Kingsbridge Rugby Club are incubating the next generation of female rugby players, being the only club in the South Hams with youth female teams.

Women’s rugby is slowly becoming more mainstream, with England Women’s team The Red Roses storming to success all over the place.

This year they won 15 of their 16 games, won the Six Nations and the Super Series, made it to the final of the World Cup - which they had won three years before - and just lost out the New Zealand’s Black Ferns.

This year was the first time the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final was shown on terrestrial TV, being shown on ITV on a Saturday night, with 2.6 million people tuning in to watch the action.

In Kingsbridge, they have seen this progress and made sure they’re at the forefront of the evolving game, but it all started with three young female players encouraging their friends to get into the sport.

Daisy Womack, who now plays for the U15s team, had been playing rugby at KRFC since she was five-years-old, but when she reached the age of eleven, she was no longer allowed to play with the boys, but there was no where else to go, there was no girls team.

So Daisy, along with her friends Molly and Izzy, roped in a group of her ‘sporty’ friends from school and created Kingsbridge’s first girls rugby team.

Talking to Daisy at one of their recent training sessions, I asked her about what she got out of playing rugby. “Its really good for friendships”, she said, “I got to know people I didn’t know before and I love that we’re improving as a team.

“I’ve always wanted to play rugby and it looks like there will be more opportunities as it grows as a sport. Hopefully Kingsbridge will soon have a good U18s team.”

Miranda Womack, Daisy’s mum and the U15 team manager, said that they recently took them to Twickenham to watch the Red Roses play and they have also met with the Bristol Ladies and watched them play in the semi-finals.

“There’s not much competition in our area”, Miranda explained, “At the moment we’re in a pool with Cornwall, Somerset and Devon, and if we win this pool we go on to face Winscombe in the National Championships.” Winscombe girls’ teams at U15 and U18 levels are currently RFU national champions.

Miranda also praised Kingsbridge RFC for supporting the women’s game. She said: “They’ve been amazing, the committee is all for it. Some clubs really struggle, Devonport don’t even have a full kit, but the club will give us whatever we want - water bottles, kit, anything.”

Bella Hartley has been playing with Kingsbridge Girls for just over a year and has already played for Devon. She said: “Its great for fitness - I represent the South West for running too - team skills and social skills. The tackling is great anger management too!

“Having a team is like having a second family. There are more and more opportunities for women now and if you want to come along everyone is so friendly and welcoming. If its not for you then there’s no judgement, but if it is, you instantly become part of the family.”

Dean Womack - yes its a family affair up at KRFC - and Cathy Walker are both qualified Level Two rugby coaches, and coach the Girls U15.

“This is our third season training girls”, Dean explained, “There’s more chat but they soak it up well - when they’re concentrating! It has grown hugely in the last three years, we’ve gone on trips and international tours.

“Izzy Noel-Smith, the England Red Roses flanker, coached them for a session and Poppy Leitch - England Women’s U18 7s, Bristol Women, and England Rugby U20s - too. She was good because she was more their age.

“There’s still a long way to go but the RFU (Rugby Football Union) were aiming to get 25,000 women and girls playing by 2019 and they reached that number this year.

“One of the amazing things about rugby is there is a position for everyone. What ever shape and size you are, there is a place for you in a rugby team.”

Cathy added: “It’s great to see everyone together, all different friendship groups come together to play rugby. Its great for them to have a female coach too, I played rugby at University, and we’ve been blessed with some all-round sporty girls, so they’ve started strong. They have great peer support between them.”

KRFC’s president, Jonathan Robinson, said he was “proud” to be encouraging women and girls to play rugby.

“Its wonderful, I’m delighted, its a wonderful thing for girls to do. Personally I love the concept of rugby and if we can instil the core values of the game, that can only be a good thing.”?Rugby as a whole has five core values: Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, the words you’ll often see projected on the stadium stands at Twickenham.

“Its a real growth area”, Jonathan continued. “It used to be that girls would play mixed until they were 11 and then they were thrown on the rubbish heap of rugby stardom because there was nowhere for them to progress.

“The support for the girls needs a dedicated bunch of organisers, coaches and parents and we’re lucky to have them here at Kingsbridge, especially Miranda, she’s a shining example.”

Jonathan also said that the RFU were are trying to “big up” women’s rugby and are providing revenue streams to support them, and Kingsbridge Girls recently won an RFU Development Grant.

Kingsbridge RFC are hopeful that as the young players come up through the club, they will be able to put together an adults Women’s team, but many of the players are likely to go off to university after they turn 18, so are always happy to welcome women who would like to play rugby, or at least have a go.

Miranda said: “You need at least 15 for a full team, but there’s things we can do with less than that, we could start a Sevens team!”

You can follow Kingsbridge RFC on Facebook, visit their website: kingsbridgerugby.co.uk or contact them on 01548 852051