A few days ago, Sandy Park, home of the Exeter Chiefs was the location for a big announcement for the women’s rugby game.

In 2025, our local Premiership venue will be playing host to the best Women’s Rugby in the world as it becomes one of the locations for the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Anyone who has watched women’s rugby either on the TV or in person can be in no doubt that the game is as nail-biting as when the men play so tickets to these games (schedule yet to be announced) will no doubt sell like hot cakes.

We live in a part of the country that has a really strong rugby tradition and I am given so much pleasure in knowing that we here in Exmouth are proudly developing some really strong female rugby players. Both our local clubs – Exmouth RFC and Withycombe RFC field mixed teams in the younger junior sections ensuring both boys and girls get a good grounding in the skills required to play. Withycombe also currently has an U12 girls’ team and Exmouth fields girls’ teams at U12, U14, U16, and U18. Exmouth U16 girls have very recently won the Devon Plate tournament in a hard-fought game against Bideford and the U18’s also got through to the final of the Devon Cup missing out to a combined Kingsbridge/Paignton side. Both Withycombe and Exmouth have successful ladies’ teams too proving that the women’s game is flourishing at grass roots level.

Rugby has a set of values promoted by the RFU called TREDS : Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline, Sportsmanship. As far as the girls go, I think we should also add Empowerment in the mix there. If you can launch yourself at an opposition player running at full speed, using your skills, strength and mettle to stop them in their tracks , you are surely fearless and you can achieve anything. The season may be ending, but opportunities to get involved are always just around the corner. Ladies, if you or someone you know has always fancied trying the game then take this as your signal to send an email, make a phone call or turn up at one of our clubs in September. You’ll never know you can, unless you try.