Powell River Otago Rugby Club is expanding its women’s program. At 2 pm on June 7, at Cranberry Field, the club is sponsoring a free introduction to rugby for female players. No experience is necessary and participants can bring cleats if they have them.
Sophie Slakov, one of Otago’s women players, has spent the past season playing rugby, with teammate Sian Cornwell, for Comox Kickers, which won the BC women’s second division championship on May 3. Slakov said the event on June 7 is supposed to be just for fun, to give a low-pressure place for women to discover the sport, without having to show up to practice with the men’s team, which she and Cornwell do.
“We’ll be doing some passing, we’ll introduce them to what a lineout would look like, plus a scrum,” said Slakov. “They don’t necessarily have to take part in one, but the idea would be to teach them the basic skills of running forward and passing backward, then hopefully, play a game of touch at the end of the session.”
Slakov said there are currently five committed women who show up regularly for practice, which is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Cranberry, starting at 5 pm. The hope, however, is that Otago is able to attract enough women so they can hold their own practices, rather than practicing with the men’s side.
“That would be amazing if we had enough numbers,” said Slakov.
She said there is a lack of opportunities for women’s sports locally, so if Otago can fill that need, it would be great.
Slakov said she and Cornwell gravitated to playing rugby in Comox because there is no team here, so it is a way to get game time.
“We joined in the fall and we have been playing with them, winning the provincial championship in Abbotsford at the beginning of the month,” said Slakov. “It was a bit daunting even to go over there, and we weren’t even really sure when we first joined if they would take us.
“They turned out to be very welcoming. We have a good relationship with the team. It was a great experience and they just made us part of the team.”
As for her position, Slakov said the Kickers originally put her on wing, but she and the coach realized she was not really a winger.
“I would say I’m a small forward of some sort,” said Slakov. “Once we got into the playoffs and we were playing 15s, I became a flanker, and that was a much better position for me. My strengths are in the pushing and tackling side of things, rather than running and positional strategy that is required to play winger.”
Cornwell is also a forward, playing prop.
One of the difficulties for the Powell River players is practicing with the Kickers. It’s not viable for the pair to work out with the Vancouver Island team, so they do their best to fit in on game days.
“The Kickers have done an exceptional job of trying to make us feel welcome, but it is very hard to join a team you don’t practice with,” said Slakov. “It is complicated to play on the fly, so there are challenges. However, it has been great fun.”
Slakov said rugby is fairly simple to explain and to start playing, but it never really loses its complexity, and she keeps learning new things the longer she plays.
“It’s excellent for fitness and I am the kind of person who likes contact, pushing and hitting, so this is a good outlet to do those things in a safe way,” said Slakov. “Then, there is the social aspect, which is truly exceptional in rugby. At the end of games, teams get together, share a meal and pick players of the match for each team. There’s not a lot of other sports that really do that, and it’s phenomenal.”
Slakov said rugby doesn’t come without some level of danger, like most sports, but statistically, it is much more dangerous to ride a mountain bike.
“The more practiced you are, and the better you are, the safer it is,” said Slakov. “There are protocols and rules. The sport is designed in a way, and refereed in a way, that safety is practiced and paramount. You aren’t wearing a lot of padding, so you are careful in the way you hit.”
In terms of her rugby playing, Slakov characterized it as spotty. She played in Vancouver about 10 years ago for the Scribes RFC, but then moved to places where there wasn’t rugby. She said she was in Trail at one point and practiced with the men, but it was only last year that she joined Otago and started playing again.
For those who want to see women’s rugby in action, there is a game planned on June 21 for Otago’s 50th anniversary celebration. A women’s game has been scheduled for 12:30 pm on that day at Cranberry Field as the lead-off to old boys and senior men’s rugby.
Slakov said Otago is trying to pull women players from teams around Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland to come and play in the anniversary game.
“My hope is in June, we can have a lot of fun, and that those women who actually decide to sign up for our introduction to rugby can come and discover that rugby is a great game,” said Slakov. “I just hope that I can share my love of rugby with more women. That would be awesome.”
Those interested in the introduction to rugby for women session can register and enquire by emailing [email protected].
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