TAG RUGBYTag rugby is a non-contact sport that is all about getting past people with just a wiggle of the hips, writes Michael Kelly
THE RAIN IS falling in horizontal sheets and a biting wind is whipping around the Sports Centre pitches in UCD. It is 9 O'Clock on an August evening and it should be balmy, but instead there's a considerable nip in the air. It feels, dare I say it, wintry. Every where you look there are people togged out playing tag rugby.
Tag Rugby was introduced to Ireland in 2000 and it is not overstating things to say that it has become a phenomenon. It is estimated that there are more than 30,000 men and women playing the game in every corner of Ireland. The two main leagues in Ireland are run by the Irish Tag Rugby Association (the league is known as Volvic Tag) and the IRFU (known as Budweiser Tag). Both organisations run festivals, blitzes, leagues and beach tag events.
The most common misconception about tag rugby is that you need to have played rugby before to get involved. The key difference between tag and regular rugby is that the former is completely non-contact. There are no tackles in tag rugby - instead you stop an attacking player in their tracks by pulling one of two "tags" that they have attached to a Velcro strip on their shorts.
Unlike regular rugby you can't just decide that the best way from A to B is to run through your opponent. The game is basically similar to rugby league in that sense - attacking players are attempting to dodge and evade or pass the ball while defenders try to stop them by "tagging".
Referee Mark Stewart stops to chat on his way to oversee a match. It only occurs to me afterwards that maybe the reason he was such a willing interviewee was because it allowed him to stand in under my umbrella.
Stewart represented Ireland in the steeplechase and initially took up tag rugby four years ago as something to do in the summer months. This is his third year as a referee. "A lot of people say that fellas only get involved in tag rugby because it gives you a chance to meet girls. It is a very sociable game." The rules he says are all geared towards getting females involved and ensuring that they are competitive in a sport that is typically associated with brawn and brute force. So for example, when a man scores a try in tag rugby it is worth one point - his female team-mates however will get three points if they score.
The focus, says Stewart before he departs to start a match, is on speed and agility. "It's a completely non-contact sport so it's all about speed and wiggling the hips to get past people. There are leagues for all different levels of ability - even beginners - so it's accessible to all levels of fitness." From beneath my brolly, I scan some of the matches which are under way and I'm drawn to the intriguing names on the backs of the shirts of one particular team. An impossibly petite lady at number four is called "The Bull" according to her shirt, while one of her male team-mates is called "Hooters".
My brolly proves a significant draw to get people to talk to me at half-time. It turns out that The Bull, Hooters and the rest of the team all work for Google. Spokesperson Steve Smythe also plays regular rugby and sees tag as an opportunity for socialising. "I love the social aspect of it," he says. "It's a great way of getting to know the people that you work with." With half-time at an end, I then get sucked in to another match, between a team from Bank of Ireland and a team from a Sunday newspaper. The shenanigans during this match puncture the myth that tag rugby is in any way gentle or for that matter 100 per cent non- contact.
Within a few minutes, a big tall chap on the newspaper team comes off with an apparent ankle injury. The pace is frenetic. One of the BOI female squad members is frantically pacing the line and roaring "PICK YOUR PERSON!" to all and sundry. Suddenly one of the BOI women makes a daring run for the tryline with the ball tucked in under her arm. The big lanky chap (returned from the sidelines and possibly harbouring some resentment after his injury) runs alongside, lets a roar at her and she drops the ball in fright. It doesn't seem to be in keeping with the sociable ethos of the sport and I find myself hoping that the newspaper team gets an ass-whopping.
"Disgraceful," says a rain-sodden spectator beside me. Afterwards, a triumvirate of the female players from the BOI team - Jennifer Jordan, Jackie Brosnan and Bernadette Quinn - join me for a chat.
My umbrella is gaining legendary status for its restorative powers. "I think it's getting harder and more competitive as it gets more popular," says Jordon who has been playing tag rugby for four years. All three girls see tag as an enjoyable (occasional bad-mannered opponents aside), sociable and inexpensive pastime that helps them to stay fit.
Hundreds of soaked, weary players and spectators make their way to their cars through the rain. Sorry to report that the Sunday newspaper team were victorious in the end. "There's always next week," says Jordan.