If you have never played rugby before, playing your first game can be quite daunting. You don’t want to get caught out if you’ve not prepared properly for the game.
What should I bring to a rugby game? When going to play your first rugby game you should have a mouthguard, rugby boots, water bottles and appropriate kit like socks, shirt and shorts. Don’t forget something to help you shower, dry and change into after the game.
These are just the bare essentials, read on for a more detailed breakdown of everything you need to bring when playing in a Rugby game.
1.Mouth Guard/ Gum Shield
Rugby is an incredibly physical sport where injuries can occur. The hard hits can have a big impact and so a mouth guard is essential in rugby to protect your mouth. The mouth guard was introduced to rugby in order to protect the mouth. Your teeth and jaw can take a few big hits in rugby.
Losing teeth used to be a real problem for rugby players and having a mouth guard in will make the game a lot safer. It is why you have to wear a mouthguard to play rugby, with most associations and teams not allowing you to play if you don’t have a gum shield because they are so important.
A mouth guard is something that is pretty easy to pick up, eith the majority of sports shops selling it for anywhere between £5 and £35 depending on how flashy you want to go with the gum shield. They have become a bit more stylised and flashy over the last few years so it is easy to pick up a gum shield that looks good.
While it is important to bring a gumshield, you can’t just put it straight in before the game. The day before your game you need to mould the gum shield to your mouth. This is usually done by soaking the gum shield in boiling water, with most of them coming with instructions in the box.
There are some that can be bought that are pre moulded and those are the sort when you can just put it straight in. But it is still a good idea to get used to your mouth guard before you put it in for the first time as it can be uncomfortable.
2.Rugby Boots
Having the appropriate footwear is also important for your safety. Rugby boots tend to look like trainers, but they will usually have either plastic moulded boots and studs or metal studs on the bottom. The traditional rugby boot will have metal studs, but we are seeing more rugby boots now with plastic studs as they are lighter.
The studs or blades on the bottom of the boots are to make it easier to play on a slippery surface. They stick into the ground and give players more traction which is very helpful for the forwards in the scrum and the backs in open play.
Rugby boots need to be comfortable as well as you are wearing them for more than two hours straight usually, as well as needing to be supportive on your foot and ankle so it can handle the fast movements. Forwards will usually wear heavier boots to give them more support while backs will usually wear lighter boots to make them faster and more agile.
There are various brands like Adidas, Canterbury and Kooga who all make rugby boots and these can be purchased usually for somewhere in between £40 and £100, usually depending on the size of the boot. They have also become a bit more flashy over the last few years so you can certainly pick up a good looking pair of boots.
3.Kit/ Uniform
For a rugby game, teams will usually have a specific uniform or kit that they wear. This will usually include the shorts, shirt and socks. Teams tend to have a specific colourway that helps to differentiate between the two teams. It is important to have the right kit as you can’t really play if you don’t have a shirt, socks or shorts for the game.
While it is important that you just have the kit, it is also important that the kit fits and is comfortable. You are wearing this kit for more than two hours usually and so it needs to be comfortable and allow you to play at your best. If the kit is too big it can slow you down and gives the opposition more to grab when trying to tackle.
4.Water Bottle
In terms of the physical side of rugby, it can be incredibly tiring. At least one water bottle is absolutely an essential for playing a game of rugby. It is an incredibly demanding sport where you can lose a lot of water usually through sweat. This needs to be replenished through a lot of fluids.
It can become dangerous if you play rugby without water as dehydration can eventually cause players to collapse if they don’t drink water. Having water or some other sort of replenishing liquid helps to improve energy stores, with rugby players often being seen drinking things like Lucozade during games.
Optional things to bring to a rugby game if you’re playing
1.Scrum Caps
Not all players wear scrum caps as it is just not necessarily comfortable for them and there is limited data as to whether it actually helps prevent head trauma. Scrum Caps do help to prevent cauliflower ears which is why you will usually see players in the scrum wearing them. But you can still wear a scrum cap as a back, like players like Johnathan Davies, Jack Nowell and Leigh Halfpenny do.
2.Ball
While it is good to bring a rugby ball with you, usually they will be provided by the team. It may be helpful to bring one with you before the game as you can use it to get warmed up, but a ball is something usually already provided for a rugby game.