All
experience levels & skill levels welcome!
It’s a chance to not only play for a team with 50 years of history behind it, but also the opportunity to help shape the next chapter.
Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) brought a national team to Boston – the Banshees – but so many members of my old club, Beantown RFC, were picked up by them, it has led to this turning point for Beantown.
This Saturday, May 2nd, the Boston Banshees play their home opener vs the NY Exiles, at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Quincy, MA. Kick-off is 5 PM. Come check it out!
Also - this Instagram post has some great
pics of the Banshees, representing Beantown, wearing the red and blue hoops
during some recent New England Select competition.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXmZOGIlR10/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Pics by @gsabin
I can’t tell you what rugby will do for you, only what it gave back to me. Every drop of blood, sweat, and tears that I put in, returned tenfold:
- A circle of lifelong friends
-
Camaraderie
-
Acceptance
-
Encouragement
-
Belonging
-
Laughs
-
Good times
-
Road trips
-
Family
-
Drinking buddies, friends, friends who
became more than friends
-
Challenging myself
-
A tiny fracture in my elbow (fine now)
-
A lot of mud
-
Feeling like I could do anything
-
Opportunities to test myself, be
tough, be the one to make the play, the tackle, the blocked kick
-
Courage that I didn’t know I had
-
The inspiration to write my first book
I could never re-pay rugby, Beantown RFC, and the University of Illinois club, for what they’ve done for me.
I can’t guarantee what it will do for you, but I can easily say that rugby changed my life, immeasurably, for the better.
If you haven’t played before, or have never seen a game before? All good. Come on out to watch the Boston Banshees home opener this Saturday May 2 at 5 PM in Quincy, MA, at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. There will be some current/retired Beantown players there you can talk to. Look for the red & blue.
While Beantown RFC is in this re-building phase, re-inventing itself, it’s also drawing on the support of the alumni community which is deeply invested in Beantown’s continuing success.
Rugby is a place for everybody, and every body type, shape, and size. There are positions for the fleet-footed backs and strong-willed forwards.
I’m going to address the two issues that might keep potential players away. The elephants in the room. They both revolve around safety, personal safety and physical safety.
First, I’ll take on the L-word thing, straight on.
Rugby has always been historically – and to this day – an open and accepting environment for all women – gay, straight, bi, trans. Non-binary, genderfluid. And has probably suffered and paid the price for that, because some women might shy away from playing because of the fear of that stigma, of being associated with a “gay sport.” This was a topic of debate back in the 1980s. What should we do to look less gay? It was a form of self-censorship, alas. But still, what it means at the end of the day is that if you play rugby, no one will assume you’re gay, or that you’re straight; everyone will simply accept you as you are. It is a safe place.
And then I think, how far we’ve come, how evolved the world has become! All the out athletes at the Olympics, and in the WNBA and PWHL. All these amazing, strong, powerful women. Amber Glenn speaking so openly. Athletes proposing to each other. And then the whole Heated Rivalry book series. It seems like we’re having both a moment and a movement. And I’m not even really that familiar with all of these sports and teams. I didn’t even realize we had a women’s professional hockey team in Boston until after the Olympics. Why? I’ve been working non-stop full-out for 38 years and obviously LIVING UNDER A ROCK! A complete idiot sports-wise. I didn’t even make it to the Beantown games after a while. And I thought the song, “Stick Season,” was about hockey…
I’ve digressed a bit… but I’m going somewhere with this.
What broke my heart, though, after all of this, was reading on Wikipedia (yeah, I know, that’s some in-depth research there), that one very high-profile athlete hesitated to come out until only recently because she was afraid… And I think, oh my God, it’s 2026. But there it is, there is still fear.
Except, not in rugby. It just doesn’t matter. But, the fact that it doesn’t matter? Matters. A lot.
The second issue that might keep players away is physical safety, which I’ll address head-on.
No, I won’t. Because you should never go into a tackle head-first. Go low, and tackle around the waist or thighs.
Nothing is completely safe. Not gonna’ lie, injuries happen, as they do in all sports. It is this raw, sheer physicality of the sport, which is part of the draw, that also poses the greatest risk. But if you learn good form, and how to tackle low, you can lower the risk.
What
you miss risking – you risk missing.
So, don’t miss out!
Beantown RFC:
Come join our pack! Currently recruiting players, all skill levels welcome, for both summer 7’s and fall 15’s. Beantown will be competing in NERFU Division II this fall. First league match of the XVs season will be Saturday, August 29th.
Just fill out this form on Google Docs: Player Interest Form
Beantown is currently hiring a coach for sevens this summer and 15s for the fall:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DWsIoKzjSB9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
All of this comes just as Beantown is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVvrtHgjf-H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
For a pretty complete history of women’s rugby in the US, check out Kerri Heffernan’s book, No Advantage Given: The Incomplete History of U.S. Women’s Rugby 1972 – 2026.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DWXbAypDfU1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
The
best place to order it from is the publisher:
https://www.stillwaterbooksri.com/no-advantage-given-incomplete-history-womens-rugby-1972-2026
And then there is my rugby book, published 20+ years ago, Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life. And The Happy Clam, which came out in 2020, which is about, well, happiness. If you want a copy of my rugby book, just put something in the comments, and I’ll get one out to you, it’ll be simpler. The Happy Clam can be ordered directly from the printer/distributor:
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=H5CEjLsCLxp0QjPdNOPvntbgUAZdvqWRZoms9HXVnCO
Quoting from my earlier post on the Lake Placid trip (“Why so many cowbells?”):
Bringing this full circle –
I
always said, the best thing, or at least one thing, I learned from rugby, was
how to fall, and get back up - over and over again.
I would, if I could, pull out my old jersey and cleats and get back on the field and play again. Some days, I feel like I could. And this is one of those days.
Go forward, support!
BUSY HEADS:
"Stick Season," by Noah Kahan – just give this a fresh listen, and see if it couldn’t be about hockey after all!
https://youtu.be/JKrDdsgXuso?si=H62auaQ0OOxGGNmH
BUSY WEEK AHEAD:
April 30 – Boston Fleet Women’s Hockey Team - Game 1 of the Walter Cup Playoffs (PWHL) at 7 PM Eastern, at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA. Cheer on the Fleet as they take on the Ottawa Charge. Games are being streamed on YouTube and the PWHL website.
May 1 - Beantown Social/Fundraiser - From 6 to 8pm at Drawdown Brewing (3204 Washington St, Boston).
https://www.instagram.com/p/DWzrJAYjVM9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D
May 2 – Banshees Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) - Home opener vs. NY Exiles at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, MA. Kick-off is at 5 PM. Tickets can be purchased online ahead of time: https://www.universe.com/events/boston-banshees-vs-new-york-exiles-tickets-7WRV5J?ref=share-widget-buffer
May 2 – Boston Fleet Women’s Hockey Team - Game 2 of the Walter Cup Playoffs (PWHL) at 7 PM Eastern, at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, MA, vs. the Ottawa Charge.
Montreal
Victoire also play Minneapolis Frost at 2 PM on May 2, and again on May 5 at 7
PM Eastern.
May 3 – Hull Pride 5K Run (run, walk, or dance; all paces as well as dogs and strollers are welcome!) – Registration is required. Begins at 9:00. Race starts and ends at Hull High School. https://www.hullpride.net/events/over-the-rainbow-5k-run
May 3 – Boston Legacy Women’s Football Club (i.e., Soccer) – Host the Denver Summit FC at 3 PM at Gillette Stadium. Celebrating Pride! Will also be televised on CBS & Paramount Plus.
May 9-10 - NERFU tournament in Newport, RI.
May 31 - Rosie's Ruck 7s in Canton, MA.
June 11 - MA high school state championship in Quincy, MA.
Books:
If anyone wants copies of my books, they’re both on Amazon, but for the rugby book, just reach out in a comment, and I’ll send you a copy. It will be simpler.
The Happy Clam can be ordered directly through the printer/distributor (IngramSparks), cutting out all the middle-people: https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=H5CEjLsCLxp0QjPdNOPvntbgUAZdvqWRZoms9HXVnCO
SubStack – Also, thanks and welcome to all the new followers on SubStack! A simple and convenient way to get each new post delivered directly to your in box.
https://substack.com/@rosemaryschmidt
References:
© 2026 Rosemary A. Schmidt
Rose Schmidt is the author of The Happy Clam (© 2020), and Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life
(© 2004), both published by Gainline Press. The views expressed herein are
solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of any other agency
or organization. Use of individual quotes with proper citation and attribution,
within the limits of fair use, is permitted. To request permission to re-use or
reprint any of the content on the site, please contact me.
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