TAKING UP ANY sport as an adult can be daunting, and team sports especially so.
When you add in the contact element of traditional rugby, then it’s little wonder that participation levels are as low as 1.1% of the adult population, despite it being one of the most watched sports in Ireland.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Touch rugby offers adults a way into a sport they may not have considered before – and here are some of the reasons why.
1. Nearly everyone’s a novice
Although it started in Australia in the 1960s as a way for rugby league players to stay fit in the off-season, touch rugby only came to Ireland in 2005. So you don’t need to worry about trying to ‘fit in’ with team-mates who’ve been together since they were kids.
2. It’s for virtually everyone (even this guy)
Whether it’s a game down the park, or an international encounter, touch rugby stays true to its philosophy as a “sport for all”. Men and women of all ages — and 50% of every team must be female — can compete together regardless of skill level or experience.
3. And can be played practically anywhere
Sultans of Ping FC famously sang: “Give him a ball and a yard of grass” and the same is true for touch rugby.
Unlike the contact version, there’s no need for goalposts, just access to a field (or beach, or any open space really), a few cones and a ball.
4. It will almost certainly improve your fitness
With just six players on the field at any one time, touch rugby is a much more tactical sport than contact rugby with players having to cover more ground. The result of this is the chance to increase your fitness levels while scoring some opportunistic tries along the way.
5. You get to be part of a team
There’s a reason people talk about the loneliness of the long distance runner and never the loneliness of the touch rugby player. That’s because getting to hang out with a bunch of people with similar interests is always a good thing.
But what makes a good team? Here’s what Dave Kearney, Fiona Coghlan, Alan Quinlan and Jordi Murphy have to say:
Cadbury Boost are proud sponsors of Irish rugby and are running the Cadbury #BoostYourAwareness Touch Rugby Blitz on Friday, 19 May at Lansdowne Rugby Club. If your team would like to enter, please click here.
All proceeds from the Cadbury #BoostYourAwareness Touch Rugby Blitz go to Aware.
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