I thought the most exciting moment of the 2024 Olympics was when Alex Sedrick raced the length of the field to give the United States women’s Rugby 7s the bronze medal.
The 14-12 win over Australia gave the U.S. its first women’s rugby medal, and I found myself yelling at the TV the entire time while Sedrick outraced everyone to the far end of the field to give the Americans the thrilling win.
So, when I heard that Dublin High now has a girls’ rugby club team, I knew I had to do something to help promote the sport, and the team.
“It’s an exciting time to be in high school rugby,” said Reina Madali, the Dublin coach. “This is going to be the up-and-coming sport.”
Madali first was acquainted with the sport when she was in high school and moved to Pleasanton.
“It was the first time the Pleasanton Cavaliers had a girls high school team,” explained Madali, who didn’t play collegiately after graduating from Foothill. “I did play a lot of club tournaments during the summer after high school.”
She came back and started coaching in the Pleasanton Cavaliers when she got the call about establishing the Dublin High program.
“When I got asked about Dublin, I knew I had to get involved to help promote the game,” Madali said.
The Gaels have a 7s team for the fall women’s season and are one of only two East Bay Athletic League teams that have a club program, with Carondelet being the other.
The numbers have been low for the rugby team as the sport is just getting its footing. One other obstacle could be the girls’ flag football teams that are in their second season as an official EBAL sport.
Madali has an enticing sales pitch for rugby over flag football.
“If you’re an athlete that wants more action, this is the sport for you,” Madali said. “If you are getting bored in flag football, rugby might be for you.”
The success of the United States women’s 7s team in the Olympics has helped across the board.
“Overall, across the Bay Area it has brought more interest,” Madali said. “It’s helped parents be more comfortable about their daughter’s playing rugby.”
The Gaels have had eight practices so far and have played in three tournaments.
“The approval for the club to start up and get running took a while so we got a late start to the season,” Madali explained. “With this season so short it was tough to get a lot of girls to play.”
And how have the tournaments gone?
“Pretty good,” Madali said. “(The tournaments) put us in a bracket against teams with a similar skill set and the girls have played really well.”
It’s been a blend of some players with experience and others that are brand new, all meshing together.
“Most of our team in brand new,” Madali said. “With the leadership of our experienced players, our players have quickly picked up the sport. Being familiar as classmates helped accelerate their connection as a team. There were a few nerves before the first game, but they went in wholeheartedly which resulted in awesome tackles, great breakaways, and even a few wins.”
The Gaels have also gotten support from the Dublin boosters club as the school has bought into the program.
“It was so nice of the boosters to support us and help get us uniforms,” Madali said. “We were relying on borrowing uniforms from the Cavaliers. Now we will be all Gaeled-out.”
Madali has loved every minute of getting the program going at Dublin.
“Oh definitely — I was given an opportunity and feel fortunate,” Madali saidwhen asked if she’s enjoyed the season. “Challenging the kids in a way that they are not used to is great. They tell me they are so excited to come to practice. It is an exciting time to be in high school rugby.”
Next up will be the formation of a boys’ team for the winter season. That will be a 15s team, so Madali is hoping the school can benefit from the Gaels football program when their season concludes.
For more information on the Dublin High girls’ rugby club team, or getting involved with the Cavaliers club, please contact Madali at either reina.madali@gmail.com or 925-200-3978.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. This column originally appeared in Tri-Valley Preps Playbook, a weekly sports e-newsletter published by Embarcadero Media Foundation.
