Tag rugby fever grips Ireland

Over 3,500 people are expected to take part in this summer's tag rugby season, a 30% increase on last year.

The official website for the 2003 series is now live and very much active as players seek teams and teams seek players. The League is taking place in Dublin, Limerick, Lisburn and Cork.

Imported and managed by the Irish Tag Rugby Association (ITRA) under the auspices of the IRFU, the game is divided this year into three separate leagues. The Super Men’s League, the Super Women’s League and the Social League. There is also a Vets League for men over 35. Each team consists of seven people. In the mixed team, there are four men and three women and a degree of fitness is required.

Eddie Wigglesworth, director in the IRFU and also a director of ITRA said: “The response has been tremendous with numbers growing daily. Two years ago we launched the series and word of mouth has generated its initial popularity. Anyone who participates can feel the buzz.”

Each game lasts for 20 minutes a side. In the larger venues, such as St Mary’s in Terenure, there may be as many as 30 teams playing in a single night. The rules are strict. A hooter goes for play to begin and each team lines up. Should a team be late to the pitch, they are docked one point for each minute they are late. Failure to arrive five minutes into the agreed starting time and the team forfeits the game.

The hooter calls half time and full time for each match. Afterwards the teams use the dressing rooms and often the club will put on a barbeque and social activities to unwind.

“Tag Rugby is popular largely due to its non-contact nature,” explains tag pioneer Simon Bewley, who first introduced the game to Ireland: “Each player wears a Velcro belt. Tackling is achieved through the removal of the Velcro strip. In the mixed teams, men score one point per try and women three – and so there is a strong incentive to encourage women to go over the line.”

ITRA supplies all equipment for the teams on the night but there is the option to purchase individual belts off the official website.

To register a team costs €425 plus vat, which works out at €4.50 per night for each player. Bewley and his team of managers up and down the country have the arduous task of planning the league matches, organising the referees, negotiating with clubs to host to the games and then recording all the results.

The final playoffs are held in St Mary’s on Saturday, 26th July. Last year 36 teams from across Ireland took part in the finals. All the league fixtures and results are held on the official website.