Friday , March 29 2024

Zakynthos and Rugby!! Watch out UK!!

Did you know that Zakynthos has a rugby team?

Well in fact she does, two as a matter of fact, a men’s and a women’s team.

 

Speaking with a member of the women’s team, Taylor Ann Lewis. The teams had just returned from the UK with success under their belt.

According to Ms.Taylor the teams started just before Christmas last year. The founder Panos Varypatis, who has roots in Zakynthos, playing in Athens for eight years missed the game so much that he thought it would be a great idea to start a team in Zakynthos. After talking to now coach and president of the teams Tasos Bastas, his wish came true.  

March, 2019 saw Zakynthos with two teams and their goal was to prove that Zakynthos had the ability to challenge. Their first experience was in the Ruby 7s tournament in Athens. Playing against other teams they gained the experience needed.

During the summer the committee made plans to take a step beyond the shores of Zakynthos and Greece. They flew to where the game originated, that being none other than England.

Their first game was in Gloucester against the Gordon League Rugby Club. Our teams proved worthy of their match defeating their oppositions.  As Ms Taylor described, “Saturday morning we went to Gordon League Rugby Club who had invited us to play them. And all I can say is, it was amazing!! Every single member of our teams had a huge smile on their face (plus a few bruises haha) and couldn’t believe how wonderful the experience was. The cherry on the cake was that both the men’s and women’s teams won.

 

After playing in Gloucester they set off to Wales. This time to absorb the experience of what the Cardiff Principality Stadium could provide. The Merched CRCC Cardiff Women’s team invited as guests of honour A.S Zakynthos to watch them play in their home ground. After winning their match they also help celebrate their win. Ms Taylor went on to state:-  

The ladies were so very kind, and even made us traditional Welsh Cawl (stew). Our 3 day tour has just been full of experiences and we couldn’t have asked for a better weekend with the people we love, doing what we love. Our goals from now onwards, are to get more people interested, find sponsors so we can do more things like this, and finally start academies for children. We have invited all the teams to come to Zakynthos in May, and we would love to be able to organise a fun day out. We are also welcoming any teams who would like to play us, to get in touch with us via our page, or via personal message to me”

Zakynthos Informer would like to congratulate both teams on their success and wish them a bright future ahead.

For more information about Zante Rugby team please contact them on the link https://www.facebook.com/zanterugby

About Louise Inzk

Louise is Australian born and has been a Greek citizen since 1991. She has deep cultural ties with the island, often writing about Zakynthian Traditions and Culture. She is also an active member of the Volunteer Group of Zakynthos, Giostra Di Zante and is a member of the women's choir "Rodambelos". Her love of the island and all it offers saw her joining the Zakynthos (Zante) Informer admin team in 2014.

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