Women in the island tried rugby for the first time ever as part of England Rugby’s Inner Warrior Campaign. Our reporter Jess Ward joined the event which was supported by Vagabonds Rugby Club in Braddan.

Rugby is a sport notorious for being rough.

Although I was excited to take part in the Inner Warrior event, due to my love of sport, the All Blacks and the fact that I’d make my rugby-loving family proud, I was still anxious that I’d come out of it in a broken state with no way of writing up this feature.

I can happily say that my worst fears were far from the truth and that the session was an incredibly fun experience.

The welcome I received on Saturday morning from the ladies’ Vagabonds team made me feel like I was already part of their circle.

While I was having my warrior streaks painted onto my face I noticed that those not wearing rugby get-ups - the ones either trying out rugby for the first time or joining in for a bit of fun - were a mix of ages.

Some were younger than 15 and others were over 50.

The club’s newly appointed head coach, Ryan de la Harpe, a former international scrum-half for Namibia, gave a quick introduction to the team who would be directing us through the various drills on the pitch.

Following his instructions we began the ice-breakers, which consisted of a conga-like group game where individuals had to avoid being touched by the rugby ball and more.

Thoroughly warmed up by the activities, and our laughter, we were then split into two teams to take part in the drills.

One drill was essentially ’bulldog’ and ’dodgeball’ combined. Two people went on either side of the area set out to throw balls at those running from one end to the other. Obstacles were also placed to add an extra challenge.

If a person got hit they joined the throwers until the very last person was out.

Another drill tested your reaction time.

Squatting opposite a partner with a cone in between you, you had to follow the coach’s commands. We placed our hands on what was shouted out, whether that being noses, knees, toes and so on.

Once the word ’cone’ was said the one who grabbed it first, won.

Accuracy, speed, strength and defence were all skills tested. Not one drill would have placed you in harm’s way.

The session lasted a couple of hours with refreshments offered throughout.

A big barbecue was hosted by the club and the newbies also had a chance to ask the women’s team questions.

Speaking with captain Lauren Ellison and vice-captain Chrissy Johnston, I asked how they’d got involved in rugby.

’One of my best friends played at university before she came to the island. She dragged me out to have a go, otherwise I wouldn’t have come,’ said Chrissy. ’Eleven years and I just keep coming.’

Lauren, now in her sixth season of rugby, said: ’My aunty played and my mum’s partner was already part of the men’s team and he started coaching the ladies’ team.

’They were doing some rugby fit one summer and said "just come on up for fitness". I thought I’d give it a whirl.

’I remember being on the pitch and someone hit me. I thought "I need to hit them back" and that’s it, I’ve never looked back since.’

Vagabonds have the only women’s team in the island.

Chrissy added: ’It isn’t the most popular sport for girls, but it’s nice to see it coming more alive now in the world and it’s getting that recognition that it’s a good sport and not just for men.’

They say the club is keen to set up teams for younger girls and a walking rugby club for the older generation where they can play touch rugby.

Ryan told me that along with coaching the men, he has worked with women’s teams for around 10 years and was excited about the Inner Warrior event.

’I was a bit worried about the weather,’ he said, ’but the numbers were brilliant and everyone’s attitude was absolutely brilliant.

’It’s my first time running the Inner Warrior initiative, so I’m learning as I go along. I really enjoyed it. We tried to keep it as safe as possible as we had people as young as 12 to 72 years of age taking part.

’To be honest when I was growing up you wouldn’t have thought of women playing rugby, but when I moved to England I warmed to it.

’For me I’m looking at the bigger picture. It’s about unlocking their inner confidence. I’ve got a daughter myself and she’s so competitive with her older brother. She wants to do everything and even better than what he’s doing.’

He explained that the club wants to encourage more people to watch or get involved in the sport.

He said: ’It’s not just about the numbers it’s about those people who don’t know what to do on a Saturday. It’s about getting them out of the house in winter.

’If people are already at other clubs and if their clubs aren’t playing that day, they’re more than welcome to come and watch us because it’s all about Manx rugby at the end of the day.’

Speaking further, I find out that he not only got to play in the Twickenham stadium several times, but also in the World Cup in 2011, which was held in New Zealand. I’m sure that’s every rugby player’s dream!

Youth co-ordinator Gail Smalley said: ’We’ve got a lot of clubs in the island and we’re not all at full capacity. We start from the age of six and they go all the way through until retirement.

’It’s not like the youth go straight into full contact rugby, we do an introduction until contact where they do a simple tackle and then they ease their way through.

’We think rugby is a great team sport. We’re a family here. People come here and they can talk to anybody in the clubhouse.’

See @vagabondsiom on Facebook for more information.