World in union

I’m seventy-four today. Last week, living proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks, I had a go at walking rugby.  I’m completely hooked.

When I was little, the boys in my family were very sporty.  My father and brothers were talented at soccer and cricket, especially my brother Chris, who had the distinction of running on the White City track, playing soccer at Wembley and batting at Lord’s. 

My experience as the family’s ‘tailender’ wasn’t quite so exciting. I spent many a Saturday afternoon in the summer helping my mother make sandwiches for cricket teas. To this day I can’t bear the smell of tinned salmon. Or I’d wander off and make mischief by peeping into the changing room or falling in the river.  

For reasons I will never fathom (I still don’t think ‘girl’ is a good enough excuse), my mother sent me, from the age of four, to Saturday morning ballet classes.  Oh, the joy when I went up to big school and was picked for the hockey team, which also played on Saturday. I could go out of doors, get muddy and shout a lot – unheard of in the ballet studio. My only experience of team games was hockey, netball or rounders. No soccer or cricket for me.

I didn’t touch a rugby ball till July 2021, when I attended the first Sport Parkinson’s Try-Athlon in Worcester. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet other active people with Parkinson’s and to try out different sports and activities. They included walking team games – adapted versions of football, netball, hockey, rugby, tennis and cricket. Since then, I have followed with interest the meteoric rise in interest and participation in these sports.

From seven…

After last summer’s successes for the Lionesses and Roses, a new generation of girls will never know what it’s like not to play soccer or rugby. How I envy them! On the weekend of her seventh birthday, my granddaughter Emily went to Twickenham to watch the final of the Women’s Rugby World Cup. England’s Roses beat Canada 33-13 and Emily was transfixed, finding new role models in Ellie Kildunne, Megan Jones and (since retired) Abby Dow.

At first she wasn’t entirely sure about all the pushy-shovy bits. Reassured that these aren’t part of the training for U8s she started playing minis tag rugby with our local club Bury St Edmunds RUFC. The club has a fantastic, inclusive family atmosphere. It’s where Kevin Sinfield set off on the first leg of his most recent December 7 x 7 challenge for motor neurone disease.

Tag rugby is a joy to watch – players move very fast and tackle by ripping a tag off their opponent’s Velcro belt. (I’m biased but) Emily’s rather good at this bit, anticipating where the opponent will move and flamboyantly holding the tags aloft.

…to seventy-four

Then I discovered that there is a walking rugby session in her club on Wednesday mornings, so I waited for a nice sunny day and went along. This group is also spared the excitement of scrums, line outs and dives. Tackles are a two-handed touch on the ball carrier, tries are scored by having both feet (and the ball) over the line. My catching and passing were reasonable, but I think I spent at least half the time offside. And probably ran a bit. Still, not bad for a first-timer.

The players were friendly and their instructions helpful.  It may be walking, but it certainly got my heart rate up, for nearly an hour, to zones higher than I can achieve on my own. In this ‘magic hour’ I pretty much forgot (as often happens) I had Parkinson’s. And there was a lot of head turning side to side while moving forward, which my balance gurus at Neuro Heroes will be very pleased to hear.

I’ll be going again. The sessions are free, supported by a community investment grant from a local property company.

Try for yourself

Do you have a rugby club (union or league) near you that includes walking rugby as part of its community outreach? It’s worth asking. There’s a list here walkingrugby.co.uk/ but it’s not exhaustive.

If you’re interested in trying a whole range of new sports (or re-igniting old ones), come along to the Sport Parkinson’s Try-Athlon on Sunday May 10 10:00 – 16:00 at the Stoop, Twickenham TW2 7SX (Harlequins home ground!) Early Bird tickets still available at time of posting.

Play > World in union > Gustav Holst> Charlie Skarsbek > Hayley Westenra