Sheffield Rugby Club holds try-out 'Warrior Camp' session for women and girls

Sheffield RUFC, based at Abbeydale Park, Totley, is hosting an ‘Inner Warrior Camp’ alongside its regular Thursday night training next week.

The free session is designed to be a fun introduction for those new to the sport, and encourage returning players to put their boots back on.

The Inner Warrior Camp programme, which runs twice a year, was formulated as part of a campaign to break down stereotypes about women and physicality.

Rugby union is a physical contact sport which is great for both fitness and relieving stress.

But many of the benefits are mental – from weighing up risk versus reward in game play to boosting self-esteem.

Rugby union became one of the fastest growing sports for women and girls in the country following the men’s Rugby World Cup held in England in 2015.

Since then women and girls teams have sprung up at clubs all over the country.

Following from England’s success in the Women’s Euros over the summer, the Red Roses team came second in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in the autumn.

Now, with the Six Nations tournament looming, the men’s World Cup in France in the summer and England set to host the women’s World Cup in two years, the Rugby Football Union is encouraging clubs to stage Inner Warrior Camps. Sheffield RUFC boasts a senior women’s team which is in the top 10 per cent in the country, a development team and a section for girls of secondary school age.

At junior school aged rugby is a mixed gender sport.

The girls’ Inner Warrior Camp runs from 6.00-7.30pm, with the women’s from 7.00-8.30pm.