One of the first days of 2010, my fiance and I were driving through Forest Park and we spotted two women doing agility drills in a wide open field. This made me reminiscent of coaching lacrosse and playing soccer- and then I remembered it was about 27 degrees outside at the time. I took a closer look and realized the women were carrying rugby ball. One of my close friends is from South Africa otherwise, I would’ve thought the women were cradling an albino football with slightly rounded edges. I went home, did a little internet research and found that not only does St. Louis have a women’s football team, we also have the Saint Louis Sabres, a women’s rugby club.

Originally founded in 1975, the Sabres are St. Louis’ oldest and most successful women’s rugby club. The 2010 season starts this Saturday, March 6 at 1:30 p.m. when the Sabres take on Mizzou’s team. Home games are held at Forest Park, on the Central Playing Fields (the fields east of the Muny and north of the Jewel Box). If I wasn’t going to be at a bridal shower I would be going to this game. I’ve only seen rugby on TV and I’ve never seen women’s rugby. Ever. However, I am greatly intrigued. Rugby is a game that requires endurance, strength and speed, something that is hard to find packaged together in one athlete, let alone an entire team. I don’t know the terminology of the game, but I do know the game involves a little bit of everything. Throwing, kicking, running, tackling and lifting teammates into the air. Sound crazy? This is why I wish the bridal shower wasn’t the same day as the home opener for the Sabres.

However, if your interest has been captured by a sport in which many players choose to wear tight fitting headgear that covers their ears (rugby players are notorious for losing their ears in matches), have no fear. The Sabres have several home games in their upcoming spring schedule, including every Saturday in April. April 10 and 11 is St. Louis Ruggerfest, and while I can only dream up of what this may include at this point (tournament, clinic, world domination?), I’ll be checking their website for further details in the future.

This season the Sabres, who play as members of the Missouri Rugby Union and in the Western Territory, travel to Cincinnati, Nashville and Madison. Rugby is gaining popularity as an alternative sports for women. Roller Derby has taken off recently (can you say Arch Rival Roller Girls?!), and I could see rugby gaining popularity as well. Similar to how women’s lacrosse grew with exposure through the ’90s and early 2000s, I think women’s rugby could also catch on with increased exposure.

If you ever needed any evidence towards the argument that women can be just as competitive, if not more, than men, perhaps you should YouTube “women’s rugby.” See you in April, at Forest Park Central fields!

Image credit: St Louis Sabres Rugby Club

Annie is the Sports and Fitness Editor for Girls Guide. She writes about all kinds of sports related topics and then really goes out and plays sports almost every evening. You can contact Annie by emailing her at annie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and we are still trying to talk her into getting a Twitter account – no success yet.