First a glance, then a shy half-smile… then a good tackle to the ribs and love. Five inspiring rugga-love stories for Valentine’s Day.
Lior and Tommaso (Jerusalem). Two psychos during covid
Lior: “We got to know each other well during our shared training sessions, and there was a good friendship. Originally from Italy, Tomaso learned the game at Oxford (Tomasso: ‘I wanted to do something as British as possible’). During covid, our connection strengthened. Lockdowns, the Jerusalem cold, were the only two psychos who kept playing. At some point, alone. From there, a period of some tackling, and Michela was born. Today, I’m on a break from active play.”
Natalie and Anna (Tel Aviv). Just a little bit harder
Natalie: “We met when Anna joined the team three years ago. I had already been on the team for a few years. We started as acquaintances, but over time, we realized there was something special between us. We went on one date and realized that it was it. Today we live together with two cats. Rugby? Well, hmm… let’s just say we’re trying to raise each other’s bar. In tackle drills, I tackle just a little bit harder than the rest.”
Yaeli (Raanana) and Meytal (Rehovot, Galil). I want to be with her!
Mital: “I was playing back at Rehovot back then. Yaeli tells a story that she saw a picture of me on teammate’s Facebook page and said to herself ‘I want to be with he!.’ After a period that included several tournaments, she started talking to me, actually on Facebook Messenger. We corresponded for a while, exchanging shy glances at tournaments. Our first real meeting was at the rugby capital, Kibbutz Yizra’el. I organized a training camp there for girls from all over the country and asked for volunteers from the women’s teams to help me. Yaeli volunteered, it was on 2.2.2019, and the rest is history.”
It was a two or three day camp, and there we realized we were meant for each other – an amazing connection and great excitement. The camp itself was also successful and enriching for both the girls and the coaches. Since then, until I retired and took a break from rugby, we were a happy and loving couple every day, with rivalry on the field. Tackles? When her parents came to watch, I made a great effort to do things gently. “We lived together in Ramat Gan for two and a half years and then moved north to Kibbutz Malkia. There, we are raising our son Noam, and bought land before the war to build our dream home. At the moment, we are evacuated and staying in Kibbutz Kalya by the Dead Sea in the north, far from home but enjoying wonderful hospitality and good conditions. Happy Valentine’s Day all!”
אילה (ירושלים) וגיא (אשקלון). הבחור קצת פיזי
Ayala: “Guy was introduced to rugby through his father who played as a youth in Rosario, Argentina. When he was 13, he joined a club in Ashkelon and later played for several years in the Israeli national teams and coached youth in Ashkelon. In recent years, he has been living in Jerusalem and playing with the Ashkelon-Jerusalem setup. I joined the women’s team after seeing a training session in Gan Sacher (since we moved to the stadium in Givat Ram!). Now it’s my third season with the team. We first met at the joint training sessions in Jerusalem. Then, on a beautiful day two years ago, we met by chance at the Valley of the Cross, and it developed from there :) When Guy wants to compliment me on strong play, he calls me a beast; I still find it hard to take it as a compliment. In addition, Guy tends to play very physically, and last season he managed to make a few impressive physical tries, but I missed them all because I just wasn’t looking. However, I did get to see him vomiting after a head butt, he calmed me down and said he had had uglier injuries.”
Eva and Dimitry (Haifa). Teen love affair still going strong
Eva and Dimitry (together): “We met as teenagers playing rugby in Kazakhstan three years ago. Until today, we continue to love and play rugby. We are currently playing for the Haifa club. It’s been a year since we started developing youth rugby; through the club, we teach rugby in schools and invite kids to join our team.”
