Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club’s badass women
The Jakarta Post
Strong together: Without breaking hands, the Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club women’s team runs across the pitch to develop coordination and awareness of each other during matches. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
All rugby players remember their first tackle, and the women who play for the Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club are no exception. Tackling in rugby is not only difficult and scary, but it can leave you flat on your face in the mud watching your opponent race on ahead. Jakarta Banteng Rugby Club women’s team captain Kartika Esi still laughs every time she recalls her first attempt at tackling her opponents in a real match. “I tried to tackle them, but because they were bigger than me, I was just hugging them while being dragged along,” Esi said. Leader of the herd: Team captain Kartika Esi makes eye contact with a teammate as she passes the ball. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama) Rugby is a full contact sport played with a distinctively shaped oval ball, first introduced in Jakarta during the colonial period. It experienced a lull in popularity in the 1980s but was revive...
