York RI: The confidence rugby has given me
To introduce our new website, we are running a series of blog posts from our players exploring what being part of York RI Women’s Rugby means to them. Vice Captain and prop Abbie Hallas talks about pushing through injury and anxiety to embrace her love of the sport…
My rugby journey has been an injury prone one and, to be honest, it still is.
I grew up in a rugby league family. Someone was always either playing a match or watching a match. I really got the itch to play when I went to secondary school. Me and some friends got annoyed because the boys were able to play rugby and girls couldn’t. We went to a P.E teacher to voice our annoyance and that set the ball rolling (pun not intended) to set up the school’s very first girl’s rugby league team. This started off my journey into rugby league - from school to my local amateur club, Yorkshire trials and being invited to national camps. I absolutely loved it.
I’d probably been playing about 3 years, when a nasty tackle at training left me with a ruptured ACL and a torn meniscus. When you’re aged 15 and everything revolves around sport, not being able to do anything was torture. I ended up having 4 knee operations over 3 years, so I was never able to get back to playing in my hometown.
When I moved to uni, I didn’t throw myself into joining sports teams as I was nervous about the knee. My uni didn’t have a league team, so I joined the union team. It took until second year for some friends to persuade me to go to a training session, and the first tackle I made I knew the knee would hold up and there was no reason to not play again. I had the best 2 years I’d ever had. That team helped me through a hell of lot and showed me how much a rugby team can hold you up and how much love they can throw your way.
After uni I missed playing the game, being part of a team and I wanted that camaraderie again. A few people I played with had also played down at York RI throughout university, so with just knowing the name of the team and where they trained, I trundled down to a training session. The first time I went to York RI was in 2017. Unfortunately, my own anxiety talked me out of staying so I left after only 3 or 4 training sessions. And I fully regret it.
After a couple more broken bones, some sprains and another knee ligament tear playing rugby league, I was starting to think whether it would be safer and more sensible to hang up the boots…but apparently I enjoy running into people too much. So I quit league again, and went back to R.I.
Now about to start my third season, I’m not quite sure what it is I was nervous about the first time. Sundays are easily the best part of my week, whether we win or lose. We turn up for each other and just have a whale of a time.
This is where I should insert a cliché about being part of a family, but it really is like that. On and off the field we’re there for each other. I love turning up at training and having a runabout and laugh with my friends. No better feeling.
Growing up I always struggled fitting in, being the bigger kid, so sport and P.E were my comfort zone. I don’t think I would be who I am today without the confidence rugby has given me. And I have definitely been my best, particularly mentally, these past couple of years because of the love shown at York RI.
I must have seen something special in the team the first time, for me to return and I think that speaks volumes in itself. Rugby is in my blood, and York RI has my heart.