I'm 17 and am considering playing rugby in college; would I be able to?

Question

I have previously only ran track and field (distance runner) and cross country, so needless to say I'm not very muscular. I have lean muscles and I'm pretty agile but I only weigh about 115-120 lbs. Do you think I'd be able to play at the college level?

Answer 1

i'm sure you will be fine. it won't hurt you to start lifitng some weights to try and bulk up a bit. i'm about 195 pounds and i'm usually one of the smallest player on the pitch being a Scrum Half, but i play at a very good level of Rugby, so it may not be as bad for you only being 120 pounds

i've played Rugby Union since i was 7, and now i'm playing for my town's 1st team and my universities 1st team, and we get players coming along all the time who are 18 or 19, and we welcome them into the club, and the players will work with them to make them a better player.

I play in England, and the standard will be a a lot higher here than in the U.S but we still get a few players who make decent players even with relatively little experience.

just go along, have fun and enjoy yourself is the main thing and it's a great way to make new friends and stay in shape

Answer 2

anybody can play rugby thats whats so fun about it. if you really want to then give it a try.

Answer 3

i dunno

the standard in usa is pathetic so u might make it

Answer 4

Talk to the coach - if your intrested in trying out and walking on.. They'll usually let you work out with the team to get you buffed up.

Answer 5

Hey unlike other sports rugby/football whatever you want to call it, can be played with just specializing. For instance in soccer (or football as some call it) you have to be able to kick, run, and pass the ball or basket ball you have to be able to run, catch, pass, and shoot. I'm sure there are others. But specializing in rugby/football is good because if you have a heavy physique and are muscular. They won't make you run down the field to go do catches. I hear often that I need to bulk up if I want to play football but I don't think so. whats the point of being 240 pounds or something just to pass a ball. to play well you have to decide what you want to do specifically. as you said you ran so maybe receiver would be good. Run down the field and catch the ball. Or if you wanted to pass you should work on your passing arm. that's only for offense. If you wanted to play defense maybe it would be a good idea to try to block. there are positions that some people cant play because they are large. If you were to go catch a ball and someone chased after you that was much slower than you then the person passing would have an easy time making sure they got the ball to just you. Also you can really do anything if you just try. Just because its college level doesn't mean you wont be good at it. In all sports others may always be better than you but you just got to better yourself and hope you make the cut.

Answer 6

Most definitely. Rugby is not very popular in the US, so colleges are very welcoming to ALL new participants no matter size, skill, or experience. The best thing about rugby is all the positions are very different and they have one for pretty much all body molds. You would most likely be a wing (similar to a wide receiver in football). Good luck. What college are you planning on playing for?

ADDING ON: I like what Sean says about not letting the fact that it's college level scare you, but he really doesn't understand that football and rugby are VERY DIFFERENT and they can not be shoved aside in the "rugby/football whatever you wanna call it" category. Football only requires you to play one phase of the ball and there are stops every 10 seconds or so after each play. Rugby is more like soccer in that it is continuous and does not stop to start a new play. This aspect will allow your running background to help you greatly. As well, Sean talked about focusing on just one thing such as receiving or passing, but in reality, rugby trains players to be equipped in all positions because to be successful you will need to have a basic ability in everything (tackling, running, kicking, catching, passing) and you never know if you will grow and change positions. Like I said before, with your frame, you will almost definitely play wing and don't worry about a thing because I guarantee you will not be the only one new to the sport. In the US, the average age of someone starting rugby is 19, so again, don't stress it because it'll be fine. Sean, if you don't know about a topic fully, don't offer advice on it.