Should I even try to play rugby?

Question

I'm in the U.S., I weigh 150 pounds, I'm six foot one, my 40 is probably a 4.9, I'm pretty weak, my bench is 130, my endurance is pretty good and probably the only thing I got going for me. I'm a senior in high school, and although I play pick-up basketball, football and soccer, I was never good or athletic at anything enough to even try out for a team. The rugby team is new at our school this year, but soccer and football kids are going to try out. Rugby doesn't start until spring, which gives me time to condition, but practice has already started and in the practices I've gone to I just don't feel like I would be a good contribution.

What is a good mindset to have as far as getting in shape by the time the season starts? Also, what would be a good position for my body type? What also is a good mindset to have as far as loving the contact? My pain tolerance is very, very high, but I just haven't engrained myself with the urge to crash into people.

Thanks

- for recreation, not pro

-recreation, not pro
-i already totally understand the concept of the game

Answer 1

A good mind set would be to continue going to practice.

Learn good techniques and also well learning more about the game try and think outside the square.

Your coach would find a position that would suit you, so I wouldn’t be too concern in what position to play yet.

I would however recommend that you continue working on building your strength and do some of the conditioning work you would have done from the other sports you have mention.

Remember: try not to do your strength work together with conditioning. Your patter should be Strength work – Rest - Conditioning – Strength work – Rest - Practise – Strength work –Rest...

I hope this is of some help and I wish you the best and remember to have fun.

Answer 2

Well you sure are a bean pole.But that does'nt mean you wont
be any good at rugby it will depend on how much heart you have by that I mean balls! I have known many a rugby player built like you with huge tickers and they are a bugger to tackle all knees and boney as well. Just learn the skills nescesarry and the rest will come. Bulk up in the gym as much as you can but at the end of the day if you have the ticker, you are 95% there. Its not the size that counts in rugby its ticker and smarts that make a good player. Go for it and good luck. The position you end up in will be decided by your Coach I would think.He should know where you are suited to play in the team.

Answer 3

I would say you're probably not strong or big enough to play in the pack, so you'd probably be better suited for the back line. If you want to focus on that, practice running; get faster, quicker, and more coordinated. If you'd rather play in the pack, you need to build up more bulk. Lift weights, get tough and strong. The scrum hurts.

The thing about rugby is anybody can play; age, sex, size, speed - there's a position for everyone. Practice with the team; that will help you a lot. As far as tackling people, don't worry about that; just stay low and you'll bring them down more quickly. It's hard to picture yourself tackling someone now, but when you're on the pitch, it becomes more second nature.

Answer 4

You dont just crash in, you have techniques to tackle etc, otherwise injury's are more common. When you play you dont feel the knocks as much because you are pumped up. For your height you might make a good winger or 3/4 liner--if you had a bit more bulk you would be in the pack somewhere, but if you were now you might snap. I would go jogging, do some weights, and try to train with others training matches. You'll do great--and you havent got to lug around those huge crash helmets and ridiculous shoulder protectors that the stop start footballers have to wear.

Answer 5

Well my brother is almost like you, and when he was a freshman in college he joined the club team. He had a lot of bruises but he said it was a lot of fun. He was a football player but was never really athletic and he does fine. I think that for conditioning at home you will want to do a lot of short explosive push-ups. We do these for my wrestling team. You dont fully extend from the ground. All you do is touch the ground and bounce right up about 5 inches. These will help you to help the team to push piles and to make nice hits. You can do these with crunches too. The drill we do is that we start at like 30 and do 30 pushups then 30 situps, after that 25 of each and so on of intervals of 5 until you get to 5. This will help a lot. You just have to know you are going to beat someones *** whenever you get in there too.

Answer 6

Definitely. I guess the popularity of women's rugby could vary country to country, but I've been playing rugby for years, and we've even played matches against a couple guys teams (now we don't do any more than buggers with them after a guy crazy illegally tackled this girl he hated, and then it led to my team trying to maul him for it...) Anyways, yes, girls do play rugby, and it's with all the same rules.

Answer 7

aim at fly half, the most important player in the team. if u know jonny wilkinson from britain ull know fly halves are not huge either.
uve got endurance, and that is one huge plus here!! the recent world cup lasted a month and a half instead of only a month only because rugby football players need more time to regain their strenghts. cardio training is also very important.
go give it a try and ull like it -its not about crashing into people but doing whatever possible to let ur team beat the contender!

Answer 8

I say go for it... anyone can learn the game. If you are a good athlete you can learn the necessary techniques very quickly. I find wrestlers especially make great tacklers. I am going to give you a different opinion on where you should play... 2nd row forward (also called lock) is one where you don't have to tackle a tonne. If you want to play at a high level, you will need to get bigger, but in high school that is not a hard place to start playing.

The bigger, stronger guys almost always THINK they will be better players and get outsmarted by the quick, small guys who are always 2 steps ahead of them in their brain. Its a thinking persons sport for sure! Go for it!!!

Answer 9

Wow man, you are my mirror, am in a similar situation, also just started recently and ask myself if I should even bother going back, I felt as if I am a burden, but I went back the next week anyhow, and what you say about bulking up and stuff, in the off season, heck I am going to join a gym for the next three months and In Jan/Feb I intend to not snap in half and/or burst into tears when being tackled. ha ha , just kidding, but hell maybe we play against each other. I am in Springfield MO.

Answer 10

If you just want to do it for fun, OK. If to play pro, forget it as rugby in the US is so far down the pecking order it'd be like being the best football player in Sri Lanka.