With the recent push to prioritize the development of women’s rugby in the region, we sat down with Jamaican Lady Crocs Captain Sasha-Gaye Green to hear her thoughts on the development of women’s rugby in Jamaica and on starting her very own rugby club!Read on to get to know a little more about this Jamaican Female Rugby Player of the Year.
Name: Sasha-Gaye GreenAge: 27 years oldCurrent team: Jamaican Lady Crocs (Captain of both the 7s and 10s/12s teams)How many years have you been playing rugby? 7 yearsHow did you start playing rugby?I was originally a high school football player but when I went to college it was off-season and I needed a sport to play to keep me busy and fit. My best friend was playing Rugby and invited me to training. I quickly realized I really liked the sport, so I started playing local club rugby.After a couple months, I made the national team and here I am now.How do you maintain your training regime?Right now, I mainly train by myself during the week, and we have team training at the weekends.Most of the girls travel a good distance to get to team training – we all live far away from each other – so we basically maintain our own individual fitness in between our team sessions.I travel four hours every weekend just to train with the team, but it’s worth it!
What is something people may not know about you?Children are always attracted to me. I love to bring them into the rugby community.I also coached a ‘tiny tots’ team.What is last tournament you competed in?The 2019 RAN Sevens Tournament in the Cayman Islands.The Lady Crocs placed second which gave us a spot in the Olympic Qualifier in Monaco. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we couldn’t make our debut in Monaco but I’m hoping more opportunities like that will come up so we can go out there and show just what we are capable of.Who is your favorite player?Ellia Green – Australian Rugby Union and Rugby League player.I love her.What has been your strongest motivation?My mother. She always supported me and pushed me to be the best person I could be.She was my biggest fan. I always wanted to make her proud.
Tell us about your rugby club.I started my own rugby club in 2015 called the St Catherine Lioness Female Rugby Club.I love rugby and I love female empowerment, so I decided to start a club for some of the girls I knew were playing rugby at the time and who I knew would love that kind of really supportive atmosphere.We foster a lot of females who go on to make the national program. In fact, the majority of women playing for the national team have passed through the St Catherine Lioness Female Rugby Club.I would say we are now one of the top teams in Jamaica which I am really proud of.Why is rugby a ‘life-changing’ game?Rugby can be an integral pathway for many girls and women to gain additional educational opportunities through the various university scholarships that are offered to players, both locally and internationally.This is an absolutely life-changing experience that can be attained through the game of rugby.What about the future?Personally, I recently took part in a RAN Level 1 certification coaching program. I would like to complete my Level 2 Certificate so I that after I finish playing, I can continue to help grow female rugby in Jamaica.For the Lady Crocs, we are mostly a very young squad. However, I believe with more education and knowledge about the sport and more game time, the Lady Crocs will be a real force to be reckoned with moving into the future.I just want to see the sport grow in Jamaica, especially in women’s rugby.
