The dictionary says a barbarian is a “fierce, brutal, or cruel person.”
To put the term in context, though, and perhaps making things a little clearer, the dictionary should merely include a picture of the Oregon Club Sports women’s rugby team. Even the team’s ball says so, with a “BARBARIAN” logo plastered across the white, football-like toy.
“Rugby is different than most sports,” said first-year Oregon coach Greg Farrell, a 19-year rugby veteran. “It’s a full-contact sport. And either you love it or you hate it.
“It’s not for everybody.”
Senior captain Shelby Frail said rugby — only just beginning to gain recognition across the United States — is not for the weak-minded.
“It’s kind of like soccer, but a lot more intense. It’s both mentally and physically demanding,” Frail said. “It’s so physical that it’s hard to get up sometimes after a hit. But we have some very strong girls on this team.”
In its final competition of the year, Oregon came home this weekend from Missoula, Mont., with a breath of confidence after going undefeated at one of the biggest tournaments in the country, the Missoula Maggott Tournament. The “Dirty Ducks,” as they call themselves, shut out their opponents on the first day, going 2-0, before tying the Missoula women’s club team 5-5 in the tournament’s final.
The Ducks also won a tournament in Portland two weeks ago.
“This was just a phenomenal way to go out,” Farrell said of ending the season and graduating four seniors. “I couldn’t ask for a better way to go out. I am just so proud of this team.”

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As the fastest-growing collegiate sport in the country, rugby may be the next sport, much like women’s soccer in the last five years, to evolve into a national phenomenon.
“It’s great fun to watch,” Club Sports coordinator Sandy Vaughn said. “You could never pick a women’s rugby player out of a crowd because contrary to perception, rugby women come in every shape and size. They just get out there and show that women can be rough too.”
Although the women’s program is just four years old, Farrell said he has hope for future plans of it becoming a varsity sport.
“I really hope so,” Farrell said of becoming a University-supported program. “There aren’t a lot of funding issues. All we need is uniforms.”
Oregon Associate Athletic Director Sandy Walton said the University is looking to add a women’s varsity sport in the near future, but the likelihood of throwing women’s rugby into the mix is not high.
“It’s simply not a very popular high school sport in Oregon,” Walton said.
Also, in many respects, women’s rugby is still lingering in the shadows of its male counterpart. At California-Berkeley, for example, men’s rugby is a full-funded program, while the women’s team is still self-sponsored.
But many women’s clubs are springing up across the country. Lewis and Clark, San Jose State and Central Washington, to name a few, have recently taken similar strides as Oregon and created women’s programs.
But until the Dirty Ducks get more University funds, they’ll have to rely on fundraisers and the Club Sports office to support themselves. The largest expense is traveling — right now the 18-woman traveling squad is squeezing into a 15-person van for road trips — and the soccer team’s PapŽ Field would be a perfect home for rugby, so Farrell said the team budget would not have to be high should it become a varsity sport.

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March 10 was supposed to be a revelation for the women’s rugby team. It was supposed to be a historic day.
In a game that decided who would represent the Pacific Northwest in the western regional playoff tournament, Oregon State defeated the Dirty Ducks 29-22 on a dreary Saturday morning.
For a team that already had success shooting out its veins, shutting out its previous opponents by scores of 85-0, 95-0 and 34-0, Oregon was unable to penetrate a much bigger — both physically and in sheer numbers — Oregon State club.
“I don’t really like to think about that game,” Frail said. “We were a little nervous and missed some opportunities, but we held them pretty good.”
But the loss doesn’t make the game, or the season, any less memorable.
“The Oregon State coach said that we were the best team within 500 miles,” Farrell said with an air of pride. “We got ’em pretty good.
“But if there was one game that we could take back this year, it would be that one.”
Sophomore hooker (a position) Nicole Merrill said the team’s success this year can be attributed only to the team’s work ethic, propelled by the coaching staff’s tough practice schedule.
“These gals are tough,” Farrell said.
So tough, in fact, that the women scrimmage with the Eugene Rugby Club, a men’s team.
The grueling nature of the sport is no cake walk. And the women know that. They’ve played soccer and basketball, but it’s different with the Australian rules of football.
“I just expect the bruises; it’s part of the game,” Merrill said. “This is my first year playing and I’m having a great time.”
“There’s no pads, no helmets,” Frail said. “There are a lot of tough girls out there … and we shouldn’t be underestimated because girls can hit too.”
Two-hour practices twice a week, plus Saturday games, take their toll on the team, but Farrell boasts that his team is in better condition than its opponents.
“These are really good athletes who have made a big commitment, especially to stay with the team after the torture we put them through,” Farrell said.
One key in the Oregon State game, Farrell said, was the experienced squad that the Beavers put on the field. Oregon State started 11 seniors, while six of Oregon’s 20 players had never touched a rugby ball prior to this season.
“Most people are like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know there was a women’s rugby team,’” Farrell said.
Recruiting is a major part of fielding a full team, Farrell said. Several of the players are on exchange, some from Australia and New Zealand, and others from Minnesota and Alaska, where rugby has little popularity.
“It’s hard to keep girls here,” said Frail, who began playing three years ago. “We’re always busy with school and work and other things.”
One of Farrell’s main goals is to double the amount of participants on next year’s squad.
“We have some lofty goals for this program,” he said.
And you can be sure that Oregon State (which recently reached the Elite Eight of the national tournament) is already on the top of next year’s hit list.