On Saturdays, when an afternoon of running and tackling and grinding people into the dirt is over, a group of Harvard women will get together for a few drinks. Then they'll sing an old favorite, generally something like "S&M Chick," recited to the tune of "The Candyman":

Who can take a penis,

Chop it Sicilian style,

Put it on a pizza

And serve it with a smile...

That's bonding, women's rugby style. While the sport is rough, and its culture coarse, it's becoming hip. This year, about 50 women are risking limb to practice rugby three times a week, with a game on Saturday.

"I love the sport; it's a lot of fun," says Liza R. Studen '96, who has played rugby for five semesters. "You get some aggression out, and then there's the social part of it."

"I enjoy tackling people into the ground," says Beth M. Edwards '95.

The women's rugby club--formed in the spring of 1988--may be one of the more significant women's groups on campus. Attendance at practice far exceeds the typical turnout for a Radcliffe Union of Students meeting. And a rugby game day can be more social than any event organized by the Lynx, the on-again, off-again women's final club.

By its nature, rugby is ferociously physical. Players hurl themselves full force against their opponents, fling them to the ground, and then pile on. Unlike in football, they do this without protective shoulder pads or reinforced helmets.

The only safety features are mouthguards, long-sleeve jerseys and the common practice of taping one's ears to one's head. That makes it harder to rip the ears off.

"My first game at Wellesley Col- lege, I loved it," says Lee A. Martinez '95, the team's president. "It's crazy. It hurt, but I really didn't think about it because your adrenaline is up."

Afterwards, the two teams make peace by celebrating together; communal beer-drinking and bawdy singing are typical reconciliatory gestures. It's all part of the culture of women's rugby at Harvard. You may get seriously injured, but there's always a party later.

"I know our team particularly likes parties," says Patty W. Seo '96, who plays the scrum-half position for the team and is also a Crimson editor. "One reason rugby is not a varsity sport is because drinking is involved. It's nice way to end the competition."

The recent swell in popularity for the sport may be traced to positive word-of-mouth, particularly among women in the Class of '96, Martinez says. The number of club members swelled to nearly 60 last year, and so far this fall has kept pace with approximately 50 players, according to rugby co-captain Chandra Harrell '95.

"I think once the Class of '96 started playing, [turn-outs] boomed," Martinez says. "People hear about it, and they come and play."

Indeed, enthusiastic friends are often the most persuasive, and dogged, recruiters. Martinez, who did not play a sport in high school, says she was "made to try out" by her roommate. Finally, three out of her four first-year roommates wound up playing.

Co-captain Myrza R. Perez '95 says peer pressure was also a factor in her decision to join the club.

"A few friends pressured me in." Perez says. "We were just talking about it, and they convinced me to come to practice."

Ex-Cheerleaders

For almost every women's rugby players, the sport is an entirely new experience. Few high schools offer it, and the club draws curious athletes from seemingly incongruous backgrounds.

Jane Remeika '98, for example, was a ballet dancer; Seo and Perez, like several other members of the team, were cheerleaders.

"It's a running joke," says Seo, who has played since the fall of her first year. "There are a lot of ex-cheerleaders on the team. Myrza was captain of the cheerleading squad in high school, and a basketball cheerleader her first year at Harvard. I just did it up to junior year."

"There's a sense of pride about rugby that I just didn't feel about cheerleading," Perez adds.

Remeika, who played soccer in high school, says rugby appealed to both her love of athletics and her desire for adventure.

"I used to play soccer, but I wanted to try something new," says Remeika, adding that her sister's involvement in rugby at Brown also prompted her interest. "I like it very much. It's pretty non-stop; there's a lot of action."

Unlike other sports, rugby does not require a set body type. That's part of its appeal, says the club's coach, Lisa Gartner.

"Different positions require different things," Gartner says. "Some positions require strength, some speed."

Patty Conell, captain of the Boston-based rugby club Beantown, which provides coaches for the Harvard team, says that while a wide range of abilities are necessary, none are "specific to the sport."

"People who've never even played tackle football can come and learn to play rugby," Conell says. "That's the way it is everywhere. It's the last amateur sport in the world, as far as I know."

"It caters to a lot of different athletic abilities," adds Michelle C. Sullivan '96, who played Harvard rugby for three semesters, beginning in the spring of 1993. "I hadn't played the sport before; I hadn't played any sport before. There's no cut, [so] it was something I could try, and I wasn't going to be told I wasn't good enough."

Common Misconceptions

As a sport, women's rugby is very much the new kid on the block. Boston University, for one, doesn't have a team yet.

But already, several stereotypes about women's rugby players have emerged. One common misconception is that women who play rugby are tomboyish, masculine or gay, according to club members.

"In a way, it's a method of suppressing women from playing a 'rough sport," Cornell says of the stereotypes. "It's a means of putting it down. It's not an exclusive sport--different people like to play--gay, straight, pregnant."

Sometimes, however, the stereotype is perpetuated by other rugby teams. Sullivan recalls that, during a visit to California for a club side match last spring break, Harvard's team was hassled for appearing too "feminine."

"They [the opposing team] beat us out, but not as significantly as they would have liked to," Harrell explains. "Each team has its own personality, and they weren't sportsmanlike. They were very bitter. . . they lashed out, saying we were a little too girlish."

As the Harvard women walked off the field, their opponents shouted "Cut your hair!", Harrell says.

Within the team, however, cookiecutter conformity is not expected. Players are open-minded and genuinely encouraging of one another, Harrell says. In fact, the openness of the team made the process of coming out of the closet easier for her.

"Lesbians feel more comfortable about being out there," Harrell says, "[The team is] very supportive, they don't make an issue of it."

While they're friendly, that doesn't mean they hit any less hard. In fact, one of the club's main attractions is the sheer physicality and spirit of the sport.

"It's a little scary, but it releases tension," says Megan J. DuBose '97. "There are no rules about how rough you can be. You can basically tackle someone however you want, bring someone down however you can. After a game you're exhausted, banged up, but it's a good feeling."

Members of the team see rugby as a growth sport. At the same time, however, they acknowledge that not everyone thinks being mauled by an opposing team of 15 women is fun.

"You get bruises and you get cut up," Martinez says. "It's not for every body."Photo Courtesy Women's RugbyThe women's rugby club mixes it up during a recent match with the University of Vermont.