For the first game of their inaugural season the Albion Rugby Club’s women’s team players did not want to get off the bus, former captain Kim Johnson says.
About 12 members of the team who played for Albion in Rugby Southland’s women’s competition in 1993, attended the club’s 125th anniversary at the weekend.
Some of the friends watched the present Albion women’s team beat Wakatipu 39-31.
Johnson said while the club had fielded teams for friendly matches against other clubs, 1993 was the first year the club entered a team in the competition.
There were no Eastern Southland teams in the Southland competition at the time, so she decided to form one.
"I decided I wanted to have a crack at rugby and rounded up a few of my mates."
"None of us had played rugby before, so we didn’t have a clue of the rules or what was going on."
The team’s first game was against Tokanui.
"They bound their heads up with tape and came out looking real fit. We’re sitting on the bus going ‘do we have to go out there?’"
They found out later the Tokanui players, knowing it was their first game, did it for a joke.
There were eight teams in the competition, which was divided into two tiers partway through.
Albion were in the bottom half of the competition and went on to win the trophy.
"We thought we had won the Melbourne Cup. It was really special."
The team played together for about five years.
"We’ve had longtime friends through this.
"The Albion club’s like a family to us, which is pretty special."
The standard of women’s rugby had improved from the early years when games were held on Sundays, Johnson said.
"It’s just better to watch [and] supported more."
Johnson has two daughters Millie, 16, and Rosie Corcoran playing in the present Albion team.
"It’s a pretty proud moment when your kids put on your colours and play for your rugby club."
The team had been together for about five years and was guaranteed to make the semifinal of the competition.
"It’s fabulous. I am so excited."
An Eastern team had never won the competition, which had been running since 1991, she said.
Bellew said coaching the women had been fun but he had to figure out how to get them to listen to him.
"You couldn’t coach them like men."
There were some talented players in the team such as Gillian Bedwell, who earned several Black Ferns trials, he said.
Club member Sharyn Niven played for the women’s team in 1983.
The team had friendly games against Bluff and Wyndham, Niven said.
Many of the team members also played netball for Albion.
