Author: Louie McNatt

Two seniors at McClatchy, Rayna Goodman and Stella Johnson, recently founded CKM Lady Lions Rugby, with help from Coach Wesley Hilger and Coach Cliffton Rouse from the Harlequins Rugby Club. Below is a summary of an interview between Rayna Goodman and staff writer Louie McNatt from The Prospector. 

According to Rayna, her coach had proposed the idea of reviving girls rugby at McClatchy months beforehand. She and Stella did not think much of it for a while, but as senior year approached and club season wrapped up, they wanted to establish a way to keep it going. Starting a club at McClatchy would allow them to play the game they had grown to love, interact with other kids who were interested, and share the sport with new people. 

They eagerly worked out the details with their coaches and, by early August, the club developed into something more concrete; they were promoting and bringing attention to it through their Instagram account, @ckmladylionsrugby. 

When asked to discuss her goals for the club, Rayna responded, “Our goal is to be able to introduce people to the sport, since it is not widely known. I believe it is quintessential that girls have the option to engage in a contact sport, because I can see that every player comes out tougher than when they began.” She explained that the school season is short, with only six weeks’ worth of games, so she views it as an opportunity for people to get to know what rugby is all about and gauge their interest in pursuing it further. If they enjoy it, they already have the foundation and can get involved with their sister team (though unaffiliated with the school), the Sacramento Harlequins. The next season begins in January and is “fifteens,” in which fifteen players are on the field instead of seven.

Boys’ rugby has a much deeper history at our school than girls’ rugby. Coach Wes reportedly told Rayna, “The boys have a longer history with more success. Now the CKM lions are the Sacramento Rugby Union Lions, part of the Harlequins club, so CKM boys still have an outlet for rugby and it is still called the Lions!” On the other hand, there has only been one girls rugby season prior to this year. In 2020, before COVID hit, they faced immediate success at the beginning of the season, winning the NorCal Fall Sevens Championship. Also, some of the original team members went on to play college rugby for schools such as Harvard, Brown, West Point, and Bowdoin. 

With regard to the team’s turnout so far, Goodman said that, on average, around twelve girls have been participating in practices, though it is often inconsistent. “On Wednesdays, our practices are combined with the Saints, another Sacramento rugby team with players from both St. Francis and Christian Brothers, so we usually have more than twenty players on those days.” 

While Club Rush was a major success in terms of the number of sign ups and apparent interest in joining, the difficulty lies in actually getting people to attend practice. The leaders understand that with a new club that is already set in motion a couple months into the school year, people can be hesitant to hop right in, but they claim that the best thing they can do is give it a try so they can learn the basics sooner than later. So far, the team has increased by at least two members per week since the first practice and is always accommodating to different levels of play. 

Rugby is a unique sport that is not commonly played, so the interviewee offered an explanation of the basic rules. The objective of the game is to score the ball down across the opposite “try” line–similar to a touchdown, except the ball must actually make contact with the ground. Players can carry the ball forward but can only pass it backwards. To stop the ball, you may tackle the other player. Unlike football, the plays are much more continuous because the clock does not stop after every single tackle. There are two main types of rugby, fifteens and sevens, simply indicating the amount of players on the field. The rules (known as laws) are the same in each, but the speed of play is different: in fifteens, gameplay is slowed down as each half is 40 minutes. In sevens, everything happens at a quicker pace and better highlights the skills of fast, agile players. Halves are only seven minutes long. CKM rugby plays sevens. 

Rayna Goodman joined the rugby community in December 2021, so she has not even played for a full year. One of her favorite things about the sport is “how easy it is to pick up later in life and still find a lot of success.” She attributes this to the fact that “it is so much more niche than other sports. For example, most soccer players start at such a young age that they can fine-tune their technique for a long time, making competition incredibly cutthroat. Within rugby, it is all about scouting potential.”

So, why should McClatchy kids consider joining CKM Rugby, one might ask? 

For starters, Rugby undoubtedly builds mental and physical toughness: after every tackle, you find the strength to get back up again and your mind and body become strong, tough, and resilient. 

Next, Rugby fosters genuine camaraderie. Typically in club rugby–especially during fifteens season when games are longer–both teams gather together after the game for something called “Women of the Match.” The team captains compliment the best plays from the other team, shout out their opponent’s most impressive players, and often meet them with a hug. According to Rayna, it is “a very positive space filled with excitement and congratulations for the teammates who earned recognition.” These strong bonding moments encourage a sense of community among all the different teams, including those from well beyond the Sacramento area.

Finally, rugby opens doors for college. Even learning the game this year as a senior could set you up for college recruitment. College coaches care most about the potential a player holds, knowing that technicalities can be refined with practice. Rugby experience can help you ‘get your foot in the door’ at colleges you might have never considered possible. On that optimistic note, the interviewer concluded her questioning by asking for the team’s schedule and contact information:

The Lady Lions Rugby team practices at Doc Oliver Field on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm and on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. The field is located in Land Park, a half mile from CKM. If you are interested in joining the club, text @ladylionsr to 81010 or enter the same code in the Remind app. Check out the Instagram page @ckmladylionsrugby, where you can find even more helpful information and all kinds of resources.