Following a comprehensive win against Streatham-Croydon Ladies, Beth Evans (right)

leads her team off the pitch

Captain Beth Evans knows it is important to believe in their own ability and to
trust fellow team-mates and coaching staff, but also to enjoy it.

"Rugby to me is the sense of unified purpose that comes along with training hard
and pushing each other forward," says Evans.

"It allowed me to fit in as I am, with my strengths and weaknesses. I am one of

four sisters who play on the team; I have always been seen as the unfit, larger
sister but rugby has a position for all shapes and sizes.

Image caption
At half-time, the women huddle together for a team talk
"It has helped me become stronger, fearless, and in the process, to find an amazing
new family of friends that have become a crucial part of my life.

"No matter what the scoreline says, I was taught to never give up, hit harder,
press faster and run quicker."

Get Inspired: How to get into rugby union

Katy Daley-Mclean on the rapid rise of English women's rugby
The questions not to ask a women's rugby player
Full-time contracts can take women's rugby to next level - Hunter
The club itself is one of the oldest active rugby clubs in England, being founded
in 1881, although the women's team was conceived 17 years ago when three women who
had played at Leeds University approached the chairman with the idea.

For the first 10 years or so the team just about managed to put out a team of 15 on
a weekly basis with the number of players dipping to only four in 2014.

But a handful of women and coaches were determined to rebuild so that the under-18
girls were able to continue playing into adulthood. Recruitment began with complete
beginners and newbies to the sport making up the bulk of the team, and that was
often reflected in the results, which included a 66-0 defeat to Reading Abbey.

Lots of hard work followed, and by the end of the same season the return match
finished in a 14-14 draw.

Fast forward to today and the ladies team has more than 50 active players, with at
least 160 if you include the under-15 and under-18 girls teams.

Jenna Parsons is a long-standing team member and first played when there were
around six women on the books.

Image caption
Jenna Parsons at half-time during a match in poor weather
"That season was arguably one of the hardest, but it was the season that the team
well and truly formed and began to shape what we represent now," says Parsons.

"I'm grateful we continued to grow despite losing matches. It's a sport that
welcomes people from all walks of life. No matter your gender, age, experience,
ability, fitness levels or knowledge, there is always a place for everyone at a
rugby club."

As well as the first team, there is now a second team and a very healthy youth
team, ensuring that new players can take part at many levels and help those
returning from injury.
"It's also great that we are now in a time where we have girls on the team who have
convinced their male partners to start playing because of their new-found love for
the game," adds Parsons.

"The thriving recognition of women's rugby is, it goes without saying, a huge
driving force for our successes. It's onwards and upwards from here."

Elle Ross is one of those who joined the team relatively recently, despite in her
view not being a "sporty person" and not having played a team sport since leaving
school a decade ago.

Image caption
Elle Ross is new to the sport
"I'll never forget turning up for my first night at training: I wore a bib to
remind people I wasn't ready for contact but still managed to come home with some
huge bruises, and I screamed every time I received the ball because I had no idea
what to do," says Ross.

"But I got 'the bug' that first Tuesday night and haven't looked back since.

"I'm proud to say I now make the teamsheet for most first team games as well as
second team ones. It's been an absolute whirlwind.

"First and foremost, it's helped with my anxiety because it teaches you to switch
off. You can't worry about what you look like or what you're doing, you just focus
on the now. A perfect respite for an overactive mind."

Of course being a contact sport, the game is not without its risks.

Ahead of all the matches there is a steady stream of players heading off to see one
of Sutton & Epsom's four sports therapists, who between them cover three evening
clinics and games at the weekend.

Image caption
Physio Sophie Ward at work in the treatment room ahead of a game
"In the ladies' squad, there are a few requiring ankle and knee strapping for a bit
of added support following knocks and sprains earlier in the season," says physio
Sophie Ward.

"There have been a couple of fractures and head injuries, the latter entered on to
our concussion list with return to play carefully managed; and there is always a
fair bit of muscle soreness with the request for deep tissue massage,

"But I can't say I've noticed any significant difference between the women and men
on game days. In fact, the only one I can think of is that the ladies' changing
room smells a whole lot nicer!"

Image caption
Verity Brooker in the treatment room ahead of a game
Winger Verity Brooker knows what a long-term injury is like, having suffered a
ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last year, and to complicate matters she
was in the final stages of her degree. But seven months later, with the assistance
of the physio team and lots of hard work, she was back in action.

"It's an injury that has a long, slow recovery and without proper rehab there is a
high risk of rerupture," says Brooker.

"I couldn't wait to come back, but the consultants are reluctant to allow you to
play quicker than their deadline, and rightly so.
"I just worked really hard on it, doing everything possible to rebuild my muscle,
relearning how to use that knee and refining my skill set once again. If you do the
physio properly, the timeline can be different.

"My first game back I was really nervous but then I thought to myself I've worked
hard, built the muscle back up and it's fine at training, plus it was a freak
accident so there's just as much chance of doing my other knee really. I am still
working on it but am on a positive path to getting myself back to my full
potential."

Scrum-half Louise Darby also knows what it is like to battle back from injury,
when, after rehabilitation from a serious skiing accident, she was told she would
not be able to play contact sport again.