by Dave Delgado
Guam - This year's girl's
high school rugby season will now offer tackle rugby to those that want to
participate. The Guam Rugby Football Union together with the IIAAG will
implement the new program in 2012 season but will not replace the flag version
but offer it as an alternative. Since the sport made its way to the island in
1999 it has flourished to 11 of the island's schools with about 275
student-athletes taking part in the sport.
The tackle version of the sport will help build the women's
national team program and get our girls up to par with schools that already
play tackle rugby in the states. The girl's game has grown from 10 a side to
now 12 a side with scrums and line outs since 2009. The offer of a tackle
version of the game allows those girls's who are eager for the physical
confrontation of the sport to leave the flag version of the game and take their
abilities to the tackle pitch.
According to the IRB, there are 150,000 women and girls
playing Rugby around the world with the
numbers increasing. Our local players have took their game to the next level
playing for universities such as Penn State, Arizona, Army and Navy and have
also represented the island very well in international competition in Hong
Kong, Singapore, Thailand, China and Portugal.
On the women's side our national team has posted wins
against Hong Kong, Singapore,
Taiwan and Norway where nations count their
populations in the millions rather than the thousands.
