Mission Mater's Magazine - Flipbook - Page 28
All tagged up
and ready to try!
Iain Lawrie
Turf Warriors in Galway: Sometimes you might have
to get slightly mucky with Tag Rugby
T
he Mater Hospital Tag Rugby Team
was formed many moons (and
night shifts) ago to compete
in the International Hospital Cup. What
began as a casual attempt to stretch legs
and claim bragging rights has evolved into
a fully-fledged tag rugby powerhouse (or
at least a merry band of semi-coordinated
athletes) competing in Dublin9s social
leagues and charity blitzes across the
country.
Tag rugby is a fast-paced, non-contact
version of rugby that values teamwork,
agility, and communication. Instead of
tackling, players wear Velcro tags that
opponents must remove to stop play. It9s a
mixed-gender game where female tries
count triple — and egos are deflated
accordingly.
The Mater Tag squad is a gloriously mixed
bunch: nurses, doctors, physios,
occupational therapists, scientists,
students, porters, administrators, retired
heroes, and the occasional 8friend of a friend9 who swears they once played
rugby at school. They currently strut their stuff in the Irishtown,
Drumcondra, and Grangegorman leagues, with road trips to blitzes from
Terenure to Bundoran — because nothing says team bonding like a pub
full of healthcare professionals still togged out after a day in the rain.
Off the pitch, Mater Tag are social to the point of medical concern. Regular
post-operative debriefs in the pub, weekend
