An interview with Club President Alex Millar, ahead of the new season starting next week.
Credit: UStA Rugby.
Like most things in St Andrews that meant going outside, Women’s Rugby was mostly killed by COVID-19. After years of struggling to field one team, this season will prove that Women’s Rugby at this university has bounced back.
With numbers increasing at an incredible rate, St Andrews is the second in the BUCS Scottish League to field two full teams, and the formidable resilience of the club promises big things in the upcoming season.
The growth of the team might be because of how welcoming it is. As any St Andrews sport, the club has plenty of social nights, but outside of this, the club is also incredibly dedicated to developing the skills of their players.
Alex made sure to emphasise the development pathway into gametime for newcomers. She was a newcomer herself in her second year and is now playing with the first team. The doubling in numbers last year also speaks to this. The sheer frequency of training alongside games in the Aspiring League will turn newbies into seasoned players before they even realise it.
Last season, the women’s first team (“the 1s”) came second in the league, and outside of it won the Sauventus Sevens Scottish Varsity Tournament alongside the men’s team. The women also reached the semi-finals of the European Rugby Sevens Tournament in Lille — despite not even being a sevens team.
This season, the 1s are aiming to win the league, and the 2s will be solidifying their presence in Tier Two of the league. The 1s will open the season next week with a home game against Stirling, while the 2s are away to Edinburgh Napier at the end of the month.
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