New Utah Women’s Rugby team has huge goals for 2022 season
McCarthey Track and Field is home to one of the University of Utah’s newest athletics teams. It has everything to do with running, but more to do with heavy-hitting.
The University of Utah Women’s Rugby team marked their debut by hosting a tournament in November 2021 against other women's collegiate teams from across Utah, including Utah Valley University, Weber State University, and Southern Utah University. The Utes marked their debut with a 31-5 win against Weber State.
“The Men’s Rugby team has been around since the 1970s”, said Women’s Head Coach Emily Briggs, “UofU is such a powerhouse. It should’ve had a women’s rugby team a long time ago. I know we could win records easily once we’re established.”
Briggs, a 2019 All-American selection, captained BYU Women’s Rugby team and won the D1 National Championship in 2019. Briggs took on the head coach role with the Utes instead of opting to play professionally.
“I was disappointed by what the USA had to offer female rugby players after schooling. I decided to grow the sport by coaching,” said Briggs.
Currently, the Utes play Rugby 7s, an alternate version of the sport which traditionally fields 15 players per team. Rugby 7s fields 7 players per team on the same size field. This results in a faster-paced game played in shorter periods. Players must rely on their speed as much as they do their strength.
“We’ve been doing 7s. I would love to run 15s, that’s where my heart is” said Briggs.
“It’s a sport with a unique culture, one that players and spectators fall in love with… even if you have no idea of the rules.”
With over a decade of experience, Briggs claims that rugby is the most inclusive sport, “It needs women of every shape and size… I’ve never had a coach tell me I need to lose weight! Which I think would be refreshing for a lot of girls to hear.”
The Women’s Rugby team is open for anyone to try out regardless of experience. “My goal is to let as many girls as possible develop and empower themselves through rugby. The University of Utah needs a powerful women’s team,” said Briggs.
The Holy War between Utah and BYU has spanned many sports but has eluded women’s rugby. “After playing at BYU, I had always wondered why we never played the U,” said Briggs, “[I] decided to build a proper rival at the UofU.”
Preparations are being made to branch out to neighboring states for Fall games including Colorado, Arizona, Montana, and Idaho. It is clear that the coaching staff are investing in the future of the sport not only for the school but for the state of Utah and the nation as a whole. “[Players] can get really good really fast, and that’s the plan for University of Utah Women’s Rugby,” said Briggs.
To keep up to date on Utah Women’s Rugby team, follow them on Instagram @utahwomensrugby.
Rugby Football originated in England in the late 1800s as an alternative to Association Football (Soccer). Whilst soccer has grown to be the most popular sport in the world, Rugby has taken a back seat, played primarily in Europe and the Commonwealth countries. Rugby’s growing popularity worldwide has seen Rugby 7s become an Olympic sport debuting in 2016 in Rio and continuing in the most recent 2020 Tokyo Olympic games.
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