Rugby is empowering women

Using rugby to promote female strength and beauty might be a stretch for Kiwis more accustomed to images of tough men muddied in short shorts, but that's what they're doing at Harvard University.

The Ivy League university is using their Harvard Women's Rugby team in a photo project called "Rugged Grace".

It's won coverage in the Harvard Political Review in which rugby was described as being "one of the most physically demanding sports in the world".

"Lasting 80 minutes long with no substitutions," the HPR said with some confusion over the rules, "the amount of physical contact an individual on the field might receive makes American football look like a walk in the park."

In the project, the photographers asked the rugby players to explore what sport and community meant for their bodies and identities.

"We asked team-mates to write what they loved and appreciated about each player on their body, in the hopes of opening a visual discussion about beauty, strength, and appreciation," the project said.

"Rugby is so much about physically throwing your body on the line for your team-mates during games and training, and that intense appreciation, love, trust, and support for each other is what we wanted to reflect.

"The sport necessitates a strength that we find beautiful and powerful."

HPR said some of the words written on the bodies directly addressed the physical: "squat master" on the muscles they built for their game, or "caught it" on one woman's hands. Others focused on the woman's personality: "fearless", "powerful", "open heart", "inspired/inspiring", "passion and drive."

One of the players, Helen Clark, was quoted saying it was refreshing to see a group of women being proud of the strength they've achieved through hours of training, and to see them celebrating the physical manifestations of that strength.

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

"While many female athletes struggle to balance societal expectations that say women should be small and delicate with the expectation that athletes need to be strong, our team has created a culture that celebrates every kind of body," Clark said.

"We want to send the message that women's bodies are not merely decorations for billboards and magazine advertisements, but rather the physical presentation of strong, powerful people."

Harvard graduate Shelby Lin said the players all showed appreciation about each others' bodies, attitudes, and characters.

"I didn't expect the process to be so emotional, but after each day I felt full of pride for the women involved and how much we respect both ourselves and each other."

HPR also celebrated that the core rules of the sport were the same for men and women.

"The number of players on the field is the same; unlike basketball, the ball size is the same; and unlike lacrosse, the level of contact is the same," it said, saying rugby was a source of empowerment.

"Women players are taught to use the strength of their bodies in ways they had never even conceived," HRP said.

"Where society appreciates the meek timidity that is supposed to accompany female beauty, rugby encourages women to be a dominating presence-fearless in pursuit of her goals."

There is no ideal body type in rugby and the 10 separate positions require every kind of physique to have a role.

"Every body type is celebrated and appreciated. There is no such thing as an ideal rugby body."

The Harvard team said that more than a few of their girls had struggled with negative body image at some point in their lives.

"But if you ever had the chance to spend time with our team, you would never know it.

"We rejoice as a group when a girl proudly declares that she's gained a few pounds as the result of our weight training.

"We admire each other's widening thighs and thickening arms throughout the season."

They said it was a liberating feeling being part of a team with such body positivity.

"Rugby, and our team in particular, only pressures players to utilise and to be proud of the parts of their bodies that make them unique."

The photos by Shelby Lin and Lydia Burns demonstrate "that there is the potential out there for women to be proud of their bodies, no matter what".

The online comments to the HPR article were supportive with "Ironside", a male former player, saying parents have told him "rugby saved their daughters".

"We see one-time wall flowers blossom as they realise what they can achieve. Getting out there, being knocked down, getting bruised and battered and then getting back up again and into the play instils a level of confidence that carries over into everyday life."

First published in http://www.stuff.co.nz/

If you like this article, connect with Willem on Twitter @WillemTait 

How to coach a mini-rugby team

The list of requirements for a mini-rugby coach is long. You need to be patient. You need to be energetic. You need to be alert. Most of all, at the very least you need to have a basic understanding of what rugby is and how you play it. This, I find, is where I fall down.

I'm standing in the Old Alleynian rugby club grounds, surrounded bychildren. They're tiny. None of them even come up to my elbow. I'm stronger than them, faster than them and more intelligent than them. And I'm bricking it. All they need to do is ask how many points you get for a try, or why they're only allowed to pass backwards, or why the ball is even shaped like that, and I'd be stuffed. I haven't got a clue. I don't think I've ever so much as watched a rugby match all the way through, let alone played in one.

But I did used to work as a kindergarten teacher, which at least taught me the three main rules of looking after kids. Rule one: be approachable and enthusiastic. Rule two: naughty kids fall in line if you count down from five to zero at them. Rule three: one day the kids will discover that you're essentially powerless after you reach zero, and that will be the end of us.

I'm here, pretty much, because a bloke from my gym is the academy director of youth rugby at Old Alleynian, and was looking for volunteers. I agreed to go along because I like the bloke and I miss working with kids. Plus, if you're struck by the same terrible affliction as me, in which you spend every Sunday lying face down in bed with the curtains drawn, it's a great way to get you up and doing something active that's actually, as uncool as this sounds, rewarding.

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

It's something anyone can do, provided they're willing to be subjected to a criminal record check. The Rugby Football Union estimates that 50,000 people volunteer at clubs around the country and the volunteers at Old Alleynian – who number more than 100 – include first aiders, managers, referees, tea-makers and coaches. There's a great sense of everyone pitching in together, so it doesn't matter if – like me – you're slightly haphazard. A bit of enthusiasm gets you a long way.

It's a good set-up. Every Sunday morning, rain or shine, dozens of kids turn up for a runaround. Although Old Alleynian is the swanky Dulwich College rugby club in south London, thanks to its community schools outreach rugby coaching programme, it actively recruits kids across Southwark, so there's a big mix of backgrounds. Genders, too. One of the most indomitable members is a pigtailed little girl called Connie, who very openly refused to take any nonsense from any of her peers.

The kids were already in session when I arrived, running up and down the field with abandon. After that, the head coach took a register and set up a game of tag rugby, where the kids yank Velcro tags off each other in lieu of tackling. My job was to oversee one of the teams: making sure everyone was in the right place, wearing their bibs, paying attention and not just standing in a corner spinning around uselessly, like I used to do in PE.

It was fascinating to see the mix of kids – the squat little brutes who clearly loved rugby, the floppy-armed daydreamers who didn't want to be there – and how you have to modulate your attitude towards each of them. Also, as a born-and-bred floppy-armed daydreamer myself, you quickly learn not to stand still for too long, unless you want a muddy five-year-old to clatter into your shin at the speed of sound. And, for the love of all that's holy, learn to keep score. Apparently it really, really matters to kids that they're winning 6-5 and not 5-4.

One of the phrases I heard most from the adults is "cat-herding". That's a painfully accurate description of what the task entails. You're constantly counting heads, but the heads are all tearing around as fast at they can and shouting at each other and wandering off to their dads on the sidelines to eat a banana. It can be exhausting.

But it's also completely worthwhile. As our session wrapped up and the kids scattered away to the car park, the head coach asked if I'd fancyvolunteering more regularly next season, and I said yes. I suppose this means I should learn how rugby works.

Stuart volunteered with Old Alleynian Mini-Rugby. If you'd like to volunteer at your local rugby club, click here.

Stuart's tips: how to be a successful kids' coach

Keep control. Prepare for your coaching session by trying to herd a swarm of flies into a plastic cup

Don't worry about the rules. For now, just be enthusiastic and energetic

This isn't about you. Don't spend the whole session showing the children how brilliant you are at rugby

You are an adult. Do not let the children intimidate you, no matter how many times they call you names

When all else fails, high-five the kids. High-five like the wind!

first published in www.theguardian.com/

If you like this article, connect with Willem on Twitter @WillemTait 

Template Springbok Rugby is poison for SA Rugby #OpinionArticle

Winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup was a momentous occasion for Springboks but it has done little for the development of the way rugby is played in South Africa.

I believe that the so-called 'Jake White template' has been detrimental to South African rugby on a number of levels.

Let me start by saying that I can't fault White's tactics in 2007. Given the weapons at his disposal, the approach he adopted was spot on.The efficacy of this approach (when correctly executed) is not in question. My aim here is rather point to the consequences of the mindset that in has become enrooted in SA rugby because of it's (limited) success.

What concerns me is that the territorially-based and defence-orientated approach employed back then has been widely adopted in the Republic and in many quarters is still held up as a blueprint for future success.

From a coaching perspective, it's not difficult to see why this methodology is popular. Giant men imposing themselves with hard, straight running and big hits have always been the hallmarks of the South African style.

The combination of a dominant line-out, an accurate box-kicking scrum-half, reliable goal-kickers that could find the target from long range, and a rock-solid defence that pressurised the opposition into mistakes made for a gameplan that was always going to be hard to stop. It still is.

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

For some time now, South African teams at both national and Super Rugby have been trying to rekindle the glory years of domination between 2007 and 2010 when Heyneke Meyer's Bulls - playing a brand of rugby not wholly dissimilar to White's Boks - and John Smit's national team of 2009 were also winning silverware.

Yet, in many ways, SA has been going backwards ever since. Sharks fans will look at the Super Rugby table and tell me I'm crazy, but anyone who has watched South African derbies from a neutral perspective in recent years - and the last two weekends of Super Rugby are prime examples - will tell you that there is either a prevalent rugby mentality that suffocates positive endeavour or there is a serious lack of skills.

I would say it's a little bit of both, and they feed each other, in a vicious circle. The less a gameplan requires handling skills, the less those skills are developed. And as skill levels drops, so playing 'heads-up' rugby become less of an option. Coaches at schools imitate teams at the top. Round and round we go in a downward spiral.

At the centre of the circle you'll find South Africa's obsession with beating the All Blacks and winning the World Cup. Beyond those two things, as far as rugby is concerned, not much else really matters.

When 2007 is held up as an example of a winning strategy, it is often conveniently forgotten that success came without having to face New Zealand (thanks, France). The 2007 hangover was further ingrained in 2009 when Joe Rokocoko and Sitiveni Sivivatu were found wanting under the high ball in the Tri-Nations.

Let me pause for a minute to note that, although the process has been slow, Meyer is making a genuine effort to bring more balanced, more attractive style to the national set up, but the playing resources at his disposal limit the potential for progress. Without Willie le Roux, the Bok attack would be pretty blunt.

There is a widespread belief - championed in the mainstream media - that since it's impossible to beat the Kiwis at their own game, South African teams should "play to their strengths". To that end, the Sharks' brave 14-man win in Christchurch earlier this year was hailed by prominent writers as evidence of how to beat New Zealand's best (ignoring, of course, how poor the Crusaders' execution was that day).

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

I don't want to delve any deeper into the merits and limitations of the White-type gameplan because its an argument that could go on for days. As mentioned, the long-term consequences of this approach are my concern.

Peter de Villiers was labelled a lunatic when he suggested that the South African teams needed to change they way they play. I don't think PDV was a particularly good coach and his press conference antics ensured he left the Bok job with very little credibility, but he was correct when he said - right at the start of his tenure - that South African players needed to learn to play what was if front of them, to make decisions beyond a very narrowly-defined, predetermined script.

It was naive of P-Divvy to believe he could change the way the Springboks played overnight. In the end, he had a rather little influence on the style of his team as they largely reverted back what they were doing before. And many of the local franchises, provinces, clubs and schools continued to followed suit. It was a fork in the road for the game in South Africa. The wrong path was chosen.

Crux of the strategy used by most South African team is to cash in on an opponents' mistakes and to only 'have a crack' once in the opposition 22. Beyond the obvious flaw of coming unstuck when teams doesn't succumb to your pressure, it's an approach that offers very little room for an attacking mindset where opportunities are created. The game is planned to a template. Kick from here, run from here, maul from here, etc, etc.

The result is we have a generation of players who are near-incapable of thinking on their feet. And those who can, are seldom allowed to. The Stormers have managed to prove PDV's point perfectly. I could only shake my head in disbelief earlier this year as I sat listening to Duane Vermeulen explain how his team were still kicking for territory when they had a four-man overlap because they had been taught, for years, that "you don't play rugby in your own half."

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

To his credit, former White assistant coach Allister Coetzee has seen the light and realised that an approach that yielded exactly one try-bonus point in the previous two years was a recipe for frustrating fans, not winning trophies, and has admitted that a change of culture is required. Unfortunately, old habits die hard and I struggle to see how that culture will evolve sufficiently if the figurehead that instilled it is still at the helm.

John Smit developed a habit of batting away criticism of his Bok team's style by saying they weren't playing 'boring rugby' but 'winning rugby.' Exactly how much was won is debate for another day, but the off-field consequences of failing to entertain the paying public are very real.

I chatted to a colleague from the north of England (i.e. a guy who has seen his fair share of 'slow' rugby) and his reaction to the Stormers v Sharks game at Kings Park at the end of May was "I don't understand how anyone could possible want to pay to see that."

It's little wonder viewer numbers are on the decline, especially in Australia. Do we need to seek new markets in places like Singapore, or is a better product for the local audience required?

Super Rugby is designed to reward positive endeavour via the bonus-point system. At the time of writing, SA teams had produced 10 try bonus points in 2014 compared to 25 in the Kiwi Conference and 19 in Australia. Only the Bulls and the lowly Lions have scored fewer tries than White's Sharks have this year.

It's obviously too simply to only blame a certain type of gameplan for the dearth of skills. The crisis in South Africa's education system where male teachers, and by extension rugby coaches, are becoming increasingly rare severely hampers the development of talented players at grassroots level.

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

When I spoke to Meyer about the issue in the early days of his Bok tenure, he was also quick to highlight the nonexistence of Rugby League in South Africa. Unlike Down Under, kids in South Africa do not have the same exposure to the 'culture of offloading' in their formative years.

But that does not mean South Africa lacks raw talent.

Jacques Potgieter is a perfect example of a wasted talent. The former Bulls flank has been a revelation for the Waratahs, where instead of simply seeking contact to set a target, he looks to run into space. Wynand Olivier, once a favourite object of derision for fans, is relishing life in Montpellier, where he, François Trinh-Duc and Anthony Tuitavake are tearing up midfields across France.

The clean break stats for Super Rugby this year paint a dire picture, with three South African teams at the bottom the charts. Not a single SA side is to be found in the top six of the offload numbers.

Imagine if Gio Aplon was given a decent platform to use his skill. How good would Francois Hougaard be if he could play for the Hurricanes? Is Frans Steyn's true potential ever going to be realised? What will happen to Handré Pollard? Will his creative instincts be eroded in Pretoria in the fashion that Jan Serfontein is slowing being turned into another one-dimensional Bulls 12?

South Africa is blessed with gene pool that produces plenty a massive men. But an approach to rugby based purely on physicality is a recipe to fall short for the target of world domination. Who would you rather have in your side? A 100kg Brad Barritt or a 85kg Matt Giteau?

South Africa has significantly larger player numbers and greater financial resources than New Zealand. In the professional era, there should be no reason why the SA teams should continue to play second fiddle to their old rivals.

Know your rugby? Why not bet on the next game

By no means am I suggesting that Meyer suddenly revolutionise the way the Boks play as an example to the country - that would be suicide. But if South African teams are ever going to become the dominant force in world rugby, coaches in the Republic, at every level, need to stop asking themselves 'how are we going to beat the All Blacks' or 'how are we going to win this weekend'.

Instead, they must start asking 'how are we going to play better rugby.'

by Ross Hastie via PlanetRugby

If you like this article, connect with Willem on Twitter @WillemTait 

The History of South African Rugby

Introduction of Rugby Football to SA

The Dutch began to settle in the Southern tip of Africa from 1652 but it was only with the arrival of permanent British control in 1806 that the economy began to prosper and cultural and political power grew and extended its influence into the region. As elsewhere in the British Empire a wide range of British cultural practices were introduced during the mid 19th century including sports like football and cricket.

The Reverend George Ogilvie ('Gog'), born in 1826 in Wiltshire, England, is credited with introducing football to South Africa, following his appointment as Headmaster of the Diocesan College at Rondenbosch, near Cape Town in 1861 and remained until 1885. Actually, the game he taught was the Winchester football variety, a game he had learned at his former ‘alma mater’, the well-known Hampshire school, Winchester College, Hampshire England. Soon, the young gentlemen of Cape Town joined in and the local press reported a series of football matches between scratch sides conveniently named ‘Town v Suburbs’, Civil servants v All comers or ‘Home v Colonial-born’ etc. etc. but the first game took place on 21st August 1862 between the Army and the Civil service.

Circa 1875 Rugby football began to be played in the Cape colony, though the first club Hamilton RFC formed that year was playing the Winchester game. The following year two further clubs - the Western Province and Villagers - were formed. The former adopted the Rugby rules, while the latter opted for the Winchester code. Indeed it was Winchester Football that the two leading clubs Hamilton and Villager started playing against each other in 1876, and the history of football in South Africa might have been very different, but for the arrival in Cape Town in 1878 of William Henry Milton, the former England back.

By the late 1870s, rugby football was very much battling to survive against Winchester Football and the Western Province club had ceased to exist due to lack of support, but the arrival in Cape Town of William H. Milton in 1878 turned the tide in favour of rugby. Milton, who had played for England only a few years earlier (in 1874 and 1875), joined the Villagers club and started playing and preaching the rugby code. By the end of that year the football playing fraternity in Cape Town had all but abandoned the Winchester game in favour of the Rugby football variety. Ten years later, Milton (later Sir William, the administrator of Southern Rhodesia) represented South Africa at cricket, though by the time the first British tour arrived in 1891, he had given up playing rugby.
In 1883 the W.P.R.F.U. organized the first club competition for a cup, known as the Grand Challenge Cup, also around 1883 the Stellenbosch club was formed and the young Boers from the farming belt took to it likes ducks to water.

Around the same time the game began in Cape Town, started by a number of British regiments and by the end of 1883 Rugby was established right across the coastal belt of the old Cape colony and expanding in popularity. From there it expanded into Kimberley where in 1886 Griqualand West Rugby Union was formed. Next it expanded into the Western Transvaal towns, Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom whilst the Cape Town men introduced it to Pretoria and Johannesburg. Inter-town matches between Pretoria and Johannesburg were being played in 1888 and the following year the Transvaal Rugby Football Union was formed. Association football had been introduced to Natal earlier than Rugby and so Rugby took a little longer to get a foothold. But by 1890 clubs had been formed in Pietermaritzburg, the capital and headquarters of the British army, and in Durban.

In 1889 the South African Rugby Football Board was established to link up and govern the various unions. They held their first tournament the same year ay Kimberley where the Western province, Transvaal, Griqualand West and Eastern province competed. The Western province won the tournament and went on to win the next eight.