EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff A UCLA women’s rugby
player attempts to pass the ball as she is tackled in the team’s
match against Belmont Shore.
By Jessica Bach
Daily Bruin Contributor
As the Bruins kicked one field goal after another, their strong
defense and swift passing led to another incredible victory. With
every tackle, the players showed what it meant to be truly
tough.
But these are not the kind of players people think of ““
football players have it easy compared to these athletes. Those men
have 40 pounds of pads and a helmet to protect them. Sunday’s
65-5 victory over Belmont Shore at the North Athletic Field was not
won by the quarterback, but delivered compliments of the UCLA
women’s rugby team.
Still, the team did not let the overwhelming victory overshadow
the work that needs to be done for the rest of this season.
“We’re still in the developing stages for team
cohesion,” said 11th-year hooker Jill Fenske, who just got
her Ph.D. in chemistry. “We still need to click more and
execute better.”
UCLA’s complete dominance over the Belmont Shore Club
began in the first minute of the game when they scored their first
try, worth five points, and continued brutally throughout the
course of the game. As the score ran up, many of the newer and
younger players were able to see playing time.
“We got a good mix of younger players in today to try some
new things and to see what we had to work on for the season,”
head coach Tam Breckenridge said. “We knew Belmont
wasn’t going to be a very tough opponent, so this gave some
good practice.”
In this predominantly male-dominated sport, the idea of women
playing in such a physically demanding athletic competition is
intimidating to most. But these players eliminated that
intimidation quickly.
“You get over the concept that girls can’t get dirty
and can’t hit hard,” Fenske said. “You need to
have the ability to face physical exhaustion because as you get hit
very hard, you have to keep thinking, “˜OK, so now what am I
going to do with the ball? Who do I pass it to?’ This gives
you a true sense of confidence.”
The team also finds itself breaking stereotypes.
“Most people are surprised when I tell them I play
women’s rugby,” scrumhalf Lara Strauss said. “I
just laugh at them. Any girl of any size can play this.”
As one of the student groups on campus, the team has been active
since 1975 and has been able to stay on top of the Southern
California League ever since its inception.
The team already won its first game 12-10 against the Scottsdale
WRFC in Arizona last week. The players have an impressive amount of
depth, which they hope will get them to the national
championship.
“This is one of the most exciting teams I have ever
coached,” Breckenridge said. “We have a great mixture
of youth and veteran leadership that will give us an excellent
team.”