Ruggercise

Rugby has always received mixed reviews. Some fans describe it as football for reeeal men, while others can't get their head around a bunch of blokes chasing a large egg around a field for fun and calling it a sport. And that's just men's rugby. The idea of women playing the sport opens up a whole new can of worms.

“Be prepared to get muddy and stuck in. As Jayne said: “We play in all weather. It was certainly fresh in February.”

Jayne Owen is the founder of the UK's (and possibly the world's) first ever Ruggercise class. She even invented the word herself, which reflects the rugby aspect of the class combined with general exercise and fitness. And her reasons?

She said: “Women's rugby has been around since the seventies. If you go down South, women's and girl's rugby is huge. Loads of teams, county trials, it's massive. Go up to Newcastle, and again it's big. We seem to be in a block in the middle where it just hasn't taken off in the same way, which I think is weird because you tend to think of Northerners as being a bit harder.”

She is right. Rugby for women and girls is frowned upon because it's a contact sport. There is something obscurely elegant about the game, but it's most definitely elegant violence. And having witnessed over 20 girls at Ruggercise powering across the field, it's evident that the demand for this type of outdoor, countryside fitness is there. Better still, many of the younger girls are keen to try and become professional players despite the negativity surrounding women's participation.

Jayne said: “I've found that a lot of dads hate the idea of their daughters playing rugby. There's a lot of fear of the unknown. They've only seen it on the TV where people get hit and don't get up. But then surely you could say the same about hockey? We had a team at Glossop which folded, but we're trying to start it again.”

Ruggercise is training for the game, not the actual game itself, so that makes it accessible for everyone wishing to take part. Ruggercise is for women and girls from age 12 upwards of all abilities and in all weather conditions. Be prepared to get muddy and stuck in. As Jayne said: “We play in all weather. It was certainly fresh in February.”

The main part of the hour is spent practising rugby skills with a strap device which you could imagine strong men using to tow trains on the Zambezi bridge. However, the girls at Ruggercise use it to tow each other, for strength, endurance and a laugh. Other skills include running in and out of cones, up and down hills, punching with pads and boxing gloves, as well as using rugby balls to add intensity to sit ups.

Jayne said: “We begin with lots of running, sit-ups and press-ups, then onto the cardiovascular.”

The class costs just £2 per person which makes the drive to Glossop better value than pussy footing around in an over-priced gym. And how many times, ladies, can we do the same old grape-vine in the ritual aerobics sessions without going insane? This is a class for women not wimps and the results really show this. Give it a go.

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