Not only for men …

Rugby team needs players. Men need not apply.

One warm Sunday afternoon in October I watched a game of women's rugby in Kansai, yes you read that correctly, women's rugby. Euphemistically, 'I didn't quite know what to expect', which is to say I thought the afternoon would give me a chance to work on my faded summer tan if the game wasn't enough to hold my full attention for a full sixty minutes. Quite the paradox, these women are tough competitors who play a serious, not to mention great, game of rugby.

Are we surprised and (dare I say) somewhat dismissive of women's rugby in Japan? The simple answer, yes. Friends had this to say on the matter, “No way, did you take pictures? This I gotta see”. This kind of thinking serves to inhibit the game's growth here and is a source of frustration, which dedicated players, coaches and administrative people would like to see less of.

Who are these women that take rugby seriously? And why are many of us (both Japanese and Foreign) unaware that competitive women's rugby exists in Japan? New Zealand born, Kansai resident, Roimata Rimene plays for Neyagawa Women's rugby team. She has been involved with the Japanese rugby scene for over eight years and is one of three foreign players in this year's Kansai competition. She says “media coverage of women's rugby is miniscule” and a “lack of financial support” does little to progress the game's growth. She would like women's rugby to thrive because in her eight-year tenure she has played for and against many who have a bona fide interest in the sport.

Says Rimene, “People often remark how Japanese women who play rugby must be weak because they are small but they couldn't be more wrong. They are some of the best tacklers I've seen around … They have a great grasp of the game technically”. Rimene, who played rugby at representative level in New Zealand and is no stranger to rugby training describes the amount of practice here as “endless”. So, if you are thinking of joining one of the teams (and they'd love to have you, there is a shortage of players in Kansai) be warned, the training will test you.

There are four teams that play in the Kansai region which are Neyagawa, Hyogo, Kyoto and Nagoya. No experience is necessary, all teams welcome experienced and inexperienced players. They play 6-7 games (once a month). The season is six months from June until the end of the year. The season is short due to the lack of players but you'll have plenty of opportunity to hone those rugger skills at trainings that in most cases are every week throughout the season. The rules are the same as men's rugby however the games are shorter (30 minutes each half) and instead of playing on a dirt surface which is what amateur men's teams play on, women play on a grass turf.

Rimene says communication is in 'coded' English and Japanese, and points out that you need not be deterred if you aren't proficient in Japanese. As it happens, there are two hearing-impaired players in her team so the team communicates in a mixture of English, Japanese and sign language.

Rimene speaks highly of her team-mates, some of whom have played in national squads, at world cups and in international matches. She has the same amount of praise for the coach, Kawaguchi-san who gives up a lot of his spare time to coach and mentor the team. She encourages women who are interested in trying the sport to get involved because in her eyes “rugby is the ultimate sport, with its combination of strength and endurance. It's both physically and mentally tough”. If that's not enough to convince you to purchase a pair of boots, then maybe this will “It's a great way to meet lots of tall, strong, athletic Japanese male rugby players”.

Who to contact in Kansai:
Osaka: 072-6212-412
(Masayasu Kawaguchi, Neyagawa women's rugby)
Hyogo: 078-7619-275 (Asako Kumano)
Kyoto: 090-3268-3896 (Ohtsuka Yoshiyuki)

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Text: Renee Karena • Photos: Roimata Rimene