PLAYERS WANTED FOR GIRLS RUGBY TEAM

If your children have been inspired by Team GB’s success in the Rio Olympics, it’s hoped the ladies rugby team have motivated Peterborough girls to take up the sport…

Peterborough Rugby Club recently coincided the launch of a new recruitment drive for girl players with the inaugural Olympic ladies rugby final.

Australia took Gold, beating New Zealand in the final while the England team was left disappointed after losing to Canada, who they’d beaten in the group stage, in the play-off for the Bronze medal.

Despite her disappointment, GB captain Emily Scarratt said: “If we’ve inspired any girls to take up rugby, we’ve done our job.”

Boro have been working very hard for the last six months to establish an under-13 girls’ team, and go into the new season with no less than 25 players in their squad, but would still welcome more.

Head coach Simon Potter said, “This will really be our first season, although we had a few experimental matches with a very young team at the tail end of last season. In the three tournaments we entered we came second every time, but that was mainly against girls who were older, bigger and more experienced. This season, we really intend to put Peterborough firmly on the girls’ rugby map.”

The first training session will be at the Fengate club on the first Sunday of September (12.30) and from then on training will be on Tuesday evenings with matches on Sunday afternoons.

“We’re in this for the long run,” added coach Paddy Murray. “This isn’t a one-off team for this wonderful group of girls. This is hopefully the start of a dynasty that will go on building, with under-15 and under-18 teams in time, but for now we’re starting with the under-13s. We’ve got some brilliant players and the new season’s going to be a really exciting big adventure.”

Leaflets and posters are being distributed all around Peterborough to recruit players and a social media campaign’s being launched as well. Girls born before September 1, 2003 should contact ladiesadmin@prufc.com. Younger girls should contact spotter@prfuc.com