---

Think of a sport where hitting is the norm, tackling is required and keen ball-handling skills are essential to a win.

Nope, not football.

The sport is rugby, an ultra-popular international game that has been slowly gaining traction in the American culture. And now, rugby has firmly planted itself among the most popular club sports in Chisago Lakes.

Rugby is a hybrid sport that shares elements from numerous activities. In rugby, players can advance the ball forward by themselves, but they cannot pass the ball forward. It has to be a backwards lateral. At the end of each side of the field, which has similar dimensions of a football field, is the end zone. Once a player with the ball crosses that, they score points.

However, if they are stopped by a tackle, a scrum ensues were the participants in the scrum attempt to kick the ball back to their teammates.

The game is fast-paced, fun and physical. In just their second practice, the girls of the Chisago Lakes rugby club were still struggling with the basics, but under the direction of their coach Tony Randall, the girls were picking up knowledge and intensity within the first half hour of practice.

Because rugby isn't a sanctioned high school sport, the teams are rugby 'clubs' that are mostly ran through community programs and not the high school. Chisago Lakes' rugby club is part of the Community Education program, and is for girls 19 and under. The target for the club is girls in grades nine through 12, much like a Minnesota State High School League varsity sport.

The rugby club in Chisago Lakes is the brainchild of a few minds put together. Randall was passing through high school social studies teacher Rick Bouwens' office at the high school when he noticed a few rugby posters clinging from the wall. Randall struck up a chat with Bouwens about their shared interest in the sport, and they quickly mapped out a plan to start a rugby club.

Within weeks, they had their first meeting, and a staggering 50 girls showed up to it. "I was amazed when I heard how many kids, especially in that area, showed up in the beginning," said Minnesota Amateur Rugby Foundation Youth Director Megan Braun.

Braun, who grew up in North Dakota and played rugby for the University of North Dakota, preached the safety of the sport, despite its physical nature.

"Of course the sport gets intense and physical, but I've been up there to Chisago Lakes and met with the coaches. They are a good group," she said. "And if you have good coaches that teach proper techniques, and you play with your head, you'll be fine. You can get hurt in any sport, and as long as you play rugby the right way, it's no different than any other."

The girls will play a bevy of different teams from around the state. Since it's not a high school sanctioned sport, they aren't bound by conferences or sections. Over the course of the season, the girls will play in one tournament and eight regular season matches. The matches will be against the likes of Burnsville, Wayzata, Rogers, Forest Lake and Minnetonka. Their first game action will be at a Rogers tournament on Sunday, April 5. Braun said that the Chisago Lakes team will be playing some teams that are new like them, but they will also be suiting up against some teams that have been around for a while.

Although the original number of 50 dwindled to between 30-35 by the time the first practice rolled around, the number is still impressive for an area that has never had a rugby presence before now. Braun joked that with this sort of numbers, the area could feasibly field two teams.

But, Randall is taking baby steps for now. They want to get a good squad together first since much of rugby, although a physical game on the surface, is a mental contest. As French rugby player Jean-Pierre Rives said, "The whole point of rugby is that it is, first and foremost, a state of mind, a spirit."

---