Kansas City women’s rugby teams welcome new recruits to scrum: ‘I’m here to hit someone’

Xannie Quiring stood at the edge of Cooley Park with the sun rising over the trees on a cool October Sunday. She was showing a selfie of her bloody face.

The week before, Quiring collided with a teammate while trying to make a tackle during a rugby game against the Omaha GOATS.

“We made contact with our faces and mine didn’t do as well as hers,” he said.

Low angle shot of women forming a rugby scrum. A woman on the right runs around them to get into position to pick up the ball. — Patriots players practice forming a scrum during practice at Cooley Park on Oct. 20, 2024.

The collision opened a cut above his right eye. She was enjoying finally being able to put on makeup for the first time since the injury.

Quiring didn’t have to worry about receiving attention during the game. Their rugby club, the Patriots, is made up of paramedics, firefighters and other healthcare workers.

When Quiring and the other player fell, they sprang into action.

Several women run through a grassy field. One in the middle is carrying a rugby ball and looks like he is going to throw it. — Xannie Quiring (with ball) goes through a drill with his Patriots teammates during practice on Oct. 20, 2024.

“I had to go get ready and then I went to make sure he was okay,” she said. “I felt like a garbage bag because she was still on the ground and then I realized she had broken her leg.”

Quiring told the story with a mixture of joy and exaggeration: she is new to rugby and still learning.

Veteran Kansas City rugby players hope to capitalize on a rise in fandom and participation in women’s sports cross country.

That, and the success of the US women’s Olympic rugby team last summer, which gave the player Ilona Maher Celebrity Statushave drawn more eyes to sport.

Three women are shown colliding in a grassy field. Two from the right push one from the left. — Patriots players push each other in a drill designed to help the ball carrier learn to get through tacklers.

The Patriots: Kansas City’s new rugby team

Quiring spent two hours that Sunday preparing for Kansas City’s first matchup between its two Division II women’s rugby teams.

The patriots formed earlier this year. Club president and team captain Elena Rojas said some of the players came from Kansas City’s oldest and most established team, the Kansas City Jazz.

Others showed up out of curiosity or drawn to the Patriots’ mission.

A woman carrying a rugby ball in her right hand runs towards a player about to push him out of the way with her left hand. The other player's shorts read "In rugby we trust." — Patriots player Jessica Reid practices a drill to outdo teammate Bekah Caldwell, whose shorts say “In Rugby We Trust.”

Rojas wants the group of lifeguards and other health professionals to compete in the World Police and Fire Games.

Rojas also wanted to build a support team around mental health and community building.

“What better sport that teaches resilience and cohesion than rugby?” she said.

The Jazz: Kansas City’s established rugby club

A few days earlier, Lachelle Coats scanned a field of about 22 women warming up at Macken Field in north Kansas City. He has played for 30 years.

A woman in the center of the painting wears a purple T-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt. He appears to be running and throwing a rugby ball while other players swarm around him. — Lachelle Coats (in purple) throws the ball during practice at Macken Park on October 17, 2024. Coats has played rugby for 30 years.

Coats says rugby’s growth in the Midwest has been slower than other parts of the country. He coached a high school rugby team in Philadelphia from 2000 to 2016.

“You couldn’t throw a stick and not hit a high school rugby team when I was in Philadelphia,” he said. “The coasts are much more acclimatized to sport.”

The Kansas City Jazz was formed in 1993 and became an official member united states rugby team in the fall of 1994. They and the Patriots play in the Mid-America Rugby Union. Other teams include the Omaha GOATS and St. Louis Sabres.

Both the Jazz and the Patriots have around 30 members each.

Wide angle shot of a close-up rugby ball sitting on a field in waning daylight. Behind them are out-of-focus people running in a scattered group. Written on the ball is the word. "Jazz." — Jazz players run through a drill during practice at Macken Park in north Kansas City.

The games are as difficult as the men’s games, players say, attracting athletes and non-athletes looking for a physical and emotional outlet.

Devon Torrez, a 46-year-old mother of three, plays wing for the Jazz. He’s been playing for seven years.

Torrez said he had never played rugby in his life and knew nothing about it. He saw on Facebook that Kansas City had a team.

Women are shown outside in a grassy field. One in the middle of the photo is carrying a rugby ball and running between the other women who appear to be trying to tackle her. — Devon Torrez, 46, carries the ball in practice. Torrez has been playing on and off for seven years. He says he loves running and the contact the sport offers.

“I got to practice and I was totally confused, but I immediately said, ‘This is it.’ I love this. I’m going to do it.’”

Torrez shares a feeling that almost all players relate to: empowerment.

“There were times when I was younger and I didn’t feel like I had any power,” she said. “And now I can use my physical strength with a purpose.”

growing the sport

women’s sports are enjoying a surge in fandom across the countrywith stars like Caitlin Clark of the WNBA and Coco Gauff of tennis grabbing the headlines. Kansas City, home to the first stadium designed and built specifically for women’s professional sports, is no exception.

Kansas City’s two Division II rugby teams are another example of that growth.

A close-up of a woman wearing a maroon sweatshirt. She is lying on the ground with her hand outstretched placing a rugby ball on the ground. Around it you can see the legs of the players. — Eden Barnett places the ball before his Jazz teammates form a ruckus during practice at Macken Park on Oct. 17, 2024.

Lachelle Coats, who plays for the Jazz, attributed part of the growth in rugby’s popularity to the success of the US women’s Olympic team last summer. The team took home the bronze medal.

He said there are usually a couple of guys who show up to learn the sport.

Two women are shown sitting in a grassy field. They sit surrounded by small canvas bags and other items of clothing. Between them there is a rugby ball on the ground. — Jazz players Amanda Peterson, left, and Maddy Medina prepare to practice at Macken Park on Oct. 17, 2024.

“We have two people: the people who are very nervous, but they heard about it and want to try it,” Coats says, “or the people who say, ‘I’m here to punch someone!'”

Kansas City will host its first matchup between local teams

There is a lot at stake in this first meeting between the Jazz and the Patriots. First is bragging rights.

Second, if the Jazz win, they will head to the playoffs. Position and playoff spots are still to be determined.

But players on both teams say they’re excited for the opportunity to show the game to a broader audience and find some more players ready to take the field — and other people.

The game is scheduled for noon this Saturday, October 26 at City Park (2601 Park Drive) in Kansas City, Kansas.