A touching World Cup story

In January 2007 the England Women’s Touch Rugby team head out to South Africa for the Touch Rugby World Cup. After a gruelling selection process over the past month, a squad of 24 will be boarding the plane to Stellenbosch via Johannesburg to fly the flag in one of the UK’s fastest growing sports.

Touch Rugby, the summer cousin of Union and League, has seen a dramatic increase in participation in the past few years. Alongside Softball and Frisbee, the nation’s park-lands are now awash with Touch Rugby.

Almost in line with the influx of Australians in London and elsewhere, leagues have spawned, competitions have grown and, in turn, England’s standing in the game has improved. Whilst the England Men’s Rugby Union team have floundered since their epic 20-17 victory down-under in 2003, the England Women’s Touch team are current European Champions.

Touch Rugby’s appeal lies in its accessibility. It lacks the crunching brutality of its cousins but retains the skills and explosive action of the game. Elite players need to be strong sprinters, capable of changing direction in an instant (to avoid a touch or to wrong-foot an opponent) and have the tactical nouse and lightening reactions to work a break in the opposition’s line and capitalise on the smallest of mistakes.

It is a fast, furious game and those who underestimate it are soon left trailing the heels of others. The rules are simple, the work-out complete, and the competition as tough as you want it to be.

As you might expect in a sport fathered and championed in the rugby-mad nations of Australia and New Zealand, there is a distinct Antipodean touch to the current England squad. Nearly two-thirds of the team hail from beyond England’s green and pleasant lands; naturalised after three years of life on these shores.

Newest recruit to the England setup, Natalie Wanrooy, is just one such example. Born in Papua New Guinea and raised in Brisbane, Australia, she grew up playing rugby on the Gold Coast. “It’s a way of life out there,” she explained, tipping her home nation to win in Stellenbosch.

Wanrooy moved to England eight years ago and has been playing Touch Rugby in London ever since her arrival. “I love it” she said, smiling brightly, her enthusiasm for the sport evident in the passionate way in which she has embraced her new role in the England set up. “I’m absolutely stoked to have made the team” she said. “The girls are all amazing and I’m learning so much with every training session.”

Quizzed on the team’s chances against the tournament favourites, Australia, she struggles to retain the same conviction. “Not a chance,” she laughed. “You’ve got to be realistic; those girls are playing 24/7, their squad has been picked and training together for a year. They’re funded and frightening. We’ll have had 4 months preparation by comparison, do a lot of our training individually after work and have to scrape together our own funds for the trip.”

Wanrooy used to be part of the Australian women’s rugby union side before packing up and moving to England. “I wouldn’t have a chance of making the Australian Touch team” she said, “so it’s awesome to have found a way to make the World Cup with England.” Playing down her past brushes with the likes of Australian Rugby legends John Eals and Michael Lynagh, Wanrooy is confident that England can make an impact given a favourable group in January.

With a range of countries from Scotland to Singapore joining Australia, New Zealand and the hosts, South Africa, the competition is set to sizzle. “We’ve got to fancy ourselves against Scotland” said Wanroy, resident south of the border for long enough to recognise the rivalry, “and, no disrespect, but I didn’t even know Singapore had a team.” The England football team may be firing blanks against European minnows but England’s Touch Rugby women hope to sprint through the early rounds against their sport’s equivalent nations and take a punt at the big boys of Australia and New Zealand.

Looking to build on their European Championship success, it just might be England’s turn to shine. Every tournament brings an upset and whilst the odds may be against our girls returning victorious, an appearance in the final is a distinct possibility. Asked if she would turn down a last minute offer to defect and don the Australian jersey once more, Wanrooy was diplomatic; but a mischievous glint in her eye betrayed fond sentiment for her homeland. “Let’s just see how I get on with the English National Anthem” she replied.