Galway Girl: If She's In Your Way, Get Her Out Of It

Last week, I had my first real experience playing in a rugby match. The game was against University College Dublin on their home pitch, so we left Galway at 10AM on Thursday in order to get to the 2PM match with enough time to warm up. It takes about three hours to get from Dublin to Galway, which is basically going from one side of the country to the other. The bus ride out was quiet, everyone listening to their iPod's and getting prepared for the match. We arrived a little late and had to quickly suit up and head out onto the pitch. I watched the first half and then went in for the second, after the coach prompted me with the motto "if she's in your way, get her out of it." And that's exactly what happened. I could have watched rugby matches for days, but nothing could have really prepared me for actually being in one. It's scrappy and ruthless and the other girls don't care if they hurt you, so you basically have to hold the same attitude. I played prop, a forward position who is on the front line of the scrum - the cluster of rugby players bound together, head to head with the other team fighting for possession of the ball. I was terrified in the first scrum, but I felt like I got the hang of it after a couple of times. I'm still not totally understanding the rules of the game, but I kept in mind my coaches advice and just went after whichever opponent had the ball. It was exhausting; it takes a lot to tackle or get tackled, and even more to get back up just to do it again. Our team won the game and I was happy to have been a part of making that happen. The ride home was like being in a pub on wheels; everyone was ready to celebrate after a well-deserved victory. We'd been practicing extra in preparation for the game and it seemed like the hard work paid off. Upon arriving in Galway, everyone went to their respective homes to shower and get ready for a double celebration: the defeat of UCD and the last night of Rag Week. Needless to say, it was great craic.