained. “Each team consists of 15 players. There is no such thing as offense or defense in rugby. We play 35 minutes per half and players are on the field for the full 70 minutes. That is how the universities play, so we have focused our high school program to prepare our girls to play in college.”
If you think of rugby as a game dominated by grizzly bears disguised as men, the girls at VBHS shatter that stereotype in many ways other than gender.
“Rugby is a game for everybody, it’s a global game,” Dobson said. “It doesn’t matter if you are big, small, thin, wide, fast or slow. There is a position for you on a rugby team. One of the deciding factors that gives girls a reason to want to play is that rugby is the only full-contact sport available for girls.
“Some people argue that lacrosse is, however the rules for girls lacrosse are different than boys lacrosse – whereas in rugby there is no difference whether you are a 15-year-old girl or 35-year-old man.”
And remember, those are laws in rugby, not rules. Allan Dobson and his father Peter founded the rugby program at SRHS. They will take any amount of time necessary to explain the multitude of nuances associated with the sport to the uninitiated.
“I have played rugby since I was 8 years old over in Scotland, which is where I am from,” Allan said. “I have played all over the world and I was very fortunate to do that.
“The girls here at SRHS have always participated at the highest level of their ability. They like to hit, they like to tackle, and they like to be tough – because they are. That’s why there had been a huge interest. We have always had around 30 or more young women come out every single season to sign up for rugby, and play.
The Dobsons and coach Maureen Kaltenbach will take the team to St. Charles, Missouri, for the high school nationals in May. Next week we will explore why so many high school girls have exited the sports mainstream to try rugby.
