SAN ANTONIO – It’s an old sport with tons of new interest in the United States: rugby.
The new interest is largely thanks to the U.S. women’s rugby team, who are bringing home a bronze medal from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“Oh, I was definitely watching,” San Antonio Riveters player/coach Jess Tharp said. “On that last play, they’re back against their try line. They’re at the very end of the field and she just runs over some people and sprints the 90 meters and it was fantastic to see that.”
A try line is similar to the goal line in American football. On the last play of the third-place game, the U.S. team had a run go the length of the field for a try.
A try is equivalent to a touchdown in American football.
The San Antonio Riveters, a local women’s rugby team, showed KSAT some fundamentals of the game.
“The ball is at my hip. As I’m turning, I keep my hands out to wherever I’m going,” a Riveter player said.
The coaches and players said two things are a must in rugby: running forward and passing backward.
I had some good moments in my rugby debut, but the Riveters also took it easy on me.
“I’m not letting you hit him that hard,” the Riveters’ head coach said to one of her players. “She’s one of our hardest tacklers we have.”
The Riveters hope that Team USA’s bronze medal will draw attention to the sport stateside.
“When I turn on ESPN, I’m getting golf more than anything,” Tharp said. “I don’t want to watch golf. I want to watch rugby, so hopefully it grows the sport within the states.”
The Riveters also want the attention on the win to inspire a new wave of women to get involved.
“(Women can) not only be athletic, but we can also compete in really tough sports and be strong,” said Tharp.
