Across the U.S., rugby is growing in popularity. What was once a sport associated with Western Europe has moved across the pond and has been accepted into the American mainstream. DePaul womxn’s rugby club is seeing the same growth.

The club meets once a week. Practicing at Wish field or at Oz Park, they play two different styles of rugby, sevens and 15s. Sevens is what they usually play — shorter games with fewer players — while 15s are longer.

Many players found themselves in the sport unexpectedly, recruited by the promise that no matter their physical ability, there was a place for them on the team. 

Imanii Hernandez was scouted to play when she was in high school. Having only played on her school’s dodgeball club, she was hesitant but interested when she was approached by two forwards at a club fair and has since kept with it into college.

“It was really welcoming,” Hernandez said. “They made me feel like, even though I hadn’t played a sport, it didn’t matter. Everyone has a body for rugby.”

Now, Hernandez plays in the womxn’s rugby club at DePaul. Part of what keeps her coming back is the strong community that she has found with the team.

“We’re a team on and off the field,” she said. “Whether the team is volunteering, going to a Sox game or having a crafts night, they have built a bond that helps them on the playing field.”

Last year, the Olympic Women’s Rugby Team brought home the first medal for the sport in 100 years, launching the sport into the American mainstream. Figures like Olympian Ilona Maher became the face of Olympic social media content during her first games in 2020, bringing awareness to the sport. Even DePaul women’s basketball’s Jorie Allen — who finished her last collegiate season in March — said that she is trying out for the Olympic Women’s Rugby team this month.

Locally, the Chicago Tempest, a semiprofessional women’s rugby team, joined the Women’s Elite Rugby League for its first-ever season playing for crowds at Northwestern University.

Some took on the sport as a continuation of some other sport they played. Zilva Asif is a graduate student at DePaul who joined the club during her undergrad when she realized she wanted to try a sport with more contact.

“I have a background in soccer and basketball, but you get a red card if you, like, shove a player,” Asif said. “I needed something more aggressive and intense. In rugby, you get points for tackling people.”

The team’s competition is not only against other rugby clubs, but it is (in a way) also against other university organizations. Like many of the other recreational clubs at DePaul, the womxn’s rugby team has to compete for practice space and other resources necessary to keep the club running. 

Whether it be funding to pay referees, rent out field space or buy gear, Asif said that the funding that DePaul clubs are given compared to neighboring schools is hindering their training.

“To deliver better on the field, we need funding,” she said.

When Johanna Jakobson joined the DePaul womxn’s rugby club her freshman year, it was a small group of seven players. In just three years, it has grown to a team of nearly 40.

With one year left at DePaul, Jakobson hopes to keep growing the club. She said that one of her hopes is to see more people trying the sport out, but she would also like to see the club excel. This year, the team finished in fourth place in their conference tournament.

“It’s the best we’ve ever done since I’ve been on the team,” she said. “I’d love to see the team go to nationals one day.”

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