SoPi Men’s and Womens rugby played at home last weekend

Southern Pines women’s Rugby played Saturday at the NAV. It was close the entire match. Charlotte defeated them 7-5.

Ladies who would watch their boyfriends and husbands play established the Celts in 2016. “After a while, the ladies joined in on a practice and formed a team,” said team member Tashi Whitney.

The Celts season will end in November and start back up in January for their winter season for 15s. They also play 7s, which takes place May through August.

If you're looking to play rugby on the men’s or women’s team, they practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30. The location is 1855 N. May St. in Southern Pines.

The Celts’ social media links are as follows:

Facebook:

Southern Pines Women’s Rugby “The Celts”

Instagram:

sopiwomensrugby

The Men’s team is also looking for new players and their socials are:

Facebook:

Southern Pines Men’s Rugby

Instagram:

sopirugby

The Ladies will play at the NAV in Southern Pines Saturday.

“Rugby is a very inclusive sport! We are open to new players and helping them learn. A lot of our ladies had never played before joining our team and fell in love with the game. I started in 2020 and the team and club has always made me feel welcome and were willing to help me grow within the game! We are a family on and off the pitch,” said Whitney. “I’ve learned a lot about myself while learning the game. The game of rugby is all about respect. We may fight it out on the pitch against the other team. After we all come together and laugh and joke about the game while sharing a meal! It’s a great sport and I love being a part of the SoPi rugby family.”

The men also played on Saturday, and it was all SoPi Men’s Rugby in the rain. They defeated Fear Rugby 48-12. They will travel to Triad on Saturday to close out the fall season.

I will admit this was my first time watching rugby. I learned a lot and very quickly. Both teams were very welcoming and had a good following.

The game is very exciting. If you're looking for something to do on a Saturday and if either team is in town, I recommend checking out our local rugby teams.

We are proud sponsors and are sponsored by Southern Pines Youth Rugby. If you have a child 4-18 who is interested in playing and learning an exciting sport, you can visit them at www.southernpinesyouthrugby.com to register.

We will definitely be back to watch more matches and covering our local teams.